Author Topic: Audax Road Shoe  (Read 7416 times)

Pingu

  • Put away those fiery biscuits!
  • Mrs Pingu's domestique
    • the Igloo
Re: Audax Road Shoe
« Reply #25 on: 05 August, 2017, 10:03:42 pm »
Audax Road Shoe = something comfortable for you

Wycombewheeler

  • PBP-2019 LEL-2022
Re: Audax Road Shoe
« Reply #26 on: 05 August, 2017, 10:54:31 pm »
£100 = not audax
3 bolt = not audax

Not all Audaxers are cheapskates!

3 bolt cleats and pedals are so much better for cycling.
U don't find them any better. I have two bikes with SPDs and a one bike with Integra pedals. I don't notice any benefit while cycling. But I do find clipping in is more reliable with SPDs and walking (at controls) is so much better with sod shoes.

I didn't have enough float with SPDs and it did bad things to my dodgy feet and knees.   Speedplay zeros with the walkable cleats have solved this.  But you do need a 3-bolt or 4-bolt compatible shoe.

Is there any need for shoe/pedal snobbery?  Or inverse snobbery?
snobbery? inverse snobbery? I like the shoes, it just seemed to me the intersection between people who would buy these shoes and people who would ride audax was quite small on the venn diagram. I might consider a pair of the shoes and would use them on my best bike, but I can't see myself ever audaxing in them because too many times getting off the bike and walking.

The initial ... not audax post was very tongue in cheek, I forget that that typed comments don't convey the tone and there will always be people who interpret comments in a different way.

Eddington  127miles, 170km

whosatthewheel

Re: Audax Road Shoe
« Reply #27 on: 06 August, 2017, 05:22:45 am »
Comfort rules.

I find carbon soles very harsh... OK for anything up to 200 km, but not fine for longer distance.

Also, SPD becomes more practical as the distance increases, so does the need to be able to walk

Re: Audax Road Shoe
« Reply #28 on: 06 August, 2017, 06:58:07 am »
I have had a orange pair (which were just under £100 ) over 6 months they are super comfy , I just completed LEL in them no issues at all .

Samuel D

Re: Audax Road Shoe
« Reply #29 on: 06 August, 2017, 08:36:32 am »
I agree with Ruthie that these are pretty. Despite their high price, I thought about trying them toward the desperate end of my last shoe search.

I’d still like to try them, but I’d like even more to try a similarly sleek and all-black shoe with SPD cleats. The Shimano RT4 (laces but apparently no black option) and RT5 (velcro) are candidates, but from what I can tell, the soles aren’t stiff enough for me. Plus, the previous Shimano shoes I’ve tried have been awful in fit and quality.

If someone made a shoe that looked like the Shimano RT4 but in black, with leather uppers, a stiff sole, and a price under £100, I think it would clean up.

Currently I use Look Delta cleats, but the ongoing costs are bothering me, with the cleats lasting only about 3,000–4,000 km. Would like to try SPDs again if I could find a sleek, simple shoe with a stiff enough sole.

Ruthie

  • Her Majester
Re: Audax Road Shoe
« Reply #30 on: 06 August, 2017, 09:48:39 am »

The initial ... not audax post was very tongue in cheek, I forget that that typed comments don't convey the tone and there will always be people who interpret comments in a different way.


Ah, okay.  Fair enough.   :)
Milk please, no sugar.

mcshroom

  • Mushroom
Re: Audax Road Shoe
« Reply #31 on: 06 August, 2017, 03:17:11 pm »
I think the Shimano RT5/RT500 shoe looks like a decent Audax shoe. Another shoe harking back to older cycling shoes and SPD compatible which would suit me (all my bikes are spd)


http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-rt5-spd-touring-shoes/
Climbs like a sprinter, sprints like a climber!

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Audax Road Shoe
« Reply #32 on: 06 August, 2017, 03:36:09 pm »
I think the black would suit your new Spesh.

And I think the orange might just match the ACB jersey. And those famous, orange framed ACB specs. Although I'm led to believe they are 'satsuma'. Not orange.
You're possibly confusing me with someone else. I have a black Spesh. It's another ACBer (notp) who has orange framed specs. But perhaps you realise that already.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Samuel D

Re: Audax Road Shoe
« Reply #33 on: 06 August, 2017, 03:37:04 pm »
But is the sole stiff enough for long-distance cycling? Shimano only gives it a “5”.

The RT4 seems to be the same shoe except lighter (and arguably otherwise better) because it uses laces. However it’s only available in grey or another grey. Is this really what people are buying?

mcshroom

  • Mushroom
Re: Audax Road Shoe
« Reply #34 on: 06 August, 2017, 03:49:56 pm »
But is the sole stiff enough for long-distance cycling? Shimano only gives it a “5”.

