Cycling Shoes

TKE said:

I wrote this up on Shimano shoes, I would appreciate feedback:
lasplash.comShimano The Shoe To Take Your Cycling To The Next Level.phpOpen ↗

I think even someone who knows nothing about cycling would see through that article. For want of a better term, it's drivel.

Walrus said:

I think even someone who knows nothing about cycling would see through that article. For want of a better term, it's drivel.

Thanks Walrus, but a little bit more than drivel would be nice. I used to wear tennis shoes for indoor cycling, I bought these and like them. So please tell me what I am missing.
Thanks

TKE said:

Thanks Walrus, but a little bit more than drivel would be nice. I used to wear tennis shoes for indoor cycling, I bought these and like them. So please tell me what I am missing.
Thanks

At the risk of appearing stupid, because I'm sure this is a troll...🙁

The article reads like it's been written by an intern at Shimano..."they have come up with the highest quality cycling shoe you will find anywhere" :p . Please!

There is no mention of models apart from the women's version...no comparison to other manufacturers...the pic is an mtb shoe, which isn't as stiff as a road shoe...need I go on?
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I agree with Walrus, that article is pure c***. Pearl Izumi Octanes, and even their flow (I think) have mind-bogglingly stiff soles. Much more so than Shimano. But some feet don't like stiff soles too much (like mine) so I got Nike Poggio's (and they were offered to me ccheeaaap). They aren't the most comfortable, certainly not the most stiff but they fit well and I feel they are efficient, which is an important feeling to me. Its an added bonus that they weigh next to nothing. 50% less than Shimano shoes.

Also, why doesn't it mentioned Shimano's tendency to make their shoes wide-ish? You are clearly plugging shimano in that article. Overstiff soles CREATE arch pain.

I appreciate the feedback. I am doing this from the perspective of someone who is just looking to start indoor cycling and talking to instructors they all seem to like this shoe.
Thanks for the information and your input, it will help me down the road.

[quote="Walrus"]At the risk of appearing stupid, because I'm sure this is a troll...🙁

I am trying to go from just doing indoor cycling to buying a nice road bike and getting and doing some real cycling, i'd like to try a triathalon, so i'm not sure a troll is appropriate.
It is a little difficult being a novice with all the talk on this board to figure much out, if anyone knows of a good place for a beginner to go i'd appreciate it.

bobbyOCR said:

I agree with Walrus, that article is pure c***. Pearl Izumi Octanes, and even their flow (I think) have mind-bogglingly stiff soles. Much more so than Shimano. But some feet don't like stiff soles too much (like mine) so I got Nike Poggio's (and they were offered to me ccheeaaap). They aren't the most comfortable, certainly not the most stiff but they fit well and I feel they are efficient, which is an important feeling to me. Its an added bonus that they weigh next to nothing. 50% less than Shimano shoes.

Also, why doesn't it mentioned Shimano's tendency to make their shoes wide-ish? You are clearly plugging shimano in that article. Overstiff soles CREATE arch pain.

Which "gen" Poggios did you get? I have the most recent ones (Poggio 4 UL). I feel they are very stiff. Did they change the sole on them? Sorry to get on a tangent

TKE said:

I am trying to go from just doing indoor cycling to buying a nice road bike and getting and doing some real cycling, i'd like to try a triathalon, so i'm not sure a troll is appropriate.
It is a little difficult being a novice with all the talk on this board to figure much out, if anyone knows of a good place for a beginner to go i'd appreciate it.

You'll find plenty of help here TKE. Post any questions you like, but before you do, use the search function to find previously posted threads about beginner topics. Apologies for the "troll" comment, I thought it was a shameless Shimano plug. Re Shimano, I actually use Shimano's for my commuting bike...love em.

haha.. Shoes are not shoes. Maybe for someone stepping up from sneakers to a cycling type shoe they may be the greatest thing. The is an obvious benefit using "cycling shoes" To be fair there needs to be a comparison to other cycling shoes available for gym cycling / spin classes. This seems like a blatent plug for Shimano not that I have anything against them as I do have a pair for mtbiking.

