I use mtb shoes. love it. never tried road shoes, and i think i never will. im happy. i like to walk in shops and take random stops and walk around and explore!
I came to mtb as a road rider and I love the mtb pedals on my gravel bike for all the reasons you mentioned. I think the road cleats feel so much more locked in because of the much larger contact area between the pedals and cleats compared to mtb pedals. There's a reason pro roadies use 3-bolt road cleats, but they also hardly ever have to walk in their cleats and have team support, so there are sacrifices for any potential efficiency and feel improvements
I did exactly the same moved from MTB to road shoes, I now find it easy to clip into road pedals the advantage for me is there is more float with yellow cleats which seems to be more comfortable for me.
Great video, thanks! For commuting, city rides, short rides and errands the MTB shoes are so much more practical. However for longer rides (2 hours +) the road shoes feel more comfortable (to me). Perhaps because they have a larger contact area, I get less hot spots or numb spots. The cleats are also much more adjustable and have more float yet retain a solid feeling connection.
I have used Speedplay and shimano. Finally, i've switched back to flat pedals. The leg auto select the most confortable and powerful position. Im faster on climbs, get less muscle fatigue and no knee pain.
Great perspective thanks! I used to road bike with Look pedals...then had kids so got out of it. Started mountain biking this summer with MTB SPD's. I agree road bike are better for consistent longer duration pedaling and your foot feels better connected to the crank. Moving to F so I am switching back to road biking, going with SPD-SL. Excited
TH-cam couldn’t have fed me this at a better time, Katie. :) I just got my first road bike (Trek Domane SL 4) after nearly 30 years out of the saddle and this week is my “Which pedals and shoes?” week. It’s very reassuring to see how many people use MTB pedals and shoes, both yourself, of course, and the cyclists in the comments, as that’s the direction I’m leaning. Your down-to-earth presentation style and real world advice earned a subscription from me as well. Looking forward to more of your videos in the future. :)
Great video. Spd for mtb and touring. Road cleats for road. Most important is a very stiff well fitting shoe. That’s what makes the difference for me. Also spd sandals Are ace for tootling about in the summer. No socks thou....
Great video as always KK. I cycle 6500 miles each year and always wear Bontrager mtb. Love them soooo comfortable on shimano pedals. Another big advantage of these shoes is that you can drive in them. So no faffing about when you get somewhere especially if it's cold and you just want to get going. Keep up the great work Katie.
I have both as well but the ones I’ve been using lately are the Torch 2.0 road shoe. You can get them with a wider toe box and they have a decent heel on them! They are a lot easier to walk in due to a good rubber heel.
Hi Katie, I tried both too. And mtb on road bike before as well. But I did notice when I did many centuries in a month, that I did develop hot spots on the 2 bolt metal system and experienced foot numbness and tingling in the hot spot. That's when I knew I had to change to a road shoe and I never experienced that again. However I still do use mtb metal cleats for mountain rides and for gravel cycling. Great topic! Cheers
I have a pair of Specialized Sport RBX Road - they can take both types of cleat. I tried road cleats and found they helped me fall off while unclipping at lights. Far less fuss with MTB pedals and cleats.
As someone new to road biking, I had this conundrum recently. Opted for road shoes. Wish you'd made this video literally 3 weeks ago! Lots of food for thought. PS. Great channel, with top-notch content. Keep it up Katie :)
I use spd shoes on my winter bike but it’s road all the way on the summer bikes, have you tried Speedplay? I have used Look for years but recently switched to Speedplay and wouldn’t go back to Look now, Speedplay walkable cleats don’t wear out like Look and Shimano cleats and are much easier to walk on, they offer a larger contact area and I personally feel I get more power through them, I have also noticed I pedal more symmetrically in terms of my left knee was always slightly closer to the top tube with Look pedals where I pedal with my joints more aligned with Speedplay, although for the life of me I can’t explain how that is possible 😂
I'm sure ex World Hour record holder and World Champion Graeme Obree may debunk these myths about pedals. He set his records on Dura Ace single side style SPD and to this day rides SPD. If it's good enough for him I'm sure it's more than adequate for all people watching this video. I personally ride SPD after years of struggling with traditional road style Look cleats. I have them mounted on both a set of MTB shoes and Road Shoes and can honestly say I notice no determinable difference in performance but there's many advantages to the SPD platform which I feel just makes sense to the average road rider.
I get your point and I'm tempted to upgrade to road shoes and SPD-SL and see if I like it. However, I'm not experiencing any problems with my MTB shoes and I'm still improving every week, so I guess I wait since I'm on a tight budget. I guess the pro's are using it for a reason but I'm not sure it will make a big difference for the average Joe. The companies would use it for marketing if there were any hard facts. Most of the things I find online are debates based on feelings about comfort and ease of use. I'm surprised! Thanks for a really nice vlog.
Bought myself SPD-SLs this year after using SPDs. I really enjoy both, but in terms of practicality, I’m planning on using SPD-SLs for summer (good riding experience) and SPDs for winter (less faff with grit, snow and slush, and greater ease in walking in bad weather).
Commute you can use SPD, Time ATAC or Crank Bros. Remember with all cleats to grease the bolt threads and check for small stones/debris in the bolt heads. Speedplay are lovely but high maintenance imo. You do need cleat covers for those
After thirty odd years of riding I’ve just gone from road cleats to MTB. Partly because I now ride a gravel bike but mainly because I wanted the ease and convenience of SPD’s. If I was still worried about speed and efficiency of energy return I’d probably still use road though. Found some great Fizik shoes that look just like road shoes at a glance. Super stiff and BOA lacing too.
Started with spd on my gravel bike. Tried spd-so on my road bike, hated them, too much float and not great for pushing off from a junction when commuting. Also found them to hard to unclip even with the tension set really low. So now run mtb pedals on both bikes. Can use the same shoes for both bikes without having to think about how to unclip
If you're looking for stylish road spd shoes i'd suggest the Bontrager Cortado or Vella; i have the espresso which is the male version (tired looking for a unisex option but there was non) and have used it even on a century ride with no issues also i sized up one size what what i actually wear in the us size chart and they still fit exactly right for me. In the end i don't think anyone should stick to one brand but find out what works for you. I usually try going to stores and trying before buying if at all possible
I used road shoes atm. Great when your moving but thinking of changing to mtb. Problem I find is at junctions or when navigating tight and slow areas. Cliping in and out is a faff and if you have to emergency stop its impossible to clip out quickly so your falling over. Great vid btw thanks
Great Vlog. I stick to MTB system on my road bike due to the practicality. I think if you're starting to compete like you are I completely get using road shoes. But I'm a leisure rider. MTB for me!great Vlog. Bosh
My thoughts exactly! I had road shoes and switched to mtb shoes about 15 years ago. Now I'm struggling on whether to get an E-bilke or keeping it real. Everyone keeps telling me you're not cheating if your not racing.
And I'm using combination of these two. Gravel shoes. They look like road (they look light and smooth) but have the space to hide MTB blocks in them so you can walk. Fizik terra 4 powerstrap :P
Try the Bontrager Foray Mountain back shoes. They look exactly like road shoes with dual Boa dials on each shoe and carbon soles covered by rubber like impact points
I recently changed to road shoes, I was riding mtb cleats and think they are great, but loving the SPDSL cleats alot. I have wider feet too and have cross country mtb shoes which don't look like mountain bike shoes, and they are wider than my road shoes. If you're ever in the market for new mtb shoes maybe give them a look, mine are the Shimano XC70, great shoe. They are carbon soled and heat mouldable too so a great custom fit.
