shoe & pedal advice

[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.