Road shoes worth it?

[DSussy]

Is it worthwhile changing over to Road pedals & shoes from MTB pedals on road bike - does it make a real difference?

[NeverNotRolling]

Good question.

[Jewbacca]

Road shoes tend to be lighter. The cleated surface area is also larger and more stable, which allows a far more repeatable pedal stroke devoid of any pressure spots.

IMHO yes, road shoes and pedals on a road bike are worth it.

[Smartie]

https://www.globalcyclingnetwork.com/video/are-flat-pedals-actually-just-as-fast-as-clipless-pedals

[100Tours]

road cleats will give you a larger contact patch on the pedal. this means better power transfer and less cleat pressure. definitely worth it if you want to go faster or more hours.

[Newbie321]

I used to ride my road bike with MTB shoes and SPD's, the combo did not work for me at all, my feet got sore even with just moderate intensity. Bought some road shoes and SPD-SL pedals and it made a world of difference for me.

[Wyatt Earp]

Definitely.

Theg also turn you in to Fred Astaire at coffee stops with tiled floors.

[Jbr]

I put MTB pedals on my gravel bike that I ride daily so that I can ride it with shoes that I can actually walk with. My road bike that I mostly use for racing has road pedals.

Question is, why are you asking? If you are currently happy with your MTB pedals/shoes I don’t think it’s worth changing. If you’re looking for better roadie look (no jugement, look is everything 😅), increased performance or better feel on the bike (for sprinting for example, but then we're back to performance) it might be worth it. Road shoes are usually stiffer, lighter, but terrible once you’re not on your bike anymore.

Edited February 6, 2023 by Jbr

[DieselnDust]

1 hour ago, Jewbacca said:

Road shoes tend to be lighter. The cleated surface area is also larger and more stable, which allows a far more repeatable pedal stroke devoid of any pressure spots.

IMHO yes, road shoes and pedals on a road bike are worth it.

I tend to agree, the road shoe pedal interface is more consistent for high cadence riding which is what we mostly employ in road cycling. 
Mtb tends to be lower cadence and very torque focussed so as long as the show lugs interface with the pedal when the shoe is clipped in, a rider won’t give up much. It’s when the shoe lugs get worn when the stability problems start. The Mtb shoe lugs will wear quite quickly if walking on tar a lot. This then requires the replacement of the shoes (unless using sidi with SRS) or building up the pedal body which is of course much harder to do than buy new shoes.

so if you like cash in the bank rather than a retailers till. Use road shoes for road riding 

that’s my Zim$0.02

Edited February 6, 2023 by DieselnDust

[lechatnoir]

i find MTB pedal/shoe combo's are more likely to squeak in my experience. in a quieter environment like road riding, that was a nightmare for me as I like my bike silent.

[Jbr]

5 minutes ago, lechatnoir said:

i find MTB pedal/shoe combo's are more likely to squeak in my experience. in a quieter environment like road riding, that was a nightmare for me as I like my bike silent.

you obviously haven't tried antislip look cleats 🤣

Edited February 6, 2023 by Jbr