Hi Katie, I use both. I use the road bike for longer road rides and what I found was that when I had the spuds in I ended up with a hot spot on the left foot. My feet ached and felt quite warm at about the 40 mile mark plus. So I switched to Look. Greater adjustment. You can adjust the spuds left and right a bit, but not as much as the look. The road shoes are really comfortable though. So if I am in the saddle or a long time, then road shoe. The Anthem has XT spuds. These are great for in and out. Also, you can clear mud clag quite easily. Adjustment on the peddle gives you some degree of flexibility. I have used it for five hour trail quests and get hotspots, but this is offset against unclipping, running into the bushes and getting your electronic thingy stamped. I also used this on the Raleigh Royal, when it was my commuter. Good for clipping and unclipping at lights or roundabouts. But when I tried to do long distance the two pin system had a smaller contact area, which put more pressure onto the smaller area on the balls of my feet, so hotspot. So it is a trade off. Flexibility vs comfort. Getting out of the saddle, clipping in and out quickly, but still being attached to the bike over the rough stuff, as well as peddling up hill in the clag - spud. For long distance comfort - Look. The road shoe I went for was the Giro, but mine has a leather upper. Nice comfortable shoe. I went for a 44 wide fit, which works for me. For MTB summer I use a Lake, while winter I use Specialized Defroster for off road. Comfortable and warm, but not as comfortable as the Giro. So another plus for the road is the comfort of the shoe. Specialized are a bit narrow at the toe. Luck
Started with MTB's they were ok but have one leg shorter than the other & switched to road Shimano's & felt more comfortable & secure when riding...forgot to add that the roadies gave me the opportunity to add some packing to the shoe on my right leg....
Actually I think the question is more if you prefer SPD over SPD-SL - you can get road shoes that can accommodate either system. At the same time you can get lots of MTB shoes that look like road shoes. I for one prefer the SPD system, since my right food has to be pointed outward and on longer rides, I need the "float" otherwise my knees start to ache. When I ride around the city with lots of stops or know beforehand that I have to walk a lot, I put on my MTB shoes, when I am on a road ride with the guys I put on the road shoes, since they are a lot lighter.
I’m new on biking. I bought a road bike and have never used clipless pedals. I mostly ride in the city and long distance rides over pavement. Which kind of pedals would you recommend me to start with?
I have found just the opposite. I find it much easier to clip into road pedals than mtb spd pedals. The weight of a look keo pedal means the back of the pedal hangs down and you just use the ridge on the front of the cleat to hook the pedal. Once the front of the pedal is hooked with the leading edge of the cleat, then it's super quick to clip into the back of the pedal.
Hi Katie, Well it took me months to even contemplate wearing clipless pedals shoes I was never confident enough. But watch a video on mountain bike shoes so gave them a try and never looked back. I find walking in them so easy (although I shouldn't be walking that much lol) Just a question you may have covered this previously but is there a great difference between a males road bike to a females road bike? I purchased a good second-hand bike for my wife and we had to make a few adjustments to it for her comfort but now fitted up good, but someone mentioned there is a cycle for males and one for females. Thanks.
I have Look cleats and if I need to walk I have rubber covers that I can clip over the cleats. That prevents the cleats wearing out. I don't know if there are covers for Shimano but they might be worth looking into.
Hello, thank you for the greate contetents :) I have a problem with my road bike shoes, my shoes don't allow me to place the cleat back far enough, what is your advice for this issue? I don't prefere driling the shoes and move the cleat far enough because it sound scarry.
Do you think I should buy SPD mtb style pedal that has support or don't need it if you are going to be doing long distance bikepacking trips? Do not having support get uncomfortable? The pedal you showed in the video at 2:24 doesn't have support for ex. Thanks
Being an oldy I started off using flat pedals with toe clips which were a pain to get in and out of. My first sight of Look pedals was in the 1980's and I had to buy some. Once I got used to them it made my cycling so much more fun and easy. The only problem was that the cleats were quite stiff and only became comfortable when I wore them down a bit. I can't remember when I started using SPD's but I've never looked back. They are nice and comfortable with lots of lateral movement and so easy to get in and out of. If you use the racing ones they are light. I've just bought a set of Look X-Track Race Carbon for my main road bike. The biggest advantage for me is if you have a number of bikes e.g. road, gravel and mountain your footwear will work on any of those. I have 3 sets of shoes: a superlight pair, a mid light. pair which I'll wear in muddy or wet road conditions and a pair of waterproof GoreTex boots which keep me totally dry and can be cleaned with a hose at the same time as the bike is cleaned after a muddy or wet ride. If you choose a pair of MTB shoes with stiff carbon soles they will be light and enable a lot of power transfer. What more can I say? Hope this is helpful.
Hi Katie, I use the Shimano a600 pedals, you get best of both worlds, able to walk around and super stable large contact area between shoe and pedal. Along with Shimano rt81 shoes, that are brilliant but worried you can't get any more.
I started with mountain bike shoes, ridden for 3ish months. Just tried road shoes, now the mountain bike shoes and pedals are up for sale. Just a 10min ride and I find the road shoes much better, I'd say purely because of the size of the cleat. My feet feel 100% connected to the bike. Felt my hamstrings working more too.
I have a road bike and also an hybrid . On the road bike I have a Shimano SPD-SL pedal and on the hybrid an SPD MTB pedal . After every ride on the road bike I have a massive feet pain , I tried to move the cleats up abs down abs still same issue . Not sure if it’s a shoes issues or not but I have big feet and I believed SPD-SL pedals are not great for big feet . However , on the SPD MTB pedals zero problem . No sore feet at all . Would def love some feedback as I am just in the process of changing the pedals on my road bike to a MTB one
Always used Look road system for time trials & hill climbs, starter says 30 seconds to go, bang, you're clipped in, for touring or club runs spd every time, would never dream of racing in spds though as the interface is so small you could still be faffing about after your start time has elapsed! No longer racing so spds are the only option & so much easier for café stops or general walking.
started with mt shoes and clips on my road bike . went to a nice pair of shimano road shoes and red cleats. They are much lighter , more efficient and stylish . took me a little longer to get the positioning or toe in alignment worked out but it was worth it for me . Mt cleats for gravel and mt. biking ; SL's for roadies in my opinion . Paid more the shoes than for any other shoes I have but that is ok too . I like them . size 48 ew is a good fit for me . No more crammed together toes
Back in the 90's I used the ultegra road spd pedals. They had the same off road cleat and were one sided. Now these took some practice to clip in to. I remember Sean Yates saying it was like riding on a set of walnuts 🤣
Great summary. I spent many years using the road pedals and cleats then just as many using spd pedals with mountain bike shoes and cleats. The road pedals have less float so that’s why they feel tighter and generally the shoes are lighter because, as you pointed out, they don’t have the thick rubber sole. They make them stiffer too because they know you won’t be walking in them much. I prefer the spd/mtb system because when you do get off to walk around it’s so much easier and safer. It’s easy to skid on plastic cleats and fall over. The difference in power output is negligible but you can save a few hundred grams in weight if you want to.
@@shannontrainer5857 mountain bikes are no good for riding on the road. The tyre and wind resistance alone make them totally unsuitable. You need to ride a proper road bike to know what you're missing riding your mountain bike on the road. That's just madness.
Hi I really enjoyed both of those shoes but I think that the mtb shoes are more practical and easy to deal with. I'm going to use the mtb for my road and mtb bikes.but I'm also going to keep road shoes in case I want using them back. I recently sold one of my best road shoes sidi ergo ones so I have a little bit of regret. So try both and choose what good for you.
