Inpd

Okay. Let me explain the title.

I've heard people say that mountain bike shoes are great due to the recessed cleat which means you can walk around in them.

I've heard other people saying that you really need a really stiff sole on a mountain bike shoe for road biking.

So if you get that super stiff sole mountain shoe can you still walk around in them okay? Are they much better than a road bike shoe in that you can run around in them in the grass etc?

bt

yes

f4rrest

No. And why would you even want to get off your bike to walk at all? Does. Not. Compute.

NormanF

Its marketing.

People prefer to walk and mountain bike shoes allow it.

If you want to ride in road bike shoes, that's ok.

Its up to you to decide on whether walkability is on your list.

yankeefan

Mountain bikes shoes are good for when the incline gets too hard and you have no choice but to do the walk of shame.

f4rrest

On a dirt trail in the mountains, maybe.

Carbonfiberboy 

Yes, an MTB shoe should have a very stiff sole for road biking. Some do. More roadies around here wear Sidi Dominators than any other model shoe. They are very stiff, comfortable, and yet walkable. They also never seem to wear out. Not that anyone ever walks their bike, but it's totally nice not to walk like a duck in stores, parking lots, etc.

IzzyL

I got used to a SPD which has dual platform pedal that I've been using with my 94 roadbike and since I bought another roadbike of which has a Look clipless pedal, I am still contemplating whether the latter is actually better. Still trying to get use to clipping my left shoe to the Look pedal which gets frustrating sometimes. Maybe if I can find a dual platform Look clipless pedal, then I can easily say that it's better.

catgita

I think this can be clearer.

Stiff soles help with power transfer, mainly at high intensity, but makes less difference at recreational endurance pace. They can in some cases reduce hot spots by spreading the load out more, again, more so at higher intensities. Stiff soles are not something you will want to walk around in all day, play other sports, run. The soles don't bend at all. The soles on stiff MTB shoes tend to be narrow, and unstable on hard surfaces. But they are relatively walkable compared to dedicated road shoes.

There are many more walkable shoes out there, where you might forget you are wearing cleats. Even cleated hiking boots. Some are well suited for fast touring, utility riding, and randonneuring. With these you probably want a pedal with more platform to support the shoe.

rms13

Why would you be running in any bike shoes?

loimpact

Because you made the climb up Baldy to catch a glimpse of Peter Sagan & the gang and while it's a bit steep, they're still doing about 14mph but you know you can run that fast for a bit while still taking video and you catch a wink and a smile from Peter as he realizes you're hauling @$$ just to keep up but he hears you yelling for him to go and digs it. Thus these....

merlinextraligh

Those are going to be ok for casual riding. I'd use them for touring, where sight seeing off the bike was a significant portion of the day.

But for a long hard ride, those shoes are pretty flexy.

All comes down to priorities. If you want a good cycling shoe, that you can walk in at rest stops, something like the Sidi referenced above.

If you want a shoe to walk in, that works ok to ride in, then what you've posted works.

And who the heck runs along racers?

cicatrize

The ones I have are "road touring" shoes. They combine the stiffness of a road shoe with a very small amount of rubber around the edges of the bottom of the shoe. It's a compromise between road and MTB shoes. I love them because I can still walk around if I want/need to. It's still not pleasant, but it's better than road shoes.

LUW

This is what I use:




Rigid enough for when you need to hammer down the pedals and comfortable when off the bike. Not tennis shoe comfortable but good enough for short walks.

floridamtb

I have a pair of Bontrager RL MTB shoes, they're great for road riding. I've done 75-80 mile rides with no hot spots and none of those horrible things you'll hear some people talk about. Yeah maybe if you go with the sub $100 pairs it might not be as comfortable. I'm not racing so I don't need a stiff carbon sole. I can easily walk around at rest stops on group rides, or easily walk around in a 7-11 to get water refills. I considered going with Ultegra pedals and road shoes but honestly couldn't identify a single benefit that would actually benefit me.

kc0bbq

My MTB shoes have seriously stiff soles and I can still tell the difference under certain circumstances. Better/worse is a bad way to describe it, but I definitely prefer the road shoes for tougher road rides.

Lots of really good riders I know use mountain shoes/pedals full time. I did, until I had to look into pedals that are easier on my goofy knees. I wouldn't worry either way unless you're at a point where tiny details are the only way to eek out a little more improvement. Unless your mountain shoes are really flexy it's not a problem until you are forced to look at things that provide even less improvement than even shaving your legs does.

