Touring shoes

[TJ]

Having used various brands/types of touring shoes over the years, i have yet to find any that are as comfortable as the Diadora leather and mesh pair I had in the 80's or the pair of Sidi touring shoes I had around the same time. both had ridged soles but not as pronounced as the old style cleats. I have tried Shimano, Adidas, Specialized and Carnac but none really suit.
Does anyone know where I can purchase something approaching the comfort and quality of the Diadoras or Sidis?
I still use toeclips as I have a knee problem which is aggravated when using clipless.

[Karen Sutton]

I use toe clips/straps. The shoes I wear at present are Decathlon touring shoes. They are extremely comfortable but don't have a completely rigid sole which some people prefer. I have a size bigger than I need to allow for the Sealskinz socks in Winter.

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/EN/Product_a ... index.html

[TJ]

Thanks Karen, I hadn't thought of Decathlon. My nearest store is 16 miles away, which isn't too far. I took a look at them on their web page and they are nothing like the shoes currently available from the big names, which is probably just as well.

[bikerdave]

I use diadora geko mtb shoes for touring and find them very comfy, the recessed cleats allow walking in reasonable comfort too. They're synthetic leather and mesh and are available in a road version with thinner soles if you prefer.

[Jim Crosskell]

I had a pair of AGU sport shoes throughout the 80's and 90's that were superb for touring with clips and straps. Unfortunately to get a replaceent pair we had to visit the Netherlands as the UK importer of AGU products doesn't stock their shoes. Hey..it's a good excuse for a trip to the continent!