I do like the clever design of the tiny spd cleat, the shoes can look pretty cool, but road shoes all the way for me even if they get wrecked more easily.
I've been using road shoes with mountain bike cleats and the double sided pedals, for about 2 years, and now I passed to mountain bike shoes with the same pedals, and I can tell the only difference is the noise that the cleats aren't doing anymore. For the rest, I would never use road pedals for the reason you mentioned, flipping the pedal. I'm in love with these and I would never change them.
Another option is to use MTB cleats on road shoes. I did it for years. Best of both worlds. Your shoes look like road shoes coz they are and lots of choice. The MTB cleats do stick out but as you say snap on and off the pedals easily. I've known gone over completely to MTB shoes. I've got a Shimano pair that look quite roady.
You know you can adjust the tightness on spds right? I prefer the MTB shoes the road shoes are a lot stiffer so you will produce a bit more power because of that and there’s more contact area. I’m getting an odd pain in the area where my SPDs sit at the moment, that could be down to my shoes getting old 🤔 may have to ride in my road shoes for a month and see if that makes a difference. It’s personal preference at the end of the day and whatever gets you out on the bike. 😎👍 great topic Katie keep up the good work.
On long road rides you have less of a chance of hot spot on foot with road pedal cleats ( cleat covers help protect them). They do have more adjust ability than Mtn bike SPD pedals. You may not have experience it yet but when road cleats wear out they lock tighter. I ended up taking shoe off to get unclipped. I had to leave SPD cleats for crank brothers I needed a consist cleat with more float. Road SPD cleats require more planning ahead for getting in and out. I found them terrible for fast action or emergency in/out situations. But they can’t be beat for 75+ mile rides.
Another consideration is the rigidity of the sole. Cheaper shoes have nylon soles, high end shoes have carbon soles, and mid-range shoes are made of nylon with a carbon plate to hold the cleat. When I moved from SPD-SL (race shoes) with a carbon plate to SPD (mountain bike shoes) I upgraded from a nylon sole with a carbon plate to a full carbon sole to offset any loss of efficiency between SPD-SL and SPD. Furthermore this may reduce the chances of hotspots, as the pressure on one's foot is more evenly distributed on a more rigid sole. The downside of a carbon sole is that being very rigid it is harder to walk in. Some brands have carbon soles with a flexible toe box to provide the best of both worlds. Another way to reduce the odds of hotspots when moving from a larger cleat a smaller cleat is to use a pedal with a frame surrounding the cleat such that the surface of the shoe can rest on the frame. Shimano, Look and Crank Brothers make such pedals. Another advantage of SPD over SPD-SL is one can use pedals that have a cleat on one side and a flat base on the other, which may be desirable optionality when touring or commuting.
Great vid. THe pros and cons of each system are valid. I have been using MTB pedals on my road bike for years mainly due to commuting. And it's easier to chase kids with MTB shoes once you're off the bike. But I do like the longer rides and wonder if I should move to the road based cleat system. I like the last bit you have mentioned. Options.
I use a shimano adapter (like their sh-40 or sh-41) to use a 2-bolt cleat on a 3-bolt shoe, like my primary Pearl Iz's PRO Leader shoes. The adapter offset's the different stack height from a 2-bolt to 3-bolt sole so I don't have to move the saddle depending on which bike I choose to ride. I can ride any pair of shoes with any bike straight away. And until I am categorized at a level 2 or higher (never going to happen) I can't see any justification for having a dedicated 3-bolt shoe and 3-bolt pedaled bike.
hey Katie, try find yourself some new old stock shimano MT21 shoes, they are small mtb suede, very warm and comfy, i'm a man but use them, i find the footy boot type shoe way to cold. of course i do then put overshoes on in the wet for keeping the suede nice. i had mine 15 years and just found some others in usa on ebay, really treasue them.
You nailed it Professor K. I have switched from mountain cleats to Assioma 'Look' cleats and the big thing that I noticed straight off is that the cleat allowed me to move my foot angle a little more and my right knee was a lot happier. I have used strap with bar cleats, Look, mountain, and now back to Look. Also, the road shoes have a lot more colours and style options (if that matters :D). Now I just have to learn to walk like a duck!!!
I Have both Road and MTB Shoes. Am thinking of trying my Shimno ME7 shoes on my road bike, as they have so much stiffness. I am flying on my Cylocross bike. Also, I have a 1.2 cm deficit in my left leg, so have one crank arm smaller than the other (about 5 mm). It is a good alternative to building up cleates if your going to be walking in them. I don't have any problems cycling.
I use mountain bike shoes. I use the Crank Brothers Candy pedals on my road bike. The Candy and Eggbeater pedals have the advantage that, that Crank Brothers do a 3 bolt cleat for road shoes. I have used them. They do have a rubber surround for the cleat. That can come off and get lost and that makes it awkward to walk in. That's the only issue I have with them.
My mtb cleats do move slightly side ways when clipped in. Its nothing that they would come off but for example when you get your ass out of the saddle for some steep section they do move slightly on pedals and I believe that road cleats/pedals could maybe fix that since the area they bite into the pedal much firmly because they are wider than mtb ones. I believe that was the thing you have experiences also in some level when you said that you feel you get more control on road shoes.
Quite new to cleats and I started with mtb set up , because I do stop and wonder about , may well try road set up on my next new road bike, I like the versatility of mtb shoes
I started riding road bikes , had actual clips with the strap over your foot! This clip and strap eliminated the flex from the upper of the shoe. really feel the instantaneous power with those! Old school and obsolete now, this was right around 1986 when everyone changed over to “Look” pedals. Now I just use mountain bike shoes because of convenience between the bikes
If you’re looking for wide toe box shoes, consider Specialized shoes, they tend to design roomy toe boxes for both their road and MTB pedals, I’m deciding now if I should change to road pedals just cause of the adjustments it allows and if it’ll be better for my knees or not, I like to go fast. Thoughts?
Forgetting another option?? Speedplay used them for a couple of years and love them. Double sided, light, walkable cleat option and stable. A winner for me. However it’s all relative so use what suits you👍🏻🏴
I use Speedplay zeros with Pave Pedals on the road, almost the best of both worlds, a bit too stiff to walk around on for long periods but you don't have to worry about knackering up your cleats or walking like a duck that needs a poo. Gravel bike: Shimano SPD MTB Trail pedals
Riding Speedplay for years and absolutely loved them. Just for kicks I bought a pair of sweet Sidi Tiger cross/ gravel/MTB shoes and I’m absolutely smitten with being able to walk. In terms of weight/speed, well it’s all in your head. With today’s technology in gear they’re making products so good I gave up nothing in the switch. But gained a “huge” factor of enjoyment...and isn’t that why we ride? Not a question. Ride on mates!
Did the same switch a few months ago, done about 2000 km on the road pedals (105 R7000) so far, but I start hating them to guts. They wear down way too fast (and no, I will not use cleat protectors every time I have to walk for 20 meters), clipping in and out is always a faff and I even managed to fall once while clipping in even after many years of using SPD pedals and shoes. Otherwise, no improvement whatsoever in foot comfort or power transfer, in spite of being able to push 1200-1300W when sprinting. Pretty sure I'll be going back to MTB SPD as soon as I wear down my other pair of road cleats as well, mainly because they are two sided and because I don't have to buy 3-4 sets of cleats per year.
