Road Bike Shoes Advice

Getting ready to by my first pair of Road Shoes and Pedals. I've tried on several pairs (brands). However, I'm confused. More than once a salesperson has tried to sell me a shoe with tread. I might walk just a bit in my shoes so the cleat that protrudes alot and the slick carbon surface may not be the way I want to go. I will be doing mostly group, or charity rides. Distances possibly up to 75 miles but usually less. No racing, no Tri's . The shoes they have shown me seem to be more of a MTB shoe. Does anyone wear those on Road Bikes? I have also seen some that instead of a slick Carbon sole...they have more of a rubberized (not so slick) sole with a recessed area for the cleat. (SPD - two hole) Still somewhat of a traditional stiff soled Road Bike shoe, but not carbon. Any suggestions, or advice? Also, I have had recommendations for ALL types of pedals. I had though maybe I would prefer the two sided SPD clips, but yesterday a salesperson told me they LOVE the eggbeaters pedal. I thought that was more for Mountain bikes? So much to learn. Thank goodness for sites like this! Would love any advice. Thanks!

Both my bikes have SPD pedals on them. (M540s on my road bike, M545s on my CX bike, though I should swap them around) I like the ability to walk more easily and not slide around if I stop at a convenience store.
Having said that, I am probably going to put "proper" road pedals on my next road bike, because I'm getting hot spots around mile 30, though it may be that my $80 shoes aren't stiff enough for the job. :rolleyes: If you want the ability to walk but you're going to be doing long road rides, look for a mountain-type pedal with a platform around it. M530s would work, as would M545s, though I don't know that they still sell them in the US. Mine are 10 years old at least, and every place I've found that sells them has been a UK site. The neat thing about both of these is that they're double-sided. Easy! In addition, spend a little extra money and get nice stiff shoes that fit your feet properly. I've been eyeing a pair of Mavic Rush(es?) or Sidi Dominators, pending the ability to try on a pair of Sidis.
If you don't think you're going to be doing a whole lot of walking around off the bike, or you're willing to make that sacrifice, go with road shoes and pedals. The larger contact area helps with the hot spots--you're spreading the pressure out over a much wider area. Look and Shimano both make some. They're very similar...in fact, they've been suing each other over it. Stiff shoes are still a must.

I know several people at work who like Eggbeaters or Candies (they have a bit of a platform around them). I'm the oddball who doesn't. The trouble with cycling is that it's a lot of trial and error to see what works for you. If you decide to get Eggbeaters, I have a pair that I'm not using. ;)

I think it's all about personal preference. I put SPD-SL pedals on my road bike and my partner put eggbeaters on her Madone. She uses road shoes instead of MTB shoes. She just likes the way the eggbeaters work. That you can get in on any side.

I use Look Keo pedal paired with SIDI road shoes. While I do have to walk around in my shoes now and again, it's never been that big of a deal. Look now puts little rubber pads on their cleats that help with the sliding. Plus, they sell cleat offers that you can easily carry with you and put on your cleats when you need to walk around. Now, if I did a lot of touring and sightseeing by bike, I might feel differently, but for club rides and the like, a recessed cleat just hasn't proven to be a necessity for me.

Not trying to confuse you more, but if you have knee problems you might want to consider Speedplay pedals. The cleats have a lot of float which means your knees are not as locked into one position while you pedal. I find that you do want to use the cleat covers if you're walking on anything unpaved to keep dirt out of the cleats.

I used SPD pedals on my road bike for several years and they were fine until I started having knee problems, which is when I switched to the Speedplays.

For shoes, Sidis are excellent but expensive and on the narrow side. I have new Bontrager shoes which I think I will like a lot once I get the cleat position adjusted correctly. They have good arch support and are not as narrow in the toe box. And they have carbon soles but only cost $180.

I haven't had trouble walking around in road shoes with cleats, as long as I wear the cleat covers. I can walk well enough on pavement without the covers but that does nick up the cleats quite a bit.

There is a SPD pedal, the A600, which fits the typical two hole, recessed cleat MTB shoe, but it has the shoe-pedal contact that's more similar to that of a road cleat/pedal combination.

Just another option for you.

I'm all for Speedplays. I've been using the X series pedals for years and I put Frogs on my road bike that is more for touring type rides.

