Building my own mtb shoes

[Gogleion]

Hello all,

Intro
A few months back, I bought a Bianch sok 29er, and I fell completely in love with the sport. I’ve been riding about 6-20 miles a day, and on a lot of different difficulty trails. I posted this in the beginner’s lounge because I’m not very knowledgeable about pedals.

Problem
The problem that I have with my bike right now, is that the pedals that came with the bike are plastic, and are very flat. I’ve run into times where I completely lose grip on the pedals (especially in the rain), so I’m thinking about changing out my pedals. I could switch to a platform pedal, although I think that I would prefer a clipless pedal.

My research
The problem with clipless pedals is that they’re not cheap. It feels like I would have to pay $100 to get a good pedal set, and a good pair of shoes. Correct me if I’m wrong here. I’d like to spend less than $50 on getting a set of clipless pedals. After research, I’ve decided on Shimano PD-M520L pedals + shoes.

My theory
I now want to build my own mountain bike shoes. I have a pair of worn-out running shoes that I am fine with completely destroying. My current understanding of how clipless pedals works is that there is a cleat that is on the bottom of the shoe that clips into the pedal. So my idea is that I can get this cleat, secure it onto the shoes, and have a set of cheap bike shoes.

Questions
First off, is my understanding correct enough that I could pay about $10-15 on a the components needed to convert a normal shoe into a bike shoe?

Secondly, what parts would I need to buy to do this conversion? I’m mostly interested in the cleat, as I can easily find the screws and a way to fasten it on.

Thirdly, where could I buy cleats?

If I get this project going, I’ll post pictures and write a guide if anyone is interested in doing it for themselves.

Thank you!

EDIT: Thanks everyone! I changed it so that what I understood to be a ‘plate’ is actually called a cleat. This is now changed so that

[brianW]

I do not think in the long run you will be satisfied with a "homemade" pair or riding shoes. They are somewhat rigid and in my opinion converting a pair of old running shoes would not do it justice. A friend of mine bought a pair of shoes w/ cleats at a Goodwill for $5. Lucky for me they were the wrong size for him but correct for me. He did remove the spd cleats (they were like new) for himself. e-bay/craiglist might be a place to look for cheaper shoes.

I have been riding for 19 years, I would get rid of my suspension and disc brakes before I got rid of my clipless pedals.

For years I (like many others) rode with toe clips. they are about $20 new and will keep your feet on the pedals. However they are harder, in my opinion, to get used to then clipless pedals.

[HoldFst18]

Ill have to agree with the above comments. I am by all means not an expert but I do choose to ride with clip in pedals and would never compromise (or doubt) the integrity of a decent mtb Shoe. I myself, happen to use Crank Brother’s Candy pedals. (I got them on ebay for $35… usually they are $60-100, depending on their alloy)… for a while I used an old pair of road shoes b/c I refused to dish out the $80 or so on new mtb shoes which i was sure couldnt make that much of a difference. Man was I wrong… Ever since I bought a pair of Specialized shoes ive been in heaven. MTB shoes are designed in a way to give you the most efficient leg revolution while putting your put in the best possible position of comfort. (My shoes are built up on the inside of the shoe, which makes my pedal very direct and efficient). Besides that they are extremely stiff, which gives me alot of control over the bike in rough areas.
I would not recommend making you own shoes b/c I dont really see it working in the long run. The road shoes I used previously were not only extremely uncomfortable in rough terrain, they also got torn to pieces due to all the trail riding and torque put on them. I acutally glued the bottom sole back on a couple times, even using epoxy at one point, but it was to no avail… I cant see how you’d be able to make an old sneaker have the ability to really hold a clip in when it mattered. But then again… why not try it and see what you come up with, I just wouldnt trust it lasting for more than a run or two. Anyways, good luck, make sure you repost if you do come up with a good cheap idea, im interested in hearing about it!

[Jeff Barber]

I say go for it! What do you have to lose other than some time and a pair of shoes you don’t need anyway? Beyond cost savings, you’re getting a shoe that you know is comfortable and fits properly. Sure, they may not be as "efficient" as real MTB shoes but you’re probably not planning to race with them.

