Toe spikes?

Does anyone here use toe spikes on their gravel shoes?

 

My shoes (Giro Privateers)came with holes for toe spikes, which I've ignored for the past couple of years.  Cyclocross toe spikes looked like they might be too aggressive for recreational use

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But acting on a suggestion I saw somewhere, I just got some low-profile soccer studs to try.  Might be helpful in a couple of months when I venture out into the spring squishy stuff. :-)

Nice that soccer spikes fit bike shoes.  Now how about tires which take the same spikes?

A lot will depend on the surfaces you ride - or actually walk/run - on. Trails around here tend to be either loamy when they're new or bony/rocky as they get worn. Roads are typically either packed dirt or a combination of sand/gravel/rocks, with leaves, sticks, and pine needles thrown in for added fun. In the winter, there's snow and ice to contend with as well.

 

I've found that soccer and golf-style plastic/aluminum spikes to be basically useless, as they aren't aggressive enough to provide meaningful traction on most soft surfaces and they skate and slide on hard surfaces. Steel 'cross studs can be helpful on packed snow and ice and I use them on my winter cycling boots (Lake 303s), but they're really sketchy on rocks, pavement, and metal surfaces like cattle guards. I don't use studs at all in the warmer months, as the best material for gripping most surfaces is plain ol' rubber. Studs really don't help and are often detrimental to traction.

 

Steel and aluminum studs are very effective at damaging floors, which is another reason not to use them.

I have always used them on my mtb shoes as many of my local trails can have extremely steep climbs. I've not really had the need for them for gravel riding. For hard-core snow/ice riding on my mtb, I have mounted studs on the bottoms of my winter cycling boots in case I ever have to stop or dab on ice. Naturally, not a good idea to put these on in the house!

 

If you want to buy spikes for cyclocross racing, I highly recommend these:  https://shop.horstengineering.com/collections/spikes

I'm using their "long" spikes, but I think I'm going to chuck them in a lathe and put more of a point on them.