Tim_Iowa

I don't agree with the need for stiff soles for cycling use (non-racing). That's based on my personal experience, others may have different experience.

My favorite shoes are Pearl Izumi X-Alp Seek V, which have a very flexible sole. Not much stiffer than a normal hiking shoe.

Wearing these flexible shoes, I:
* ride centuries, climb hills, and ride fast
* ride MTB and fat bike
* commute to work and wear them all day
* walk or run normally
* have comfortable feet

Wearing these flexible shoes, I do not:
* walk like a duck, or have to use cleat covers
* have to bring a second pair of shoes for work
* race
* have foot or knee pain
* have too-hot feet

Pearl Izumi seems to be the only major company that makes flexible shoes of decent quality (in their X-Alp and X-Road lines).

You can get flexible shoes from Bontrager or Specialized, but only in their lowest-end model that has otherwise poor materials.

Well, Shimano's shoes may be decent and flexible, but they are usually butt-ugly (my opinion) so I don't pay attention to them.

One drawback to the Pearl X-Alp shoes: they are wider than most bike shoes, so it's tough to fit a shoe cover over them. Pearl instructs you to use a size bigger than normal. Ok, but they don't make an XXXL cover to fit over my size 48's. So, I picked up a pair of Sidi GTX boots for cold/wet weather.

garciawork

I use a set of S works MTB shoes for MTB and road, love em. Won't be switching to road shoes anytime soon.

series1811

I use Shimano RT82 shoes. They are a road shoe with a recessed SPD cleat. I use them with Shimano A600 road pedals (Shimano touts them as an Ultegra level pedal). The shoes are comfortable, stiff, and walkable. The pedals provide a nice platform and solid engagement for good power transfer. Has worked well for me so far.

MileHighMark

Just switched over to these Pearl Izumi X-Project MTB shoes and they're as stiff as my Mavic Galibier road shoes.

Seattle Forrest

Because you ran out of water and need to go get more.

10 Wheels

Double YES

PaulRivers

You can buy mtn shoes with just as stiff a sole as a road shoe very easily. Most of them are literally the same sole of shoe just punched differently with different holes between the mtn and road version (with the mtn also having grip around the cleat).

Walkability:

Road Shoes: Stiff sole, often hard to walk around in due to the bottom being slippery metal and no grip on the sides. The only possible exception I've seen is Speedplay has some sort of grippy surface you can put on their cleat and apparently it's about the same as a mountain shoe. Sometimes you can have shoe covers that cover the cleat and have some grip making them comparable to mtn shoes.

Mountain Shoes: Stiff Soles, bottom is designed to have some grip for walking around on.

These have worked fine for me for walking short distances - need to use the bathroom, walk into work, bought groceries wearing them. They're not something I would want to wear all day, and they're not something I'd want to go for a hike in. Literally running in them would be a very bad idea in my opinion.

Casual Mountain Shoes: These have a softer sole that's designed to be nicer to walk around in. Personally I had issues with the softer sole giving me knee pain when clipped in but that might be just me. I personally didn't find these much better than mountain shoes myself, sole is a little grippier and a little more comfortable but not as good as a regular shoe. The fact that is has a cleat is something it can't overcome. Might be ok for wearing at work if you had a desk job, I dunno, I haven't found much use for these myself.

Flat Bottomed Bike Shoes: Like from companies like Chrome:
Kursk Bike Sneaker All Black | Urban Bike Sneaker | Chrome Industries

They don't have a cleat, and are meant to be worn with flat pedals with pins. The bottom of the shoe is designed to grip the pedals on those kind of pedals, the sole is designed to be fairly stiff for biking but not overly so for walking, and they accomplish this a lot better because they don't have the drawback of having the cleat.

Flat Bottomed Bike Shoes are the only kind of shoes I'd recommend for "running around in grass" or any serious walking at your destination. If I wanted to bike somewhere and then hike, or was wearing them all day at work, this is the only kind of shoe I'd recommend.

Mountain bike shoes are fine if you just want to be able to walk into a restroom, buy groceries on your way home, walk into a restaurant comfortable in the middle of a ride, walk into a gas station with a tile floor and refill water, that sort of thing.

I found road shoes without additional covers to be annoying for doing some of those basic tasks off the bike. Though like I said I've heard Speedplay has some sort of solution now so you don't have a metal cleat sliding around on the ground, while walking around scuffs it all up and wears it down early.

Black wallnut 

cx

Ben I.

I have these too and they're very stiff and the Boa system makes them extremely comfortable.