JohnDThompson 

Summer or winter?

Charles Wahl

In addition to those tricky mentions below (above) there's this one that happened just recently:
https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...ps-straps.html
My fave (for a guy with EE feet): Onitsuka Mexico 66. I think that a lot of the shoes shown in this thread above have toes that are more "club-like" and harder to get into and out of pedals with clips, but chacun a son goût! Vive le difference!

EDIT: Having seen several of the suggestions posted so far, I'd like to add that one of the really good features of the "track-style" shoe (German army trainers, Avocet touring, and the Mexico 66) is that they are lightweight compared to a lot of other possibles.

Pompiere

Normally I ride with SPD pedals, but I still have these for the odd occasion when I ride a bike with toe clips. I bought them around 1984. My son uses his old track shoes, with the spikes removed.


Avocet 20 touring shoes

merziac

We've had this in the last few weeks. I have pretty strong feelings/opinions about this on C+V. I know many here are fans of modern clipless and I get it. That being said, I can't ride them for having a crooked ankle and can't stand the looks on C+V.

Just my deal.

Here's what I have.

Proper pedals, clips and straps IMO, dual gate for more stability.


I took some oldschool shoes and had protective soles and heels added and they work very well.

I also have a pair of Nike Reax 3 tr's and Bontrager Podium shoes that work very well.

Bianchi84

My old Avocet Mod 20s that I've had forever. They sometimes come up on a popular auction site.

79pmooney

I commuted on the LL Bean's Ranger Oxford moccasin style shoes before they went to lugged tread. Steel shanked and oiled/non-shiney uppers. The softish, smooth soles slid easily into toeclips and I could pull the straps tight and have nearly the retention of proper cycling cleats. (Seattle had a benchmark fix gear hill, N 65th St to Aurora, either side, that I could climb with those shoes and Leotard platform pedals.) The oiled leather finish meant they took kindly to the contact with the strap and toeclip.

I'm still looking for a substitute. Till then, I use Lake cycling shoes and the $25 Exustar track cleats and build up the sole around the cleat to make a floor friendly shoe. (A local cobbler does it for around $100. His work is excellent and usually lasts the life of the shoe (and when it doesn't, it is from wear, not stuff coming loose).

If anybody here knows who might still be making those shoes, please, let me know!

robertj298 

Stephan Janoski’s

jdawginsc 

I love the idea of the re-soled shoes. Did you do it yourself? Are those deep toe clips?

fettsvenska 

I also like Adidas Swift Solo. Obviously, these may not work for everyone but they aren't too bulky and so the fit into the clips easy. The other reason I like them is that they are comfortable with or without socks and I avoid socks whenever possible.
https://www.rei.com/rei-garage/produ...ing-shoes-mens

The Golden Boy 

My current favorites are 5-10 Spitfires, although those get kinda hot now that it's warm. The other ones are some older Merrill shoes- don't remember the model- but the new version has more aggressive tread that I'd imagine would catch on pedals.

Previously I'd used North Face "Scend" shoes and my favorites were 5-10 Dirtbags. Not just because it's fun to say "dirtbags," they were great shoes.

vascoboy

Sambas close 2nd...
christian

merziac

Nope, shoe shop, protective soles, not cheap but those soles wear like Iron. I get them put on my cowboy boots that I normally wear for dress and they keep them looking new for years plus the traction is amazing.

I'm going to go back have them bevel the front edge of the heel so it doesn't catch on things.

Not sure on the clips, Soma Oppy dual gate and I think All-City makes some too.

They don't seem deep but have plenty of room for me with what I think are skinny size 12.

Prowler 

Another Sambas user here. I'd read here on BF several years ago the idea of using indoor soccer shoes. Made sense to me. A sole that did not extend out past the toe box and was relatively smooth but still with good traction. Those soles that are good on gym floors (grip and traction) slip onto the pedals easily but grip them nicely. And I find them all day comfortable but still easy to wear into stores, shops and restaurants. On my recent "hub and spoke" tour of New England, I rode 150 miles over 4 days, camped, visited and generally fooled around. These worked fine for all things. They just suit my needs and no one ever tisk-tisk's me for not wearing proper kit. (actually no one ever pays the slightest bit of attention to what I wear, hopeless old grouch)




A keen eye will notice that I have a short loop of velcro type material around a lace on each shoe. I tie the shoes, twist the excess lacing and secure it inside that loop, turned to the outside of the shoe. These never get caught on anything going into or out of the pedal cages. Been a very successful and trouble free technique for over 10 years now.

Velo Mule

This is a pair of Clark shoes. They work well. They have an overall shape similar to a cycling shoe except the sole is more flexible than a dedicated cycling shoe. For me that is not a big issue.



They are sold as "walking shoes" and I have walked plenty in them. Good dual purpose shoes. I have wide feet and these in a medium width seem to work well for me.

I made some fiberglass insoles a while back, however, there is not enough of an improvement for me to justify using them. It does stiffen the sole though.

joeconn4

I'm still rocking a pair of Nike Nguba cycling shoes circa 1994 for my toe clip riding. Got them the same time I got my Specialized Stumpjumper mountain bike (rigid rear AND front!). That's my main ride these days.

Bill in VA

When I reverted back to toeclips and straps (TC&S) from the SPD, I immediately went into the old stash of my riding stuff (now genuinely not retro, but OLD) and got out the Avocet Touring shoes. Boy do feet widen with age!!! The Guerciotti cleated shoes are still "somewhere", but would be too narrow. I dug even deeper and surfaced the even older Bata Bikers, a stiff soled sneaker type of shoe. It fit snug, but for a test ride would work. The sole cracked from age after a mile.

