Upgrading to Proper Road Shoes

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

Jezston

Über Member
Location
London
Been running crank bros pedals on a pair of Mavic Touring shoes (recessed cleats, a bit like MTB shoes but not knobbly) for the last couple of years. They were my gateway into clipins, and with my new fancy track/road bike nearing completion think it's about time I made the move to proper road shoes, cleats and pedals.

Struggling to find a good guide to all the different types there are out there - Time, Look, SPD-SL etc - can anyone give me a rundown on what the pros and cons of each are? I'm not looking to win competitions, but it would be nice to go a little faster and have a little more flexibility with cleat positioning - and I'd also rather avoid spending a vast amount of cash.

Thanks!
 
For me SPD-R offer the best VFM. There are pedals to suit all pockets and any shoe with a 3 stud pattern will be compatible, the only downside is walking in them is a pain.
I also use Speedplay Zero, but you need deep pockets for them!
 
I personally use SPD and SPD-SL.
The former I have used since day one, double sided pedals and easier in/out than SL's with more float.
Also, I prefer these for my commute as I use the trainer type shoes so the cleats are recessed.
Cheaper pedals than SLs ans longer life cleats.
If I am going on very long or multi-day rides I fit my SPD-SLs and proper road shoes (Northwave) to get better power transfer, but these are a bugger to walk in and at least £15 a pair to replace the cleats.
Also harder to clip in if lots of stops on your ride so not ideal for city type commute.
Is looking at SPDs you can also get the flat pedals with cleat clips on one side and flats on the other so can ride in trainers or shoes without cleats should you need.
I found te shimano SPD type cheaper to buy than the LOOK etc and as I have 3 bikes as well as my wife's, it works out easier to use the same type.
 

festival

Über Member
Shimano pedal and shoe combi are a sound choice.
Their pedals fit your requirements and their shoes fit most types of feet comfortably.
Beware the sizing of different brands of road shoes which vary greatly regardless of the size on the label.
Go to a good bike shop to try a selection and you may get a discount if you buy them together.
 

lukesdad

Guest
Have a look at Look at the keo easys nice and light cheap and no spring tension to mess with, only drawback the cleats wear but both pedals and cleats are available at a reasonable price on fleabay .
3 different cleats for different degrees of float,cleat covers are available .
 
They more or less all do the same thing.

I have swapped between Look and Shimano products over time - both recommended.

The better basics (say Keo Easy or Shimano 105's as opposed to R540's) are a good intro. After that the pedals get lighter and smoother but you can't notice any immediate benefits as they are hidden in the pedalling motion - but they will be less tiring over a long distance).
 

Scilly Suffolk

Über Member
With Look and Shimano the float is in the cleat (i.e. you buy different cleats depending on how much you want); Time are different in that the float is adjusted in the pedal and there is only one type of cleat.
 
Sorry Gaz, but I disagree - assuming we are talking about SPDSLs in my experience they are anything but easy and are downright dangerous on some surfaces, especially drain covers.
 

Ian H

Ancient randonneur
I'm not quite sure why you'd want racing shoes if you're not racing. SPDs with decent, rigid-soled shoes are perfectly fine, and you can walk in them. I use them for all non-competitive riding. I use SPD-Rs for racing and keep a pair of shoes with Look cleats for the Newport track (because I hire their bikes).
 
I use spd-sl's on my best bike and spd's on my training bike with BG MTB Sports (a stiffer sold mtb shoe) and A520's touring pedals (with cage) and tbh there isn't a noticeable difference between the two in terms of power & comfort but there is a more noticeable difference when it comes to walking at cafe stops, the spd's win hands down there :thumbsup:
 

YahudaMoon

Über Member
Hi

Any of the above you have mentioned, Look, Time. Just fantastic !

I love Look for the look (bad pun) and they are French and make beautiful bikes as do Time.

Though I would only use Look / Time road pedals for competition cycling as the cleats wear out looking (another bad pun) at them and cost ££££££££££ I get about 7 month out of a pair of road cleats commuting and weekend rides

So stick with SPD's for commuting and road shoes for competition as they will gain you time (another bad pun)

Unless you have the money to spend on cleats at £15 ++ a go then go for it and use em for commuting !
 
OP
OP
Jezston

Jezston

Über Member
Location
London
Thanks for all the advice everyone - must admit I'm slightly disappointed to understand I don't need to buy new shoes and pedals!

I should try flipping my pedals around, though - my current eggbeaters do have a little too much float at the moment, and understand by changing the pedals around you get two different float settings, guessing mine are currently on the loose setting.
 

YahudaMoon

Über Member
Speedplay road pedals have steel cleats that last an age apparently though I think the cleats alone come in at about £70 ?
Im still to find out :smile:
 
Top Bottom