Cycling shoes on ice!

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
Cawol
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Joined: 3 May 2017, 10:58am

Cycling shoes on ice!

Post by Cawol »

Hi all.

I have these Sidi MTB cycling shoes. The lugs/cleats (?) - the big lumpy bits that stick out of the bottom of the sole, basically - are made of some sort of hard plastic.

This seems to me to be completely insane (why on earth would they do that!!??), because even just in ordinary wet conditions, I have come close to going flying just on the level patio stones outside my house. And getting up or down the steep slope at the entrance to my workplace is just an accident waiting to happen.

So, I am quite concerned at what will happen once we get some proper ice.

I see that Bont cycling shoes have rubber lugs (?) / cleats (?), which are actually replaceable.

Replaceable or not, rubber seems infinitely more sensible than hard plastic. Are there other shoes / brands (preferably less expensive than Bont) out there that use rubber rather than hard plastic?

And when it comes to ice, I think even rubber is not that safe.

For normal shoes, you can buy these studded overshoes for walking in snow & ice, that look like they basically provide sort of a studded sheet of rubber under your soles. But I imagine that with cycling shoes, it's too likely that the studs will end up being between the luggy/cleaty/lumpy bits, & with them being set in basically just a sheet of rubber, I think the studs will just get pushed up into the voids & be effectively useless.

So, what I would like to know is - what are the options for minimising the chances of slipping over when walking to / from your bike in icy conditions, in cycling shoes?

Thanks in advance!
drossall
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Location: North Hertfordshire

Re: Cycling shoes on ice!

Post by drossall »

Cycling shoes are always going to be a compromise for walking in. If you're very concerned, consider mountain-biking boots, which would put the emphasis more on grip for walking?
LollyKat
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Location: Scotland

Re: Cycling shoes on ice!

Post by LollyKat »

I use these Yaktrax snow grips. My shoes have a bit of a tread (rubber) but not as chunky as yours sound, and the grips work well enough. Not that I want to cycle on ice but quite often I will walk my bike down a couple of hilly streets until I get to the main road which is usually clear. (If it isn't I jump on the local train.) The advantage of springs over spikes is that I can pop them in a bag in my pannier without worrying about damaging anything.

For better grip and perhaps better compatibility with your MTB shoes, spiky ones like these may be better, as the spikes are mounted in a solid rubber sheet.
Cawol
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Joined: 3 May 2017, 10:58am

Re: Cycling shoes on ice!

Post by Cawol »

LollyKat wrote:For better grip and perhaps better compatibility with your MTB shoes, spiky ones like these may be better, as the spikes are mounted in a solid rubber sheet.



Thanks Lollykat. Those are exactly the things I meant. From the photo, it looks like I might be lucky & end up with some of the studs under the lugs on my shoes, rather than in the voids. It also looks like the front bit of rubber sheet will be blocking access to my clips, so I think those are definitely out then. But the springy ones, possibly....? Still potentially the problem, I suspect, that so much of them will fall within the voids, rather than being underneath anything solid. Cheaper option than forking out nigh on £200 for mtb winter boots, anyway, so possibly worth a punt.....
drossall
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Location: North Hertfordshire

Re: Cycling shoes on ice!

Post by drossall »

I have something a bit like those, and hadn't thought of putting them on cycling shoes. Interesting...
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andrew_s
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Location: Gloucestershire

Re: Cycling shoes on ice!

Post by andrew_s »

I've also found Sidi plastic lugs (Dominator) very bad on greasy paving slabs or frozen mud, so I changed to Giro Terraduro, which have a decent Vibram rubber sole.
I also got some of these Yaktax equivalents for ice:
https://www.icetrekkers.com/product/diamond
but I've not really had the chance to test them.
Last edited by andrew_s on 15 Nov 2017, 2:19pm, edited 1 time in total.
thirdcrank
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Joined: 9 Jan 2007, 2:44pm

Re: Cycling shoes on ice!

Post by thirdcrank »

I don't think anything short of spikes will make much difference on ice. My Sidi winter boots came with some spikes which I never fitted. I always assumed they were for cyclo cross or some other form of off-road riding. I've had them a long time so it seems current versions are different. :?

================================================
Sidi MTB Competition sole
The Sidi MTB competition sole is compatible with all 2-bolt SPD cleats and pedal systems. The stiff polyamide compound ensures the every watt of energy in your pedal stroke reaches your drivetrain with none wasted on flex. Molded tread lets you walk comfortably with the option to attach toe spikes for extra traction in wet and muddy conditions.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/sidi-diablo-gor ... 60502343uk

No mention of ice

For general use, I've found these from Amazon that fit over shoes very good and cheap, but the most spikey bits are just where the sole meets the pedal
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00 ... _i=desktop
Last edited by thirdcrank on 15 Nov 2017, 8:16am, edited 1 time in total.
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Cycling shoes on ice!

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Use the cleat - make a spiked sole out of whatever grippy material you like, use the clamp from an old pedal to attach to the shoe when you dismount...

My sod boots aren’t bad, but I’d still take serious care on ice
A shortcut has to be a challenge, otherwise it would just be the way. No situation is so dire that panic cannot make it worse.
There are two kinds of people in this world: those can extrapolate from incomplete data.
pwa
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Re: Cycling shoes on ice!

Post by pwa »

No shoes without metal spikes will stop you sliding on ice. Sidi MTB shoes with plastic studs are just like football boots, designed to give grip when running over soft turf, not on firm paving.
hamster
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Re: Cycling shoes on ice!

Post by hamster »

Have a look at Gaerne, they have some with chunky trainer type soles but still take an SPD cleat.
fastpedaller
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Location: Norfolk

Re: Cycling shoes on ice!

Post by fastpedaller »

Crikey, that reminds me of being a yoof at school in football boots which had nylon screw-in studs - they were positively lethal....... the 100yard walk from the changing room across concrete to get to the grassed bit was littered with at least 2 lads on their backs every time we had sports :lol:
thirdcrank
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Re: Cycling shoes on ice!

Post by thirdcrank »

pwa wrote:No shoes without metal spikes will stop you sliding on ice. ....


This is it. It's why you need spiked tyres to ride on ice. With so much gritting these days, and warmer winters recently, large areas of sheet ice on the roads are arguably less common than they were, but no amount of tyre tread will stop even a big vehicle from sliding on it. I've dealt with a couple of fortunately minor collisions on untreated side streets where cars could be slid about like curling stones, and that was without the people with brushes skating along in front. This also applies to things like footwear with Vibram soles. The major things helping motor vehicles here are that four or more wheels prevent losing balance and the larger area of tyre on the road gives a better chance of part being on an ice-free bit.
9494arnold
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Joined: 21 Jan 2007, 3:13pm

Re: Cycling shoes on ice!

Post by 9494arnold »

The answer is a Trike, ride it up to the door!
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andrew_s
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Re: Cycling shoes on ice!

Post by andrew_s »

It's not the case that because there's ice about, all shoes are equally bad.
Sidi plastic soles are particularly bad, on anything that isn't soft enough for the lugs to dig into. That might include rock, short-cropped turf on a frosty morning, concrete, paving slabs etc as well as ice.
Hard rubber like vibram works much better. Even on ice there's often enough in the way of embedded bits of grit to make walking quite feasible, so long as you pay attention to where you put your feet.
9494arnold
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Joined: 21 Jan 2007, 3:13pm

Re: Cycling shoes on ice!

Post by 9494arnold »

Yes the SIDI's I have (and have had) have a very shiny solid moulded sole. And I have a pair with "Conventional" Slotted Cleats, Lethal even on dry smooth concrete. :(
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