I just bought a gravel bike and of course all the kit that comes with it like shoes. How do you like lace-up shoes? I've always avoided them because I feel they'll be a pain in the arse to make tight etc. 🍻 Katie
SPD for me. Double sided spd pedals on the road bike. Combination spd / flat on the touring bike so I can either wear spd cycling shoes ( Specialized are a good fit for me, especially in size 48! ) or normal footwear. Same on the mountain bike! Plus it's also easier to walk up a steep climb in mtb spd shoes! 😂
Have you ever encountered a-frames, berms, drops, gaps, jumps, ladder bridges, log rides, pump tracks, rock faces, rock gardens, roller coasters, skinnies, tabletops, teeter totters, tree gates, and wall rides on your road bike? Have you ever ridden on dirt, mud or tree roots on your road bike? If not, get road shoes and some cleat covers. But if you have to have mountain bike shoes, I strongly recommend did you sell your road bike first, then get a mountain bike(preferably across country or XC type), then head on to trailforks(dot)com and find the nearest MTB trail near you. IF you have to have mountain bike shoes on your road bike, I strongly recommend that you swap out your road groupset with a mountain bike groupset. This is to lower your gearing to prevent hot feet. SRAM's NX Eagle with a single 32t chainring and a 11-50 cassette is a good choice.
Wow I'm in the market for my first cyling shoes, and you mentioned something so important.... Walking up on steep hills! I bought MTB shoes and debating to click checkout for road shoes. I'm a heavier cylist and yeah sometimes I need to walk my bike up the hills if I can't make it all the way. Great point! Sticking to my MTB shoes for now
mtb shoes i find going half size bigger helps a lot... there is quite a few lady specific mtb shoes now more road style.... muddy fox make a few as do Shimano and specialized make the S-Works XC shoes but are a little pricy.... only know that because i am looking for new spd shoes for myself ..lol
Had a bike fit and the best thing he did was put two cleat wedges on one shoe and one on the other. sorted out my knee issues. Also look keos are far better than shimano. more free float
So does that mean you have to change tour pedals if you decide to change shoe ? I'm currently using mtb shoes but may change to spd's. But not sure if I wanna change my pedals each time tho.
You can get a converter plate to convert 3 hole road shoes to 2 hole mtb shoes but not the other way round. so if you want the stiffness/fit/look of a road shoe on SPD pedals you can do it. Best for looks: www.freewheel.co.uk/shimano-spares-sm-sh85-spd-sl-to-spd-rspd-cleat-adapter-smsh85 Best for walking on: www.sjscycles.co.uk/shoes/shimano-smsh41-spd-cleat-stabilizing-adapter-for-3-or-5-hole-sole-smsh41/ Wellgo also made some converter cleats but they are crap
As long as the new shoe means a different style of cleat, then a new pedal set matching that style will be needed. One set of pedals per cleat type (I have shimano M530 and Assioma pedals).
I am considering using cleats. I want a shoe that I can walk on, what are your opinions on Speedplay and mountain bike shoes? I have never used cleats before.
Fair play Katie on blog I to use both mob I used to have on my commuter bike and road bike So what I personally found is that after about 55/60 mile on my road bike because the mob cleats are small with my Giro mob shoe in the middle of the bottom of my foot I would get a sharp pain shoot up my leg It could be that the pressure point on my foot when peddling could of been on a nerve which then after time sent pain up my leg ,I don’t really know I did first use shimano road shoes but for some reason couldn’t get on with them (clipping in and out ) Which did result in fulling off when I really needed to unclip so did revert to mtb cleats found a lot easier to clip in and out But know on my road bike I do use road spd cleats which I can clip in and out of fine now 😂 after getting used to being clipped in its a very strange feeling not being able to put ya foot down BROWN pant moment 😂 plus No pain in foot anymore Don’t know if this is because bigger area on cleat pushing peddles round or if the pressure point is now not on a nerve ???? But yea a lot more comfortable now and no pain 😎 😎 But I do use mtb cleats on my commuter bike Like you say if I’ve got to walk or go in a shop or office these are better SO yea both are good Woop 🙌 🙌Katie
Very nice video. So,... In my case, I have a road bike, but I am a Deliveroo rider. Does it means that the best option for me can be the MTB Shoes? As I need to walk to restaurants and customer's house...
MTB shoes come in a vast amount of styles, adjustment works forward backward and side to side. Just bought some road shoes I’ll let you know what I think Is better ? Use a gravel bike but can do road and off road.
I’ve know used road spd sl for nearly 12 months they are definitely better on the road feel really stable. These are now full time on road bike emonda sl pro Spd’s are now only on my MTB and gravel bikes when on / off bike is more frequent and more walking is required. Great video by the way.
SPD SL cleats are so much better in my experience. I had SPD’s for a while and had foot and leg pains constantly even after a bike fit. I switched to SL’s and they offer more support for the foot because the weight is more evenly spread and as you say there is more scope for perfect adjustment. You definitely feel more connected and stable too. If you are used to clipless pedals then I wouldn’t think there would be an issue getting used to them - just make sure they are on the loosest setting until you feel happy. Also a good quality pair of pedals has the ability to adjust itself the right way round making it easy when you set off and if you are going to be walking you can buy clear covers for them. I would’ve hesitate in using SL’s at all but obviously it is a personal choice.
I like the roadies for the play and power transfer. But you chew up the cleats on roadway and asphalt stops. MTB's are so practical on fun and social rides such as charities. I use roadies and carry cleat covers on my jersey pocket. But I'm thinking about going back to mtb's for my road bike
I do like the look and feel of road shoes. With road shoes you know you’re getting a stiff sole. Although you can get mountain bike shoes with stiff soles they can be difficult to find. I got lucky with my first purchase of mtb shoes. They were a race shoe so they were as stiff as a road shoe. But, as the shoes became worn I wanted to purchase another pair. They don’t make them anymore. For a year I switched to road shoes and as much as I enjoyed riding with them, one thing that annoyed me was that the cleat constantly kept coming loose from my shoes. One time I even lost a bolt during a long ride. Then there’s the problem of finding a winter road shoe. They practically don’t exist. So, now I am back to using mtb shoes and thankfully I managed to find another pair of stiff race shoes.
I use mtb shoes. love it. never tried road shoes, and i think i never will. im happy. i like to walk in shops and take random stops and walk around and explore!
I am the same. I did a lot of research and ended up on mtb
I came to mtb as a road rider and I love the mtb pedals on my gravel bike for all the reasons you mentioned. I think the road cleats feel so much more locked in because of the much larger contact area between the pedals and cleats compared to mtb pedals. There's a reason pro roadies use 3-bolt road cleats, but they also hardly ever have to walk in their cleats and have team support, so there are sacrifices for any potential efficiency and feel improvements
I did exactly the same moved from MTB to road shoes, I now find it easy to clip into road pedals the advantage for me is there is more float with yellow cleats which seems to be more comfortable for me.
Great video, thanks! For commuting, city rides, short rides and errands the MTB shoes are so much more practical.
However for longer rides (2 hours +) the road shoes feel more comfortable (to me). Perhaps because they have a larger contact area, I get less hot spots or numb spots. The cleats are also much more adjustable and have more float yet retain a solid feeling connection.
I have used Speedplay and shimano. Finally, i've switched back to flat pedals. The leg auto select the most confortable and powerful position. Im faster on climbs, get less muscle fatigue and no knee pain.
Great perspective thanks! I used to road bike with Look pedals...then had kids so got out of it. Started mountain biking this summer with MTB SPD's. I agree road bike are better for consistent longer duration pedaling and your foot feels better connected to the crank. Moving to F so I am switching back to road biking, going with SPD-SL. Excited
Agreed. Road shoes have a bigger contact point which explains the 'more power' feeling.
