Colorado Kid

I have a pair of very nice Giro Rumble VR commuter shoes. After two years and 10K+ miles, they are shot. They look nice but boy, can you feel the pedals. Is this common among these type of shoes? I've tried other brands but I always end up with the same results. I'm not sure what to do. Go back to Giro or buy something else.

brooklyn

I have been commuting with Adidas Velosambas. Good balance of a stiff sole for riding and flexibility for walking. I believe Adidas is having a sale right now for 30% off.

ilchymis

I use Velosambas daily, and I think I've previously recommended them in here? The only caveat I'd add is that while they worked perfectly for me when I was using eggbeaters, I recently switched to SPDs which have thicker cleats; between that switch and also repositioning my cleats for a more careful fit, they now contact the floor when I walk normally in my shoes, to the point where I feel the need to wear SPD cleat covers over them at work.

It's not great, but I still prefer using them this way to carrying an extra pair of shoes to work in the mornings. But maybe look for shoes with better cleat clearance if you're going to use SPD.

Colorado Kid

The pedals I have a Toe Clips. I like them a lot but they tend to eat some types of shoes. I'm thinking of going back to old dress shoes (Oxford) as they have thicker soles then some other. Is anyone in the same boat as me?

PhilFo 

When your Giros were new, could you feel the pedals? I think 2 years out of a pair of shoes with 10,000 miles on them is incredible. The only way you're going to get more cycling mileage out of a shoe is by going clipless, but you miss the versatility of being able to walk around in them.
I use a pair of Specialized 2FO Roost shoes and they are great (for me). They allow me to ride and work in the same shoe, and they don't look like sneakers. They do look more like a skate shoe, but are understated and have no logos, so they don't draw any attention.
If your Giro shoes fit you and you like them, just get another pair, you're probably not going to find anything better.

Darth Lefty 

Aside about noise scraping the ground - I had some MTB shoes that made a noise like heels. I figured out it was not the SPD cleat. It was the bolt in the hole where you can add a toe spike

I presently have a few pairs of Chrome shoes. They do fit one size bigger than listed. Mostly they have been fine. One of them gave me a callus on the back of my foot. On the left side only, go figure

Colorado Kid

The Giro felt great out of the box. I didn't feel the pedals until much later on. I think about 8-9K miles. Has anyone used dress shoes on their commute? If so, how did it work?

PhilFo 

Every pair of non-cycling shoes that I've worn for any decent length of time commuting, I have split the sole. Only a pair of heavy Red Wing work boots hasn't been defeated by pedals, the rest should be relegated to walking only.

Smitty2k1

Really liking my Spec 2FO Roost: https://www.specialized.com/us/en/2f...shoes/p/187391

Feel good on my wide feet, variety of colors, huge adjustment range for the cleat, flat bottom option. Stiff enough to pedal but not so stiff you can't walk.

Colorado Kid

What about Boots? I see some commuters wearing them. They are cheap (Military surplus.) , stiff and well, big.

brooklyn

That is interesting about the SPD cleats. I use Time ATAC pedals and have no issue with walking.

noglider 

I've been wearing dress shoes lately, and it's not ideal because I have injured feet which are sensitive to pressure in the wrong places. I'm not sure what I will do about that. Maybe I'll leave a pair of street shoes at work and ride to work in cycling shoes. I don't have spare carrying capacity for shoes.

ilchymis

Ah, thanks for the tip. ATACs were actually my first clipless pedal, many years ago. I vaguely recall liking those pedals, and I remember feeling similarly confident in them as I did with my more recent eggbeaters. I think I only switched my ATACs out because I wanted a road-style pedal on what was my only bike at the time, and I didn't have a commuting use-case back then.

I really liked the engagement, float, and simplicity of my eggbeaters, but I had two pairs where the axle bearings failed after commuting in the rain, so I've given up on them for now. But I was only able to get a similar-ish level of confidence with SPDs after switching from the default SM-SH56 cleats (where I popped out of the pedals unexpectedly by pulling up with too much force at a stoplight—scary experience) to SM-SH51, and also dialing the disengagement force up to the max. And even then, there's the "cleats make crunching noises on the floor at work" issue.

I may have to give ATACs another try!

P.S., do you wear Velosambas? If so, which ATAC pedals are you using?

brooklyn

ilchymis

Right now my Velosambas are the only shoes I use to commute in. As far as which ATAC pedals I have the Alium and the XC.

SkinGriz

What is your occupation?

You previously stated something about the toe of the shoes wearing out. Military boots don’t usually have a reinforced toe.
Jump boots have a double layer of leather on the toe. Corcoran IIs are the only jump boots I’ve found to be somewhat comfy, but they aren’t cheap.

Military boots have a steel shank in the sole to protect against pungí sticks, so you’ll never feel the pedals.

I spent years in them and don’t think they’re comfortable. Especially leg boots. No cushioning at all in the sole.

I’d get another pair of the shoes you had before.

My preference is to be barefoot or in flip flops whenever possible. If you’re the type that wears shoes around the house, you might find military boots comfy.

Colorado Kid

Great! I have some good ideas for shoes. I've bought some old dress shoes that are still stiff in the front from E-Bay. The trick is finding something warmer for the cold months ahead. I've got some time before that happens. Mean while, I ride.

alcjphil

I have used many different shoe/pedal systems over the years when I was commuting, a daily 60 km round trip. One of the earliest was a pair of Avocet touring shoes paired up with toe clips and straps. For those not familiar with these shoes, they had a moulded in slot for pedal retention in the shoe sole. They had fairly stiff soles due to a steel shank in the instep of the shoe. I rode mine enough to break the steel shank, replaced it with a heavy piece of sheet steel, and then rode those shoes to extinction. I tried other systems. I acquired a set of Time TWT(Time walking technology) shoes and pedals for a very good price. These were single sided pedals that used an interface very similar to Time's ATAC mountain bike pedals. The downside was that the shoes, cleats and pedals were totally proprietary, nothing else worked with them. The shoes were comfortable, but not stiff enough. I rode them until one of the pedals retention bars failed.
For a couple of years I used a pair of Shimano shoes designed for SPD pedals which had a very smooth sole along with toe clips. Worked fine. eventually I bought some SPD style pedals that required cleats. I ran through a couple of sets of them(my commute averaged 9000 km per year). I don't commute now, but if I had to the Look Quartz pedals on my touring bike would be my choice. I have a pair of DMT shoes that look like casual sport shoes, They have almost smooth soles, they could be used with toe clips and straps equally as well as with my Quartz pedals