Cycling Shoes

[capner2112]

I'm looking at either Giro Trans or Shimano SH-R077 road shoes. Does anyone have thoughts or experience with these?

I read reviews on both and find them to be comparable. The Giro's, more performance minded, are $40 more than Shimano.

[JohnV]

Have you looked at the Specialized line of cycling shoes? I have the Sports Pro MTB shoes that I wear for both my road bike and my hybrid and they are very well made and extremely comfortable. Everyone that I know that wears Specialized shoes seems to like them over the others that they have worn.

Unless there is a big difference in the stiffness between the two shoes and the Giro is stiffer, save your money and go with the Shimano and spend the difference on something else for you bike. If you plan on racing or doing TT's than go with the Giro. Before you buy either, make sure that you get the chance to try them on and see how they fit. Buying on-line without ever trying the shoes on can come back and bite you in the butt later on.

[capner2112]

Thanks John.

A friend of mine let me try his Shimano MTB shoes as I have pedals already. They were nice and comfortable so I have nothing else to compare to. The shop I do my business through doesn't stock shoes but can order and they suggested Giro and another brand. The Giro's ($140) online I'm looking at are carbon whereas the Shimano's ($90) are not. One review compared the Giro shoes to their high-end racing shoe on comfort and performance, just cheaper. The Shimano's got good reviews overall online. I do want to get into racing in the next few years. Ill check out Specialized too see if there are any in my price range.

[capner2112]

I went with the Shimano as I've tried them before and I'm not at a racing level so why splurge too much. Plus it turns out I have MTB clipless pedals so that narrowed it to the cleat type.

[JohnV]

Good choice, especially if you already had the MTB pedals. I actually prefer them over road pedals as the are much easier and faster to get in and out of. I have the Shimano SPD M520 pedals on both my bikes. If I were to go to a road pedal, it would be a Speedplay and only because they have double sided entry as do my M520's. The only problem with the Speedplay pedals is that you really have to keep them clean or you will have problems getting clipped in and/or out. The Specialized Sports Pro MTB shoes I got were $92.00 and are listed at $95.00 on their web site.

[capner2112]

I just got my shoes and cleats in. The shoe manual says to use cleat pontoons since they are SPD cleats on a road shoe. Should I get some of these or will I be OK without?

[JohnV]

You definitely should get the cleat pontoons if you are using SPD cleats on road shoes. The pontoons will help you clip in faster and keep you from having an accidental release. They will also keep the cleat from getting damaged when you walk. They are not needed for MTB shoes as the shoes already have them built into the design of the shoe.