Thread Killer
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Posts: 12,526
Bikes: 15 Kinesis Racelight 4S, 76 Motebecane Gran Jubilée, 17 Dedacciai Gladiatore2, 12 Breezer Venturi, 09 Dahon Mariner, 12 Mercier Nano, 95 DeKerf Team SL, 19 Tern Rally, 21 Breezer Doppler Cafe+, 19 T-Lab X3, 91 Serotta CII, 23 3T Strada
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I've honestly never had a pair of recessed cleat shoes that were good for actually walking around in; yeah, they're a lot better than a traditional 3-bolt road shoe to walk in, but that's not saying they're what you'd want to wear to walk a few blocks to the store or do a day at the museum in. Therefore, if you really want to walk around, I'd suggest looking at platform pedals or cage pedals w/ toeclips, and find a shoe for those.
The problem with recessed cleats is that the metal cleat is only like a millimeter of the floor, and either is constantly making some contact with floor at some point as you roll through your step, or it's grinding on irregularities on the ground, crunching on tiny rocks and various detritus, which I find very annoying.
That said, The Pros' Closet has crazy-low closeout prices on Mavic shoes, so getting something like an XA model for $30 is probably as painless as trying out a recessed cleat shoe can be.