It's very subjective. I'm fairly new to clipping in and got MTB shoes and a 2 sided MTB pedals (Shimano M530) which I love. I use them for my road bike as they are very easy to get in and out of. The shoes I have (Pearl Izumi X-Alp Drift II Mountain Bike Shoes ) look more like sneakers and are wide and clunky but they are very comfortable and I use them on my road bike and for spin class. I'm not a racer nor do I ride as often as I'd like, but the shoe/pedal combo I have work well for me.

You'll find that everyone has their personal preference regarding shoes/pedals. That's why there are so many brands. I think many beginners have good luck with Shimano or Look pedals. I started on Look, it's a good platform so that even if you have trouble clipping in, you still have some security to pedal if you have to get yourself through an intersection or something.
I think if you are going to do longer rides and not a lot of walking, I would go more roadish than mtn bikeish...your feet will feel more supported.
Whatever you get for shoes, just make sure they fit well, that is what will matter most. The pedals for now will mostly be a matter of getting used to it.

My LBS has several pedals to choose from. They are recommending Frogs, and stated they are very easy to clip into. Also, suggested an Specialized MTB shoe that would be for touring type riding (Moto Diva) or a recently new Specialized shoe that has a smooth but rubberized surface and recessed area for cleat, making it easier to walk on (Spirita RBX). Opinions??

I have the Moto Diva. It's very comfortable. I usually wear them more for cross and mountain, but have worn them for a few longer road rides on my cross bike. I think you'd be happy with them.

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Originally Posted by mcook

My LBS has several pedals to choose from. They are recommending Frogs, and stated they are very easy to clip into. Also, suggested an Specialized MTB shoe that would be for touring type riding (Moto Diva) or a recently new Specialized shoe that has a smooth but rubberized surface and recessed area for cleat, making it easier to walk on (Spirita RBX). Opinions??

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I LOVE my Speedplay Frogs. very easy to get in and out of, and also very kind to your knees and or ankles if you have problems with either. I tried SPD before frogs and found them very different. They were difficult to get in/out of and my knees hated them because they don't have much float (more float = more freedom for your knee/ankle to move around as they need do while still being attached to the bike). Some people need more float than others. My SPD pedals may have come from a bad batch, but I've not looked back since moving to Frogs. The pedal is larger than my SPD pedals were.

Whichever shoes you purchase, outside of fitting well I highly recommend more of a rubbery sole rather than hard plastic. Some mountain bike shoes have hard plastic soles where they contact the ground and that can get slippery in my experience. Not soft rubber, just not hard plastic. I had a big problem with this with my Bontrager shoes which are now relegated to spin class only - I strongly dislike the hard plastic surface.

I have the Specialized Tahoe mountain bike shoes and Pearl Izumi mountain bike shoes with SPD's on my road bike. I find them to be very comfortable. As an added bonus is I get to use the shoes in spin class too as most spin bikes use SPD pedals :)

Does your shop have a return policy?

I don' think anyone can tell you what's best. I love SPD's but I'm sure 100's of other people will tell you they love their frogs or their eggbeaters. I was lucky enough to pick SPD's and they just worked for me. If they hadn't, I would have switched them out until I found something that worked. I say make a choice (Do a search on the forums and on the web for all the pedals you are considering) , and most importantly try them out and if they don't work for you, you can always switch them out later. If the bike shop won't take them back, you can sell them here, on craigslist or on ebay. Good Luck with whatever you decide.

I use eggbeaters on my road bike. I know they're not road pedals, but they're just so darn easy to get in and out of. They were my first clipless pedals and I'm still satisfied with them. I mostly ride shorter distances (30 miles, give or take) but I've done a few 50-60-70 mile rides too. I did get hot spots once, when I was wearing cheaper, softer soled shoes. When I wear a decent shoes I don't have any issues even on long rides. My "good" shoes are Diadoras and they do have a little rubber tread, but they also have a nice stiff sole. They're basically road shoes with tread added, according to my LBS. Oh, and I have a bad knee (old ACL and meniscus repair) and have never had issues with the eggbeaters. So they're a viable option, along with the other good pedals that have been mentioned here.

Edited to add: the pedals I'm talking about are Candies, so they do have a bit of a platform

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Originally Posted by Crankin

I'm all for Speedplays. I've been using the X series pedals for years and I put Frogs on my road bike that is more for touring type rides.

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My LBS owner really likes the Speedplay Frogs. Also suggested Specialized Moto Diva or Riata shoe. Are you familiar with those?