testertips

Looking for some with super stiff soles... any recommendations? Anyone have experience with Onitsuka Tiger Asics?

greatbasin

I've been trying to find a general purpose sneaker that works but have not had much success. To date, the best I've found is a cycling-specific shoe, the Giro Rumble. I originally purchased these to work with SPD cleats, but currently use them with KKT pedals and the French Christophe clips. Sans cleats, they can be walked around in without grinding on anything and they look like a running or athletic shoe.

I've tried canvas sneakers like Sperry/Keds/Vans and they flex too much. Besides that, my toes tend to push too far into the narrow tips. Running shoes (Asics) have a similar problem. The only difference is they have a thick EVA foam wedge sole instead of the rubber welt.

I'm tempted to try mountain bike shoes, hoping they could serve for all-purpose footwear. One of the things I don't like about a lot of shoes is the big drop they seem to have -- basically they all have high heels. High heels and arch supports make me curl my toes and I get hammer toe or mallet toe. Zero-drop, no arch-support, 'barefoot' shoes avoid that, but they're hopelessly flexible for cycling. I'd need big beach cruiser flat pedals to use them on the bike.

SurferRosa

I wear Onitsuka Tiger Mexico 66 with clips and straps. I have several different pedals that work well, including Campy Chorus, KKT Pro Ace, and KKT Top Run.

terrymorse 

That shoe has a very thin sole. Not an ideal choice for cycling, where a stiff sole is preferred.

3alarmer

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...several companies used to make and sell a mountain bike shoe, built around a stiff biking sole, using uppers that look like a standard running shoe.
The guys that made my current ones stopped making these, I think, so I don't have a current recommendation. But you could look around.

If the soles are too thick, they are harder to adapt, so pay attention to that. You need to bend the toeclips up higher, for them to fit well with the shoes. Or you can use a grinder to take down the soles in the forefoot a little. I prefer a shoe with laces, so that's what I look for. They fit my feet better.

79pmooney

OP, ask yourself whether it is more important to have shoes that are pleasant to walk in or do you want the ultimate cycling experience? If it is the walking, follow the posts above, If it is all about the ultimate ride, get quality cycling shoes with the 3 bolts for the LOOK style cleats. Install the Exustar track cleats. (They make two versions. You want the cheap ones; ~$25.)

That will give you what racers have used forever - because it works really, really well. Just as good as the best of the modern clipless pedals except: no fast quick release; if you forget to loosen the buckle, you fall over or have to yank your foot. Also you do not have float. (Some folk seek out the clipless pedals and cleats with the no-float option.)

Good shoes for toeclips are shoes with smooth soles and laces or other smooth systems. (Think pedal flip and insertion through the straps every start.) Also with smooth leather under the strap if you are inclined to pull up during your pedal stroke. (I pull up a lot. I have shoes that simply don't work with those straps.) A little texture under the toe can help a lot in pulling the pedal pickup tab back to flip the pedal for pickup. I've improved shoes with ShoeGoo,

Good cycling shoes, toeclips and straps pulled tight are in no way inferior to the best clipless as long as you don't need or benefit from float; barring the 10 feet of your ride at the start and at the stop. (And if you accidentally unclip, especially when you are going at your limit, those straps keep you foot on the pedal and might prevent a crash or real injury.)

JohnDThompson 

A pedal with a full, flat platform can be comfortable even with flexible-soled street shoes and toe clips, e.g. the Mikashima "Urban Platforn:"

testertips

What makes you think I don't already ride clipless?

testertips

Have you also tried MKS GR-9s - I'm rocking some? Are the urban platforms better?

testertips

What shoes do NJS Keirin riders typically wear?

3alarmer

...the pedal now known as urban platform is hard to beat. It's something I use a lot, but you still need to figure out a shoe/clip/strap arrangement that is good for your feet.

JohnDThompson 

I haven't tried the GR-9, but it looks to offer similar benefits to the Urban Platform. It's a lower price point than the Urban Plaform, and uses cup & cone bearings instead of cartridge bearings.

79pmooney

Both the MKS GR-9 and Urban Platform are new to me. I like. I rode the Leotard Berthets aka platforms for decades. The Urban Platform looks like a very close copy to the Berthet shape using the huge Berthet pickup tab. I switched to the Shimano Dura-Ace/600 semi platforms quite a few years ago. Now those pedals come with Campagnolo style pickup tabs similar though smaller than those on the GR-9s. Those small tabs at the bottom of the rattrap are vastly inferior to the huge Berther/Urban Platform tabs coming off the top. I basically cannot do a routine quick traffic start and get a first try pickup riding a fix gear with the Campagnolo copies. So I make big pickup tabs for my Shimano semi-platforms that come well back from the top. If someone gave me a pair of GR-9s, I'd try them for a ride but it is almost certain I'd be doing the same for those pedals before the second ride.

testertips I didn't intend to sound like I was assuming anything about what you rode or knew. Just sharing my very long experience with toestraps. I raced them in the pre-clipless days and stayed on them though the first 15 years of clipless because no one ever told me there was a way to achieve no-float; something I've known forever my knees must have if I want to keep them. Continued to use toestraps on all my fix gears and always will simply because I never want to pull a foot completely off the pedal at 40 mph = 200 RPM and get that strike from a sledgehammer in the Achilles.

Thank you for this thread. I never knew about either the Urban Platforms or the GR-9s and have been hoping I can nurse my Shimano semi-platforms along as long as I am still riding fix gears. I hope you find pedals that put a smile on your face! (And it sounds like you may have.)

And a realization - to use the cleats I recommended above. both the Urban Platform and GR-9 would have to be modified to provide a rattrap like vertical plate to fit into the cleat slot. Do-able but not easy. Rats. The old Berthets were made with that lip. Not perfect. It was shallow enough that it wore out cleats fairly fast if you rode aggressively. Still either the Urban Platform or GR-9 might be a future pedal for me but modifying pedals is getting old. (I didn't have to modify the Berthets but I loosened their press fits fairly quickly and collected a small, heavy box of dead ones. They pack very efficiently minus the toestraps.)

testertips

No worries and appreciate your insight! Just looking for recommendations on stiff soled shoes to use on my track bike that's set up with cages.

JohnDThompson 

The big difference is that, unlike the Lyotard mod. 23 "Berthet" pedal, the Urban Platform does not accommodate slotted cleat bike shoes. That was a "show-stopper" for me.

3alarmer

...not shoes, but for clips look at the double gated ones from Soma. They're pretty cheap, and they fit well to a rounded shoe toe, with a little bending.

ShannonM

I've used both the MKS GR-9 and the Urban Platform. With my 12.5 - 13 feet, the GR-9s were a bit too skinny. The UPs are pretty sweet.

Shoe-wise, the closest thing I've found to the old touring shoes of the early 80s are 5ten Freeriders. They're fantastic on the bike. A bit stiff for all-day walking, if you're prone to foot pain. The only thing I'd change is that the laces are really long... if you don't tuck 'em in, your chainring will eat' em.

--Shannon

79pmooney

Cut 'em to the perfect length and burn/melt the end with a match. There's a moment when you can twist the melt with your fingers and not quite get burned to make for a sweet, tapered end. (Old sailor here.)