Shoes - A quandary.

[Richpips]

I've always been a SPD shoe wearer. Sidi are my faves, but I've used others. All of them XC race types.

I'm considering my footwear for the HTR and have to say that none of the SPD shoes I have worn have ever been comfortable for walking in, and I understand that the HTR has plenty of walking.

So I'm thinking that I may go with a pair of Inov8 trail shoes and flat pedals instead.

Or is there a SPD shoes that is actually comfortable to walk in, that doesn't weigh a ton, and will drain water?

[Gari]

I have a pair of the Specialized Tahoe and they are great, it's what I wear for hike-a-biking. No heal slip at all and sizing is pretty accurate. Last years version of these.
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftr/sh ... ahoe-sport

[ianfitz]

I've had this exact quandary and arrived at mavic ?alpines? Which are a lace up spd shoe. Look like a cheap hiking shoe are comfy to walk in and still pretty good on the bike.

They do need breaking in though...

Ill be wearing mine at the weekend if you want to look

[FLV]

I've got 2 pairs of Mavic Alpines.

I've also got a pair of Shimano M088 xc/trail shoes.

I've not decided which to use yet. Used a pair of the same shimanos last year, the grip part of the sole tore off from round the cleat area. I did appreciate the support though for that amount of pedalling. Walking in them didnt bother me too much.

the Alpines sometimes move on my foot when hike a biking so whilst theoretically they should be better for hike a bike, they might wreck my heels.

Who knows....

[Richpips]

Thanks for the info so far.

Has anyone tried the "Giro Junction"?

[InspiredRamblings]

I've used a pair of Pearl Izumi Alp X which felt like a bit like pair of running shoes when off the bike - absorbant heel.

I'm currently using Teva [EDIT] Pivot which are pretty good and probably absorb less water. However the sole is fairly 'skate shoe' and so probably won't provide a mass of grip...

If I hadnt bought the Teva's recently I think I'd be considering flat pedals and a pair of trail shoes for multi day riding this year, to avoid having to carry anything else.

[ianfitz]

I'm pretty sure that teva are getting out of the cycling footwear market so this is the last season they'll be supplying the current range.

Interesting to head about thd pearl Izumi shoes, there where another option but could find them in stock locally to try on.

[InspiredRamblings]

Yeah, I read the same about Teva. Shame as the Pivots seem really good.

I'm not sure that any shoe with a cleat is going to be that great when scrambling around on a trail. Even if it feels ok on a flat pavement, add some sticky out rocks and slipperiness and I'm not sure you can avoid the feeling that you really want some proper trail shoes...

[Ian]

Last year I used my MW80 winter boots. For the walking/ riding bit, they were fine, but they didn't let the water out and my feet suffered for it.

While there's a bit of walking to do, but I'm inclined to go with a normal "race" shoe on the basis that there's still 90% riding and I'm not prepared to compromise comfort in that area for the sake of the walking bits. Due to the rocky nature of some sections, I will probably take the toe-studs off.

[slarge]

Reading Ian's and Aiden's write ups from last year I have moved away from the "keep water out" philosophy of waterproof SPD boots (MW80's) to "cheap SPD XC shoes" (Spescialized Comp MTB) - enough rigidity in the sole for the cycling bits, enough flexibility for the pushing bits, and enough grip ( hope) for the scrambles. And water comes in, and it leaks out again - all I need to do is keep my feet warm, which I may well use overshoes for this.

And they were cheap enough so I won't cry if they get wrecked.

[vorlich]

Mavic Switchback? Soft shell upper

[flat_4]

Bontrager have recently brought out the Rythm and one other (Evoke or something?) which are like an CX shoe but with a rubbery sole for better hike a bike. I've just got the Rythms but haven't really broken them in yet. May be in them this weekend or might still use my faithful Shimano MW81s.

[Cheeky Monkey]

Pearl Izumi X Projects?