Pay close attention to the cleat placement as this can make or break the shoe. Definitely post pics of the process and let us know how you like them after a few rides. DIY rocks!

[Dustin Gaddis]

I usually like DIY sutff…but, I see several problems with this idea.

1 – You’ll have to put a plate of some sort inside the shoe to mount the cleats to. Unless you can get it down beneath the sole it’s going to be uncomfortable.

2 – Like everyone has mentioned, the flexibility of running shoes is going to be a problem. Not just when pedaling, but when trying to unclip.

Good luck though, maybe I’m wrong, it’s happened before. Take lots of pics!

[Corey Maddocks ✓ supporter]

First, there are less expensive alternatives for pedals:
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/18176- … -Pedal.htm

I had a pair of those, which ship OEM on Cannondale bikes, and to be honest I didn’t really like them, but they did work ok.

Previous to those I had a pair of Shimano PD M324’s I got on ebay for $45. (I see they are $51 on Amazon now) I loved the 324’s and still have them as ‘loaners’ but they are quite heavy.

And now I have two pairs of eggbeaters. The first pair, the ‘C’ model, were $10 at an REI garage sale and one was broken. Crank Bros fixed them under warranty. The second pair, the ‘SL’ model were misposted on ebay and I got them for $22!

As for the shoes. the biggest issue I see is how to keep the cleat from ripping right out of the bottom of the EVA running shoe midsole. Running shoes just aren’t designed for the kind of torque. You might be better off with a low-top hiking shoe of some sort that has a nylon shank for added stiffness. (Or how about soccer cleats with the plastic spikes cut down?)

[Syd Patricio]

Well

If your into DIY then give it a shot.

However as Trek7K mention cleat position is very critical. For one thing if they are misaligned you may experience knee problems down the line as they twist the knee while pedaling. Also SPD shoes are designed to have the pedal plate area sightly below the shoe sole. approx 5 – 6mm.

Also as Madslacker mentioned the sole is designed to take the torque of clicking in and out. My fear being that you cannot unclip in the case of a fall due to the sole flexing rather that holding the cleat fast.

So the plate that you make incase your wondering must go the width of the shoe as look much like an insole.

[Jeff Barber]

"element22" wrote

So the plate that you make incase your wondering must go the width of the shoe as look much like an insole.

Great point, now I think we’re getting somewhere! Let’s start a list of steps you’d need to make your own MTB Franken-shoe.

Step 1. Cut plates from hard plastic using the shoe’s insoles as templates.
Step 2. Drill holes and attach the cleat receivers to each plastic insole. Glue the receiver into place.
Step 3. Carve out a rectangular section out of the shoe’s sole to allow access to cleat bolds (remember to provide side-to-side clearance for clipping in)
Step 4. Replace the shoe’s original insoles with a thinner version to cover the hard plastic.
Step 5. Screw in cleats.

Voila! 😀

[Gogleion]

Thanks for your input everyone!

Perhaps a pair of running shoes might not be the best. I have tennis shoes that are designed to be torsionally strong, which would be a lot better for clipping in and out during an emergency. Unfortunately, the tread on the tennis shoes is worn out, so I can’t use them for tennis anymore, but they are still in great shape. They are addidas barricade IV’s if anyone is curious.

I’m having a little bit of trouble figuring out the parts that I would need to buy…

I found this online, after some searching:
http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-PD-M520L- … roduct_top
This says Shimano PD-M520L MTB Sport Pedals with Cleats, so does that mean it will include cleats? I’m not sure if the clip ins on the pedal are called cleats too.

I also found these cleats, I assume these are what I would need if the pedals don’t include the shoe cleats?
http://www.amazon.com/Wellgo-98A-Steel- … 1&sr=1-265

I’m thinking about how the cleats would mount to the shoe. I definitely agree that it wouldn’t be very smart to just screw in the cleat into the rubber of the sole. I’m thinking that I could

1) Get the shoe, take out the insole
2) Then drill 2 holes in the bottom
3) Then put the head-side of flathead bolts in the bottom of the shoe
4) Then put washers to give the cleat clearance
5) Then put the cleat on
6) Finish the assembly with some lock-nuts and some loc-tite

What do you guys think? Would the bolt/nut assembly hold well?

