Quoted post said:Originally Posted by MrKook [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]
I have the same question. I see that the SPD cleats and shoes are under the mountain bike category, but they have a relatively light / aerodynamic pedal that wouldn't junk up a road bike too much. Also, I am looking for a long distance touring shoe, which an SPD would be perfect because I could walk around stores straight off the bike. I don't want to have bricks attached to my soles every time I walk into a convenience store. That is my understanding of the SPD shoe, that the clip is sort of embedded in the sole so walking it unaffected. Correct me if I am wrong. So is it a faux pas to use SPD "mountain bike" pedals one a road bike? What would be the reason not to other than maybe looking like a "rookie"? Thanks
Road-style cleats are supposed to offer a more positive engagement, and to spread the load over a larger part of your foot than a MTB-style cleat.
Apart from when the cleat is getting worn out I've never had a problem with the foot coming off unintentionally, so I wouldn't worry about the first.
The latter might be true if you compare between a road shoe and a low-end MTB shoe, but the ones I've used have all been stiff enough in the sole for my usage anyhow.
There's a small cornering and aero advantage to road pedals, as they're usually one-sided. You can lean harder while pedalling w/o having a pedal strike.
And yeah, MTB cleats are recessed into the sole, making walking rather normal. It will depend though on how worn your sole is and how you position the cleat. Cleat pulled all the way back you can get a slight tapping when walking on hard floors. Keep in mind that the higher grades of biking shoes have very stiff soles, which will affect walking a bit regardless of the cleat issue.
And don't worry too much about other riders. MTB style shoes are perfectly good for the majority of road riding circumstances too.
Those in a mood to criticise your gear will always find something no matter what, so you might as well ignore them.
And there's nothing wrong with being a rookie either, we've all been there, and the reason we're not still there is that time has passed, which isn't much thanks to us anyhow.
If you want to be taken seriously, practise your group riding skills, read up on the hand signals, make sure you can carry your own - i.e. ride within your capacity, learn to do your own roadside repairs and make sure to carry the tools and parts for it.
I'd be much more annoyed with someone starting out on a ride w/o spare tube + pump, or someone wobbling all over the road than with someone using the "wrong" kind of gear.
