afrowheels

I'm interested in other people's experiences that might help inform a change in my current approach. I've looked at some other threads but they tend to be about individual issues (cleats vs toeclips, sandals vs shoes, etc) and I am more interested in combinations for a long tour through very different conditions. E.g. in a few cases I've gone from 35C dry, hot weather to 15C cold and rain within a week. I also want to be able to go hiking in proper footwear.

I am cycling through South America and right now I have 3 pairs of footwear: Bontrager touring/commuting shoes with cleats, some cheapish hiking sandals and a pair of sneakers. I have pedals cleated on one side, flat on the other. I almost always cycle in the Bontragers but I am not very happy with them: in the heat they get very hot and in the rain they absorb a lot of water and take forever to dry. (My overshoes are not doing a great job either..). I've tried the sandals but I find them too slippery in the wet and flex too much for my liking. The sneakers have been great off the bike. The other issue is that I would like to do some hiking but adding hiking shoes as a 4th pair seems too much, especially since I am already heavily loaded (50kg+ including bike). Obviously I am getting by, but I could be a lot happier and not have to pass on some hiking opportunities.

So...I am thinking about ordering some new shoes online (risky admittedly with sizing) and going for a combination of hiking/cycling shoes (https://bike.shimano.com/en-US/produ.../SH-XM900.html), SPD sandals and the sneakers. The hiking shoes could be combined with gaiters for rain and would also be useful when cycling offroad, or through bad patches of road, where there's a lot of mud.

Thoughts/experiences/suggestions on combinations, or experiences with the Shimano products? I've seen reviews where people are dissatisfied with the latest Shimano sandals - are there other good alternatives?

andrewclaus

I also combine bike touring with hiking and backpacking, but my methods are much lighter than yours. I'm an experienced UL hiker, with AT, PCT, and CDT thru-hikes. My bike touring load for three season trips is well under 10 Kg. I cycle with trail runners, with Superfeet inserts, and pinned flat pedals. In snow, I'll use a bread bag liner inside the shoe, over the socks (Bagtex). I enjoy the simplicity of life with one pair of shoes.

I used cleated bike shoes for about 10 years, and didn't like them enough to replace them when they wore out.

gauvins

Save here (one pair). Light trail runners or (preferably) Teva sandals. I carry thin neoprene socks for when protection is welcome.

Pratt

I too cycle with trail runners, but have a pair of slip ons for around camp. Having to walk the bike sometimes is pretty much a given, so walkable shoes are nice. Night time trips to the bathroom are also a constant, so the slip ons help. Actually I'll need a new pair of trail shoes this season, the old ones are delaminating.

afrowheels

Thanks for the replies.

andrewclaus I do not recognise any of those acronyms 😅 so I suspect we are on different missions. Impressively light touring weight nevertheless. I wonder if our differences in weight also contribute to feelings about cleats. Even then, and same question to gauvins , don't you find that trailrunners are quite limited in terms of ankle support, mud resistance, etc? I did always favour hiking boots with ankle support (and good gaiters) but after two freak accidents in the last few years that caused sprains on each ankle I am even more cautious.

I don't think there's much prospect of my keeping to one pair of shoes, since on this long tour I spend quite a bit of time off the bike and it's nice to be able to stand out a little less at times...the sneakers tend to work well for that. Being able to arrive at a destination, change clothes and shoes, and head out to a cafe for a few hours is definitely an essential requirement. And similar to Pratt I like a pair of fresh(er) shoes to wear when camping (assuming camping conditions are better than/different to cycling ones). But limiting myself to two rather than three may be possible...

MarcusT

Flat pedals with trail runners (Salomon) and flip flops. Both usable for riding and walking. I get a darker color for the shoe when I want to hit the town and the flip flops are good for wet weather riding

gauvins

Works for me. Approach shoes (ex Scarpa Gecko) are light, comfortable and have durable soles. They certainly can handle boulders. Many hikers suffer sprained ankles while wearing heavy over-the-ankle boots. These do not really provide support as much as protection against elements.

I find Tevas great in most situations. Except technical terrain or unmarked trails with long and wet grass. But there again, ankle support isn't an issue

andrewclaus

My apologies. There's often a lot of overlap between long distance hiking and bicycle touring, so I didn't bother with definitions. UL=Ultralight. AT= Appalachian Trail, PCT=Pacific Crest Trail, CDT=Continental Divide Trail--together they're the "Triple Crown" (TC, of course) of long distance hiking. They're all in the US, but the hikers are an international group.

None of those trails would have been possible for me with heavy footwear. Hiking rugged trails in light shoes does require some different techniques, which became second nature for me within a few months. The payback was worth it for me. I won't be strapping twelve-point crampons on my trail runners for a glacier climb, or kicking steps up a snowfield, but that's okay on most of my bike tours.

elcruxio

Even mountaineering boots are not xc skiing boots so they're not complete protection against sprains if something unexpected happens. But I find the claim that over ankle boots aren't supportive a bit strange. My boots are stiff enough that I can walk sideways on a steep incline without my ankles twisting. If I step on a pyramid shaped boulder my foot stays rock solid (hehe) like I'm stepping on flat ground.

I've also hiked in minimalist boots with a 6mm sole and trail runners, but these days I always take the boots. I don't have think where I'm stepping with those.

gauvins

I hear you. Personal preferences. I tend to agree with this blurb. One interesting point, perhaps, is that you can fit crampons on hiking boots.

dvdwmth

I ditched spd pedals permanently and use flats and I will never go back. I never loose my grip and I'm still comfortable even after 8 hours. For shoes I've biked short distances in everything from blundstones, keen light hikers, birkenstocks, canvas deck shoes, and even flip flops. My favourites are now Champion brand leather low cut court shoes. Stiff, durable, and grippy. The only issue I ever had is too soft a sole, or sole width messing with my seat height if I swap shoes.

If i was in your situation I would pick an optimal hiking shoe, and get some high quality flat mtb pedals with the grippy little spikes (im sure they have a proper name. not really spikes).

boomhauer

Sneakers suck when they get wet.
I’ve used water shoes with good success on four tours. If it rains i just take off my socks.
However, I’m a light peddler and water shoes aren’t exactly bike shoes. If you are a strong rider this isn’t likely what you want.

Yan 

I use these. They hike reasonably well. Therefore I don't take a second pair of shoes on tour.

https://www.rei.com/product/195690/s...ike-shoes-mens

HelpSingularity 

I vote for the (big) platform pedals with pins. And then whatever kind of shoe you want. With the big platform pedals you don't need stiff cycling shoes, the big platform gives you all the support you need.
I like the versatility of being able to ride and walk around sightseeing when I'm touring. I know you can walk with SPD shoes but it's not really the same.
On my sport bike and doing sporty riding clipless is totally cool. But I find that with touring, civilian footwear is totally fine, I'm not sprinting up a hill or setting any world records.
And that means one less pair of shoes I'm dragging along..

Calsun

I now use mountain bike shoes that are clipless and use a 2-pin cleat. For hiking I use the Salomon trail shoes - Salomon XA Pro 3D V8 trail-running shoes. The Solomon XA Pro 3D V8 GTX use Gore-tex and are waterproof and probably the best bet for you.