What type of shoes do i need ?

[sevenfourate]

Just joined and done an intro.....so my first dumb question is here........!

I've been cycling for about 3 months and bought a Dawes 300 Giro to begin with. I've been doing [And will continue to.....} do 10-12 miles every morning before work......MOST of the time on this bike. This currently has 'standard' type flat pedals with toe clips.


Yesterday i bought a Giant TCR 3 Composite, and will use this for longer stuff, weekend rides, and sportives i do etc etc. I bought another pair of pedals with toe-clips for this as a stop-gap, but want to go onto something a little better.ie: Clip-in etc of some sort


I know there various types of cleat / clip in system, some of these mean the shoes cant / shouldnt be worn on tarmac and other are ok to wear and walk-in for for short periods when stopped.

****So: My question is: What would be a good first "clip-in Pedal type for me, thats easy to use and i can walk in off the bike ????

MANY THANKS in advance.

Shuv.

 

[vickster]

SPD with a recessed cleat if you want to be able to walk comfortably, something like a touring shoe if wanting something looks a bit more road than mountain bike

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-rt82-spd-touring-cycle-shoes/?lang=en&curr=GBP&dest=1&kpid=5360461369&sku=5360461369&ci_src=18615224&ci_sku=5360461369uk&utm_source=google&utm_term&utm_campaign=Shoes&utm_medium=base&utm_content=sW8HUl1CI_dt|pcrid||pkw||pmt||prd|5360461369uk

(Might find cheaper but wiggle do free returns. Shimano shoes come up a little narrow and small so best to size up from normal shoe)

And shimano m520 pedals good as a starter pedal

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/shimano/m520-spd-pedals-oe--ec050919

 

[slowmotion]

^^^^^^^^ This. I've got Shimano M520's and like them a lot. You can use them with SPD mountain bike-style shoes which can be as comfortable as trainers if you get the right pair. If you buy the shoes on the internet, make blooming sure that the supplier does free returns. Bike shoe sizing is utterly bizzare.

 

[jonny jeez]

What @vickster said.

if it helps, some terminology that will hep you when searching web stores.

Clipless pedals and shoes...well these are the types that you "clip into" ...weird right?...the clipless bit describes the lack of the old Toe Clips that I think you have used as a stop gap. By the sounds of it clipless are the type you want to look at.

Clipless pedals (and shoes) come in a variety of styles, Some people prefer a mountain bike pedal on their road bikes as they are arguably more robust and easier to get into and out of (especially on a town ride where you stop a lot for lights) some would never be seen with a set of MTB pedals on their roadie. Som,e roadie pedals allow a larger pedal "surface" and as such potentially encourage more power transfer from the shoe...etc etc

So first decide what type of pedal, then be sure that you buy a shoe that can take the corresponding type of cleat (the cleat is the metal plate that fits the sole of the shoe and "clips" into the pedal).

Some road shoes will not take some cleats.

A typical roadie pedal

and as Vickster says above...a typical MTB Pedal

see the sole of this MTB/Touring shoe...

is different to the sole of this Roadie one

and each takes a different cleat

 

[sevenfourate]

Top quality info chaps (Thanks).....let me have a look and a think, i'll then come back and check what im about to buy is all good !

And those pictures are extremely helpful jonny jeez. Much Kudos to you :-)

 

[Racing roadkill]

SPD's with multi release cleats. They are easily distinguishable because there is a little M stamped on them. It means you can release by pulling your foot upwards, as well as side to side.

 

[slowmotion]

One more thing. If you buy your pedals on ebay, make sure that they come complete with the cleats for your shoes. Some sellers don't include them and, if you buy them separately, they cost silly money.

Oh I forgot....

 

[Drago]

Shimano RT32 touring shoes, right up your street. Decent quality, not prohibitively pricy, don't look clunky, and take 2 bolt cleats so walking isn't a problem.

M540s are a touch pricier than M520 pedals but are lighter and look a little slicker.

 

[vickster]

Limited availability though it seems...looks like they've been discontinued and just a few odd sizes left, like 36

 

[slowmotion]

If you have quite wide feet, look at NorthWave shoes. I'm on my third pair of Missions but they are really hard to find now. Great shoes.

 

[sevenfourate]

Just to update: through a friend i'm going to get 'lent'; both a pair of SPD and SPD-SL shoes and pedals tomorrow so i can try both systems out.

One he uses on his mountain bike, one on his roadie.

I'll let you know !

 

[sevenfourate]

Ok.....so liked the feel of this set up.........just to confirm: This is an SPD-SL system yes ?????

As you can see they have come with Look Keo pedals for me to try, which is kinda good - because i'd seen some Look Keo pedals i liked the look of on Wiggle.



So if i get an SPD-SL compatible shoe (And cleats), will any Look Keo pedals be compatible ?

Many thanks again.

 

[vickster]

I have a feeling you need look cleats (rather than shimano say) Yes that's is SPD-SL, so a three bolt shoe. You could get a shimano pedal and cleats, does a similar job, e.g. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-r540-spd-sl-sport-pedals/

Maybe get some cleat covers too if you plan to walk much and don't want to be buying new cleats every 5 minutes

 

[sevenfourate]

After i wrote this, i looked and found some Look cleats on ebay ! So at least i knew they did exist........

Thanks very much for the confirmation though

 

[AndyRM]

You need Look Keo cleats for those pedals.

They come in three flavours.

Red - 9 degrees of float
Grey - 4.5
Black - 0

Float is how much you can move your foot/ankle once clipped in.

Also, ignore Look Keo Delta cleats - they're for older style pedals, which I believe are still popular on track bikes. I made this mistake so you don't have to.