Are all 'recreational' cycling shoes worthless?

Vaguely thinking about giving clipless another try (I use powergrips at the moment), but I really need to find some shoes that are as good for walking as cycling (ie. good grip, comfy, no cleat clicking - don't mind a stiffish sole)

This sorta thing or maybe specialized sonomas (not sure if they have 'cleat strike'?)

Looking through the forum, shoes like this don't seem to get good reviews, but are there any that are tolerable / will work better than trainers and powergrips?

link

Take spds/ time atacs. Sound like they might be a winner, look normal (ish) too, if you get them in white.

I have an earlier version of these, they're very comfy and click free when walking. I took the strap off them and they just look like fairly hiking style trainers. On days when I'm not in a suit I'll use them for the commute and the rest of the day too. My mate has the sonomas but prefers proper road shoes, think it's the position of the cleat or summit?

it's the lack of stiffness in 'trainer' type spd shoes i don't like, i use them off road with no problems but prefer the stiffer sole of a 'race' shoe for the road.

i have adidas, nike, shimano and northwave 'trainer/recreational' shoes that are all comfortable to walk on, you get the odd click from the cleats but i guess you will get that with all shoes

brixton cycles have 20% off all their sidi shoes at the moment

sidi dominators are fairly robust aren't they? they have a proper sole, not sure if they have cleat-strike though.

I find my 661 Filters are stiff enough and have no cleat click, they are more skate type shoes tho

recreational shoes are fine. Clearly they will not be as good for riding as a pair of mtb race shoe or full on road style shoes but easier to walk in and life is about compromise an it?:)

If you do Evilmonkey did and remove and velcro strap be careful to tuck your shoe laces in.

Why in the hell do trainer manufacturers make the laces so damn long? the last pair I bought had about 18 inches of spare lace!

I love recreational shoes. I used to hate biking to places like the pub in my sidis. It's just not comfortable. Now I wear rec style shoes all the time. Very nominal difference in on-bike performance. HUGE difference in off bike comfort and safety. LOVE IT.

sidi dominators are fairly robust aren't they? they have a proper sole, not sure if they have cleat-strike though.

For some reason I thought all sidis had cleat-strike? I guess I was wrong.

Also, stiff = winner for me. I can't see it being worth clipless if you're not going to have stiff shoes... Although I have pretty giant feet, so regular pedals would end up hurting my feet (toes actually) unless they were downhill/giant bmx platforms.

walked 3 miles in my dominators the other week after i forgot my tool bag and got a flat, pretty easy going, all shoes will get cleat strike once the sole wears (unless they have replaceable soles)

I reckon recreational shoes are a no go as they are cycling shoes disguised as trainers. Thus they break the style rule of 'truth' (I like to apply this rulle sporadically to annoy pedants). Also, I've never seen a pair i'd buy if they were just trainers, they're all pretty ugly. Even those US BMX dunks don't do it for me. Get some sidis or other obvious bike shoes and get some other obvious trainers or shoes for the other times.

Oh, and get mtb ones so you can at least walk like a human from bike to bar.

B.

I rate my Shimano MT20s. They're stiff enough but comfortable and look like (admittedly fairly naff) normal trainers.

Lots of you probably hate them and will laugh generally down the A3 in my direction. But I don't care. Cos ya mama.

S

I like these Nike ones

http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=21663

Thinking about getting a pair, so can't give any feedback about wearability, but they look better than most of the shoes with cleats.

I reckon recreational shoes are a no go as they are cycling shoes disguised as trainers. Thus they break the style rule of 'truth' (I like to apply this rulle sporadically to annoy pedants). Also, I've never seen a pair i'd buy if they were just trainers, they're all pretty ugly. Even those US BMX dunks don't do it for me. Get some sidis or other obvious bike shoes and get some other obvious trainers or shoes for the other times.

Depending on your usage, the hybrid-type shoes may in fact be more 'true'. Sidis are designed as a race shoe, from the ground up. Everything about their design is catering to racing cyclists.

