cleats, pedals and shoes? Advice?

[littledan77]

I'm looking to get some pedals which can allow cycle shoes to clip in. I think I'm talking about cleats here. I've heard of SPD, LONG and various other 'types' of clips/shoe.
What are they, which is better and what do I need to look for?

I'm planning on these being part of my kit for a very long ride over a number of days. Is this even the thing I'm needing to look for?

Thanks for any help

 

[Crackle]

How long have you got before your ride, 8 weeks?. It may take you a few weeks to get used to them and get the positioning right. It took me 10 days to get it right moving from toe-clips. You also have a period of 'adjustment' as you get used to using them and it becomes 2nd nature to clip in and out. All that said you will get huge benefits from them and for the journey you plan I'd say they'll make a big difference. Whichever system you get, setup is crucial, get it wrong and you'll have knee and IT band problems, so once decided on a system, that'll be your next post

So system wise, whichever you go for, you'll need to buy pedals and shoes. My only experience is with the Shimano spd system, which works well for many and is used by mtn bikers and roadies alike. It's advantage is walkability. It's possible to walk in the clips quite normally whereas other systems are OK for cafe stops but that's all but have other advantages on the bike.

For my own system I have Specialized Tahoe shoes, A520 pedals on my road bike and M520's on my mtn bike. I don't think they make the Tahoe anymore but there are many others, some mentioned in the links below. All cycling shoes have a stiff supportive sole and for the SPD compatible ones, a recess which may be covered by rubber, for the clips to go in. The clips come with the pedals by the way (for SPD).

I've included some links below which may be of use.

Asking about other shoes for SPD - recommendations from others
Setting up my cleats and pedals

 

[accountantpete]

You want to try the beginners section for better advice than I can give you but basically as Crackle says there are two basic types -smaller cleats such as the spd and larger triangular cleats such as Look and Shimano spd-SL which are crap for walking about in but great on the road.

You want to bear in mind the following.

1. Shoes vary in size between manufacturers and may not correspond to your normal shoe size.
2.Make sure the shoes are compatible with your chosen system.

3.eBay etc usually has pedal offers including cleats which can be expensive to buy on their own.
4.There are differing degrees of movement allowed in certain systems.

Best of luck

 

[Dave5N]

It doesn't take two weeks. It takes an hour, absolute tops, worst-case scenario, to get used to clipless pedals.

I'd recommend Time Atacs, or, if you are not wanting to walk in your shoes LOOK Keo. (Personally I like the old look Delta better, but it's the past, not the future.)

 

[Randochap]

See your LBS.

 

[Crackle]

It doesn't take two weeks. It takes an hour, absolute tops, worst-case scenario, to get used to clipless pedals.

To get used to them yes, to get them setup right with no problems, not necessarily and you may not have seen his other post about the long ride he plans. Besides, if you've never used them before, you may be able to use them within an hour or less but for them to 2nd nature takes longer.

 

[accountantpete]

It doesn't take two weeks. It takes an hour, absolute tops, worst-case scenario, to get used to clipless pedals.

I'd recommend Time Atacs, or, if you are not wanting to walk in your shoes LOOK Keo. (Personally I like the old look Delta better, but it's the past, not the future.)

I think the mental adjustment may take a little longer and certainly the muscle training to take advantage of the clip-ins will.

 

[Hont]

I think the first thing to decide is whether you want to walk in your shoes or not. If you do this will, as the first two replies have said, rule out the 3 bolt road cleats (SPD-SL, Time, Look).

For first cleats I would suggest that you look at SPDs (the two bolt ones not the 'SL' three bolt ones). They're compatible with nearly all shoes, are generally the cheapest option and are robust and hard wearing.

However they are not super kind to the knees as there is very little 'float' (i.e. your foot is locked at one angle) and are very difficult to micro-adjust if you're not comfortable with the adjustment. If you do have any hip, knee, back problems then you might want to look at some of the more expensive options.

 

[Globalti]

I am just going from Shimano shoes and SPDs to Sidi road shoes with Look Keo cleats. The big difference is the heavy weight of the SPDS and their pedals; they are really designed for off-road use so they are robust. I weighed both sets of shoes with cleats and pedals and the SPD setup is 480gms heavier! That's pretty significant.

My only concern with the road setup is: what's going to happen when I get defeated by my first hill? At least with SPDs you can walk.

 

[dellzeqq]

I'm afraid, RR, that withKeos, Looks, -SLs (or the late lamented -Rs) it's death before dishonour. One simply does not walk.

 

[Dave5N]

I think the mental adjustment may take a little longer and certainly the muscle training to take advantage of the clip-ins will.

You put the bike in the doorway to the front room, facing the telly. You sit on the bike, braced in the doorframe. You then watch telly for an hour, constantly clipping in and out.

At the end of the hour your legs know what to do.

Your mind, however, may be frazzled by popular 'culture' depending of course on the channel you selected.

 

[Trent Tourist]

... "and now for something completely different" - have a look back at the thread & review link on Power Grips.