2 bolt SPD cleats and road shoes - so wobbly!?

[timto]

Hi All
Seeking the collective wisdom on this ...

I have road shoes that support both the 2 and 3 bolt cleat pattern. Decided to try bolting the SPD cleats onto the road shoes and was suprised at how much slop was in the system. I looked closer and saw that the culprit was no supporting material on the road shoe - which the mtb shoe has to recess the cleat for walkability.

Is there a product I'm missing that would better support the shoe on the pedal? I did see evidence of searching google for SPD Pontoon revealed some dead ends - appears that there were products but they no longer offered...

I like the idea of spd pedals and the choice of road or MTb shoe to use depending on the event. I'm using the PD-A600 series pedal

Any fresh leads?
Thanks in advance.

[John H.]

I would suggest looking at some newer mtb shoes.
As you mentioned, they will interface better with an SPD type pedal.

Newer mtb race shoes tend to be 99% road racing shoes with tread and supports added.
Specialized Recon is really nice.
Bont Vapor G is exactly like their road shoe- But with tread and supports.

[rwsaunders]

Tim...take a look and see if this device will help add stability.

https://www.tourcycling.com/sidi-spd...iABEgIxMPD_BwE

[keevon]

I used SPD's with pontoons on road shoes many moons ago. My recollection is that they were still more wobbly than an MTB shoe, which is what I use for all my riding these days.

[GregL]

As John H. mentioned, a high end MTB shoe will be light, stiff, and provide better support with SPD pedals. Some shoe manufacturers (e.g. Specialized, Shimano) make road sport/touring shoes that have recessed cleat mounts, again providing better support. My experience has been that the road sport/touring shoes are too flexible for hard efforts. Another option that might work would be to use the Shimano SM-SH71 cleats and pontoons from the Dura Ace 7410 or Ultegra 6500 road SPD pedals. Good luck!

Greg

[Peter P.]

I currently run the old road-style SPD pedal/shoe combo; the one that uses the cleats with the pontoons on road shoes.

Incidentally, Lance won the world pro road race using that setup.

Those pontoons are specifically shaped to mate with the road pedal. They may interfere with your PD-A600's and affect clip-in and release. I would not recommend GregL's suggestion to run the SM-SH71 cleat with the PD-600 pedal. The cleat is specifically designed for the road pedal, and release from the PD-600, which is designed for a different cleat, will be difficult or unreliable. The pedal manual will recommend a specific cleat; stick with it.

Your best solution is to just wear ATB shoes. If weight is a concern, choose an XC racing shoe. Personally, I'd use the same shoe for both as it's only a style issue.

I also run a single sided Shimano SPD pedal on another bike, the PD-A520. The cleats for the PD-A520 and the road SPD pedal are not interchangeable. I've casually tried mixing cleats/shoes/pedals and release/engagement suffers.

[jc031699]

This would help
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F283261037392


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[GregL]

Originally Posted by Peter P.

Those pontoons are specifically shaped to mate with the road pedal. They may interfere with your PD-A600's and affect clip-in and release. I would not recommend GregL's suggestion to run the SM-SH71 cleat with the PD-600 pedal. The cleat is specifically designed for the road pedal, and release from the PD-600, which is designed for a different cleat, will be difficult or unreliable. The pedal manual will recommend a specific cleat; stick with it.

Note that I said might with my suggestion. I used to run the SH-71 cleats on 7410, 6500, and PD-A525 pedals. There were zero issues with the A525 pedals. Cleat engagement and release were perfect. In fact, the SH-71 cleats allowed a slight amount of rotation on the A525 pedals which I found more comfortable for my knees. To your point, SH-71 cleats (with pontoons installed) likely won't work with A600 pedals since they have a wider platform than the A525.

Greg

[palincss]

The Sidi Dominator series is basically a road shoe with a lugged MTB sole. It's perfect for SPD, and would fit your needs very well. Have you ever tried one?

[timto]

Thanks all! I'll stick with the MTB shoes! I have some bont's that are pretty good and They'll do the trick. No more clomping around when at rest stops!

[Spoker]

Originally Posted by jc031699

This would help
https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?m...2F283261037392

Those indeed work very well, and attach the cleat to the main spd road bolts other than the Sidi cleat.