Need a Shoe Recommendation

You gonna wear this with bike clothes or normal clothes?

I forgot to add the other important question: how far are you planning to ride? There’s a basic tradeoff between ability to walk on and off the bike. If the sole of the shoe is really stiff, you’re less likely to get hot spots from pedal pressure after long rides. But you’ll walk like a duck.

If this is for commuting/casual riding (<30 miles) take a look at Shimano's Touring/Treking line: http://www.shimano-lifestylegear.com/us/fw/products/tour/index.php The CT40 and MT34 are decent entry levels, and as you work your way up in those lines you’re mostly paying for different closure systems and styling. The CTs are oriented a bit more toward walking, and the MTs a bit stiffer.

If you’re planning a bit more intensive riding (~60 miles) look at the M088 or RT32. The former has more tread, the latter is a bit lighter.

Riding much further than that, get something stiff and bring a change of shoes if you really need to walk a significant distance or climb stairs.

None of this is hard and fast, or absolute. It’s certainly possible to ride long distances on floppy shoes, and it makes no sense to invest in expensive shoes for occasional rides. It does help to have some idea of what kind of riding you’re planning to do, and what kind of shoe would be optimal. (It also helps to know what kind of riding people recommending shoes are doing, to see whether it’s relevant to what you’re planning.) Also, this is something I absolutely wouldn’t buy online. Find a shop, try some on–the sizing is really subjective, and if it doesn’t feel right, it’s not going to feel any better after a couple hours on a bike.

I just picked up Giro’s new Terraduros and they are a revelation. They have a flat Vibram sole, but the insert and upper are like regular MTB shoes, so they’re super stiff on the bike, but incredibly walkable. They’re even more comfortable to walk in than my Chromes, which are billed more as a street shoe with SPD compatibility. On the bike they’re amazing, since they’re pretty stiff, so you can really feel the effective power transfer.

As far as I can tell, they fit all your criteria. And they come in red, which is cool.

I have a pair of Specialized Touring shoes – “sport” level – (I think they call them something else now), which are SPD compatible but have a smoother bottom than MTB shoes. They are not especially stiff (“6” on their stiffness scale — which I think goes to 10?), but they work fine. Specialized shoes fit wider feet (and they also have a “wide” in some models, though it’s not wide where I need it, so I tend to just size up). These are very walkable. I used to have a set of the Shimano touring shoes which were also fine, but those don’t fit me as well (the regular version was too narrow).

I was chatting with vvill about shoes/cleats this AM. I think really any shoe that isn’t soft/flexible like a running shoe is going to be fine on the bike. Same goes for the cleats (SPD vs Look). I would have no hesitation to ride 100 miles in these touring shoes, though typically trips on that bike are less than 50; I typically use them for commuting but also use them for off-road riding. I can feel them flex a little, especially on out of saddle climbs, but it isn’t a problem. That said, I do enjoy stiff shoes when riding and really don’t do that much walking in bike shoes so I will probably get a stiffer set of Specialized MTB shoes when these wear out.

@hozn 83394 wrote:

I was chatting with vvill about shoes/cleats this AM. I think really any shoe that isn’t soft/flexible like a running shoe is going to be fine on the bike. Same goes for the cleats (SPD vs Look). I would have no hesitation to ride 100 miles in these touring shoes, though typically trips on that bike are less than 50; I typically use them for commuting but also use them for off-road riding. I can feel them flex a little, especially on out of saddle climbs, but it isn’t a problem. That said, I do enjoy stiff shoes when riding and really don’t do that much walking in bike shoes so I will probably get a stiffer set of Specialized MTB shoes when these wear out.

Yeah my thinking (after now having had a bike fit) is that any bike shoe will work as long as you fit well in your shoe, but this doesn’t just mean the length and width – the shapes of both of your feet have to be taken into account separately. It sounds kind of obvious/rudimentary to me now, but as of 2 days ago I’m riding with two different arch supports in my bike shoes (left side is more arched) and I’m not sure it couldn’t still be improved.

The stiffness of the shoes will affect your efficiency but my feeling is I’m fine commuting in my softer soled shoes as long as I have the fit correct. That said, I’m also planning to eventually* get a pair of stiffer 2-bolt/MTB/commuter shoe. Mostly for gravel rides, or longer rides where I may be walking/stopping a lot.

* I have 6 pairs of bike shoes already not including 1 old pair of Specialized MTB shoes and 1 new pair of LG shoes I bought online that’s too small.

@nelsondb 83566 wrote:

Hozn, is this the pair you have? http://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftr/shoes/road-shoes/sport-road

No, those have 3-bolt cleat interface, I believe. I think this is now what Specialized calls the touring shoe: http://m.specialized.com/us/en/ftr/shoes/road-shoes/sport-rbx

I am a Sidi and Giro man when it comes to road shoes, but all those that I own are less than practical for anything more than ordering your espresso midway through your ride.

I picked up a pair of Specialized “recreation” shoes for my commuting – they look like a discontinued version of what is now the Tahoe – and are perfectly adequate for commuting – I use them with SPDs and am able to walk relatively well.

Would not want to use them on a Saturday AM fast ride, but for city/commuting they are an excellent choice.