Best way to clean mud off shoes?

[mudgirl]

So, this seems like a silly question, but I'll ask anyway: What's the best way to clean off my cycling shoes after I've been tromping through mud? They're spd's. Should I just use a stiff brush to brush off whatever I can after all the mud dries, or should I hose them down when I get home and leave them out to air-dry all night? Or something else?

[SalsaMTB]

I just let the mud dry and then hit them against each other to remove as much mud as possible.

[Kalidurga]

mudgirl, are you talking about just getting mud out of the cleats, or cleaning the top of the shoe as well? Depending on what they're made of, I would think you could clean them as you would a pair of hiking boots-- Brush off as much of the dried mud as you can or, if they're super muddy, hose 'em down, stuff 'em with newspaper, then let them air dry.

[mudgirl]

Thank you for the replies! I figured cleaning them was the same as for regular shoes, but I wanted to make sure, as they are made out of different materials than my sneakers & hiking boots. I lost my footing last night when I was carrying my bike over/around a big mud hole and slid right into it. Both shoes are caked in mud! I was going to go with the "wait 'til it dries and brush it off" approach. It was more the top part of the shoes I was concerned about, as the mud seemed to come out of the cleats fairly easily.

[7rider]

Hey - a little mud on the mtb shoes is a GOOD thing!
I got razzed by a certain someone on this board....who shall remain nameless! :rolleyes: .. about my too clean mountainbike shoes! :p
Bang the mud out of the cleats, brush the dried, caked on gunk (especially if horses frequent the trails you ride! - pee-yew!), but don't get them too clean.

[divingbiker]

Hey - a little mud on the mtb shoes is a GOOD thing!
I got razzed by a certain someone on this board....who shall remain nameless! :rolleyes: .. about my too clean mountainbike shoes! :p

Ahem! Those shoes were not "too clean"--they were spotless!:p

[ChainsOflove]

Last week I was in a race as a first-timer and there was a section where the mud was so deep my foot went in at least 6 inches, and then my shoe got stuck in a root under the mud!!!! It was like one of those horror movies where the swamp thing grabs your foot!

A guy behind me said, "Oh, did you WANT that foot?"

It was really funny. Nice shoes were basically ruined, I should not have worn my good ones, they are silver Northwaves. I scrubed them in the laudry tubs, but they are shot.

[TrekJeni]

Seriously. The shoe rep came in the LBS one day when I was there and I was commenting on my muddly MTB shoes. He said to throw them in the washer, cleats and all. I did! They turned out great. Give it a whirl.
Jeni

[IntenseRide]

I use a screwdriver to get as much of the chunks off the cleats, then hose them down and let them dry. If I'm in a hurry I set them on a platform inside my dryer and put it on low. My shoes are Sidi's and they still look great.

[Kalidurga]

Seriously. The shoe rep came in the LBS one day when I was there and I was commenting on my muddly MTB shoes. He said to throw them in the washer, cleats and all. I did! They turned out great. Give it a whirl.
Jeni

Wouldn't running them through the washing machine cleats and all screw up your washing machine??