I’m dreaming up a tour for the summer involving lots of difficult off road miles with a rucsac/trailer for my gear, but also a few hill climbs (Suilven in particular).

Are those combi hillwalking/SPD shoes like the shimano MT90 any good for this sort of thing?

I was also contemplating ditching the SPDs and just using hiking shoes and some V12s, but was worried i might get sore feet after several long days on flat pedals, or might have trouble staying on the pedals if using stiffer hiking boots.

Any suggestions?

I’ve been using Specialzed Taho shoes for most MTB stuff. They have a fairly decent sole. However, I got a set of MT90s for last winter and they’re just soooo much better for a mix of walking and biking, so I used them on my last summer camping trip too. I’d bought them a bit big (to get thick socks under) and they’re Goretex lined, so I did end up sweating a wee bit in them.

However, I wonder if you might be better just having two pairs of shoes – one for cycling, one for the walking. Some of these trail shoes are really very good now – certainly strong enough for regular hillwalks. Just make sure they have a good, supportive heel cup.

A lot of my riding is that sort of stuff.

I use lightweight walking boots with track pattern pedals. The lugs on the boots engage pretty well with the track pedal, and this can always be improved by a bit of judicious carving on the boot sole.

A bonus is that track pedals are much lighter than platforms.

I’ve got those MT90 boots, but I wouldn’t want to do any real walking in them.

They might look the part, but they’re no more comfy than normal cycling shoes really and they might have a Vibram sole but they just doesn’t provide the grip I expected on foot.

For your requirements, how about beartraps with toeclips and some lightish hiking boots or boot/trainer hybrid things?

5.10 guide tennie

aren’t the 5.10’s lethal on wet mud/grass though? (although obviously superb on rock)

I would consider some simple approach shoes (whatever your preferred flavour, North Face (stylish, dont last), HiTek (my current fave), Salomon (mleh), Merrell (f***in gash)) with decent toe clips if you’re doing lots of walking. A good approach shoe is stiff enough for comfort and riding. If you’re going to be riding in crap weather, then a set of gaters will be good both off and on the bike

I have toured (2 months, 5,000km) with only a pair of MT50s and some flip-flops

and they were OK for some walking/hiking, but I wouldnt want to do more than 5 miles in them. On pavement and tarmac and bar floors the tread is deep enough to conceal the cleat, but off road (or on cobbles) you always feel it and it disrupts your walking stability.

Good suggestions, thanks! Might avoid the MT90s then, and look at some trail/approach shoes.

Have just read about these Innv-8 shoes that weigh next to nothing but are considered suitable for shorter walks and scrambling, could just strap them to the rucsac and stick with the spuds maybe.

Thankfully i’ve got a Tiso’s voucher burning a hole in my wallet after xmas, should come in handy!

I have had 3 pairs of inovate 315 roclites great shoes for running in but they all fell apart within 3 months mainly holes in the heel area , i am currently using montrail continental divide that have lasted a year untouched, no good for biking jsut dont buy the inov8’s

I used to use some Salomon approach shoes on platforms. I was fine going up Scottish mountains in them too. With a decent flat pedal I was fine with a week of riding for 6-8 hours every day.

Personally I still wear boots for winter conditions, but I’m more and more likely to walk up things in trail running shoes of some kind nowadays – it’s just more fun being able to run down the descents if you have the energy.

Joe

KSB’s are cheep from SoccerWorld or whatever its called on the high street, abnout £25 and lasted a good year of walking 4 miles a day before i ended up walking on my socks! Not great grip on flat pedals though, even cheep skate shoes beat them.

I’d go for etnies as they have a stif sole for riding, and something a bit better than v12’s which will hurt your feet after a few hours. Quite a few 300g pairs of magnesium flat pedals arround at the moment (superstar/diety and NC-17).

Skate shoes wont grip as well in the mud/wet grass, but should be fine everywhere else.