Need help buying cycling shoes

[CindyVA]

I have a question but it is a bit complicated.

I have been cycling outside since last year but own a hybrid with regular old pedals. I am going to "upgrade" to a road bike (actually, I'll keep the hybrid but get a road bike) in the next few weeks. I want to ride more seriously this year, including doing a Century.

I have not decided on what type of pedals I want for my road bike. Of course, everyone has an opinion but me LOL. I do want some type of pedals that I can "clip in" rather than cages.

I have been spinning during the winter and plan to continue into spring and summer. I really want a pair of cycling shoes to use in my spinning class. Most of the folks in my spin class seem to wear the SPD type cleats rather than the road shoes.

Here is my question. Should I buy a pair of shoes for spinning and see what happens with my road bike or should I try and "think ahead" before I buy.

Also, what type of shoes (brands, types, etc.) does anyone recommend for spinning.

What a convoluted question!

Thanks in advance,

Cindy

[VeloVT]

If it's in your budget, I would just get a pair of cheap shoes for spinning -- if you shop sales at Performance, Nashbar, etc you should be able to pick something up for well under $60. Put SPD cleats on them, and get used to clipping in and out on the spin bike.

Then when you have your road bike, and you are used to how it feels and fits, take some time and try on lots of shoes. Fit and sole stiffness will be much more important on your real bike, which you will probably spend much more time on at a go than a spin bike. Then talk to your LBS about different pedal systems -- they're usually pretty helpful about pedals.

Lots of people do run SPDs on their road bikes, and are quite happy with them. But I wouldn't let the fact that you want clipless spinning shoes determine what pedal system to use on your bike, at least not without doing a fair amount of research first.

Good luck!

[OakLeaf]

Or a slightly different viewpoint...

Cleat alignment is just as important on a spin bike as on the road. But it's simpler to adjust when you're spinning, because (1) you can have a real screwdriver or socket driver with you, and (2) the whole group doesn't have to stop for you to make an adjustment.

So if spinning is what you're doing now, and you can get the shoes and pedals you want, then you can have them in perfect alignment by the time it's nice enough to ride outside. (If you want to have a dedicated pair of spin shoes, maybe you can get a cheaper pair made on the same last as your chosen road shoes, and copy the outline of the cleat onto the other pair.)

[tulip]

I use the same shoes for spinning and riding outside. I started riding outside first, and took up spinning some 20 years later (a couple of years ago).

If you end up liking a system different than SPD for your road bike, though, you'll end up having spin shoes and road shoes. Some folks do better with Frogs or Look for road, and those are not offered on spin bikes, as far as I know.

[Zen]

Most of the folks in my spin class seem to wear the SPD type cleats rather than the road shoes.

I think there are two questions to be answered here - cleat systems and shoe types.

For spinning the cleat system is cut and dried. They have to be SPD's
And as mentioned before , Performance or Nashbar cheapie shoes which will likely be a MTB type.

For road riding you'll have to decide on both shoes and clip systems which I won't even begin to address.

Road or MTB?
Frogs or SPD's?

Everybody has a preference.

[Crankin]

I bought my first shoes for spin, so they were mtb shoes with spds. I used them on my first road bike, with spd pedals. When I upgraded to a nicer bike, I got Speedplay pedals and road shoes and kept the old ones for spin. They were really too small for me, which I didn't find out until I bought a mountain bike and tried to wear them with thicker socks in the fall. So I got new mountain shoes, which, of course, I still use for spin.
I think you will find it easier to start with the one (spd's) and wear mountain shoes for road riding and then add in the road shoes/pedals when you feel comfortable. Of course, not everyone needs to do this, but I found once I had the confidence riding on the road with spds, it wasn't any transition to the Speedplays.