The RT4 seems to be the same shoe except lighter (and arguably otherwise better) because it uses laces. However it’s only available in grey or another grey. Is this really what people are buying?

I would really like the RT4 in black.

As for stiffness, I'm probably a bit more forgiving than most as I use A520 pedals, so the pedal cage compensates for any shoe flex. YMMV
Climbs like a sprinter, sprints like a climber!

Cudzoziemiec

  • Ride adventurously and stop for a brew.
Re: Audax Road Shoe
« Reply #35 on: 08 August, 2017, 12:48:38 pm »
I've actually seen this shoe in the, erm, plastic and textile now. It has a curious little mesh vent in the sole, more or less under the big toe. This seems to be a feature of Specialized's current road shoes; at least, another model had the same vent (and had the 2+3 bolt sole someone mentioned). I guess the extra venting might be a good idea in California or Spain but it seems unwelcome in a British climate.

As a more general shoe grumble, why do so many – in fact I didn't see that hadn't – have acres of mesh on top? Even on the hottest days, I never feel my feet are too hot while cycling. Walking, OTOH, I'd sometimes welcome something similar. (I guess the answer is that the biggest markets for these shoes are more like California and Spain than Britain.)

Oh, and the shop I saw only had the black in stock.
Riding a concrete path through the nebulous and chaotic future.

Re: Audax Road Shoe
« Reply #36 on: 08 August, 2017, 12:52:20 pm »
I think the Shimano RT5/RT500 shoe looks like a decent Audax shoe. Another shoe harking back to older cycling shoes and SPD compatible which would suit me (all my bikes are spd)


http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-rt5-spd-touring-shoes/

I bought these exact shoes recently to give my very knackered Giro Civilas (lady version of the Republic) a rest. They look nice, obviously, but they're nowhere near as comfy as my old Giros. I think maybe the sole isn't as stiff though I really can't tell. I seem to be more aware of the cleat against the pedal compared to the Giros. They're also slightly heavier and feel bulkier and for the first few rides I was getting a bit of numbness and hot foot, though that seems to have stopped now. Nice how none of these attributes are particularly obvious when trying on...

I have done a 195km ride with them though, and my feet weren't entirely dead at the end. Perhaps it's because I've worn the Giros daily for nearly two years and my feet need to get used to the other shoes?

Probably should have just bought a new pair of Giros.


Re: Audax Road Shoe
« Reply #37 on: 08 August, 2017, 01:15:41 pm »

I’d still like to try them, but I’d like even more to try a similarly sleek and all-black shoe with SPD cleats. The Shimano RT4 (laces but apparently no black option) and RT5 (velcro) are candidates, but from what I can tell, the soles aren’t stiff enough for me. Plus, the previous Shimano shoes I’ve tried have been awful in fit and quality.

If someone made a shoe that looked like the Shimano RT4 but in black, with leather uppers, a stiff sole, and a price under £100, I think it would clean up.


Exustar ?
They are not as comfortable (for me) as the old leather Spesh MTB shoes, but better than the newer Spesh artificial fabric shoes.
Just completed LEL on mine and feet are little beat up - but less so than other parts of me.

Re: Audax Road Shoe
« Reply #38 on: 08 August, 2017, 04:51:52 pm »
I've actually seen this shoe in the, erm, plastic and textile now. It has a curious little mesh vent in the sole, more or less under the big toe. This seems to be a feature of Specialized's current road shoes; at least, another model had the same vent (and had the 2+3 bolt sole someone mentioned). I guess the extra venting might be a good idea in California or Spain but it seems unwelcome in a British climate.

As a more general shoe grumble, why do so many – in fact I didn't see that hadn't – have acres of mesh on top? Even on the hottest days, I never feel my feet are too hot while cycling. Walking, OTOH, I'd sometimes welcome something similar. (I guess the answer is that the biggest markets for these shoes are more like California and Spain than Britain.)

Oh, and the shop I saw only had the black in stock.
It Shows it's horses for courses because my biggest complaint with Cycling shoes is they never seem to be vented enough. I have the Spec Audax shoes and whilst they are comfortable for me and have plenty of wriggle room in the toe box my feet still overheat in all but the coldest conditions.

I realise that all this probably means that I should try SPD sandals but I just can't.

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Audax Road Shoe
« Reply #39 on: 08 August, 2017, 04:54:51 pm »
I am another one who likes well-ventilated shoes. They dry out faster and my feet rarely get cold enough for toe-warmer covers. Usually there has to be snow on the ground.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...