Shoes: MTB vs Road on a road bike

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jamin100

Guru
Location
Birmingham
does it make a difference?

I use MTB shoes on my carbon road bike with SPD pedals

My mate reckons these are heavy compared to road shoes and I'm loosing energy due to the pedal being smaller than say spd sl and the fact that road shoes are generally lighter

Is he right or talking tosh?
 

Ian193

Über Member
I use both on my road bike if I'm riding with my partner the MTB SPD pedals go on as I know we will end up walking a bit but if I'm going on my own I use road shoes and spd sl cleats I don't really notice if there any different from one to the other
 

alecstilleyedye

nothing in moderation
Moderator
he's right; road cleats are bigger and transmit the power of your legs better than spd. good quality road shoes rarely offer an spd option.

it's true that spds are easier to walk in, but if you're riding 50 miles and walking 10 metres to the café, why buy the shoes for the café rather than the ride…
 

ianrauk

Tattooed Beat Messiah
Location
Rides Ti2
he's right; road cleats are bigger and transmit the power of your legs better than spd. good quality road shoes rarely offer an spd option.

it's true that spds are easier to walk in, but if you're riding 50 miles and walking 10 metres to the café, why buy the shoes for the café rather than the ride…

Sorry, this is rubbish. A top quality decent pair of MTB shoes have just as stiff soles as Road shoes and will transfer the same amount of power.
 

jazzkat

Fixed wheel fanatic.
I'd say unless you are a cycling god you aren't going to notice any difference. I can't tell any difference, except I'm less likely to slip and fall on my arris in the cafe when I wear my MTB shoes!
 

Panter

Just call me Chris...
I tried really hard to get on with "proper" road cleats a few Years back. Finally gave up and went back to the M520's.
I noticed no difference at all, personally, except although the road cleats looked better, I preferred being able to clip in/out effortlessly, use the same shoes on all my bikes and be able to walk if needed.
If there'd been a noticeable difference in the ride then I would have stuck with them. But there wasn't, not for me, anyway.
 
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