TH-cam couldn’t have fed me this at a better time, Katie. :) I just got my first road bike (Trek Domane SL 4) after nearly 30 years out of the saddle and this week is my “Which pedals and shoes?” week. It’s very reassuring to see how many people use MTB pedals and shoes, both yourself, of course, and the cyclists in the comments, as that’s the direction I’m leaning.
Your down-to-earth presentation style and real world advice earned a subscription from me as well. Looking forward to more of your videos in the future. :)
Hey Ken!! Happy new bike day :) I still use a mix of both so use whoever fits you better :)
Thanks so much for the lovely message :) happy riding!!
Crocs. Pink or lime green. Especially if it's date-night.
Great video. Spd for mtb and touring. Road cleats for road. Most important is a very stiff well fitting shoe. That’s what makes the difference for me. Also spd sandals Are ace for tootling about in the summer. No socks thou....
Thanks for the review. If I'm going to commute & have to change pedals. I might as well stick to road bike shoes and flat pedals.
Great video as always KK. I cycle 6500 miles each year and always wear Bontrager mtb. Love them soooo comfortable on shimano pedals. Another big advantage of these shoes is that you can drive in them. So no faffing about when you get somewhere especially if it's cold and you just want to get going. Keep up the great work Katie.
How hard is it for you to change shoes? 🤣
I have both as well but the ones I’ve been using lately are the Torch 2.0 road shoe. You can get them with a wider toe box and they have a decent heel on them! They are a lot easier to walk in due to a good rubber heel.
Hi Katie, I tried both too. And mtb on road bike before as well. But I did notice when I did many centuries in a month, that I did develop hot spots on the 2 bolt metal system and experienced foot numbness and tingling in the hot spot. That's when I knew I had to change to a road shoe and I never experienced that again. However I still do use mtb metal cleats for mountain rides and for gravel cycling. Great topic! Cheers
I have a pair of Specialized Sport RBX Road - they can take both types of cleat.
I tried road cleats and found they helped me fall off while unclipping at lights. Far less fuss with MTB pedals and cleats.
Great video Katie! Excellent comparison and advice as always 👍
Nice video! I use road ones. I dont walk a lot wearing them. Also Road shoes feels much comfortable due to larger base of support.
As someone new to road biking, I had this conundrum recently. Opted for road shoes.
Wish you'd made this video literally 3 weeks ago! Lots of food for thought.
PS. Great channel, with top-notch content. Keep it up Katie :)
Ahhh thanks!! Enjoy riding xx
Yet another brilliant video Katie!! Keep it up
I use spd shoes on my winter bike but it’s road all the way on the summer bikes, have you tried Speedplay? I have used Look for years but recently switched to Speedplay and wouldn’t go back to Look now, Speedplay walkable cleats don’t wear out like Look and Shimano cleats and are much easier to walk on, they offer a larger contact area and I personally feel I get more power through them, I have also noticed I pedal more symmetrically in terms of my left knee was always slightly closer to the top tube with Look pedals where I pedal with my joints more aligned with Speedplay, although for the life of me I can’t explain how that is possible 😂
Im about to try the same transition, I've been using spd-sl shoes on the trainer and they feel better but do alot of city riding so see how I go.
Started on MTB shoes and lot of same thoughts even without experience with Road shoes. Thanks for this. Was thinking I am weird to use that on road :)
I'm sure ex World Hour record holder and World Champion Graeme Obree may debunk these myths about pedals. He set his records on Dura Ace single side style SPD and to this day rides SPD. If it's good enough for him I'm sure it's more than adequate for all people watching this video. I personally ride SPD after years of struggling with traditional road style Look cleats. I have them mounted on both a set of MTB shoes and Road Shoes and can honestly say I notice no determinable difference in performance but there's many advantages to the SPD platform which I feel just makes sense to the average road rider.
I get your point and I'm tempted to upgrade to road shoes and SPD-SL and see if I like it. However, I'm not experiencing any problems with my MTB shoes and I'm still improving every week, so I guess I wait since I'm on a tight budget. I guess the pro's are using it for a reason but I'm not sure it will make a big difference for the average Joe. The companies would use it for marketing if there were any hard facts. Most of the things I find online are debates based on feelings about comfort and ease of use. I'm surprised! Thanks for a really nice vlog.
Bought myself SPD-SLs this year after using SPDs. I really enjoy both, but in terms of practicality, I’m planning on using SPD-SLs for summer (good riding experience) and SPDs for winter (less faff with grit, snow and slush, and greater ease in walking in bad weather).
Katie I've got both types of shoe too but at the moment I'm using retro cages which I prefer for urban spinning.
I have used mountain bike shoes with Crank Brothers pedals on all my bikes for 20 years. Perfect system for me 🤠
You should try speedplay cleats and pedals on your road shoes, easier to clip in and out
Commute you can use SPD, Time ATAC or Crank Bros. Remember with all cleats to grease the bolt threads and check for small stones/debris in the bolt heads. Speedplay are lovely but high maintenance imo. You do need cleat covers for those
After thirty odd years of riding I’ve just gone from road cleats to MTB. Partly because I now ride a gravel bike but mainly because I wanted the ease and convenience of SPD’s. If I was still worried about speed and efficiency of energy return I’d probably still use road though.
Found some great Fizik shoes that look just like road shoes at a glance. Super stiff and BOA lacing too.
Perhaps go for speedplay next. I always had problems finding the right side on my road shoes and when I went Speedplay, I never went back
Started with spd on my gravel bike. Tried spd-so on my road bike, hated them, too much float and not great for pushing off from a junction when commuting. Also found them to hard to unclip even with the tension set really low.
So now run mtb pedals on both bikes. Can use the same shoes for both bikes without having to think about how to unclip
If you're looking for stylish road spd shoes i'd suggest the Bontrager Cortado or Vella; i have the espresso which is the male version (tired looking for a unisex option but there was non) and have used it even on a century ride with no issues also i sized up one size what what i actually wear in the us size chart and they still fit exactly right for me.
In the end i don't think anyone should stick to one brand but find out what works for you. I usually try going to stores and trying before buying if at all possible
I used road shoes atm. Great when your moving but thinking of changing to mtb. Problem I find is at junctions or when navigating tight and slow areas. Cliping in and out is a faff and if you have to emergency stop its impossible to clip out quickly so your falling over.
Great vid btw thanks
Great Vlog. I stick to MTB system on my road bike due to the practicality. I think if you're starting to compete like you are I completely get using road shoes. But I'm a leisure rider. MTB for me!great Vlog. Bosh
My thoughts exactly! I had road shoes and switched to mtb shoes about 15 years ago. Now I'm struggling on whether to get an E-bilke or keeping it real. Everyone keeps telling me you're not cheating if your not racing.
And I'm using combination of these two. Gravel shoes. They look like road (they look light and smooth) but have the space to hide MTB blocks in them so you can walk. Fizik terra 4 powerstrap :P
Try the Bontrager Foray Mountain back shoes. They look exactly like road shoes with dual Boa dials on each shoe and carbon soles covered by rubber like impact points
I recently changed to road shoes, I was riding mtb cleats and think they are great, but loving the SPDSL cleats alot. I have wider feet too and have cross country mtb shoes which don't look like mountain bike shoes, and they are wider than my road shoes. If you're ever in the market for new mtb shoes maybe give them a look, mine are the Shimano XC70, great shoe. They are carbon soled and heat mouldable too so a great custom fit.