I also found a picture that’s helping me sorta understand what a practical barebones shoe setup would look like:

Of course, I’m not interested in making a sandal shoe, but my goal is to get the sole to look something like that at the end of this.

[Corey Maddocks ✓ supporter]

Yes, those Shimano pedals come with the cleats, and that’s a really good price.

As for mounting, you will need some sort of plastic sheet or plate to hold the whole cleat assembly. Rubber/EVA just doesn’t have the rigidity to hold up to clipping/unclipping on it’s own.

I have seen cleats ripped out of actual cycling shoes is why I’m saying this.

I think trek7k posted a ‘to-do’ list above…?

[Dustin Gaddis]

"Gogleion" wrote

I’m thinking about how the cleats would mount to the shoe. I definitely agree that it wouldn’t be very smart to just screw in the cleat into the rubber of the sole. I’m thinking that I could

1) Get the shoe, take out the insole
2) Then drill 2 holes in the bottom
3) Then put the head-side of flathead bolts in the bottom of the shoe
4) Then put washers to give the cleat clearance
5) Then put the cleat on
6) Finish the assembly with some lock-nuts and some loc-tite

What do you guys think? Would the bolt/nut assembly hold well?

I also found a picture that’s helping me sorta understand what a practical barebones shoe setup would look like:

Of course, I’m not interested in making a sandal shoe, but my goal is to get the sole to look something like that at the end of this.

That wont work. You can’t have a nut sticking out the bottom of the cleat, it’ll interfere with the pedal. Notice in your picture how the bolt head is flat and flush with the bottom of the cleat – that’s the only way it’ll work.

The way they work, the cleats just have basic holes drilled in them. No threads. The plate in the sole of the shoe is has holes that are threaded, there’s no nut, the bolts just screw into the shoe itself.

So you need something the bolts could thread into, inside the shoe. Obviously, you can’t thread them into the rubber sole, so you need either some very strong plastic or metal inside the shoe for the bolts to thread into.

And for what its worth, I can’t imagine how those sandals would work. One, how can you twist your foot and shoe to unclip? And two, the cleat would rip right off the sandal. Not to mention they’d be flexible and would hurt like hell. And you couldn’t walk around in them, the cleat needs to be recessed. You should be able to walk around with the cleat not touching the ground, or just barely touching.

[seenvic ✓ supporter]

This has to be from the "you can’t make this stuff up" department.

I don’t know what you do for a living.

But I’d bet you can spend less of your time doing whatever that is, earning about $50 and buying a pair of MTB shoes than you have trying to figure out how to make your own shoes (that won’t work and if they did would probably cost you more than $50).

I’ve seen alot of DIY ideas, some are great ideas. This one….not so much.

What size shoe do you wear?

[Dustin Gaddis]

"seenvic" wrote

I don’t know what you do for a living.

But I’d bet you can spend less of your time doing whatever that is, earning about $50 and buying a pair of MTB shoes than you have trying to figure out how to make your own shoes (that won’t work and if they did would probably cost you more than $50).

+1 Agreed.

[Gogleion]

"seenvic" wrote

This has to be from the "you can’t make this stuff up" department.

I don’t know what you do for a living.

But I’d bet you can spend less of your time doing whatever that is, earning about $50 and buying a pair of MTB shoes than you have trying to figure out how to make your own shoes (that won’t work and if they did would probably cost you more than $50).

I’ve seen alot of DIY ideas, some are great ideas. This one….not so much.

What size shoe do you wear?

Unfortunately, I’m a full-time student so I can either not get shoes, or make them myself and spend $50 for the pedals + shoes, so I’m taking the latter option.

I wear a size 13 shoe.

[seenvic ✓ supporter]

Saw eggbeaters on Chainlove yesterday for $20.

I was hoping you were closer to 9.5. I got a brand new pair I’d send you in that size.

Good luck.

[Dustin Gaddis]

Just get some metal platforms. I had these on my BMX and liked them. Super cheap, light, and gripped pretty well. $10.

http://www.danscomp.com/465110.php?cat=PARTS

[Niels]

I love your spirit here………. but buy yourself some new/used bike shoes. You will not regret it (too many good examples of potential injury have already been noted).
Good luck my friend.

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