Pedal Question - Shoes?

Very newbie question here. I've been lurking quite a bit and you all are amazing with the way you share your knowledge so I thought I'd peek out of lurkerdom and ask the question I've been incessantly googling.

I've been gifted with a nearly new set of Shimano PD-A530 pedals, a dual platform pedal with a platform on one side and SPD cleats on the other. I'm excited to try them out, as I think it's a good way for me to get started (and they were free).

But here's where my newbieness is showing. I've been looking at shoes everywhere, and finally found a pair I like - http://www.rei.com/product/810731/pe...e-shoes-womens. They're called road bike shoes, but they have the recessed cleats, which I thought was more of a mountain bike deal. Either way, they're comfy, and I like the idea of starting out with a shoe I can walk in.

Can I pair these two together? And broader, can I pair road pedals with mountain bike shoes? It seems to me that it wouldn't work, but I clearly know very little.

Thanks for the help. Weirdly, I'm looking forward to playing with my pedals and inevitably tipping over in the most humiliating location possible.

The shoes you linked to will work with the pedals you have. True road shoes/cleats have a 3 hole triangular connection. Mounrain shoes use 2 holes (the 4 holes allow for ajustability). You will need to get some Shimano SPD cleats (come with new pedals) so the shoes clip to the pedal.

Enjoy
P2

Mountain bike style shoes will work with a lot of road bike pedals, but not all. But, per pinsonp2 ^, those should work together. Good luck learning to click in and out. As for tipping over, it takes 3 times and you've got it. I fell over my first time on clipless pedals. Stopped fine. Waited for car to pass. Then, pushed myself up to take off and pushed myself slightly past center, so I very ungracefully tipped myself over to the other side on my brand new bike and cut the handlebar tape and put a scratch in it. I was more upset about the bike than my very slight scratches.

Ahh, okay, so the difference is in the holes in the shoe! That makes perfect sense. Why isn't this information easily searchable? I knew that the cleats would fit the shoe, but I didn't know if there were more issues than that.

And the pedals I got still have their cleats. I got them from a coworker, and I'm pretty sure he bought them for his wife, she opened them and said "No. I am sticking to my cages," and then he never bothered to return them. He just told me to pass them on to another newbie biker when I upgrade. I figure I'll gift them along with with new cleats when it comes to that point :)

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Originally Posted by Amira

I was more upset about the bike than my very slight scratches.

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That makes perfect sense to me. You will heal. The bike will not!

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Originally Posted by elbowglitter

Ahh, okay, so the difference is in the holes in the shoe! That makes perfect sense. Why isn't this information easily searchable? I knew that the cleats would fit the shoe, but I didn't know if there were more issues than that.

And the pedals I got still have their cleats. I got them from a coworker, and I'm pretty sure he bought them for his wife, she opened them and said "No. I am sticking to my cages," and then he never bothered to return them. He just told me to pass them on to another newbie biker when I upgrade. I figure I'll gift them along with with new cleats when it comes to that point :)

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Nice....the ultimate in recycling. Not all MTB shoes will accommodate all road pedals. My Sidi's I wore for years would not accommodate the new pedals I chose when I replaced my bike last year, so I had to switch to a road shoe then.

You have the same pedals that I do. I ride with a MTB shoe, always have, more comfortable for touring.

I love my pedals. As I only own one bike, she is my everything bike so I can hop on and go to the store in my street shoes one day and then go out on a weekend tour the next day.

Had to smile about the "upgrade" comment personally wouldn't dream of getting rid of my pedals