Road Bike Vs Mountain Bike Shoes

Mountain biking shoes are generally much beefier than road shoes and include a rugged somewhat flexible sole that looks a bit like the sole of a hiking boot.

Road bike vs mountain bike shoes. Mountain bike pedals use the shoe tread as the contact point while road pedals use a specialized cleat as the contact point. Worldwide cyclery 72 447 views. The global cycling network puts you in the centre of the action. The road bike shoes have a stiffer sole and a bit less energy is lost compared to the more flexible mountain shoe.

From the iconic climbs of alpe d huez and mont ventoux to the cobbles of flanders everywhere there is road or pavé world class. Riding on dirt tracks over rocks steep passes and not on paved roads. As such road specific pedals can choose materials and control the contact patch better allowing a much smoother float and often more float than mountain bike systems. In road cycling your body remains in the same position for a long time but in mountain biking you use the movement of your entire body to control the bike on rough terrain.

Thus the mountain shoe is slightly heavier than the road shoe. Used mainly on paved road environment. Introduction to bike shoes and. The mountain bike shoe is better for walking in as it not only has flexibility but it also has aggressive treads that won t slip in the wet or in mud.

Coach fred matheny replies. Compared with road shoes clipless mountain shoes have grippy lugs and are built exclusively to accept two bolt cleats. Road shoes often clip onto just one side of the pedal. Mountain bike buyers guide.

If you ride ragbrai choose a mountain bike shoe and pedal you probably ride similar style events throughout the season and you will be happy to have a more versatile shoe. I like to use my mountain bike pedals and shoes for road biking but i get funny looks on group rides. Wide knobby tires for good traction and shock absorption front and rear suspension up to 30 gear speeds for a variety of terrains. Bikes used primarily on paved roads.

I wore shimano carbon sole road shoes for years a while ago i switched to the new specialized body geometry road shoes designed by andy pruitt. Biggest advantage and disadvantage of road pedals mtb vs road clipless pedals. Road bike action is an enthusiast magazine focusing on new products bikes training and the transformative culture of bicycles. Road shoes are designed for road cycling with a different purpose as road cycling and mountain biking are two completely different sports.

Specially designed cleats on the bottom of road cycling shoes attach to different types of road pedals.