Yet Another Cycling Forum
General Category => Rides and Touring => Topic started by: NeilP on 23 February, 2018, 06:01:12 pm
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I'm after recommendations for a pair of touring shoes which I can wear in evenings when we have reached our overnight stop. Something with stiff enough soles to make the cycling part of the day comfortable but not looking so obviously like a cycling shoe for evening off the bike use.
I did the North Coast 500 2 years ago and an extra pair of footwear, despite being a pair of summer sandals, still seemed like a waste of pannier space.
Thanks
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Flip flops, take little space
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Exustar Stelvio
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Any comfy, lightweight, [Goretex?] walking shoe + flat pedals, toeclips. Works for me.
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I saw a chap with a rather clever solution. He made inserts out of plywood to use during cycling for stiffness and simply took them out in the evening. I think he had a shoe half a size up to allow for the wooden insert and the normal insert. Stiffness for cycling and comfort for evening use.
My first pair of cycling shoes had wooden soles and were wonderful to use.
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Shimano sandals do the job for me on most tours. I'll sometimes take a pair of flip flops for the campsite.
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Shimano lace-up touring/MTB shoes - look like trainers and are fine in the evenings (albeit with some minor clip-clopping from the cleats) - 2 x E2E and loads of tours with just the one pair of shoes ... and if they get wet they dry quickly.
Rob
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My wife has some specialised touring shoes which have stiff soles, but a bit of flexibility at the toe for walking, and a bit of elastic to tuck the laces in so they don’t get caught, and they look just like trainers.
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I have a nice pair of quoc black lace up SPD touring shoes. I need something comfortable/smart for work and comfortable/supportive for long rides. They tick both boxes.
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Shimano lace-up touring/MTB shoes - look like trainers and are fine in the evenings (albeit with some minor clip-clopping from the cleats) - 2 x E2E and loads of tours with just the one pair of shoes ... and if they get wet they dry quickly.
Beware the Shimano MT34 - they have prominent eyelets at the top that can cut gouges in your cranks.
(they're fine otherwise as described above - I ripped the eyelets off and punched regular holes and still use them)
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Last time I looked, the Shimano MTB shoes had turned into plasticy road shoes for two-bolt cleats and no longer fit my Shimano-shaped feet.
Sandals are the canonical footwear for touring in my book. It's all about the temperature versatility and drying time (if MTB shoes dry quickly, I dread to think what slow drying shoes are like). But I can see why you'd want something else if your touring involved more walking around and less camping.
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Shimano lace-up touring/MTB shoes - look like trainers and are fine in the evenings (albeit with some minor clip-clopping from the cleats) - 2 x E2E and loads of tours with just the one pair of shoes ... and if they get wet they dry quickly.
Beware the Shimano MT34 - they have prominent eyelets at the top that can cut gouges in your cranks.
(they're fine otherwise as described above - I ripped the eyelets off and punched regular holes and still use them)
Yes - not as good as they used to be but still work. I have to confess that I have a pair of Shimano MTB shoes from about 2002 (only used for touring, other shoes for the rest) AND a brand new identical pair still in the box waiting for the first pair to wear out ... they were a £10 BNIB purchase on ebay about 9 years ago (they came with cleats that were worth more than the shoes :thumbsup: )
.. and one of life's annoyances with my shoes is that the sole at the toe end wears on one shoe way faster than the other - simply because I always unclip/push-off with the same foot - I need to find someone with the same size feet that pushes off with the other foot and we could maximise shoe wear between us !
Rob
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Back end of last year got some of these with a good discount:
(https://www.tredz.co.uk/prodimg/Giro-Republic-LX-Road-Cycling-Shoes-2017_87835_1_Supersize.jpg)
(https://www.tredz.co.uk/prodimg/87835_3_Supersize.jpg)
to supplement my Lidl specials.
Saturday after being laid low for a week I decided to take them out for the first time. Just a couple of miles test run, but found them so comfortable I found myself over 12 miles away in Cawood before I realised I should have turned round ages ago.
Walking, take a bit of getting used but not bad. The pads on the soles look potentially removeable.
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But if you remove the pads you'll have clippy-cloppy metal on floor times, wearing out cleats and potentially marking floors.
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More for replacement if they wear out, no? Though IIRC the replacement pads are rather pricy for a few bits of rubber.
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I travel with a pair of these for off-bike, which weigh around 350g https://www.decathlon.co.uk/soft-140-mesh-black-white-id_8350864.html
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The pads on the soles look potentially removeable.
Yes they can be replaced. The coloured bits are somewhat soft and get a bit torn around the edges. So I suggest you get a spare set -- just in case, or whilst available. https://www.evanscycles.com/giro-urban-touring-walking-pad-set-EV247384 These shoes have been my summer touring shoes for the last 2 summers.
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I plan on taking a pair of very lightweight (4oz) minimalist running shoes, if nothing else, just to give my feet a rest from the cycling shoes. If I can't fit those in the panniers, then I've overpacked.
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My tactic is cycling shoes plus crocs for a tour. The crocs can hang on the outside of the panniers if necessary as they don't absorb water, and unlike flip flops can easily be worn with or without socks depending on temperature. I am quite happy to walk reasonable distances in mine (into a local town in the evening for example). However I do realise I get absolutely zero style points.
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Back end of last year got some of these with a good discount:
(https://www.tredz.co.uk/prodimg/Giro-Republic-LX-Road-Cycling-Shoes-2017_87835_1_Supersize.jpg)
(https://www.tredz.co.uk/prodimg/87835_3_Supersize.jpg)
What brand are they?
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What brand are they?
Giro Republic LX
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They look like a narrow fit. Would you agree?
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I've only tried them on in the shop, but they seemed OK on my broad feet.
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Other than style, are they better than the Exustar Stelvio mentioned upthread? That seems like the obvious touring shoe to me based on specs and design. I just got a pair that I haven’t used yet, but first impressions are that the sole is stiffer than I expected and plenty stiff enough for spirited riding, as Jan Heine puts it. And they’re easy to walk in and just about passable for wearing to a tourist restaurant.
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They look like a narrow fit. Would you agree?
I would say "an Italian fit". I usually take size 8 (42) but in these and Sidi I take a 43. These are my summer touring shoes for use with thin socks, by comparison my Exustar Stelvio in 43 are for use with very thick socks.
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https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=93423.msg1925755#msg1925755
Have a look at my very similar thread - the giros with spare waterproof sock for the evenings worked a treat for me
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They look like a narrow fit. Would you agree?
I would say "an Italian fit". I usually take size 8 (42) but in these and Sidi I take a 43. These are my summer touring shoes for use with thin socks, by comparison my Exustar Stelvio in 43 are for use with very thick socks.
Taking advice of reviews, went a size larger (45) which were perfect. They are a narrower fit than my Stelvios which are really too wide for me with ordinary socks - will try them with thick ones! Getting spare treads is a good idea as the shoes otherwise look like they will last a long time.
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Any comfy, lightweight, [Goretex?] walking shoe + flat pedals, toeclips. Works for me.
+1