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! .. about my too clean mountainbike shoes!
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! .. about my too clean mountainbike shoes!

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

[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??