First Set of Clipless Pedals and Shoes

[Jack]

Hey everyone, new here.

I have a Trek Pilot road bike I got about a year ago, and gradually I have got more and more into my cycling to the point where I am looking at clipless pedals and proper cycling shoes. I have a couple of questions, and then any recommendations for fairly cheap pedals/shoes would be great.

1. Can you use the pedals without the cycling shoes? Say I wanted to use the bike just to pop into town or something - could I just wear normal shoes?

2. What bits do I need to get to match up on the shoes and pedals, if you see what I mean..? Or will all cycling shoes fit all clipless pedals..?

Any advice or suggestions would be great! Thanks all, see you around.

Jack

 

[Chuffy]

Hi Jack (remind me never to meet you on a plane...)
There are many flavours of clipless pedal and not all are compatible. You can't use an SPD cleat on a Crank Bros pedal or vice versa.

'Leisure' systems (eg SPDs, some Crank Bros and some Time) have cleats (the bit that screws to the shoe and clips into the pedal) with two holes and are designed to be used with those shoes that look like trainers but which have rigid soles. These shoes are more than adequate for pretty much anything bar racing.

IMO your best bet would be a double sided SPD compatible pedal. Binding mechanism on one side, flat on the other for use with normal shoes. Retail for about £25 upwards. They nearly always come complete with the cleats.

Shoes. There are many, many out there. Pick one you like the look of. If it looks like a leisure shoe it will be compatible with whatever leisure pedal you get. Leisure shoes and pedals always have a 2 bolt cleat system. Retail in the region of £30-60. Look out for bargains and shoe/pedal packages. I got my first set of SPD pedals in a package with some shoes for £50 about 4 years ago. Never looked back...

 

[Jack]

Thanks a lot chuffy, exactly what I was trying to find out. I'm pleased you can have a flat side for riding with normal shoes - that is vital for me. The problem I will have with shoes is finding them in a UK size 13-14.. Which I am sure will limit my choices! I'll have a look round for some options. Cheers.

 

[starseven]

Hi Jack,

I'm no expert but I'll give it a go.

Excluding some of the more niche types, there seems to be two main types of clipless pedals (strnge term for pedals with er.. clips).

Most people seem to start with SPD's these can be had with a normal footpad as well so you can use a normal shoe on one side and clip on the other or even a pop up clip with a flat pedal on both sides.

They are popular with MTB riders especially the footbed and clip type for when it gets a bit tricky and you dont want to be clipped in.

They also come in double sided clips with no footbed, shimano m520's being the most popular. These are my preference for a road bike too because you can walk comfortably in SPD shoes.

The other common type are SPD SL which are used by serious road bikers. Other than knowing the cleats(bit on the shoe) are exposed on these making it difficult to walk in them I have no experience, so I will leave explanations to some one else.


forgot to say , I quite often use the double sided SPD to cycle to the shops or within a mile or so , with normal shoes its not really a problem.
Regards

Ian

 

[starseven]

Wow , your posts a month old and you get four replies in 30 minutes and a quick thank you.

 

[Jack]

Wow , your posts a month old and you get four replies in 30 minutes and a quick thank you.

I had email notifications on.

Thanks for your reply. So I need to look for an SPD with a footbed.. a footbed is a normal side to ride with normal shoes? Then just the shoes. I will have a poke around wiggle..

EDIT: http://wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=4000000039 ?

 

[starseven]

Footbed might be a made up term for a peddle with a flat surface to use with normal shoes. Personally I would just buy normal double side SPDs(NO footbed) .IMHO. I got some a few months back, they were second nature straight away and wouldnt be without them now.

Someone needs to rename the pedal types with proper words , better get an educated person on the job.

 

[Chuffy]

Jack --> " http://wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=4000000039 ?"
Yup, them's the bunnies. You can get cheaper ones though and they're all pretty good. I seem to recall that Halfords/Bikehut do a version which is cheaper.

FWIW I had flat/SPD pedals to start with for much the same reasons as you. However I found that it was a bit of a false precaution because I could wear my bike shoes anywhere and didn't need to take advantage of the flat side of the pedals.

 

[Jack]

Jack --> " http://wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=4000000039 ?"
Yup, them's the bunnies. You can get cheaper ones though and they're all pretty good. I seem to recall that Halfords/Bikehut do a version which is cheaper.

FWIW I had flat/SPD pedals to start with for much the same reasons as you. However I found that it was a bit of a false precaution because I could wear my bike shoes anywhere and didn't need to take advantage of the flat side of the pedals.

Thanks. I really just want the flat side for if I need to commute with the bike quickly, and I can't be bothered to change shoes.. Happens quite a lot at the moment. So now I just need some shoes which are SPD compatible and I'm set to go.. alrite..

 

[Kestevan]

As to shoes, I use these Shimano spd jobbies, and there great for a daily 20 mile commute..

http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product.php?pid=103607

 

[Keith Oates]

There are quite a few shoes in the Shimano range and I'm sure one of them would suit your needs. Worth checking them out on their website and then find a good LBS that sells them so you can go a check them out before making a purchase!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ibren]

i recently bought some Speedplay x series pedals that work on a magnetic system and a 3 screw cleat (these are used to connect the pedal and shoe).
there are commonly 2 types of fixing 3 or 4 screw cleats (altough others exists)so in answer to your second question no not all shoes fit all cleats but most are universal, it's worth checking at time of purchase
with the Speedplay pedals it is possible to buy a resin compoud pedal that fits over the original pedal allowing you to use "normal shoes" a little bit of a phaff to fit but worth it to have the dual use.
i think there are also metal padals that allow you to use both but i am not familiar with them
hope this helps and isn't just a ramble

 

[Jack]

I'm thinking of these shoes.. or something in the Shimano range - just read around a bit, and saw that those Specialized ones were recommended.

And then as for pedals.. Will these combination pedals I linked to earlier be much worse when using them with the SPD side than a dedicated SPD or SPD-SL pedal? Much heavier/less effective? Harder to clip into? I could sacrifice the ability to cycle in normal shoes I guess..

Thanks.

 

[Chuffy]

I'm thinking of these shoes.. or something in the Shimano range - just read around a bit, and saw that those Specialized ones were recommended.

And then as for pedals.. Will these combination pedals I linked to earlier be much worse when using them with the SPD side than a dedicated SPD or SPD-SL pedal? Much heavier/less effective? Harder to clip into? I could sacrifice the ability to cycle in normal shoes I guess..

Thanks.

Shoes look nice, but they are full-on race shoes. Which means slippery soles. Which, in turn can be a bit tricky at lights, junctions and other stops. Might be worth looking for the MTB version, those tend to have tread round the edges which makes them a bit more secure if you don't engage cleat on pedal mechanism straight away. Those combination pedals look fine. As for SPD only pedals, they can be very small, with just a mechanism and nothing surrounding them. I had a pair and they put the fear in me because if I didn't get into them immediately at lights or junctions then my road shoes would skate across them and slip off.

 

[clefty]

I've got some of the Shimano M324;s and they are really good, especially if i'm just popping to the shops in me flip flops.
I've only had 1 'clipless incident' so far which was on the first day I had them, when i came to complete stop outside work in the morning and forgot to unclip.
As far as shoes go I have some Cannondale mtb ones, really comfy and I can walk around in them all day and my feet wont hurt.