Touring Pedals and Shoes

[raleighnut]

I'm quite used to doing long rides in SPDs when riding my road bike. Most of my rides were in the region of 60 to 80 miles and several 100+ miles. My longest I've done is 140 miles. Though my road bike is carbon fibre so it is much lighter than my tourer and also has tyres with less tread, so riding 100+ miles on a tourer will be difficult. Also I am finding the speed average is much less on a tourer (10mph compared to 15-16mph on road bike) so 100+ miles on a tourer would take much longer (I am thinking that 70 miles would be a maximum for me, even less at say 50 miles max for hilly rides)

You should find the tourer is more comfortable allowing you to stay in the saddle for longer, I find 10mph is about my average but can ride for 10hrs with a couple of 'refreshment' stops.

 

[GmanUK65]

You should find the tourer is more comfortable allowing you to stay in the saddle for longer, I find 10mph is about my average but can ride for 10hrs with a couple of 'refreshment' stops.

Yes, on my road bike I am finding after 30 to 40 miles, because of the posture I'm in, my back and neck starts to hurt and my a*** is beginning to knack.

 

[Blue Hills]

I use the 324s on one of my touring bikes and a pair of similar Wellgo pedals on another, the Wellgo are a better pedal. )

I have two pairs of the 324s. Also a pair of the wellgos which you are probably referring to. But have barely used and cannot check them out at the mo as I don't live with them. Am interested - why do you consider the wellgos superior?

I like the Shimano pedals but of course they notoriously need a special tool to service the bearings which costs more than a new pedal

 

[raleighnut]

I have two pairs of the 324s. Also a pair of the wellgos which you are probably referring to. But have barely used and cannot check them out at the mo as I don't live with them. Am interested - why do you consider the wellgos superior?

I like the Shimano pedals but of course they notoriously need a special tool to service the bearings which costs more than a new pedal

The Wellgo pedals are slimmer, hang better when your feet are off the pedal and I find it easier to get 'clipped in' in that is with the 324s I sometimes can't feel where the clip is in relation to the cleat a bit like dual sided SPDs (which I never got on with) Also the Wellgo pedals seem to give support to the sole of my shoes as the spring mechanism sits lower than the Shimano one does so they just 'feel' nicer.

It could also be due to them being fitted to my beloved Ridgeback,

 

[Crankarm]

So, I've been riding a road bike for a few years now and using SPDs. I now also have a touring bike, but still planning on using my road bike too. The touring bike did not come with SPD pedals but I plan on using them on this bike too. When riding this bike I have found that when not on the roads I have to keep taking my feet off the Pedals so SPDs would be no good in this instance. Another thing I would like to do when using SPD shoes is walking in them so the cleats will have to be in a recess within the sole.

So, the pedals I am thinking of using is Shimano M324 Pedals which are classed as touring pedals. These have one side as SPD and the other side as flat. Has anyone used these kinds of pedals?

The problem I am having is finding the right shoes. The SPD shoes I use on my road bike would do everything as needed except the soles of these shoes have no grip for gripping the flat side of the pedals and even though they can be walked in, the soles are a bit stiff.

I am trying to find shoes that are similar to my road shoes above but that have a grippy sole that is not too stiff (not Quamms as they are too expensive). So far I have only found 2:

Shimano MT3s but apparently these have no grip
O'Neal MTB Flow, these have the grip but looking at the photos they don't look as they have the cleats recessed so walking in them would be difficult.

Has anyone experienced any of the shoes above?
Has anyone got any other shoe suggestions?

You seem a little confused or your post does. Bike is irrelevant to the type of shoe or fastening of shoe to the type of pedal you use.

If I've got this right you are using a cycling shoe with no sole for walking i.e. smooth underside with no grips or tread with SPDs? That sounds even more dangerous than trying to walk on cleats.

SPD MTB shoes all have a sole with tread on the underside for walking on and a recess for the SPD so you can walk without the SPD contacting the ground, indeed MTBers need a shoe for when they have to get off and push or carry their bikes in thick mud hence SPDs. A road type cycling shoe being smooth on the underside and very stiff does not have a recess for a SPD as no under sole and would be useless and dangerous for walking in mud. You can walk a short way but they are not designed for walking. If you want to walk as well get a MTB shoe.

Generally road cycling shoes have fixings for cleats, but no recessed cut outs for SPDs as they have no under sole. I suppose you could attach SPDs on road shoes. Never tried. You can use SPDs on a road bike if you use a SPD pedal and a SPD MTB shoe. I suppose you could use a road bike shoe with cleats and a cleated pedal on a MTB but why would you?


I have have double sided SPD pedals on almost all my bikes whether riding road, off road or where ever. No flat pedals anymore as they are so inefficient compared to being clipped or cleated in. One road bike still has Campag Chorus pedals which use cleats and are gorgeous to ride. I use these with Sidi road shoes. I hope this helps clarify.

 

[Ticktockmy]

I think the answer is as crankarm writes if you intend to use SPD cleats for touring then look for MTB boots or shoes as they are designed to allowing for walking in some reasonable comfort, unlike road shoes. However, having fallen off a few times because I could not unclip quick enough, I have over the last few years taken to ride in normal hiking trainer style shoes and have found it so much more comfortable arrangement. And have switched to using DMR V pedals.

 

[Gravity Aided]

I use the old style rat trap pedals, but may go over to BMX pedals soon. I'm a US size 16EEEE shoe, so clipping in and out is a problem with spoke clearance and shoe availability, I also use hiker training shoes for everything, pretty much.

