dvai

Looking for an upgraded pair. My pedals are SPD and want to stick with them so looking for a good pair of shoes.
The idea was to have a good power transfer but comfortable for long hours riding.
Not much need to walk with them.

How important is the stiffness?

Shimano SH-RP500 can fit SPD and SPD SL...

How about Shimano XC-9 or XC-7 (top of the line MTB shoe)?

In other words, not sure if I should get a medium-range Shimano road that will fit SPD or go with a top of the line MTB shoe.

Which would be the pros/cons of each?

Thanks so much

gl98115

The best shoe is the one that fits your feet the best.

trailangel

https://www.rei.com/product/892627/p...ike-shoes-mens

shelbyfv

The Holy Grail of shoes! Good luck!

Peter2290

I have a pair of Giro Republic shoes that I really like. Combines the style of a regular road shoe with the recessed SPD so it's easy to walk around in. I find the laces really comfortable and have had no problems with them. Only thing is they don't have a carbon sole, it's nylon but for me that's fine. I don't really think I put out enough power to need carbon soled shoes.

redlude97

This is what I ride on my commuter. Stylish and comfortable enough to ride and walk around town in whether in bibs or jeans. The sole is nylon but pretty thick and stiff, so just a weight penalty compared to carbon.

Kopsis

If you're going to stick with 2-bolt SPD, there's no good reason to get a road shoe (even if it supports 2-bolt cleats). SPD cleats are not good to walk on (even just a little bit), so you want the surrounding tread blocks. What's more, some 2-bolt pedal designs have bodies that expect to make contact with the tread blocks next to the cleat for additional support.

Stiffness is important (even more so with the small contact area of an SPD cleat). But unless you're competing at the elite level, you don't need to go all the way to a top end carbon-soled model. For example, the Sidi Dominator (which has the exact same construction and uppers as their Genius road model) is a near-legendary upper mid-range shoe with more than adequate stiffness.

Shoe fit trumps everything. No amount of stiffness will make an ill-fitting shoe comfortable on long rides. If you're lucky enough to have an "average" foot, you'll have lots of good choices. If not, make the rounds of your LBSs and try on every performance-oriented shoe you can get your hands on. If you must purchase online, make sure the vendor has a very good return policy and don't settle for anything less than a perfect fit. Nothing against Shimano, but in my experience, you can get better fit and quality for the money from companies that truly specialize in footwear.

kydeadhead

You say "good luck " like it's that hard to buy a pair of Sidi Dominators.....

zymphad

The updated RP5 also fit SPD.

79pmooney

Fit rules, especially if you are going to be doing long rides or multiple days of riding. Stiffness is nice -as long as you stay aware that the stiffer the sole, the more perfectly those shoes need to fit your foot. Super stiff and a class "B" fit and 18 hours of riding could be a ride you never forget.

MTB shoes have the real advantage of it being far less likely that you will injure yourself at a late night stop during a 200 mile day. (SPD cleats are treacherous on poor surfaces on slippery, hard soled shoes.

Big picture? Stiff soles, lightweight, great ventilation - those are second order gains. Fitting your foot like your favorite gloves, being secure of footing so you don't slip at 2am and break your tailbone and allowing your favorite cleats - that's what matters. (Oh, and one very real gain for comfort is old-time shoelaces. We all knew that 40 years ago. If triathlons never happened, we'd still be using them. I have re-built two pairs of velcro strapped shoes with laces. They were shoes I love the fit of but struggled for several years with various chronic foot injuries. For $10 and a couple hours of work those shoes are now among my all-time favorites.)

Ben

rm -rf

I've had my Sidi Dominator mountain bike shoes for at least 5 years now. I use them on my road bike--I like the "stomp and go" no-look instant clip in after stopping at a traffic light. And I ride with other local riders with much older Sidis.

They are kind of expensive, but the cost gets spread over a lot of years. Mine look like new except for some minor scuffs. I'm thinking about replacing the velcro straps, which don't stick quite as well--I have to press down carefully now. It appears that it requires a local shoe repair place to add new velcro, it's not a stock replaceable part.

They are stiff enough that I don't get "hot spots" from the small SPD pedal. But still flexible enough to walk in. I wouldn't want to walk more than a few hundred yards at the most, these aren't hiking shoes.

I immediately got replacement insoles, the stock insoles are quite thin.

timtak

I made a video about my experience with various cycling shoes here. I like stiff soles and ratchets, but long distance cycling may be an exception where Boa wire may be more appropriate perhaps. I agree Sidis are good, if they fit. Vanilla Sidis tend to be thin. The heels can be replaced for a start. I tend to get old Shimano once-top-of-the range carbon soled shoes second hand.

dvai

Thank to all!!

The only last thing is not clear to me is which would be the benefit of a road shoe over a MTB shoe.

69chevy

There is no real measurable difference between any cycling shoe, be it road or MTB. To be even more clear, there is no measurable advantage to being "clipped in" at all.


That being said, I enjoy being "clipped in" and enjoy the nice fit of a good road shoe.


Weight and aesthetics are the likely factors which lead roadies to road shoes.


Sole stiffness matters very little, if any. The soles are stiff because they need to be thin (to be light), and need to be a solid surface to bolt a cleat to.


It's not for "power transfer". You pedal with the ball of your foot. Your foot doesn't bend between the ball and your ankle where the power is being transferred.


All that said, pick a shoe that looks good, is in your price range and is comfortable.


I chose Giro Empire SLX, because I love the way they look, and I like laces. They are indifferent from any of my previous shoes performance wise, but I like them.

gsindela

weight, weight, and weight. Remember, this is rotational weight we're talking about; muy importante.

Kopsis

You need the road shoe to use road pedals/cleats. So the real question is what's the benefit of a road pedal over a MTB pedal. That question has launched many a holy war. My guidance is that if you don't know why you need road pedals, then you probably don't, but I'm sure others will violently disagree with that.

The other minor potential benefit is weight. The lack of tread blocks drops a handful of grams, and less need for durability (you're not usually walking a road bike over rocks) also allows potential weight savings. In actuality, the differences for comparable shoes are small enough that only a die hard weight weenie would care.

dvai

No issues with laces?
The Boa system and straps seem more "convenient" and maybe less risk of ending up with the laces in the drivetrain?

Kevindale

Is it really? The weight of the shoe on the side that is driving the pedal stroke is helping you mash that pedal down, in a way that negates the weight on the other side. I suppose the extra mass might very very slightly degrade rapid acceleration, and one might pay an incredibly slight penalty on when climbing, but comfort is going to trump weight on a long ride.

I have little doubt that if one is concerned with the performance gains/losses related to particular shoes, one should focus more on aerodynamics, not weight.

And of course, those of us happily using SPD 2-bolt pedals aren't too obsessed with weight.

Kevindale

Never had a lace go into the drive train. And since I've used lace-up shoes most of my life, I'm fast at getting them perfectly adjusted, which I think is much easier with laces than with a pair of straps. I usually double knot them, then tuck the loops and lace ends into the laced portion, so nothing flops. I only started doing the latter a few months ago, so even that is likely overkill.

Velcro wears out. Laces do too, but are cheap and easy to replace.

Kopsis

Yes, technically it is rotating mass, but contrary to silly rules like "rotating weight costs double", not all rotating mass on a bike has the same cost. Rotating mass ~170 mm from the axis has a little over half the moment of inertia as weight at the wheel rim. Combine that with the roughly 1/3 angular velocity and the rotational effect of a couple dozen grams gets pretty far down into the noise.