Road Bike Shoes Advice

[Catrin]

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 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.

[jyyanks]

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.

[ZenBiker]

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