Clipless Pedals FAQ

[Spasspecker]

Unless you like fannying about needlessly, I suggest you keep one foot clipped in (this also leads to some of the best clipless moments that can be had, i.e. clip one foot out, then fall over the other way for one reason or another)

This exact thing happened to me last week! So So embarrassed !!

 

[Motozulu]

The natural thing to do (at lights and junctions) is unclip the left, rest it on the kerb and position the right for the push off. You'll soon get used to biasing your weight to the left as you brake and unclip.


Or is that just me?

 

[Boon 51]

So on the cost of clipless pedals is it a case of ... the more you pay the better the pedal?

 

[Raymonda]

not necessarily Boon. There comes a certain point when you are not paying for quality but for weight reduction.

As a rule if you stick to well known brands and maintain them properly then you'll get a good lifespan out of the pedals.

 

[Boon 51]

OK.. one more question..
I have measured the width of my feet on the ball part of my foot and its 3" 3/4 inches or 90 cm so I would assume this is deemed a narrow foot, so what makes of shoes are narrow..
I've heard Sidi are narrow but there must be others..
Cheers..

 

[Raymonda]

I have the same width feet as you being narrow footed and I wear Shimano boots which fit fine. Most will as they tend to have a football boot style fit which will be slimmer and snugger than most shoes.

With Shimano and many other brands you need to go one size up from your regular shoes, but with Sidi you need to go up by 1.5-2 sizes as they are made very small.

If you can get to a local bike store that sells shoes then try some different brands on. There will be no pressure to buy there and then and you will have a better idea of what the brands feel like.

http://www.trekbicyclestore.com/ in Malaga city centre seems to specialise in Bontrager shoes but may have others instore.

https://plus.google.com/102055742238771477642/about?hl=en - seems to have a wider range of shoes on its website and may have more instore.

 

[Boon 51]

I have the same width feet as you being narrow footed and I wear Shimano boots which fit fine. Most will as they tend to have a football boot style fit which will be slimmer and snugger than most shoes.

With Shimano and many other brands you need to go one size up from your regular shoes, but with Sidi you need to go up by 1.5-2 sizes as they are made very small.

If you can get to a local bike store that sells shoes then try some different brands on. There will be no pressure to buy there and then and you will have a better idea of what the brands feel like.

http://www.trekbicyclestore.com/ in Malaga city centre seems to specialise in Bontrager shoes but may have others instore.

https://plus.google.com/102055742238771477642/about?hl=en - seems to have a wider range of shoes on its website and may have more instore.

Hi Ray..

One of the things I must have is a good fitting shoe as I did when riding my motorbike's so for a cycle I need to get the same.
Thanks for the link to the bike shop in Malaga as I did not notice that one..
There are loads of cycle shops around but 99% are mountain bike shops and not road bike..
If I can find a LBS over here and try some shoes that fit and I like I can order from wiggle so thats good..

Cheers Paul

 

[slow coach]

Just been reading through the posts on this thread and very interesting they are.The extract from Just Ride casts severe doubt on the value of going clipless however from my own experience ( even though I've fallen off twice) I find riding clipless to be far more comfortable . When i first got my bike it came with flat pedals, I had a few rides and had problems with my knees and real issues with my foot slipping off. I decided to go clipless and bought the cheapest shimano mtb type pedals and a pair of mtb cyling shoes from lidl total cost less than £40. Money well spent. I would recommend MTB shoes as they enable you to walk normally when you get off. Downside of MTB shoes and pedals will be weight but for most of us this won't be an issue. With regard to unclipping when slowing down for traffic lights etc. I always unclip both feet Just because I feel safer but if I were to unclip only one it would have to be the left so you lean away from the traffic

 

[GentlyBenevolent]

If I can find a LBS over here and try some shoes that fit and I like I can order from wiggle so thats good..

If you're going to do this, at least see if your LBS will either match or get near the online price + delivery. It's a bit cheeky to try things out then not even attempt to spend money with them. FWIW, Evans will price match to online stores, which is how I got my shoes. While there's many items (for cycling and other sports) I'd buy online I draw the line at shoes and gloves. They're a pretty important contact point, sensitive to comfort (or lack of) and I've had too many pairs of shoes/gloves that were mis-sized, mis-shapen and badly made to buy blind.

 

[Boon 51]

We

If you're going to do this, at least see if your LBS will either match or get near the online price + delivery. It's a bit cheeky to try things out then not even attempt to spend money with them. FWIW, Evans will price match to online stores, which is how I got my shoes. While there's many items (for cycling and other sports) I'd buy online I draw the line at shoes and gloves. They're a pretty important contact point, sensitive to comfort (or lack of) and I've had too many pairs of shoes/gloves that were mis-sized, mis-shapen and badly made to buy blind.

ll

Well I dont think its cheeky to try things out first.. and I haven't seen any where in Spain that could match the price of the UK either.. plus a few of the bigger firms will deliver free to Spain..

 

[Boon 51]

Just one more question.. Do you get free cleats with new shoes or is it pedals or do you have to buy both.. or is it some shops do free cleats an others dont, what ever you buy?

 

[ianrauk]

Just one more question.. Do you get free cleats with new shoes or is it pedals or do you have to buy both.. or is it some shops do free cleats an others dont, what ever you buy?

The cleats come with pedals not shoes.

 

[Boon 51]

The cleats come with pedals not shoes.

Well thats splendid as I'm going to order some pedals off Wiggle with free postage to Spain and a £ 10 gift voucher off the price.

 

[Mike Appleton]

This post is great! Some really good information, thanks Kestevan.

 

[ewan87]

I just got my first road bike 2 weeks ago and got my first set of clipless spd pedals yesterday (mtb style) I have a pair of spd shoes which I got from lidl for spin class so that's why I got the type of pedal.when my pedals arrived I was please to find they had a plastic plate that is detachable so that I can use it as a flat pedal on one side. it is perfect for busy start stop rides and quick rides to the shop etc.