[buildyourown]

I'm considering getting some real road shoes and pedals. I don't road ride much, but I spend 4-6 hours per week on the trainer. The lateral roll and general sloppiness of my mtb shoes is starting to get annoying and I feel like it's contributing to my knee soreness.

I've never ridden real road shoes before. How much difference do they really make? Worth the $250 min entry fee?

 

[blue]

The only serious difference I noticed when I switched from mountain to road shoes/pedals for road riding was the reduction in hotspots on longer (2.5h+) rides.

Then again, my mountain shoes are the high-end Specialized carbon whatchamacallits. Really stiff. Didn't seem to be any difference in power transfer between the two systems (road shoes are Bont A3s with Shimano DA 7400s, mountain pedals are CB Candies). The Bonts were the cheapest shoes ($180 MSRP) that I found that could come close to the sole stiffness of the S-Works mountain shoes.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

I roll with these Sidi's on my road bike (I think they were $180...it was 4 years ago...still going strong too).

I used to commute and do centuries on the weekends along with the STP...they rule.

Hooked 'em up with Ultegra pedals and have never had a worry in the world. I'm huge (6'7" 260lb) and don't have an issue with noticeable loss of power transfer even though I'm sure there are "stiffer" soles out there...

(I rock the Sidi Dominator 5's for XC/FR/DH use)

 

[moff_quigley]

I got these from Nashbar just a little bit ago. Like them a lot, more so than the carbon soled MTB shoes I was using. Picked up some Nashbar road pedals as well.

 

[TreeSaw]

I have a pair of Northwave road shoes but am thinking about replacing them with the Mavic Peloton or Galibier & Pedals. My teammate runs them and really loves them. I have found that the Mavic shoes fit really well and don't loosen up over time (I use them on my MTB with Time pedals now) and they breath really well.

 

[James]

http://www.bonktown.com/
6min left on some decent Diadoras.
You don't need the carbon fiber soles, a lot of the nylon/fiberglass ones are just fine.

 

[JRogers]

http:///
6min left on some decent Diadoras.
You don't need the carbon fiber soles, a lot of the nylon/fiberglass ones are just fine.

Although I have carbon soles on most of my cycling shoes (keep my old pairs around; my two main ones are carbon), yeah it's really not necessary. Marginal gains in stiffness usually, if anything. Sometimes lower stack height and marginal loss in weight for comparable shoes.

Also, I switched this season from regular SPD pedals on my road bike to SPD-SL and dedicated road shoes. I don't do many really long rides, but I haven't noticed much of a difference.

 

[blue]

Although I have carbon soles on most of my cycling shoes (keep my old pairs around; my two main ones are carbon), yeah it's really not necessary. Marginal gains in stiffness usually, if anything. Sometimes lower stack height and marginal loss in weight for comparable shoes.

Agreed. The fiberglass Bonts I have are just as stiff as the carbon Specialized shoes. The biggest difference I've noticed is how much sloppier the retention on the Bont shoes is (three velcro straps) vs. the Special-Eds (Boa ratchet).

 

[jacksonpt]

$250 entry fee??? IMO, not worth it at that price unless you can guarantee to fix your knee soreness.

Find some shoes on clearance at an LBS, or pick up something online from chainlove or bonktown. Buy some used or store brand pedals and you can be spinning happily for $100. If you're just spinning a few hours a week, you don't need anything fancy.

 

[HAB]

I have a pair of Northwave road shoes but am thinking about replacing them with the Mavic Peloton or Galibier & Pedals. My teammate runs them and really loves them. I have found that the Mavic shoes fit really well and don't loosen up over time (I use them on my MTB with Time pedals now) and they breath really well.

I'd advise caution just because Northwaves run wide, and Mavics run kinda narrow. I wear a regular width Sidi, and don't fit too well in either of them.