Hi Katie, I use both. I use the road bike for longer road rides and what I found was that when I had the spuds in I ended up with a hot spot on the left foot. My feet ached and felt quite warm at about the 40 mile mark plus. So I switched to Look. Greater adjustment. You can adjust the spuds left and right a bit, but not as much as the look. The road shoes are really comfortable though. So if I am in the saddle or a long time, then road shoe. The Anthem has XT spuds. These are great for in and out. Also, you can clear mud clag quite easily. Adjustment on the peddle gives you some degree of flexibility. I have used it for five hour trail quests and get hotspots, but this is offset against unclipping, running into the bushes and getting your electronic thingy stamped. I also used this on the Raleigh Royal, when it was my commuter. Good for clipping and unclipping at lights or roundabouts. But when I tried to do long distance the two pin system had a smaller contact area, which put more pressure onto the smaller area on the balls of my feet, so hotspot.
So it is a trade off. Flexibility vs comfort. Getting out of the saddle, clipping in and out quickly, but still being attached to the bike over the rough stuff, as well as peddling up hill in the clag - spud. For long distance comfort - Look. The road shoe I went for was the Giro, but mine has a leather upper. Nice comfortable shoe. I went for a 44 wide fit, which works for me.
For MTB summer I use a Lake, while winter I use Specialized Defroster for off road. Comfortable and warm, but not as comfortable as the Giro. So another plus for the road is the comfort of the shoe. Specialized are a bit narrow at the toe.
Luck
Started with MTB's they were ok but have one leg shorter than the other & switched to road Shimano's & felt more comfortable & secure when riding...forgot to add that the roadies gave me the opportunity to add some packing to the shoe on my right leg....
Actually I think the question is more if you prefer SPD over SPD-SL - you can get road shoes that can accommodate either system. At the same time you can get lots of MTB shoes that look like road shoes. I for one prefer the SPD system, since my right food has to be pointed outward and on longer rides, I need the "float" otherwise my knees start to ache. When I ride around the city with lots of stops or know beforehand that I have to walk a lot, I put on my MTB shoes, when I am on a road ride with the guys I put on the road shoes, since they are a lot lighter.
I’m new on biking. I bought a road bike and have never used clipless pedals. I mostly ride in the city and long distance rides over pavement. Which kind of pedals would you recommend me to start with?
I use road shoes (SPD-SL) when I ride my roadbike.
I have found just the opposite. I find it much easier to clip into road pedals than mtb spd pedals. The weight of a look keo pedal means the back of the pedal hangs down and you just use the ridge on the front of the cleat to hook the pedal. Once the front of the pedal is hooked with the leading edge of the cleat, then it's super quick to clip into the back of the pedal.
Hi Katie, Well it took me months to even contemplate wearing clipless pedals shoes I was never confident enough. But watch a video on mountain bike shoes so gave them a try and never looked back. I find walking in them so easy (although I shouldn't be walking that much lol) Just a question you may have covered this previously but is there a great difference between a males road bike to a females road bike? I purchased a good second-hand bike for my wife and we had to make a few adjustments to it for her comfort but now fitted up good, but someone mentioned there is a cycle for males and one for females. Thanks.
I have Look cleats and if I need to walk I have rubber covers that I can clip over the cleats. That prevents the cleats wearing out. I don't know if there are covers for Shimano but they might be worth looking into.
Yes there are cleat covers for SPD-SL also, from Shimano and other brands
Hello, thank you for the greate contetents :)
I have a problem with my road bike shoes, my shoes don't allow me to place the cleat back far enough, what is your advice for this issue?
I don't prefere driling the shoes and move the cleat far enough because it sound scarry.
Do you think I should buy SPD mtb style pedal that has support or don't need it if you are going to be doing long distance bikepacking trips? Do not having support get uncomfortable? The pedal you showed in the video at 2:24 doesn't have support for ex. Thanks
Being an oldy I started off using flat pedals with toe clips which were a pain to get in and out of. My first sight of Look pedals was in the 1980's and I had to buy some. Once I got used to them it made my cycling so much more fun and easy. The only problem was that the cleats were quite stiff and only became comfortable when I wore them down a bit. I can't remember when I started using SPD's but I've never looked back. They are nice and comfortable with lots of lateral movement and so easy to get in and out of. If you use the racing ones they are light. I've just bought a set of Look X-Track Race Carbon for my main road bike. The biggest advantage for me is if you have a number of bikes e.g. road, gravel and mountain your footwear will work on any of those. I have 3 sets of shoes: a superlight pair, a mid light. pair which I'll wear in muddy or wet road conditions and a pair of waterproof GoreTex boots which keep me totally dry and can be cleaned with a hose at the same time as the bike is cleaned after a muddy or wet ride. If you choose a pair of MTB shoes with stiff carbon soles they will be light and enable a lot of power transfer. What more can I say? Hope this is helpful.
Hi Katie, I use the Shimano a600 pedals, you get best of both worlds, able to walk around and super stable large contact area between shoe and pedal. Along with Shimano rt81 shoes, that are brilliant but worried you can't get any more.
I started with mountain bike shoes, ridden for 3ish months. Just tried road shoes, now the mountain bike shoes and pedals are up for sale. Just a 10min ride and I find the road shoes much better, I'd say purely because of the size of the cleat. My feet feel 100% connected to the bike. Felt my hamstrings working more too.
I have a road bike and also an hybrid . On the road bike I have a Shimano SPD-SL pedal and on the hybrid an SPD MTB pedal . After every ride on the road bike I have a massive feet pain , I tried to move the cleats up abs down abs still same issue . Not sure if it’s a shoes issues or not but I have big feet and I believed SPD-SL pedals are not great for big feet . However , on the SPD MTB pedals zero problem . No sore feet at all . Would def love some feedback as I am just in the process of changing the pedals on my road bike to a MTB one
Always used Look road system for time trials & hill climbs, starter says 30 seconds to go, bang, you're clipped in, for touring or club runs spd every time, would never dream of racing in spds though as the interface is so small you could still be faffing about after your start time has elapsed! No longer racing so spds are the only option & so much easier for café stops or general walking.
started with mt shoes and clips on my road bike . went to a nice pair of shimano road shoes and red cleats. They are much lighter , more efficient and stylish . took me a little longer to get the positioning or toe in alignment worked out but it was worth it for me . Mt cleats for gravel and mt. biking ; SL's for roadies in my opinion . Paid more the shoes than for any other shoes I have but that is ok too . I like them . size 48 ew is a good fit for me . No more crammed together toes
Another awesome, helpful video. Thank you so much
Back in the 90's I used the ultegra road spd pedals. They had the same off road cleat and were one sided. Now these took some practice to clip in to. I remember Sean Yates saying it was like riding on a set of walnuts 🤣
Great summary. I spent many years using the road pedals and cleats then just as many using spd pedals with mountain bike shoes and cleats. The road pedals have less float so that’s why they feel tighter and generally the shoes are lighter because, as you pointed out, they don’t have the thick rubber sole. They make them stiffer too because they know you won’t be walking in them much.
I prefer the spd/mtb system because when you do get off to walk around it’s so much easier and safer. It’s easy to skid on plastic cleats and fall over. The difference in power output is negligible but you can save a few hundred grams in weight if you want to.
They do make walkable covers for Road cleats. Of course, if you have to have mountain bike shoes, just get a mountain bike instead.
@@shannontrainer5857 mountain bikes are no good for riding on the road. The tyre and wind resistance alone make them totally unsuitable. You need to ride a proper road bike to know what you're missing riding your mountain bike on the road. That's just madness.
Considering the weight penalty, what times do you get when climbing?
I use both, mtb system is more practical but road bike shoes have bigger platform and I feel more power transfer on pedal. Good review, THX
Hi
I really enjoyed both of those shoes but I think that the mtb shoes are more practical and easy to deal with.
