WANTED: Mountain SPD compatible shoes (and pedals?) recommendation

[Grog]

Hi ladies!

I'm going to get a new pair of shoes and I want to go back to receded cleats, i.e. cleats IN the sole so I can walk without looking like a duck or fearing to fall.

I currently have Specialized Pro Carbon road shoes with very stiff carbon soles. I love them. I know I can find equally stiff soles in "mountain" shoes. Please tell me which ones you have, how stiff they are, and whether you'd recommend them.

Also, any recommendation for receded-cleat pedals will be welcome. I have an old pair of mountain SPDs that would do the trick but I'm open to trying others!

Thank you!

[KnottedYet]

I have Speedplay Frogs (love love love!) and Specialized Taho shoes.

The shoes are probably too soft for what you're looking for, but they are mighty comfortable, and I've walked a lot in them, no problem.

http://www.mtbr.com/reviews/Shoes/product_125934.shtml
http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.frog

[Tokie]

I need some recessed cleats and pedals for touring this summer. I'm trying to decide between frogs and eggbeaters. I already know that specialized shoes are best for my knees. I do need plenty of float, and use speedplays on my road bike. Anyone have eggbeater experience? Thanks! Tokie

[VeloVT]

Tokie,
I have eggbeaters on my cx bike. Super easy in and out and shed mud/ice/slop like a charm. Not sure what the degree of float is but definitely more than my road pedals... I actually prefer less float, but they do the job I want them to do .

I have Sidi Blaze shoes for my eggbeater bike. They're the cheapest Sidi mountain shoes (or were when I bought them). Very comfortable, reasonably stiff but I"m sure less stiff than your Specialized carbon road shoes (less stiff than my Sidi road shoes too).

[mimitabby]

I have SIDI MTB shoes and SPD's - they are fairly recessed.

[melissam]

Hi Grog,

I have a pair of Specialized BG Comp Motodiva shoes. They're probably very similar to the shoes you currently have, but the Motodiva's don't have a carbon sole.

I haven't noticed any issues with the sole not being stiff enough during riding; my longest ride in these shoes has been a 60 miler, but I have 70 miler planned for Saturday. I feel pretty comfy walking in these shoes. My Shimano SH-M036W shoes are more comfy to walk in, but I don't think they're as stiff as the Motodivas.

Hope this helps.

-- Melissa

[Grog]

Thanks for the ideas everyone!

I am considering the Sidi Dominators with Frogs, but I have read that the Frog cleats do not quite fit in the Dominator's soles. Any thoughts??

[crazycanuck]

Grog, what about Crank Brothers pedals??? They're easy to maneuvre..

[Grog]

Tell me about 'em! They're not very common around me so I've never heard first-person account about them.

(It's great to see that two canucks thousands of km apart can be awake at the same time and thinking about bike pedals.)

[invsblwmn]

sidi dominator plus crank brothers=great fit. Had egg beaters on the specialized I wrapped around the SUV last fall and have smarty on my cannondale road bike. Love the entry and the fit with the sidis. Have Fun!

[HillSlugger]

I have Diadora Astro mtb shoes with Shimano PD-M540 spd pedals. The thing I like about the shoes is that they are built exactly like a road Shoe (the Diadora Astro road shoe) but with a sole that makes them walkable.

[Tiffany]

I have the Sidi Dominator 5's with standard SPD pedals. I love the combination and I came off road shoes also. It was (obviously) different at first but I have grown to love the way they feel and fit. I hope this helps.

[Grog]

Thanks everyone!

I think I am leaning towards the Crank Bros pedals. I have SPDs already (not currently on) and I am curious to try something else.

Among the various Crank Bros versions, which one(s) have you tried? Which do you like best? I don't need extra mud-cleaning features, because this will be for 99.9% road riding, and price is a concern. (Weight isn't really.) Ideas? Recommendations?

Thanks!!

[emily_in_nc]

Among the various Crank Bros versions, which one(s) have you tried? Which do you like best? I don't need extra mud-cleaning features, because this will be for 99.9% road riding, and price is a concern. (Weight isn't really.) Ideas? Recommendations?

I like the Candies for their pretty colors! Candy SL's are pricier, Candy C's are less. There are probably some other versions too; I'm just stathing the ones I'm familiar with (all are 2-4 years old). Unfortunately, they didn't work well with my shoes (with heavy tread), so I'm using Frogs now, but the Eggbeaters Candies were definitely purtier....

Emily

[VeloVT]

lots of eggbeater reviews (and other mtb Crank Bros pedals) at www.mtbr.com.

When I was looking at them several years ago, I noticed a lot of comments about how the combination of a four-sided interior pedal with a two-sided platform was a little awkard/unnecessary (regarding candies, mallets, etc). Lots of people here seem to love their platform Crank Bros pedals, and I've never tried them so I can't comment, but that point made a lot of intuitive sense to me.

That said, although my eggbeaters are good for the purpose for which I use them, I actually like my road pedals much better. Some of it is that they have less float, and I think that causes them to feel more secure and powerful, but some of it may be the bigger platform (I have Ultegra pedals).