 

[Minotier]

Although I wear cleats and road shoes on my road bike, I use an old pair of shimano 105 quills fitted with christophe clips and straps when on the clubman tourer. I find these better for touring and get along fine wearing a pair of Adidas samba trainers.

 

[GmanUK65]

You seem a little confused or your post does. Bike is irrelevant to the type of shoe or fastening of shoe to the type of pedal you use.

If I've got this right you are using a cycling shoe with no sole for walking i.e. smooth underside with no grips or tread with SPDs? That sounds even more dangerous than trying to walk on cleats.

SPD MTB shoes all have a sole with tread on the underside for walking on and a recess for the SPD so you can walk without the SPD contacting the ground, indeed MTBers need a shoe for when they have to get off and push or carry their bikes in thick mud hence SPDs. A road type cycling shoe being smooth on the underside and very stiff does not have a recess for a SPD as no under sole and would be useless and dangerous for walking in mud. You can walk a short way but they are not designed for walking. If you want to walk as well get a MTB shoe.

Generally road cycling shoes have fixings for cleats, but no recessed cut outs for SPDs as they have no under sole. I suppose you could attach SPDs on road shoes. Never tried. You can use SPDs on a road bike if you use a SPD pedal and a SPD MTB shoe. I suppose you could use a road bike shoe with cleats and a cleated pedal on a MTB but why would you?


I have have double sided SPD pedals on almost all my bikes whether riding road, off road or where ever. No flat pedals anymore as they are so inefficient compared to being clipped or cleated in. One road bike still has Campag Chorus pedals which use cleats and are gorgeous to ride. I use these with Sidi road shoes. I hope this helps clarify.

No, maybe it's not explained very well in the post. My SPD shoes have a bit of tread underneath but not enough to ride on flat pedals especially when wet as the soles are hard rubber. They can be walked but because they are stiff it can become uncomfortable after a while. So, I need SPD shoes that are not as stiff, and have a bit more tread on them. I am thinking ONeals may do the trick.

The pedals that I want are so I can ride using SPDs on the road when it is not often that you need to put your feet down, and riding off-road where sometimes you need to put your feet down more often especially when you need to release quickly. I have used SPDs before when not on road and crashed, simply because the bike stopped unexpectedly and could not release my feet quick enough

 

[Crankarm]

No, maybe it's not explained very well in the post. My SPD shoes have a bit of tread underneath but not enough to ride on flat pedals especially when wet as the soles are hard rubber. They can be walked but because they are stiff it can become uncomfortable after a while. So, I need SPD shoes that are not as stiff, and have a bit more tread on them. I am thinking ONeals may do the trick.

The pedals that I want are so I can ride using SPDs on the road when it is not often that you need to put your feet down, and riding off-road where sometimes you need to put your feet down more often especially when you need to release quickly. I have used SPDs before when not on road and crashed, simply because the bike stopped unexpectedly and could not release my feet quick enough

Never heard of ONeals shoes. Just get some Shimano MTB shoes since SPDs are Shimano's own cleat system and you will definitely be able to walk in them comfortably.

 

[GmanUK65]

Never heard of ONeals shoes. Just get some Shimano MTB shoes since SPDs are Shimano's own cleat system and you will definitely be able to walk in them comfortably.

Tried to buy the ONeals today but my size were full price at £90, I'm not paying that. Ordered some Mavics instead and M324 Pedals too

 

[froze]

I went with Shimano A530 pedals, and Bontrager SSR Multisport shoe. Not saying that's the best set up it's just what I decided to use on my touring bike. The pedals have a wide footprint to give my feet a bit more support plus they are a platform pedal on one side and SPD on the other, and the shoes are just as comfortable riding as they are to walk in so I don't have to carry around an extra set of shoes. Then due to my feet I had to buy a set of Specialized inserts for the shoes. I got my stuff at my LBS but I found out on Amazon that the pedals come in two colors, black and silver, I got the silver which came with cleats as they should, but according to Amazon the black ones do not come with cleats? that doesn't make any sense to me but reviews have said that.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Tried to buy the ONeals today but my size were full price at £90, I'm not paying that. Ordered some Mavics instead and M324 Pedals too

I also hate spending cash, but I spend as much as I can afford on the three contact points on the bike.

For the benefit of people who are shopping around off the back of this thread: Have a look at Spiuk Compass maybe. I bought some for touring because they are waterproof (whatever that may mean), cheap and the soles are chunky Vibram for walking and light treks. I can use them on flat pedals too. They come up small. Talking two sizes.

 

[GmanUK65]

Got the M324 Pedals at the weekend but they might take a bit of getting used to for trying to find the right side and unclipping (seems a lot harder than my road bike (duel sided Shimano SPD)). When I get my shoes, I think I will not install the cleats and use the shoes as flat pedal shoes until I get the knack of finding the correct side

The finding it difficult with unclipping might be because the cleats might be a bit worn on my road shoes as they've been on for 3 or 4 years now. It could also be because the cleats used were not the cleats that came with the M324s.

 

[raleighnut]

Got the M324 Pedals at the weekend but they might take a bit of getting used to for trying to find the right side and unclipping (seems a lot harder than my road bike (duel sided Shimano SPD)). When I get my shoes, I think I will not install the cleats and use the shoes as flat pedal shoes until I get the knack of finding the correct side

The finding it difficult with unclipping might be because the cleats might be a bit worn on my road shoes as they've been on for 3 or 4 years now. It could also be because the cleats used were not the cleats that came with the M324s.

Have you backed the tension off on the new pedals.