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Mountain Bike Shoes On a Road Bike

UDRider said:
Why would you train on something you are not going to race on?

My race bike has lets say "lively" handling. I sure don't want to be getting used to it few laps in a crit in a 50+ pack.
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CHUM said:
wow....don't know where to start....

not even going to bother.....
:facepalm
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See? People are so wedded to posing that they forget the fundamental principles of the psychology of training.
 
Dr. Evil said:
See? People are so wedded to posing that they forget the fundamental principles of the psychology of training.
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i'll bite...

let's say you're a marathon runner...

you decide to train in a pair of heavy Nike's...

then race day you throw on a pair of light Asics....

what on earth do you think is gonna happen around mile 7 to your feet, knees and hips if you do that?
 
No idea. Probably fuck all that wasn't going to happen anyway. If you're talking about cushioning differences, yeah, your bits will start swelling and taking damage. But that is a matter of cushioning, not just out and out weight (obviously theres a limit, you wouldn't want to tie rocks to your ankles...). I train in asics because the lateral support is good and I want to build my joints up. Im talking about adding resistance where you can to make the actual event feel that much easier. Pedaling is fucking pedaling, and there's more benefit to training on an old chro moly mountain bike thayou half pound racer. "But what about the riding position?" I hear you ask. So put aero bars and your competition seat on it. Get creative. Don't you know the equipment manufacturers have a vested interest in you thinking you need all this fancy stuff?
 
msincredible said:
I had knee pain with Look Keos (set up with a professional bike fit) that went away when I switched to SPDs.
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Did you use cleats with float? if you did were you constantly locked to one side all the time or at a certain spot in your spin?
There are many "professional" fitters out there. Just go to a huge chain shop. Any of those sales guys will "fit" you.

If your pain went away by going to a less supportive pedal then the first set wasnt set up right.
 
Dr. Evil said:
m talking about adding resistance where you can to make the actual event feel that much easier. Pedaling is fucking pedaling, and there's more benefit to training on an old chro moly mountain bike thayou half pound racer. "But what about the riding position?" I hear you ask. So put aero bars and your competition seat on it. Get creative. Don't you know the equipment manufacturers have a vested interest in you thinking you need all this fancy stuff?
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What benefit?
There are these things called gears, and something that is called cadence. You put those two together and you can go as hard as you want. Shit throw some hills in (climbing to skyline is a hill), and it makes things even more fun.
 
Dr. Evil said:
No idea. Probably fuck all that wasn't going to happen anyway. If you're talking about cushioning differences, yeah, your bits will start swelling and taking damage. But that is a matter of cushioning, not just out and out weight (obviously theres a limit, you wouldn't want to tie rocks to your ankles...). I train in asics because the lateral support is good and I want to build my joints up. Im talking about adding resistance where you can to make the actual event feel that much easier. Pedaling is fucking pedaling, and there's more benefit to training on an old chro moly mountain bike thayou half pound racer. "But what about the riding position?" I hear you ask. So put aero bars and your competition seat on it. Get creative. Don't you know the equipment manufacturers have a vested interest in you thinking you need all this fancy stuff?
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Why are you so adament about spewing incorrect nonsense? OP asked for advice and your doing as best you can into convincing him to make the worst decisions possible? Your examples of getting "creative" just show how much you don't understand about this.

And you know that every running shoe company makes different types of shoes right? cushioning, stability, pronation, etc.

Sorry for the previous grammar, typing lots all quick like when the boss is lookin is tuff.
 
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Dr. Evil said:
No idea. Probably fuck all that wasn't going to happen anyway. If you're talking about cushioning differences, yeah, your bits will start swelling and taking damage. But that is a matter of cushioning, not just out and out weight (obviously theres a limit, you wouldn't want to tie rocks to your ankles...). I train in asics because the lateral support is good and I want to build my joints up. Im talking about adding resistance where you can to make the actual event feel that much easier. Pedaling is fucking pedaling, and there's more benefit to training on an old chro moly mountain bike thayou half pound racer. "But what about the riding position?" I hear you ask. So put aero bars and your competition seat on it. Get creative. Don't you know the equipment manufacturers have a vested interest in you thinking you need all this fancy stuff?
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:rofl

you clearly have no idea what you are talking about....


and back on topic to the OP - i only have mountain shoes and pedals...primarily because I do not own a dedicated road bike...nor do I road race... :p
 
theAmazingKickstand said:
YOUR KNEES WILL EXPLODE BY SEPTEMBER!!!!!