I'm going to use the mtb for my road and mtb bikes.but I'm also going to keep road shoes in case I want using them back.
I recently sold one of my best road shoes sidi ergo ones so I have a little bit of regret.
So try both and choose what good for you.
I do like the clever design of the tiny spd cleat, the shoes can look pretty cool, but road shoes all the way for me even if they get wrecked more easily.
I've been using road shoes with mountain bike cleats and the double sided pedals, for about 2 years, and now I passed to mountain bike shoes with the same pedals, and I can tell the only difference is the noise that the cleats aren't doing anymore. For the rest, I would never use road pedals for the reason you mentioned, flipping the pedal. I'm in love with these and I would never change them.
Another option is to use MTB cleats on road shoes. I did it for years. Best of both worlds. Your shoes look like road shoes coz they are and lots of choice. The MTB cleats do stick out but as you say snap on and off the pedals easily. I've known gone over completely to MTB shoes. I've got a Shimano pair that look quite roady.
You know you can adjust the tightness on spds right? I prefer the MTB shoes the road shoes are a lot stiffer so you will produce a bit more power because of that and there’s more contact area. I’m getting an odd pain in the area where my SPDs sit at the moment, that could be down to my shoes getting old 🤔 may have to ride in my road shoes for a month and see if that makes a difference. It’s personal preference at the end of the day and whatever gets you out on the bike. 😎👍 great topic Katie keep up the good work.
On long road rides you have less of a chance of hot spot on foot with road pedal cleats ( cleat covers help protect them). They do have more adjust ability than Mtn bike SPD pedals. You may not have experience it yet but when road cleats wear out they lock tighter. I ended up taking shoe off to get unclipped. I had to leave SPD cleats for crank brothers I needed a consist cleat with more float. Road SPD cleats require more planning ahead for getting in and out. I found them terrible for fast action or emergency in/out situations. But they can’t be beat for 75+ mile rides.
Another consideration is the rigidity of the sole. Cheaper shoes have nylon soles, high end shoes have carbon soles, and mid-range shoes are made of nylon with a carbon plate to hold the cleat. When I moved from SPD-SL (race shoes) with a carbon plate to SPD (mountain bike shoes) I upgraded from a nylon sole with a carbon plate to a full carbon sole to offset any loss of efficiency between SPD-SL and SPD. Furthermore this may reduce the chances of hotspots, as the pressure on one's foot is more evenly distributed on a more rigid sole. The downside of a carbon sole is that being very rigid it is harder to walk in. Some brands have carbon soles with a flexible toe box to provide the best of both worlds. Another way to reduce the odds of hotspots when moving from a larger cleat a smaller cleat is to use a pedal with a frame surrounding the cleat such that the surface of the shoe can rest on the frame. Shimano, Look and Crank Brothers make such pedals. Another advantage of SPD over SPD-SL is one can use pedals that have a cleat on one side and a flat base on the other, which may be desirable optionality when touring or commuting.
Great vid. THe pros and cons of each system are valid. I have been using MTB pedals on my road bike for years mainly due to commuting. And it's easier to chase kids with MTB shoes once you're off the bike. But I do like the longer rides and wonder if I should move to the road based cleat system. I like the last bit you have mentioned. Options.
Try both and see which you prefer. I had SPDs initially then went to road and have now gone back to SPD. They are my fave all-round!
@@KatieKookaburra Thx for the advice and I will check it out. But it must have the Boa fit system. Hooked!!!
I use a shimano adapter (like their sh-40 or sh-41) to use a 2-bolt cleat on a 3-bolt shoe, like my primary Pearl Iz's PRO Leader shoes. The adapter offset's the different stack height from a 2-bolt to 3-bolt sole so I don't have to move the saddle depending on which bike I choose to ride. I can ride any pair of shoes with any bike straight away. And until I am categorized at a level 2 or higher (never going to happen) I can't see any justification for having a dedicated 3-bolt shoe and 3-bolt pedaled bike.
Non-cleated cycling shoes, normal cycling shoes without cleats..? Any options..?
hey Katie, try find yourself some new old stock shimano MT21 shoes, they are small mtb suede, very warm and comfy, i'm a man but use them, i find the footy boot type shoe way to cold. of course i do then put overshoes on in the wet for keeping the suede nice. i had mine 15 years and just found some others in usa on ebay, really treasue them.
thanks for sharing! I like the bike in the background, what is it?
I have the same question, What is that bike 👀?
You nailed it Professor K. I have switched from mountain cleats to Assioma 'Look' cleats and the big thing that I noticed straight off is that the cleat allowed me to move my foot angle a little more and my right knee was a lot happier. I have used strap with bar cleats, Look, mountain, and now back to Look. Also, the road shoes have a lot more colours and style options (if that matters :D). Now I just have to learn to walk like a duck!!!
Hey, Can the Look cleats and Shimano SPD SL are cross compatible with their pedals?
@@rajeshmohanty2070 no, shimano or look cleats aren't suitable for the other pedal system
Nope they are different.
I switched over to road shoes such a long time ago that I cannot remember how my mountain bike shoes felt. Nice video. Keep them coming.
I Have both Road and MTB Shoes. Am thinking of trying my Shimno ME7 shoes on my road bike, as they have so much stiffness. I am flying on my Cylocross bike. Also, I have a 1.2 cm deficit in my left leg, so have one crank arm smaller than the other (about 5 mm). It is a good alternative to building up cleates if your going to be walking in them. I don't have any problems cycling.
I use mountain bike shoes. I use the Crank Brothers Candy pedals on my road bike. The Candy and Eggbeater pedals have the advantage that, that Crank Brothers do a 3 bolt cleat for road shoes. I have used them. They do have a rubber surround for the cleat. That can come off and get lost and that makes it awkward to walk in. That's the only issue I have with them.
My mtb cleats do move slightly side ways when clipped in. Its nothing that they would come off but for example when you get your ass out of the saddle for some steep section they do move slightly on pedals and I believe that road cleats/pedals could maybe fix that since the area they bite into the pedal much firmly because they are wider than mtb ones. I believe that was the thing you have experiences also in some level when you said that you feel you get more control on road shoes.
Quite new to cleats and I started with mtb set up , because I do stop and wonder about , may well try road set up on my next new road bike, I like the versatility of mtb shoes
You also love hot feet
I started riding road bikes ,
had actual clips with the strap over your foot! This clip and strap eliminated the flex from the upper of the shoe. really feel the instantaneous power with those!
Old school and obsolete now, this was right around 1986 when everyone changed over to “Look” pedals.
Now I just use mountain bike shoes because of convenience between the bikes
If you’re looking for wide toe box shoes, consider Specialized shoes, they tend to design roomy toe boxes for both their road and MTB pedals, I’m deciding now if I should change to road pedals just cause of the adjustments it allows and if it’ll be better for my knees or not, I like to go fast. Thoughts?
Forgetting another option?? Speedplay used them for a couple of years and love them. Double sided, light, walkable cleat option and stable. A winner for me. However it’s all relative so use what suits you👍🏻🏴
Speedplay are still road shoes right
@@MilanSmore yes, the ones I have, but I think they might have made a model called "pave" for more mud clearance 👍🚴♀️🏴
MTB shoes/clips hands down for all my road bikes.
agreed those road bike clips are almost impossible to walk around on
Katie is so motivated, she is my inspiration.
