Will road cleats fit MTB shoes?
Discussion
I'm running crank brother candy pedals on my road bike, and using my mtb shoes. So much easier to walk in as well, it's entertaining sometimes in some venues that are used for changing rooms, how many people almost don't make it to race due to slippages on floors with exposed cleats on road shoes.
Another Crank Bros Candy user here- I've got Specialized MTB shoes which don't look too bad on the road bike. I have a set of Candy pedals for my MTB too, but tend to run flat pedals more often on it.
I actually have a set of Shimano 105 SPD-SL pedals and some DHB R1.0 shoes I got for Christmas, just been waiting for the weather to improve before fitting them!
I actually have a set of Shimano 105 SPD-SL pedals and some DHB R1.0 shoes I got for Christmas, just been waiting for the weather to improve before fitting them!
It's unlikely that SPD-SL (3 bolt road cleats) will fit on your MTB shoes - they're not normally set up with enough flat surface on the bottom of the shoe. Some road shoes will take SPD (mountainbike 2-bolt) cleats, but that doesn't help you much. If it was possible, you'd see three bolt holes on the bottom of your shoe in a large triangle pattern, point forward..
Plenty of folks ride roadbikes on MTB style cleats - they are somewhat easier to use and more practical for commuting etc. There's a slight performance downside, but frankly unless you're pretty serious / racing I wouldn't worry about it - just get some minimal MTB pedals (i.e. not massive downhill monsters) and stick em on the roadbike.
Plenty of folks ride roadbikes on MTB style cleats - they are somewhat easier to use and more practical for commuting etc. There's a slight performance downside, but frankly unless you're pretty serious / racing I wouldn't worry about it - just get some minimal MTB pedals (i.e. not massive downhill monsters) and stick em on the roadbike.
BadgerBenji said:
I'm running crank brother candy pedals on my road bike, and using my mtb shoes. So much easier to walk in as well, it's entertaining sometimes in some venues that are used for changing rooms, how many people almost don't make it to race due to slippages on floors with exposed cleats on road shoes.
This. I have Crank Bros Candy III on my road bike and Acid on my MTB. I to started off with crappy cheap MTB shoes but then rather than upgrade to full road I bought these.
paulmon said:
This. I have Crank Bros Candy III on my road bike and Acid on my MTB. I to started off with crappy cheap MTB shoes but then rather than upgrade to full road I bought these.
They ^^ won't look out of place on a road bike, TBH. There's not a great deal of visual difference on the upper surfaces to a pair of Shimano road shoes, and the differences on the sole are gains in practicality and usability when you have to walk even short distances off the bike. As others have said, just fit a neat set of SPD pedals to the road bike and get on with it. Only the biggest snob/bike bore will take issue with you having the 'wrong' shoe/pedal combo on your road bike - most fellow cyclists are too busy pushing the pedals round to get worked up about trivia like other peoples shoes. OP, if it works for you, either because you are on a budget, or because you'd rather spend your budget on something more important than a second pair of shoes, do it your way.This image of a road shoe shows both bolting systems on the one sole.
The three outer bolt holes are the SPD-SL type, the holes are fixed and the cleats have 'slots' rather than holes to allow positional adjustment. The two drillings in the centre which move in the slots are the SPD fittings, and positional adjustment is dependant on the slots in the shoe, not the cleat. The tread on the sole of an MTB shoe usually precludes the fitting of the SPD-SL system, and it would be pretty impractical to use 'SL cleats on a trail anyway.
The dual bolting system usually only appears on lower end road shoes anyway. The weight and stack height due to the SPD fittings means it doesn't go into the higher end shoe. It's aimed at people in your sort of position. Much like your circumstances, someone who has SPDs and MTB shoes decides they want a road bike, but keeps their original shoes and fits SPD pedals on the roadie. A little way down the line, they 'push the boat out' and treat themselves to a pair of road shoes, still using the SPD pedals. The three bolt fittings spark curiosity, and eventually, via an internet forum or talking to their LBS, they are persuaded to 'take the plunge' and go to SPD-SL pedals on the roadie. Cost is only new pedals, at this stage, as they come with cleats and the rider already has the shoes to fit the new cleats. Once the rider is firmly bitten by the roadie bug, he will be back for nicer shoes, then lighter pedals, and the transformation is complete.
The winner will be Shimano, or whichever pedal manufacturer you buy from. You'll be buying somebody's product at every stage:
1. MTB Shoes and SPD Pedals
2. New SPD Pedals for Road Bike
3. Dual Bolt System Road Shoes
4. SPD-SL Pedals for Road Bike
5. 'Nicer' Single Bolt System Road Shoes
6. Lighter, 'Fancier' SPD-SL Pedals
You could cut out stages 2 to 4, and save pennies long-term, by buying high(er) end shoes and pedals for the road bike straight off. It's what I did, more by luck than by judgement. The shop where I bought my bike had a single pair of decent mid-range Shimano R131 shoes left from a previous season, and I asked about a deal on shoes and pedals. Owner said I could have the shoes at a knock-down price, provided they fit me. On paper, they were two sizes too big, but in practice, they were perfect, because I have short, wide feet, and needed the width of the toe-box in the larger size to avoid crushing my toes. To date, they are the only 'cycling specific' shoes I have owned. I ride the MTB in whatever trainers or boots I'm wearing at the time, and my older road/commuter bike has toe-clips/straps fitted. All I need to do now is buy some decent pedals to go with my shoes, as the ones I got at the time were a significant compromise. I had pushed my luck with the deal I got on the bike and all the other accessories, and the shop weren't in the mood to roll over any further with a discounted set of higher-end pedals.
I've got these on my road bike, IMVHO they don't look too bad:
While SPD SLs are more appropriate I use the bike for commuting and sometimes for pottering on the weekends so need the MTB shoes so I can can actually walk more than a few feet when I need to.
If you're worried about tutting from the guys in lycra, Specialized's BG MTB shoes don't look too out of place, they're not that cheap though.
While SPD SLs are more appropriate I use the bike for commuting and sometimes for pottering on the weekends so need the MTB shoes so I can can actually walk more than a few feet when I need to.
If you're worried about tutting from the guys in lycra, Specialized's BG MTB shoes don't look too out of place, they're not that cheap though.
donfisher said:
I've got these on my road bike, IMVHO they don't look too bad:
While SPD SLs are more appropriate I use the bike for commuting and sometimes for pottering on the weekends so need the MTB shoes so I can can actually walk more than a few feet when I need to.
If you're worried about tutting from the guys in lycra, Specialized's BG MTB shoes don't look too out of place, they're not that cheap though.
Funnily enough, a pair exactly the same, may have inadvertantly turned up on my desk today While SPD SLs are more appropriate I use the bike for commuting and sometimes for pottering on the weekends so need the MTB shoes so I can can actually walk more than a few feet when I need to.
If you're worried about tutting from the guys in lycra, Specialized's BG MTB shoes don't look too out of place, they're not that cheap though.
Given that if I have a breakdown I could be a few miles from home, and the quickest way home is going to across the fields, I'm keeping my trail shoes.
ewenm said:
Because most people consider them mere guidelines, to be broken by the enlightened 
Aaaaaaaaaargh! 
Nnnnnooooooooooo.
It's hell for you now, you know that, don't you?
You've just gone and broken rules 1, 2, and 3 straight off the bat there!
Jeez guys. They're called 'The Rules' for a reason. Keep up!
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