shoe & pedal advice

[Trekhawk]

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

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

[aicabsolut]

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.

[Eden]

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

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.

[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 .

[emily_in_nc]

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

[SouthernBelle]

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

[aicabsolut]

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 .

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

[annabelle]

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...

[sbctwin]

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

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.

[aicabsolut]

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.