I use Speedplay zeros with Pave Pedals on the road, almost the best of both worlds, a bit too stiff to walk around on for long periods but you don't have to worry about knackering up your cleats or walking like a duck that needs a poo. Gravel bike: Shimano SPD MTB Trail pedals
Riding Speedplay for years and absolutely loved them. Just for kicks I bought a pair of sweet Sidi Tiger cross/ gravel/MTB shoes and I’m absolutely smitten with being able to walk. In terms of weight/speed, well it’s all in your head. With today’s technology in gear they’re making products so good I gave up nothing in the switch. But gained a “huge” factor of enjoyment...and isn’t that why we ride? Not a question. Ride on mates!
Did the same switch a few months ago, done about 2000 km on the road pedals (105 R7000) so far, but I start hating them to guts. They wear down way too fast (and no, I will not use cleat protectors every time I have to walk for 20 meters), clipping in and out is always a faff and I even managed to fall once while clipping in even after many years of using SPD pedals and shoes. Otherwise, no improvement whatsoever in foot comfort or power transfer, in spite of being able to push 1200-1300W when sprinting.
Pretty sure I'll be going back to MTB SPD as soon as I wear down my other pair of road cleats as well, mainly because they are two sided and because I don't have to buy 3-4 sets of cleats per year.
I just bought a gravel bike and of course all the kit that comes with it like shoes. How do you like lace-up shoes? I've always avoided them because I feel they'll be a pain in the arse to make tight etc. 🍻 Katie
SPD for me. Double sided spd pedals on the road bike. Combination spd / flat on the touring bike so I can either wear spd cycling shoes ( Specialized are a good fit for me, especially in size 48! ) or normal footwear. Same on the mountain bike!
Plus it's also easier to walk up a steep climb in mtb spd shoes! 😂
Have you ever encountered a-frames, berms, drops, gaps, jumps, ladder bridges, log rides, pump tracks, rock faces, rock gardens, roller coasters, skinnies, tabletops, teeter totters, tree gates, and wall rides on your road bike? Have you ever ridden on dirt, mud or tree roots on your road bike? If not, get road shoes and some cleat covers. But if you have to have mountain bike shoes, I strongly recommend did you sell your road bike first, then get a mountain bike(preferably across country or XC type), then head on to trailforks(dot)com and find the nearest MTB trail near you.
IF you have to have mountain bike shoes on your road bike, I strongly recommend that you swap out your road groupset with a mountain bike groupset. This is to lower your gearing to prevent hot feet. SRAM's NX Eagle with a single 32t chainring and a 11-50 cassette is a good choice.
Brian I do you have EH500 shimano pedals?
Same on my cyclo-cross bike.
Wow I'm in the market for my first cyling shoes, and you mentioned something so important.... Walking up on steep hills! I bought MTB shoes and debating to click checkout for road shoes. I'm a heavier cylist and yeah sometimes I need to walk my bike up the hills if I can't make it all the way. Great point! Sticking to my MTB shoes for now
mtb shoes i find going half size bigger helps a lot... there is quite a few lady specific mtb shoes now more road style.... muddy fox make a few as do Shimano and specialized make the S-Works XC shoes but are a little pricy.... only know that because i am looking for new spd shoes for myself ..lol
Had a bike fit and the best thing he did was put two cleat wedges on one shoe and one on the other. sorted out my knee issues. Also look keos are far better than shimano. more free float
You forgot the link for the shoes in the description 🙄
Wouldn't you need to keep changing the pedals on your bike when you change shoes?
Correct, but it doesn’t take long to swap them over.
So does that mean you have to change tour pedals if you decide to change shoe ?
I'm currently using mtb shoes but may change to spd's. But not sure if I wanna change my pedals each time tho.
You can get a converter plate to convert 3 hole road shoes to 2 hole mtb shoes but not the other way round. so if you want the stiffness/fit/look of a road shoe on SPD pedals you can do it.
Best for looks:
www.freewheel.co.uk/shimano-spares-sm-sh85-spd-sl-to-spd-rspd-cleat-adapter-smsh85
Best for walking on:
www.sjscycles.co.uk/shoes/shimano-smsh41-spd-cleat-stabilizing-adapter-for-3-or-5-hole-sole-smsh41/
Wellgo also made some converter cleats but they are crap
As long as the new shoe means a different style of cleat, then a new pedal set matching that style will be needed. One set of pedals per cleat type (I have shimano M530 and Assioma pedals).
I am considering using cleats. I want a shoe that I can walk on, what are your opinions on Speedplay and mountain bike shoes? I have never used cleats before.
I defo prefer Spd (Mtb) :)
Fair play Katie on blog
I to use both mob I used to have on my commuter bike and road bike
So what I personally found is that after about 55/60 mile on my road bike because the mob cleats are small with my Giro mob shoe in the middle of the bottom of my foot I would get a sharp pain shoot up my leg
It could be that the pressure point on my foot when peddling could of been on a nerve which then after time sent pain up my leg ,I don’t really know
I did first use shimano road shoes but for some reason couldn’t get on with them (clipping in and out )
Which did result in fulling off when I really needed to unclip so did revert to mtb cleats found a lot easier to clip in and out
But know on my road bike I do use road spd cleats which I can clip in and out of fine now 😂 after getting used to being clipped in its a very strange feeling not being able to put ya foot down BROWN pant moment 😂 plus No pain in foot anymore
Don’t know if this is because bigger area on cleat pushing peddles round or if the pressure point is now not on a nerve ????
But yea a lot more comfortable now and no pain 😎 😎
But I do use mtb cleats on my commuter bike Like you say if I’ve got to walk or go in a shop or office these are better
SO yea both are good
Woop 🙌 🙌Katie
Very nice video. So,... In my case, I have a road bike, but I am a Deliveroo rider. Does it means that the best option for me can be the MTB Shoes? As I need to walk to restaurants and customer's house...
MTB shoes come in a vast amount of styles, adjustment works forward backward and side to side. Just bought some road shoes I’ll let you know what I think Is better ? Use a gravel bike but can do road and off road.
I’ve know used road spd sl for nearly 12 months they are definitely better on the road feel really stable. These are now full time on road bike emonda sl pro
Spd’s are now only on my MTB and gravel bikes when on / off bike is more frequent and more walking is required. Great video by the way.
Hi, what Shimano model is that?
SPD SL cleats are so much better in my experience. I had SPD’s for a while and had foot and leg pains constantly even after a bike fit. I switched to SL’s and they offer more support for the foot because the weight is more evenly spread and as you say there is more scope for perfect adjustment. You definitely feel more connected and stable too. If you are used to clipless pedals then I wouldn’t think there would be an issue getting used to them - just make sure they are on the loosest setting until you feel happy. Also a good quality pair of pedals has the ability to adjust itself the right way round making it easy when you set off and if you are going to be walking you can buy clear covers for them. I would’ve hesitate in using SL’s at all but obviously it is a personal choice.
I like the roadies for the play and power transfer. But you chew up the cleats on roadway and asphalt stops. MTB's are so practical on fun and social rides such as charities. I use roadies and carry cleat covers on my jersey pocket. But I'm thinking about going back to mtb's for my road bike
I do like the look and feel of road shoes. With road shoes you know you’re getting a stiff sole. Although you can get mountain bike shoes with stiff soles they can be difficult to find. I got lucky with my first purchase of mtb shoes. They were a race shoe so they were as stiff as a road shoe. But, as the shoes became worn I wanted to purchase another pair. They don’t make them anymore. For a year I switched to road shoes and as much as I enjoyed riding with them, one thing that annoyed me was that the cleat constantly kept coming loose from my shoes. One time I even lost a bolt during a long ride. Then there’s the problem of finding a winter road shoe. They practically don’t exist. So, now I am back to using mtb shoes and thankfully I managed to find another pair of stiff race shoes.