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Shoes, pedals, compatibility and efficiency

by Matt eaton
Thu, Nov 20, 2014 11:52
6

I'm in a bit of a dilema about shoes following a recent purchase.

The cheap MTB shoes that I was using for everything (road, 'cross and BMX) have finally given up the ghost and I've just had to buy some new MTB shoes to see me through the rest of the 'cross season. I was planning to get a set of skate-style SPD compatible shoes for BMX racing on the basis that I could also use them on the road or 'cross bike for casual use/familiy cycling/running errands in normal clothes as I'm using the same pedal system on all of my bikes.

My dilema is that skate-style shoes might actually represent a downgrade in performance terms compared to my new stiff-soled MTB shoes. I'm also concerned that using skate-style shoes with small XC/CX type pedals might work very well if the soles are much more flexible. Does anyone know if:
a) skate-style SPD shoes are comparable in terms of performance to XC/CX shoes in the context of BMX/4x racing?
b) they have soles stiff enough to work with small pedals? Do they rely on the support of a larger platform?

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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6 comments

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MKultra | 10 years ago
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I would look at the new trail shoes by the likes of Mavic

They are designed for the all day riders and the guys who like the single track and technical stuff and they look and function much more like trail running shoes or approach shoes while working well clipped in.

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kev-s | 10 years ago
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Personally i think they look good with black lycra and you can walk like a normal human being lol

Plus no need to worry about cleat damage like you do with road shoes

Can see where your coming from with regards to Cross though

Unfortunately there is nothing suitable for all types of riding so its choice of one shoe/pedal system or multiple shoe/pedal systems and the cost that goes with it

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Matt eaton | 10 years ago
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AM45 looks good. Not sure if I could bring myself to wear them with full lycra on the roadie though. I think if I do get a skate-style set of shoes these would probably be the ones, especially if you find them nice and stiff. On a practical level the only thing that I do where AM45s would struggle is 'cross due to the lack of deep tread/studs for running in the mud.

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kev-s | 10 years ago
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I run Shimano am45 spd's on my road bike, sole is nice and stiff and they are easier to walk around in than a set of road shoes

Like you i have various bikes, hybrid, bmx, road and mtb and rather than have a pair of shoes for each bike i find the am45's good for everything

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Matt eaton | 10 years ago
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The fact that they get more flexible through bending down and walking in them makes perfect sense.

From an astetic and practical point-of-view they seem a good option for BMX where there's a certain amount of walking around on race day but I have reservations about buying a set for racing if the MTB shoes I already have are likely to be more efficient and therefore faster out of the gate.

Good to know that they work on all types of bikes/pedals OK though. Even the pedals on my BMX at the moment are pretty minimal.

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Gkam84 | 10 years ago
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Skate style shoes normally have quite stiff soles, as long as you are only using them on the bike. The minute you start bending down and the toes start to bend the stiffness goes (if that makes sense)

They are fine for mucking about on all types of bike. I'm not sure about racing them as I've never raced with the skate style shoes on, but have done sportives in the past with no issues.

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