# road shoes for mountain biking



## nuj (Jul 27, 2008)

hello, i have a bit of a dilema, i was wondering, it may sound a bit lame but, will a road clipless shoes be applicable for mountain biking. you see, at our local LBS, i was trying to buy a mountain bike clipless shoes and they were offering me a road type.it's all they have in stock and it's cheap too. it doesn't have the usual stud in front and back, only a flat sole in front and back. they said it will do, i'm a bit skeptic since this will be my time to try clipless shoes. any insight on this.


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## eat_dirt (May 26, 2008)

the real question you have to ask yourself is if they're comfortable, reasonably waterproof, and if you can clip in and out easily.

because that's all that matters.


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## leoh (Dec 8, 2008)

Be careful, there are 2 types:
those that use 3 bolts cleats - most (all?) road shoes and road cleats
those that use 2 bolts cleats - most (all?) MTB shoes and MTB cleats

So a road shoe may be incompatible with a MTB cleat (and pedal).


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## rockyuphill (Nov 28, 2004)

Road shoes are usually smooth bottomed as well, and hard as a rock. So it's all fine until you have to walk on rocks and then it's like walking on ice.


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## Lelandjt (Feb 22, 2008)

Some XC racers glue just enough rubber to the bottom of carbon road shoes to be able to walk. This results in a very light, stiff shoe that isn't very good for walking. Modern XC courses have very little walking. You don't sound like a good candidate for this mod and you should find a shop that won't sell you inappropriate equipement just cuz that's all they stock. Who ever heard of a shop that doesn't have MTB shoes anyway?


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## scoutcat (Mar 30, 2008)

road shoes should not be worn mtn biking. they have flat soles and when you dismount on rocky or uneven terrain you will have problems. dont do it. if road shoes worked well on the trail everyone would just have one pair of shoes. the flip side is that you can use mtb shoes with road bikes because extra tread is not a problem....


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## rkj__ (Feb 29, 2004)

road shoes are a bad idea. you want some nice tread on the bottom.


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## J. Fragera (Apr 16, 2008)

Have fun in the mud!


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## LWright (Jan 29, 2006)

part of many great dirt rides is the "Hike a Bike" , do not attempt in road shoes. Road shoes are not even fit for walking on a road, off the bike they are dangerous.


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## nuj (Jul 27, 2008)

actually i have been talking to some of my friends about this shoes and one is willing to sell his slightly used almost brand new mountain bike shoes along with a spd pedal. he said all i need is practice and a tolerance for pain to follow hehehe.
as for the LBS, well, it's a fact that they don't have what i need but they have tons of road shoes, that the reason why i'm asking if it's possible. 
thank you very much for the info guys


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## Glynis27 (Sep 28, 2007)

nuj said:


> actually i have been talking to some of my friends about this shoes and one is willing to sell his slightly used almost brand new mountain bike shoes along with a spd pedal. he said all i need is practice and a tolerance for pain to follow hehehe.
> as for the LBS, well, it's a fact that they don't have what i need but they have tons of road shoes, that the reason why i'm asking if it's possible.
> thank you very much for the info guys


MTB shoes running SPDs will be 10x better than using road shoes. I can't imagine road pedals being able to clear any mud or even releasing correctly when you need them to. Not to mention not being able to walk up even the smallest of hills. Road shoes are hard enough to walk in on flat asphalt.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

A lot of brands sell almost the same shoe in a 3-4 bolt, smooth-soled road type and a 2-bolt, treaded MTB type. If you find a pair of road shoes that you like, check the manufacturer's web site and see if they have an equivalent MTB shoe. Then you can order it online and save a bunch of money.

I'm usually a support your LBS type... But they're not supporting you. So don't feel guilty.


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