Recommended Shoe?

[Melody]

So not to hijack the other thread, I'm starting this one.

I want to get a mtn bike style shoe (worn w/ my road bike). The pedals that came with my bike are SPD compatible and my requirement is that I must be able to walk in the shoe since I have many many stops during my commute.

The other issue I have is that I have big feet. I wear a 10.5-11 womens, wide if I wear a 10.5, sometimes wide if I wear an 11 (depending on the cut of the shoe).

What I would also like to do is not spend a million dollars. Any recommendations?

Mel who hates being a big person (*sigh*)

[SadieKate]

Mel, can you give us a bit more info?

Are you going to use these shoes on your road bike and, if so, are you doing a lot of long miles or are you just commuting on it? If you are doing a lot of serious road miles you'll want a stiff sole. If you're doing more stopping and walking than long rides, a more comfortable "hybrid" shoe may be right. Tell us more about your riding style and we can come up with better recommendations. This is definitely an opinionated group!

Editing to clarify that you can walk in any mountain bike shoe but some are more "walkable" than others. The more they are like a hiking shoe the softer the sole and you may have problems if you ride long road rides because of the lack of stiffness in the sole. So, you have to find the right compromise.

[Melody]

Mel, can you give us a bit more info?

Are you going to use these shoes on your road bike and, if so, are you doing a lot of long miles or are you just commuting on it? If you are doing a lot of serious road miles you'll want a stiff sole. If you're doing more stopping and walking than long rides, a more comfortable "hybrid" shoe may be right. Tell us more about your riding style and we can come up with better recommendations. This is definitely an opinionated group!

Yes, these are going to be used on the road bike (and eventually the mtn too probably). Also, I'm looking at doing both long miles (well, long for me )and commuting. I commute during the week. Right now I'm only doing about 6 miles a day to the shuttle station and back home, but eventually (i.e. in the next couple of weeks) is to ride all the way to work, which will turn out to be between 18 and 20 miles daily roundtrip.

On the weekends, we do some long rides and some short. Keep in mind that the 26 miles I rode last Sunday is the farthest I've ridden in a day ever. I'm slowly getting into shape though!

Editing to clarify that you can walk in any mountain bike shoe but some are more "walkable" than others. The more they are like a hiking shoe the softer the sole and you may have problems if you ride long road rides because of the lack of stiffness in the sole. So, you have to find the right compromise.

Well, I'm not planning on wearing the shoes the whole time. The walkability is so that we can ride, get lunch, ride some more, etc. without me tripping over myself. I have bad walking balance issues (due to the stroke) when I'm tired and have been known to trip over absolutely nothing. I've also got screwed up ankles from past breakage. My feet don't come down flat, so anything that makes it worse is not good. I need a good stable base in my shoe. Oh yeah, last thing, I'm also diabetic, so that may be a factor (not sure).

Mel

[SadieKate]

Geez, you go girl! You're an inspiration.

Talk to your LBS about Lemond Wedges (shims). You may need these with your pedals. Anyone out there used them?

[Melody]

Geez, you go girl! You're an inspiration.

Talk to your LBS about Lemond Wedges (shims). You may need these with your pedals. Anyone out there used them?

Sadie, THANK YOU! When I see the LBS I'll have to ask about them. I can't tell you the number of times I've nearly broken my ankles because of how steep my step is sometimes. :/

Mel

[nuthatch]

I don't use the wedges but I've got women's Cannondale mountain shoes which were not expensive and plenty wide for my size 10+ very wide feet. They don't have a super rigid sole and are as easy as a hiking shoe to walk in. If these hadn't worked out, I was ready to try a men's shoe!

As far as clipless issues, I've been using those mini toe clips for commuting because they are so easy to slip in and out of as I stop and start when I commute to work but still give me some "pull" power on the upstroke. I tried some SPD style pedals that were platform on one side and clipless on the other but I think my softer sole made my feet hurt a bit in them - it may also have been just a "getting used to" the feel of the smaller pressure point of the cleat/pedal. I'm switching over to Candy C clipless pedals when I start commuting again in the spring - Shimano shoes were recommended to me as a stiffer soled mountain shoe and were also plenty wide when I tried a pair on (MO38s). I've got balance issues also, so I'm trying to be brave!

Mel, it sounds like you've set some great goals for yourself! Be careful and enjoy the ride!