Quoting the quote from your article "The American Journal of Sports Medicine recently published a study that showed that cycling shoes had an increase of 6% in efficiency and a 3% decrease in effort over regular tennis shoes." This would apply if you were racing on a real bike.
I thought the goal of spin class was intensity and effort. Wouldn't an increase in efficiency and an decrease in effort defeat the purpose of the cycling class - burn calories look beautiful? No matter how much energy you save you will still be sitting in the same spot after pedalling for 45minutes!!

Obviously there is a huge target market for the so called "gym elite" culture. So does this mean the Gyms are only going to allow for people who are well accessorised with proper "cycling shoes" to participate in spin classes? I geuss if someone feels they need a competitive edge wearing a cycling shoe inside a gym on a stationary bike go for it.

I've got some Shimano shoes - plastic soles with only two straps - so not top of the line. Forgotten which model.

I've forgotten which model because I never use them now. They will be third in line - when my Specialized Carbon Pros are still wet, and my Specialized(?) are wet from being the replacement rainyday shoe then, and only then will I wear my Shimanos as last option.

bobbyOCR said:

Also, why doesn't it mentioned Shimano's tendency to make their shoes wide-ish? You are clearly plugging shimano in that article. Overstiff soles CREATE arch pain.

Some shoes have narrow lasts. Some have wide lasts. That's about the sum of it.

Please explain why overstiff soles create arch pain. A shoe that doesn't fit well causes pain. If a shoe fits correctly and is uber stiff, there's nothing to say that it has to cause "arch pain."

With that said, there is no depth to the article at all, and there's at least one really bad leap of logic. Just because someone makes a lot of accessories doesn't mean their shoes are great. Besides, even great shoe makers occasionally put out a real dog. Actually there are more than a few manufacturers that have been making cycling shoes much longer than Shimano. Likewise, there are others that make shoes with a last designed for women.

Shoe fit is highly personal, and this article should have stated as much.

Rockslayer said:

Quoting the quote from your article "The American Journal of Sports Medicine recently published a study that showed that cycling shoes had an increase of 6% in efficiency and a 3% decrease in effort over regular tennis shoes." This would apply if you were racing on a real bike.
I thought the goal of spin class was intensity and effort. Wouldn't an increase in efficiency and an decrease in effort defeat the purpose of the cycling class - burn calories look beautiful? No matter how much energy you save you will still be sitting in the same spot after pedalling for 45minutes!!

Not at the expense of your feet. A more rigid sole will help get the most out of a spin class. Spinning is not about excessively flexing your feet over the course of 45 minutes.

Thanks for the tip Walrus, I will give that a try, seems like a great site.

alienator said:

Not at the expense of your feet. A more rigid sole will help get the most out of a spin class. Spinning is not about excessively flexing your feet over the course of 45 minutes.

You make a good point, I do agree with having correct fitting purpose made shoes for specific sports. I never really enjoyed using stationary bikes because of the poor fitting straps/pedals. Luckily our winters are not so cold that I have to turn to indoor training as the only option to ride plus I prefer nice scenery.

About the stiff soles some have mentioned, I have pair of shimanos I use when I mtb that I have noticed arch pains quite often. The soles do feel stiffer but I believe the footbed is not a good match for my feet as my road shoes. Seems to be less arch support so my arch strains when I stand up to climb.

Rockslayer said:

About the stiff soles some have mentioned, I have pair of shimanos I use when I mtb that I have noticed arch pains quite often. The soles do feel stiffer but I believe the footbed is not a good match for my feet as my road shoes. Seems to be less arch support so my arch strains when I stand up to climb.

You're right about the footbed bit. All off the shelf shoes come with kack footbeds. Even Specialized's BG footbeds are essentially worthless, IMHO. An orthotics person I spoke with said that for cycling there is no need for the footbed to flex. He said as long as the footbed has proper support and fits well, flex don't help nuthin'. Now a set of poorly fit shoes or poorly fit insoles in a very stiff shoe....well, I can see that being pretty damned uncomfortable.