The key for me for TC shoes, is they MUST lace up, as velcro shoe straps tend to catch on the leather straps. So off to the LBS and REI as I am hard to fit. I wanted the Giro Rumble in black and orange, but none were available in 12 (47) so I bought the Shimano SH-GR5 Flat Pedal Shoes.

I have a great pair of black Shimano SPD shoes and Shimano must use the same last as the new ones fit just as well and are wide-friendly. I am not big on the blue color, even though I have some blue jerseys, but after re-lacing them with red laces (like all my lace-up cycling shoes) they are good to go. I have also been considering 1/2 or 1/4 clips, sans-straps.

This reminded me of when I first started riding in college, as we rode more, a number of us moved from sneakers to cycling shoes. I do not even remember "touring shoes" like the Avocets until a few years later. One of our riding club decided to use to use a pair of cut down men's black figure skates with the blades removed. They were stiff and looked similar, and he even added cleats, but the heels really made them look very odd. Over the summer he bought a set of real cycling shoes, I believe they were Dettos, and they were made with kangaroo leather uppers.

Bill in VA

MKS makes a deep (top to bottom) toe clip that is very roomy. Mine will allow me to use Merrell Moab hiking shoes without jamming the toes.

merziac

None of the shoes I use are cramped with my set up and MKS doesn't make a dual gate clip which are a key part of this.

They contain the whole deal very nicely while still never being too tight, cramped or rubbing anything the wrong way and still letting everything float a lot.

I have a crooked ankle that oscillates in about 3 different directions so its a bit of a challenge to get set up well for that, this is it.







Also a huge fan of MKS pedals, always have been, have them on several of my bikes, one of the best values in all of cycling IMO.

momoman

I bought these casual shoes from some clearance rack somewhere about 20 years ago or so. I wore them as casual shoes. I wasn’t cycling at the time but when I got back into cycling they became my shoes for riding my vintage bikes with toe clips and straps. I think the shoes were sold around the time Lance Armstrong was winning and cycling in America was popular and carried over into fashion.



Vintage Florsheim casual shoes.

steelbikeguy

well, I've got traditional cycling shoes with slotted cleats that I use a lot, such as this pair of Duegi's.....



and I've even got a pair of Dettos with oak soles that are too nice to use....


a lot of my utilitarian riding with clips & straps are with some Diadora shoes that I've had for well over a decade. They are in the tradition of the old Bata bikers and Avocet touring shoes; they have stiff rubber soles and some grooves that act as shallow slotted cleats. Very practical and have worn very well.







Maybe there are still some on ebay or elsewhere?
I've got a spare set of these, but can't imagine selling them anytime soon.

Steve in Peoria

glassman83

Sperry Topsiders or any leather deck shoe; not too tight, fairly cool & a breathable loose fit!

Bad Lag

I am using GIRO Republic. They fit me well and have all the benefits of a proper cycling shoe. They are a lace up design (Velcro sucks for clips & straps). I use them with clips and straps but without any cleats. They come in USA sizes , including the all-important USA size 13, for me (no, Euro size 47 is not size US size 13). You will want to buy some "tall" clips to fit the toe box on them (clips are inexpensive). Mine are several years old and have held up reasonably well. For <$100, I'd say buy!

I really WANT a pair of the all leather, old school Detto Pietros but am so uncertain regarding sizing, I won't buy them sight unseen. The Tiralentis, posted above, only come in Euro 46. There's no way that will fit me.

martl

In my experience, a soft sole is bad for comfort, because your feet get to feel the edges of the cage, and a stubby profile gets in the way of getting in and out of the clips. Looking at what was worn at the time toeclips were state of the art, the oldtimers knew a thing or two

I personally wear some retro looking leather shoes with a wooden sole, they were made by Carlo Corvaro in Italy and sold by Brügelmann for a long time, way into the modern pedal Era.
https://youtu.be/Q2_QPARW0Y4

canklecat

Years ago when I did use toe clips I wore Detto Pietros with cleats. But I got rid of that setup about 20 years ago. Nowadays I use clipless on my road bikes and platform pedals on my hybrids, no foot retention at all. I haven't found toe clips to be necessary with good grippy wide platforms.

With my various flat/platform pedals I've worn Merrell cycling shoes (sole felt a bit too thin and soft), adidas Daily 2.0 sneakers (very good, narrow enough to fit toe clips, subtle colorways available), and, this year, my Atreyu base model running shoes.

Adidas also makes court shoes with stiffer soles, a bit thinner than running shoes, and narrow enough to fit toe clips. And in some stylish retro models that wouldn't look out of place on a bicycle.

But this year at least I'm preferring the Atreyu for my hybrids with platform pedals.

The Atreyu is basically like Keds or Converse shoes redesigned as running shoes, with better soles and arch support. They weigh almost nothing, about 6 ounces each. Very grippy on platform pedals, thick and resilient enough that I don't notice the molded grip nubbins on my iSSi Thump pedals. And if I had to bail out and walk, I'd have no problem walking any distance. I've already put nearly 100 miles on the Atreyu, with several runs of 3-10 miles since springtime, and I wear them often just for walking and puttering around. There's no outsole but the "midsole" (only sole) has proven to be quite durable and I see no damage from running on chipseal and gravel, or pedaling with platforms with projecting grip nubbins. There are temporary dents in the sole from pedaling, but the dents vanish after a few hours.


If the logos and graphics bothered me I'd blank them out with permanent markers.

skillasw

I love chacos but sandals and toe clips, well don't really mix. But then I found the pedshed which is perfect...