shoe & pedal advice

I am brand new to cycling - I just bought my bike a week and a half ago, so I am still a complete newbie, but I can already tell that I am an addict, because I LOVE it.

But since I am so new, I didn't go for the fancy pedals right away (and not coincidentally, I have not fallen yet!). But I am already eyeing them, so I was hoping that the knowledgable ladies here might have some advice for me.

How do I pick what kind of clips to get? And I have a lovely pair of Sidi road shoes now, with SPD clips on them (they are my spin shoes), but a) I am not crazy about SPD so far and b) I am concerned about having road shoes and then having to walk on them at all.

But if SPD are good, and road shoes are generally considered the way to go, then I can always keep what I have (and that can be the ONE thing about this new hobby that won't cost me a bunch of money!). Or I can get a pair of shoes with some walk-ability to them, in which case, we end up back at the earlier question - how does one decide what kind of pedals to get?

I have mtb shoes (Specialized Taho) and Speedplay Frogs which I use on my road bikes. No moving parts and nothing to adjust. Very easy to get in and out of, and I can walk on the cleats just fine. http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.frog Frog cleats should fit on SPD shoes, too.

Since you already have experience with shoes and clipless systems through spinning, what about taking your shoes and bike down to your LBS and asking them to let you try a few different systems on a trainer?

I use Look pedals because I have had problems with plantar fasciitis in the past, and I have read that for some the SPD pedals are too small to keep the foot stable. BUT others love the SPD pedals and say they are easiest to get in and out of. I find the Looks easy to use.

I also just got Sidi shoes (had Shimano and Specialized before, and they didn't fit well). The Sidis are awesome. You won't have any problem walking short distances in them, say, to a park bench or something while you're on your ride. If there was a reason you would be walking some distance, then you probably would want to go with mountain bike shoes.

I use Crank Brothers Quattros and love them. Double sided entry, nice size platform so you can pedal without being clipped in if you need to.

See them here www.crankbrothers.com

I wear Sidi road shoes and find them super comfy.

Good luck with the shoe and pedal shopping.

I have SPD's and love them, but I haven't tried anything else to be able to really compare. I probably won't try anything else, though, because I want to be able to put on one pair of shoes in the morning and not have to worry about walking around in them before and after pedaling.

What don't you like about the SPD's you use? If you find it difficult to clip in/out, it's possible you just need to adjust the tension on the pedals. Or, if you find them uncomfortable, maybe you need to adjust the cleat placement on your shoes. Depending on what your SPD issues are, it might just take one little adjustment to change how you feel about them.

Like you mentioned, road shoes are not made for walking for more then 10 metres. So you first have to think what you want to do with your bike. Do you want to get of the bike often to go for a short walk then road shoes are not the way to go. Then SPD or the crankbrother system TrekHawk mentions is the way to go with mtb styled shoes.

However if you want to ride long(er) distances and only get of the bike once in a while to get a cuppa coffee (and use the toilet ofcourse) then your feet are better of with roadshoes (hard soles) and the Look, Time RXS/RXE or Shimano SPD-SL system.

Personally I find the road-pedals/shoes more comfortable then the mtb shoes/pedals.

I have 2 pair of shoes, one recessed and one not. My lakes are recessed and work fine on my SPDs.

BTW, when I first got my spd pedals, the were a little stiff to clip in and out of, but loosened up a little, or I got better with them. Continue to work with them before you change your mind.

I have SPDs on my hybrid and was happy enough with how well they worked. I have Nike touring shoes for the SPDs, which I now use only for my spinning class (b/c I don't ride my hybrid anymore). On my road bike, I have Look Keo pedals and Sidis Zeta Mesh shoes. It took a bit of time to get used to the Keos and road shoes.

In comparison, the adjustment period with the SPDs was shorter. That said, I prefer the Keos over the SPDs. The pedals are light and, after much practice, very easy to get into to. I like the bigger platform. I also prefer the Sidis. Road shoes, in general, are better ventilated than MTB or touring shoes, which is great when you're riding long distances in the heat. They're also very light and stiff. My only complaint with the Sidis is that the toe box is on the narrow side. I sometimes find that they get a little tight when my feet have swelled. I even went up a size when I got them. If and when I purchase another pair (Sidis reputably last forever), I might spring for Carnacs.

Just talk to the guys at your LBS about them. Everyone has a favorite it seems and they can tell you the pros and cons of each type. Whatever you choose, I think it's worth the money to have a professional fitter adjust the cleats so that they're in right position. It's easy to develop knee/foot/ankle problems or to experience discomfort if they're not in the right position relative to the ball of your foot. I had that done alone with a professional bike fitting and it was money well spent.

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Originally Posted by Mimosa

Like you mentioned, road shoes are not made for walking for more then 10 metres. So you first have to think what you want to do with your bike. Do you want to get of the bike often to go for a short walk then road shoes are not the way to go. Then SPD or the crankbrother system TrekHawk mentions is the way to go with mtb styled shoes.

However if you want to ride long(er) distances and only get of the bike once in a while to get a cuppa coffee (and use the toilet ofcourse) then your feet are better of with roadshoes (hard soles) and the Look, Time RXS/RXE or Shimano SPD-SL system.

Personally I find the road-pedals/shoes more comfortable then the mtb shoes/pedals.

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Hey my Crank Brothers Quattros are road pedals and I wear them with road shoes. Crank Brothers make both MTB and Road pedals.:)

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Originally Posted by Trekhawk

Hey my Crank Brothers Quattros are road pedals and I wear them with road shoes. Crank Brothers make both MTB and Road pedals.:)

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*Oeps* sowwy, you don't see them (much) around here so I didn't know.