Or they'll most likely be fine.
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trust me...i need the float.....i am a rolling seizure.....:|


but srsly....i switched shoes about 2 weeks before a 7 day stage race....felt like a midget was trying to pry off my kneecap with a screwdriver... :(
 
theAmazingKickstand said:
Did you use cleats with float? if you did were you constantly locked to one side all the time or at a certain spot in your spin?
There are many "professional" fitters out there. Just go to a huge chain shop. Any of those sales guys will "fit" you.

If your pain went away by going to a less supportive pedal then the first set wasnt set up right.
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Nope, fit was by a non-chain LBS specializing in road bikes and racing setups, fit was double-checked by an independent racing coach.

I think it is because one of my feet has quite a bit of turnout relative to my knee and it is pretty difficult to compensate for without more freedom of movement.

In any case, I'm sure my knees would have suffered if I had to walk several miles in road shoes with a mechanical issue far from cell phone service. 8 miles in MTB shoes, not a problem.

Most of my riding is climbing and my knees have been very happy with the SPDs.

CockyRooster said:
I got some dual pedals from Performance Bikes that have clips on one side and the flat platform on the other. I use the clips for longer rides but still have the option to just put on sneakers if I'm headed down to the gym or grocery store. They're probably not serious enough for most of you guys and the platform side needs it's teeth sharpened to work well, but I like them.
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I have the double-sided pedals on my folding bike, but I'm not a huge fan. They are harder to clip in and out of, and always seem to end up on the wrong side (plus SPD cleats can catch on the platform side). I think they would make it more difficult for someone learning to use clipless pedals.
I have been known to occasionally ride in sneakers on my SPDs on my Orbea (and jeans too), but just for shorter rides (<20 miles).

BTW pedals are "serious" enough that the folder (with a full suspension and 18" wheels) has been up and down Page Mill and Alpine several times even with me carrying a 20+ pound backpack. :nerd
 
^^^^ Sorry about your knee/pedal issues. Road pedal's by definition ae better for your body than mountain pedals. Mountain bikers take a serious penalty for being able to clip in with muddy shoes and be able to move thair feet so much. If you have a trainer or rollers I could help you out.

Never had a mechanical that I couldnt fix in 5 minutes. Never had to walk......umm well once when a reallllllly old, super abused wheel exploded.
 
theAmazingKickstand said:
It's amazing that someone can give s horrid and awful advice with such conviction and rentment.


Mountain pedals have 16 degrees of float. Thats the worst thing you can have ona road bike. Aslot the paltform ais relatively small so your shoe sole witll bend over it. Enjoy your serious knee and hip pain and limping for life after 4 years of abuse running mountain pedals on the road. Enjoy clipping out accidently on a stroing sprint or climb and smashing your face, ball,s and knees.
There is nothing wrong with SpeedPlay ZERO's. theyre excellent for all but the absolute strogest sprinters. Who ever had problems with Spedplay was either using light action, non Zeor's, or jsut doing it wrong.

On a road bike you need to have 0 float pedals and you need to have someone who absolutely knows waht theyre doing to set them up.

Funny, the only poser's ive met in real life are the uninformed out of shape dickheads who think that their incorrect crap is jsut as good as good stuff that was designed with a purpose. Yeah if you don't know waht the fuck your doing youll be going 10mph on a mountain bike with mountain pedals and on a proper road bike. Youll laso destroy your joints for life on mountaint or road pedals.

I invite you to come ride with me and maybe you'ss see how idiotically wrong you are. Your'e welcome.


