Switching from clipless to flats,shoes

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bungle73
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Switching from clipless to flats,shoes

Post by bungle73 »

If I were to purchase a pair of flat pedals, do you think I could get away with using a pair of walking shoes that I have. I want try then out, but am not sure about investing in a dedicated pair of shoes for them right now. I do have a pair of MTB shoes, but they are designed for clipless and don't have flat sole.

As per my other thread, I've just been MTBing at Bedgebury and think they may help inspire more confidence in me.
Jdsk
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Re: Switching from clipless to flats,shoes

Post by Jdsk »

I'd try them and see.

Are you going to use toe buckets, or clips and straps, or anything similar?

Jonathan
bungle73
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Re: Switching from clipless to flats,shoes

Post by bungle73 »

No, pure flats. That's the point of switching from clips.
rotavator
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Re: Switching from clipless to flats,shoes

Post by rotavator »

If you are going to be mainly mountain biking, I would get a pair of MTB flat pedals, i.e. the ones with lots of short sharp pins in them, and try them with your walking shoes and with your MTB shoes, after removing the cleats and taping over the resulting holes with duck tape as a temporary bodge. See how you get on with them. If no good, buy a pair of MTB shoes or boots.
axel_knutt
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Re: Switching from clipless to flats,shoes

Post by axel_knutt »

I've never used cycling shoes. I decided to give them a try 10-12 years ago, but gave up looking having never found a pair suitable. There just isn't sufficient choice to offer any reasonable chance of finding something that fits well enough to walk in without heel lift, a problem further exacerbated by having a stiff sole. They're also expensive, and waste even more money sending stuff that doesn't fit back by post.
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bungle73
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Re: Switching from clipless to flats,shoes

Post by bungle73 »

rotavator wrote:If you are going to be mainly mountain biking, I would get a pair of MTB flat pedals, i.e. the ones with lots of short sharp pins in them, and try them with your walking shoes and with your MTB shoes, after removing the cleats and taping over the resulting holes with duck tape as a temporary bodge. See how you get on with them. If no good, buy a pair of MTB shoes or boots.


I use the MTB shoes on the road bikes as well. I've been using SPDs on all of my bikes.
mumbojumbo
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Re: Switching from clipless to flats,shoes

Post by mumbojumbo »

Riding in hikings is good for winter.
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Paulatic
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Re: Switching from clipless to flats,shoes

Post by Paulatic »

The beauty of flats is you can wear almost anything on your feet. My main footwear items, depending on season, are wellies, walking shoes, or sandals.
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bungle73
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Re: Switching from clipless to flats,shoes

Post by bungle73 »

mumbojumbo wrote:Riding in hikings is good for winter.


I don't know about that, the sole's not that aggressive, and it's slightly worn. Maybe I'll pull the trigger on a set of flats and give them a go.
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RickH
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Re: Switching from clipless to flats,shoes

Post by RickH »

I found out by accident (I went by car to pilot my friend on her tandem & found I had forgotten my cycling shoes. not so easy to do when, more usually, I go by bike & train.) that riding on small SPDs (M520 style, not sure of the exact model) in walking shoes was actually OK over about 15 miles of road & towpath riding.

I actually found them better than the last time I tried flat pedals with toeclips & similar shoes - with this I found it hard to get the tall toe box far enough into the toeclips to ride comfortably.

I've run SPDs on all my bikes, both on & off road, for quite a few years now.
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bungle73
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Re: Switching from clipless to flats,shoes

Post by bungle73 »

RickH wrote:I found out by accident (I went by car to pilot my friend on her tandem & found I had forgotten my cycling shoes. not so easy to do when, more usually, I go by bike & train.) that riding on small SPDs (M520 style, not sure of the exact model) in walking shoes was actually OK over about 15 miles of road & towpath riding.

I actually found them better than the last time I tried flat pedals with toeclips & similar shoes - with this I found it hard to get the tall toe box far enough into the toeclips to ride comfortably.

I've run SPDs on all my bikes, both on & off road, for quite a few years now.


M520 is what I'm running atm. I don't think I'd chance walking shoes with them down trail centre singletrack though.
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squeaker
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Re: Switching from clipless to flats,shoes

Post by squeaker »

rotavator wrote:If you are going to be mainly mountain biking, I would get a pair of MTB flat pedals, i.e. the ones with lots of short sharp pins in them, and try them with your walking shoes and with your MTB shoes, after removing the cleats and taping over the resulting holes with duck tape as a temporary bodge. See how you get on with them. If no good, buy a pair of MTB shoes or boots.
I switched my MTB from SPDs to Nukeproof flats, using an old pair of walking shoes with worn soles. Works very well for me :)
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PH
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Re: Switching from clipless to flats,shoes

Post by PH »

After an ankle injury earlier in the year, on an already imperfect one, I changed a couple of my bikes over to flats with pins, I think I started or contributed to a thread about it here.
My experience is based on road and touring cycling, I have no experience of serious MTB'ing with any pedals.
It's been successful enough that although my ankle is back to full working order, I'm in no hurry to change the pedals back. I put some cheap Wellgo ones on one bike which are fine, but I was given some really wide plastic ones (Can't remember the make) which are fantastic.
For shoes, I haven't bought anything specific, I've used a pair of SPD MTB ones with the SPD cover left on, some walking shoes, but surprisingly the best has been some trainer style safety shoes, which have the additional benefit of being fairly water resistant.
In the previous thread, people were saying that the pins hadn't damaged the soles, this hasn't been my experience. It hasn't wrecked any, but it's done enough damage that it would upset me if it were my expensive walking shoes.
Tiberius
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Re: Switching from clipless to flats,shoes

Post by Tiberius »

For approx' five years I used Shimano Saint MTB pedals and Grisport Dartmoor walking shoes - actually two pairs of shoes as I wear them literally ever day, I walk a lot and the shoes tend to last a good couple of years/pair.

A perfect combination and the pins on the pedals didn't dig into, or ruin, the soles of the shoes.
bungle73
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Re: Switching from clipless to flats,shoes

Post by bungle73 »

I just pulled the trigger on a set of flat pedals, and a dropper post.
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