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Originally Posted by Mimosa

*Oeps* sowwy, you don't see them (much) around here so I didn't know.

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LOL no worries mate I dont see many people with them around here either but they work well for me.:)

The problem with most spin bikes is that there's zero float and the tension of the clips is such that I'd kill myself if I had something like that on a bike that could tip over.

I've got Look Keos on my road bike, which I like a lot better than my spin room SPD experiences. I do like the greater contact between the shoe and pedal, but they are not for walking around. I like the stiffness of road shoes too because I have ankle issues. They took some practice getting used to clipping in since the pedals are one-sided and stopping without leaning on the clipped-in foot. But they have been easy enough to get out of quickly. And I love the float.

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Originally Posted by Trekhawk

LOL no worries mate I dont see many people with them around here either but they work well for me.:)

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I love my Quattros. I got some last year, as Crank Bros is one of our sponsors, and I've never looked back. They have a lot of really good points. They are very light, the way the cleating system works I can switch between my road and mt bike shoes without having to change my saddle height (comes in handy when its cold and wet - I can wear my roomier mt bike shoes with several pairs of socks, which I could never do with my road shoes), even on my road shoes the cleats are not as wobbly to walk on as Look style cleats, all the styles of pedal use the same cleat so I can switch between bikes with Candys and Quattros without having to have different shoes, they are super easy to clip in and out of, but very secure at the same time (you can't pull straight up out of them no matter how much force you put on the pedals) - I could go on.... I got my husband hooked too. All of our bikes will be getting Crank Bros pedals this year.

I currently have spd's on both my commuter bike (mtn bike) and road bike. I have shimano mtn bike shoes that I wear. I have no problems on my commuter bike, but after 40 miles on my road bike, it feels like I have a hole burning in the bottom of my left foot under the cleat. I was determined this year to look for a replacement pedal/shoes combo for my road bike. I though sidi's were the way to go for shoes, but am perplexed as to what type of pedals to get. I only had the foot problems when I rode until I got a new pair of winter walking shoes and on my first day of wearing them, I had the same problems with my left foot where I thought a hole was burning in the underside. Now I am not so sure it is the pedal/clip/shoe combination, but a problem with my foot:( .

I recently switched from Eggbeaters Candies to Speedplay Frogs on my mountain bike, and I love them. I have always had a little "issue" with clipping in with my second foot (mtb or road, much worse on mtb on bumpy trails) with the Candies. Once clipped in, they were great, but getting in could be a real problem. At times I'd have to ride quite a ways with my right foot out, which doesn't do much for my speed or efficiency!

The Frogs are completely idiot proof, a breeze to get into or out of. I still have Speedplay X2s (road pedals) on my Bike Friday but will probably eventually trade them out for Frogs as well, so I can wear shoes I can walk in. I bought new Pearl Izumi Vagabond (mountain, but look very sleek) shoes for the Frog cleats, and I love them. They're pretty (silver with pale blue), fit true to size, have a nice stiff sole, and are much less pricy than Sidis. I love having the cleat recessed so I can walk in them. Last time I checked, TE carries them. I'd highly recommend the PI Vagabonds -- and Speedplay Frogs -- if you're looking for a mountain shoe/pedal combo that works well.

Good luck!

Emily

I just noticed Crank Bros. are on sale at Sierra Trading Post, FYI.

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Originally Posted by sbctwin

I currently have spd's on both my commuter bike (mtn bike) and road bike. I have shimano mtn bike shoes that I wear. I have no problems on my commuter bike, but after 40 miles on my road bike, it feels like I have a hole burning in the bottom of my left foot under the cleat. I was determined this year to look for a replacement pedal/shoes combo for my road bike. I though sidi's were the way to go for shoes, but am perplexed as to what type of pedals to get. I only had the foot problems when I rode until I got a new pair of winter walking shoes and on my first day of wearing them, I had the same problems with my left foot where I thought a hole was burning in the underside. Now I am not so sure it is the pedal/clip/shoe combination, but a problem with my foot:( .

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Are the cleats back far enough relative to the pedal spindle on the road bike?

Thanks for the advice, everyone!
I think my first step will be to decide if I can/want to spend the money on a new pair of shoes, and have one for spin and one for the bike. If I do, then I will have to decide on all the pedal systems. But at least now if I don't, I won't feel too bad about sticking with SPDs. I think I am just not used to them on the spin bikes yet...

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Originally Posted by aicabsolut

Are the cleats back far enough relative to the pedal spindle on the road bike?

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I think they are...my shoes are a 38 and there isn't a lot of room to move the cleats further back. I do keep riding after the pain begins, but then my foot is very sore when I try to walk for several days after. Thanks for the advise, though. I salesperson at REI told me he thought I maybe a larger surface cleat area might be the answer, but it is very expensive to "guess" this may be my solution. My shimanos are wearing out, however, so a new pair of shoes are needed. They will still be good for my commute, but not longer rides.

If it's sore days later, it doesn't sound like your typical "hot foot" pain. Sounds more like plantar fasciitis or something like that. I had some bad pain out at the 5th metatarsal about a year ago. Moving my cleats helped a lot, but it took time. Turns out I had given myself peroneal tendonitis that I had to go to PT to rehab. The original cause was from some pelvic / hip issues. Hurt more when walking, but I was tweaking it on the bike. I also was just spinning then with no-float SPDs. Don't know if it was the lack of float or the size of the cleat (they were too far forward too). But I don't aggravate it or make it flare back up at all with my Keos.