As primarily a commuter cyclist who also plays polo and races only in disorganised alley-cat type contexts, a true racing shoe is not true to me or my bike. A hybrid/rec shoe is much more true, given that most of the time I am on my bike, I am going somewhere, be it work, a bar, or a polo game.

A shoe like a Sidi is not meant for living life in. it is meant for someone who will be putting them on right before getting on the bike, and taking them off shortly after - not hanging out in them.

I live a cycling life and need shoes that represent that. A race type shoe is too narrow minded to do that.

Don't get me wrong--I have some sidis, and do really like them--but only within the relatively narrow confines of performance oriented cycling (usually mountain biking, for me).

I will always have 'recreational' style shoes. As a last note, I think 'recreational' is a real misnomer for these shoes. I ride very non-recreationally in mine. If anything, they are my serious cycling shoes and my sidis are my recreational shoes. I think a term like hybrid or commuter is more appropriate, and does less of a disservice to the very substantial functionality of these shoes.

Here's what I wear:

Do I love the way they look? No. Do I hate it? No. But they do suit my daily life a lot more than my Sidis. Sidis were never meant to be worn with jeans.

I know I said I was done, but I'm not.

The mentality that says 'you're riding a bike--wear a 'real' bike shoe' does a disservice to the cycling community as much as the mentality that says you should be wearing lycra if you are on a bike. Not all kinds of cycling demand racing kit. In fact, the vast majority of it doesn't. The most important type of cycling in modern society is urban, functional cycling where racing equipment is not only less functional, it actually dissuades non-cyclists from ever biking, or even taking cyclists seriously.

When you look at societies where biking is truly a part of daily life, very few of the people on bikes are kitted out in spandex and lycra. When you look at societies where cycling is less integrated (and I say this as someone living in such a society), people dressed up in hilarious racing clothes and shoes do nothing but encourage the idea of cycling as a purely recreational, non functional activity.

**Functional, versatile bike equipment = functional, versatile cyclists.

Racing oriented, narrowly specific bike equipment = cycling as recreational activity.**

Okay, now I'm done.

+1

If you do Evilmonkey did and remove and velcro strap be careful to tuck your shoe laces in.

Why in the hell do trainer manufacturers make the laces so damn long? the last pair I bought had about 18 inches of spare lace!

Oh yes, good spot... That said the laces are not long on these, the tongue is REALLY fat and you have to tighten it a fair bit to get the laces done at all. Sounds bad, but it actually gives a tight yet comfy shoe.

i would love to read your dissertation on bicycle clips or rolled trousers. let me know when it's finished.

i would love to read your dissertation on bicycle clips or rolled trousers. let me know when it's finished.

I'm just preparing for the defence stage ... I'll let you know how it goes ...

Keep me in the loop on your shorts vs bibshorts treatise as well.

That's a point I have wondered. What are the advantages of bib shorts? Other than having build in suspenders which you can slap against your nipples for a bit of mid ride excitement. My lycra shorts don't fall down plus I can go for a pee without all the hassle.

That's a point I have wondered. What are the advantages of bib shorts? Other than having build in suspenders which you can slap against your nipples for a bit of mid ride excitement. My lycra shorts don't fall down plus I can go for a pee without all the hassle.

I'm not sure. The times I've worn bibshorts (club kit), they were extremely comfortable, and I didn't have to bend over too much to piss over the gate.

I've never owned a fancy schmancy pair of regular shorts though (eg. Assos), and never compared like for like, if you know what I mean.

All the pros wear bibs...

on shoes that look ok off the bike and are good to walk in, try some Specialized Taho mtb shoes. i have a pair, they're great on the bike and comfy off it, and look ok in a sort of hiking boot kinda way.

Thanks for the recommendations. I reckon I'll give the Shimano MT21s a try, primarily cos I can get them dirt cheap.