can I learn to love my road shoes?

[momof4greatkids]

What's wrong? Is it that you're not used to non-lugged shoes?

Or you don't like something else? Genius and Doms are the same except for the sole, but I think you know that.

I have trouble clipping in and then my foot slips off. W/the mtn bike shoe I could just sit on top of the pedals if without clipping in, and my foot would stay put. W/these, I can't do that.

[Biciclista]

I have dominators. I love them. Those slippery bottoms on road shoes don't make sense to me.

[Grog]

I went from cheap touring/MTB type shoes with SPD pedals to super expensive Specialized road shoes that fit me like a glove, with road-SPD pedals (which are like Look pedals).

The shoes were spectacular and I never had any more pain in my feet. But I often got annoyed with difficulty clipping in (or clipping out! when it was rainy or there would be mud on the pedals it would become nearly impossible to clip out...) and with replacing the cleats every year. I had to go up and down stairs with my bike before every ride (and didn't have cleat-covers) so they would wear out fast.

I wore out the Specialized shoes' heels (so I was now walking on the carbon soles) and after three years I decided I had had it. I bought a pair of Dominators and put my original Shimano M-050 (I think) pedals on. I felt immediate relief at being able to put a foot down steadily when I needed to. It's my "happily ever after." And the Dom's soles are just as stiff as my $300 carbon shoes were. As far as I can tell anyway.

I'm sorry to have such a story to report. To directly answer your question: you'll probably get used to it, and it will feel fine, but maybe you'd rather be a dominator than a genius after all.

[tzvia]

I can't imagine using a pedal with small SPD type cleats- with road shoes. That's a small cleat with a small engagement area on the pedal- I would think it would be easy to miss. The larger Look style, or Speedplay or the TIME would be better I would think. And yea, the shoes are meant to be used 'clipped in' so resting your feet on those small pedals must feel like walking on ice with ice cubes stuck to the bottom of your shoes.

I use Speedplay, and if I stick my foot on the pedal and pedal, it will clip in. No looking, no hooking the cleat on the pedal to start, just press down and pedal. If I were ever to abandon my Speedplays (not likely) for SPDs, I would use MTB shoes so I could pedal clipped or unclipped like I do on my MTB with TIME pedals. I want to enjoy cycling, not learn how to do a tightrope act on my pedals.

[ilima]

I have trouble clipping in and then my foot slips off. W/the mtn bike shoe I could just sit on top of the pedals if without clipping in, and my foot would stay put. W/these, I can't do that.

Give yourself some time. Your foot will soon learn where it needs to be and you'll figure out the right touch to keep your foot from flying off the pedal. That's actually an important thing to learn in case you say are stopped at a red light unclipped and then need to get through the intersection quickly.

[alpinerabbit]

I've got road shoes w/ Look cleats -
For a long time I've thought of resorting to sticking some rubber material where the shoe does not meet the Pedal, sort of under the arch. To prevent slipping off. But my annoyance level is not high enough so I never have.

[Crankin]

I made the same switch, but I use Speed Plays; I never had any issues. I don't really understand what the issue is. With Speed Plays, you put your foot down and it's in. Once in awhile I miss, but the motion is so natural, my foot just slides in.
I never expected to walk well in road shoes; they are not made for walking. The most I walk around is to sit down and eat my lunch on a ride! If I am doing more of a "tour" type of day, my husband brings his Carradice bag and I stick my very light weight Keen sandals in there to slip on.

[VeloVT]

I have trouble clipping in and then my foot slips off. W/the mtn bike shoe I could just sit on top of the pedals if without clipping in, and my foot would stay put. W/these, I can't do that.

I made the same switch, but I use Speed Plays; I never had any issues. I don't really understand what the issue is. With Speed Plays, you put your foot down and it's in. Once in awhile I miss, but the motion is so natural, my foot just slides in.

Crankin, the motion for clipping in with SPD-SLs/Looks is different -- you can't just step on the pedal. You kind of slide in and down. You have to catch the pedal just right or the cleat will just slide right over the top of the pedal.

That said, it's totally a muscle memory thing. When I first started riding clipless it would take me a long time to clip in, but with repetition it becomes like clipping out -- you don't have to look down, your body knows where the pedal is. Like someone else said, I would say just give it time. I love my road pedals.

If you get nervous at intersections because you are concerned that you might not be able to clip in fast enough, always remember that with clipless pedals, it's quite easy to keep yourself going pedaling with only one leg. Assuming you only clip out one foot at lights, you can get yourself going with the leg that's still clipped in, and take your time to get your other foot in. When I was helping my boyfriend learn to use clipless pedals, and he had anxiety about getting clipped in, I demonstrated that you can actually go pretty fast with only one leg by riding down the bike path in front of him with one leg clipped in and the other lifted out to the side. He thought it was pretty funny -- apparently I looked like a dog at a fire hydrant .

[Aggie_Ama]

I ride Looks and find I often trouble clipping in but I can ride on the pedal for a short time until I can get to a comfortable area to flip them or make sure they are engaged. Not ideal and not fast but I don't race so who cares? I like the way my foot feels once clipped in them so I trade that I am not coordinated and no pedal will be an easy clip for me.

With the amount of foot issues I have had I am not sure I would give up the stiff sole to go to mountain shoes so I deal with the annoyances of road shoes. Also I have very narrow feet and am not keen on replacing my road shoes with some top of the line Sidi mountain shoes which would be the only ones to fit my feet and be relatively stiff soled.

[Triskeliongirl]

Aggie, the sole on the dominator is just as stiff as the sole on the genius, the only difference is the lugs and the types of cleats that can be used.

I use the dominator as a 'road shoe' with speedplay frogs and I love my set up. I like being able to walk in my shoes, and the weight of the lugs is no significant to me.

[sundial]

I have trouble clipping in and then my foot slips off. W/the mtn bike shoe I could just sit on top of the pedals if without clipping in, and my foot would stay put. W/these, I can't do that.

Which is why I wear mtb shoes. I had a pair of road shoes with Speedplays and when I had come to a stop, I put my foot down and did a Chinese split. Nope, not pretty.

I have Specialized mtb pro carbon soled shoes that rival the stiffness of a road shoe. And unlike road shoes, I can hike in them should I have a mechanical failure out in the boondocks.