Re: Pedal Question: Bikefanclub.com

Hi Nev, this is what I took issue with:

"What kind and how much walking are you doing in your riding shoes? No road shoes are going to be comfortable to walk in. Moutain shoes are walkable comfortably, but they're heavier and bulkier and you'll have to get a different pedal. I may be mistaken but I don't think the cleat systems are compatible, the screw holes are different. Plus the mountain shoes have tread on them, they're not flat like the road cleats need to be. "

Some clipless road systems have smaller cleats that make walking in road shoes easier. So saying, "no road shoes are going to be comfortable to walk in," isn't necessarily true.

Mountain bike shoes also vary as far as weight and bulk. I also take issue with weight being an issue since there is little gained by taking weight off a shoe in the real world scheme of things.

As far as compatibility, the two-hole systems are identical in both road and mtb shoes. Some mtb shoes do have issues with bigger cleats not fitting in the cutout area and manufacturers include instructions on trimming the cutout area to fit certain brands of cleats.

Finally where the cleat attaches on a mountain bike shoe is flat, not treaded and can actually accept a road cleat. SPD, for example, will fit on both road and mtb shoes without issues.

Finally, Look-style road systems are proprietary and incompatible with mtb shoes. There is no data that suggests road systems like Look are any better for a racer than other systems. For the real world, a rider does need a system that has easy clip-in and clip-out since we tend to stop much more often than professional bicycle racers do.

Please don't take this wrong. I am not criticizing you but just pointing out that one must be careful making generalizations since there are always exceptions to the rule.

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