If the marketing blurb is to be believed they're the hike-a-biker's dream. "Interesting" colours and a bit pricey, on the face of it.

[Chew]

As Alan has said elsewhere look for something which is going to be quick draining/drying.

Within the first 30 miles of the route there is a river crossing where both feet will get wet (think ankle to knee deep).

[ericrobo]

Last year I bought some Shimano MT51 MTB shoes - light in weight, cheap at about £55, a good sole which is suitable for walking in (I mean when pushing the bike) - (I use Eggbeaters)

They are fine for summer.

I just tried putting a link in to Chain Reaction so you can take a look, but their site (which is always slow for me) was taking ages to get from one page to another and finally gave up (Bad Host or something)

[ericrobo]

Sorry they were MT43 and cost £56

[Richpips]

Thanks for all the advice. I picked up a pair of Giro Junctions from Koo bikes for <£40.

They look like they'll be up to the job. Bendy at the toe for walking, and a fairly rigid mid sole. The tread looks good for mud, but probably is a bit hard for slippy rock, Plenty of toe room. Laced up like fell shoes to stop the heel moving around.

[tommid]

After BB200 last year I have been having the same quandary.

I was thinking about a pair of Mavic Alpine XLs, Mavic Screes or the new Giro Terraduro.

I only got the feeling back in my toes 3 months afte BB200... (I did a lot of walking)

[ScotRoutes]

Currently using an old pair of Shimano MT51s as a summer shoe. I'm liking the look of the sole on the Mavic Scree but I'm not convinced of the use of a GoreTex liner in summer. I've been wearing MW80s these past few months and they get pretty sweaty, even when it's sub-zero. I hadn't seen the Terraduros (thanks to those mentioning them). Might be time to see what sort of price I can find them at. Any idea how they size up (I normally hop up one size between Specialized and Shimano)?

[larsmars]

Nice to have all these suggestions. I have been using the same pair of Shimano M087 for almost 2 years including 9,000km touring Latin America. They are fantastic for dry, warm weather riding, but not so great for hike a bike. Has anyone tried the Shimano MT71? I have quite wide feet and find the Shimano run a little wider, but sizing is overall small (need one size larger). I think Specialized and Giro tend to run too narrow for me, not sure about Mavic.

[larsmars]

Also, has anyone tried anything from Northwave's Vibram sole range?

http://www.northwave.com/en/catalog/sca ... terrain/35

[AlasdairMc]

I've just bought a set of Pearl Izumi X Alp Seeks for HTR. They're stupidly light but unfortunately after riding in them they seem a bit flexible and unsupportive on the upstroke. I'll persevere to see if I can make them work as they'll be great for walking in.

I wore MT91s last year, which were great for the hike a bike but when wet they stay wet unfortunately and this can last for days.

[Ian]

I used Shimano MT41's for the Cairngorms Loop. They're great for walking and sufficiently supportive for riding. Going to use them for the HTR.

[Alpinum]

I only started going clipless half a year before HTR '13. Still on platforms on my hard hitting bikes. So despite not having a long background riding clipless I did get used to it for the HTR and other bike packing trips. In one year I went through a pair of Mavic Alpine's, but being comfy in them and seeing slight improvements for this season I got them again.

Only small issue is a slight heel slip if not strapped up thight.

They have a rather soft sole and good profile, so hiking was never an issue. They never completely dried on the HTR, but the top material does dry pretty fast. My feet, compared to others were absolutely fine.
You'll definately want to break in your shoes before such a trip.

I've been held back trying some ratchet type shoes just down to the fact, that I'm afraid of the ratchet failing out there some where.

For snowbiking I have a pair of these in the high version and a couple of sizes too big to accomodate a bunch of thick socks:
http://www.suplest.ch/kollektion#offroad
The sole is even softer than Mavic's Alpine and profile seems even better (vibram), but they take longer to dry.

As much as I like to walk, trek and run in Inov-8 too, it was clear to me, that I ought to get used to riding in clipless for the HTR. Glad I did.