The sv650 is jsut as good a a Ducati becuase I fucking suck at motorcyling.
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:rofl :rofl :rofl Judging by your rant, I am assuming that you were not "firing on all cylinders" when you posted this. So when you have sobered up (or your meds have worn off) you may want to consider the following:

1) the bio mechanics of pedal float are the same for a road bike or a MTB. If you need float to accomodate the geometry of your hips, ankle and knees on a MTB you need float on a road bike.

2) Good MTB shoes have exactly the same platform stiffness as road shoes. More often than not, they have the same last and support and differ only by the grip molded onto the bottom.

3) Unintended unclipping is more often than not a wear/adjustment problem and not a design issue. If anything, MTB pedals need to absorb impulse loads (in the engineering meaning of the term) than road bike pedals.

4) One of the best roadies and cycling coaches I know interchanges MTB and road pedals.
 
07chuck said:
When I was a bicycle messenger I found that Time ATAC pedals were the best. They have less moving parts and are more reliable than SPDs with a more positive feel, and they don't have sharp edges(first time you miss a clip in and whack a shin you'll know what I mean). They are also rebuildable. The only down side is that they are more expensive than SPDs and the cleats are harder to find.
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+1 I have these on both of my bikes (MTB and Road) and my knees love them :thumbup

Personally, I would not use SPD's even if I was paid to - after watching my buddy launch himself over the bars when his SPD's unclipped on a climb. His busted nose and jaw were a 6 month long reminder :thumbdown
 
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OldMadBrit said:
:rofl :rofl :rofl .
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I'd like to make it clear that I was ranting perfectly sober....jsut clicking back back and forth as the boss was walking around behind me.:p

I (and most) won't agree with what you said. The "proper" mountain shoes your'e talking about are just as bad for walking as "proper" road shoes.

Pick a friend who says he has bad knees and needs float. Ask him to stand up and move his leg directly up and down (like climbing stairs or pedaling). Does his heal move sideways? Does his knee move sideways? Does anything star to hurt if you tell him not to move his knee or heel? Note that his heal doesnt move around but only goes up and down.....but theres a good chance the heal isn't pointed directly back. It will alsomost likely be pointed at a slightly different angle than his other heel.
It's important in noting the difference between the heel moving in and out and having the heel be natually cocked to one side.
I use 0 float but only one of my feet is point directly forward.

Most problems with no float pedals come from user error. Then they go online and tell everyone how a certain pedal/cleat sucks. Its very very easy to set them up incorrectly and cause serious pain. IT band is comes most common, front of knee is second.

There are lots of "expirienced" people in cycling. I recently had cat 2 a guy bring back a sponsered frame that he was racing all season. It was at least two sizes too big. None of his expirienced coaches said anything to him.

You will find a brazillion guys who claim no float is awful and wrong because in 1987 they set them up incorrectly at home and couldnt walk down stairs for the next two months......obviously the pedal's fualt.

For the last 100 years dudes were racing completely strapped in, locked, and feet pointing forward. There were almost no complaints becuase the pedal didn't allow the user to make a mistake during instalation.
 
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wow...

after reading all this, i'm gonna stick to riding with sandals...

with socks...
 
Blankpage said:
Mountain bike shoes would be a lot better to walk in if you were to suffer a break down of some sort.
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I can walk all day in mine, if I have to. Same for my roadrace boots, shitty footwear makes for NOT a good time.

Check
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510 Minnars

theAmazingKickstand said:
YOUR KNEES WILL EXPLODE BY SEPTEMBER!!!!!

Or they'll most likely be fine.
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he didn't say fixie
 
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theAmazingKickstand said:
Never had a mechanical that I couldnt fix in 5 minutes. Never had to walk......umm well once when a reallllllly old, super abused wheel exploded.
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I mentioned up-thread, it was catastrophic rim tape failure (multiple points of failure, so a boot was not sufficient) and after 3 flats at various points on my ride I was out of spare tubes. I will stick with Velox from now on, unfortunately that was the rim tape that the wheel came with and I didn't think to check it before my first (and second and third) flat.

I live and mostly ride far from cell phone service, so if I can't fix something roadside I have to rely on walking.
 
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