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Beginner's advice on pedals & shoes?
Ok, so in a blatant show of my complete lack of road cycling knowledge, I'm after advice please on the subject of road bike pedals and shoes.
Having had my road bike for a couple of months now, I feel sufficiently confident on it to be thinking about upgrading from the toe clips that came with it.
However, I literally have no idea where to start...
I'm broadly aware that there are different types of pedal system out there, but quite how they differ (or put another way, which one is better), I don't know.
What are people's thoughts on this?
I don't spend hours on the bike or ride competitively, so I'm not looking for the lightest, stiffest, high-end stuff, just some serviceable kit to help me do some reasonable weekend mileage.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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100 comments
You may find that it helps to add some consistency. I always clip out with my left, always put my left foot down at traffic lights. It's not uncommon for me to do a four hour ride with the right foot staying clipped in the whole way.
If you always put the same foot down, it becomes much easier to know what you are doing when you have to react on instinct rather than with some mental forethought.
I'm in the same camp of always unclipping the same foot first, the left one too. I always prefer to set off with the right foot, so generally leave that one clipped in, plus I can rest my left foot on the kerb if I want to. The key is anticipating the need to stop so you *think* to unclip in advance.
As has been said, stationary falls are just part of learning to ride clipless, both my left knee and my saddle bear the scars of my efforts! It doesn't take long to get used to it though, as is apparent from this topic, I've only been riding clipless for 6 months and am now perfectly confident doing it.
I was cycling with friends a few years ago when one came to a halt at lights while clipped in. The 'oh shit!' look on his face was priceless.
That said, I still have to venture into clipless pedals.
I started out unclipping one or the other side but quickly changed to only unclipping the left foot. Sometimes my brain would say, "Unclip right foot" and my body would say, "Yup, unclipping left" but my weight would be leaned toward the still clipped in right side causing some near misses or actual falls. Would recommend unclipping on the left mainly because it's the non-drive train side so you don't have to worry about getting chain grease on your right leg clipping in and out at stops. I also practiced in a very low traffic area (residential street although empty parking lots are great too) for hundreds of times before I took off on the roads so that it was pretty body memory for me when I wanted to unclip.
Out of interest, you people who do not always unclip the same foot: what's your reasoning?
In my first week with clipless pedals, feeling confident and empowered, I decided to find out if I could ride up a very steep gradient with a hairpin bend and some gravel chippings on it. Needless to say, there was slowness, then wheelspin, an abrupt and total loss of forward momentum, and I ended up lying on my back like a beetle with both feet still clipped in and the bike upside down between my legs.
Swapped those damn carbon shoes for trainers and toeclips, and never looked back.
Hotspots from using SPD pedals and insufficient sole stiffness are both myths IMVHO.
The suggestion that SPD shoes lack sole stiffness mystifies me. I have inexpensive Shimano and Specialized SPD shoes as well as SPD-SL and have never found any of them flex at all.
I'd say that, after finding a shoe that is a good fit for you, cleat setup is the most important thing to get right.
That's a fair comment, but as I'm just starting out with clipless and on a reasonably low-end bike, I'm probably looking at <£100 for shoes. At that price point, two-bolt compatibility seems to be prevalent (or at least dual-compatibility), whether they're road, touring or MTB shoes.
My thinking at this stage is still with SPDs, mostly likely one of the Shimano A-series pedals, and I'll then look out for a reasonably stiff pair of road/touring shoes. If prolonged riding does cause any discomfort or pressure, I'll revisit the setup having not spent a fortune.
The Bontrager Solstice shoes seem to fit the bill, http://www.bontrager.com/model/11664, appear to be as stiff as their cheaper dedicated road shoes, but have a walkable sole too.
Not only do I have wide feet put also fallen arches!! I've been suffering from numbness in my toes, but after fitting a Specialized footbed, the blue one, into my Shimano MT42 MTB shoes I've noticed an improvement in comfort.
I had been looking at these too (well, the RT82 version), as they seem to tick a lot of the boxes around the £100 mark. I guess given your glowing review of the predecessor, that's what your money would be on?
I have a reasonably local shop that stocks both the Bontager and Shimano shoes, so it looks to be a case of heading up there to try them both for size. They've also got the A520 pedals for the same £25 price as Wiggle, or the A600s for what appears to be a bargain at £49.
Further input is of course appreciated though!
The Candys are based on the eggbeater chassis, but give more stability due to the platform.
That was pretty much my exact thinking. Start off on a fairly basic setup and then if the need ever arises, or I buy a better bike, I can perhaps then switch the SPDs out to a more dedicated road pedal and shoe.
The more I read about the Shimano RT82, the more they seem the way forward (not least the review on here). Comfort and walkability is what I'm after, not something super-stiff and light.
Better hope your LBS doesn't read road.cc!
Seriously. Good luck with clipless. But if you go to try before you buy, then buy online...
Hmmm.
The way i did it, i just bought some cheap 2nd hand pedals and shoes on ebay, that was my "try before you buy" (or, before i commit too much cash), then i bought proper shoes online from Evans and CRC, with a clean conscience
That's just because you're obviously a style icon
Actually, just bought myself some one-sided SPD pedals, so I can still wear the trendy daps when I want...
Thats not strictly true;
1. A lot of systems use a allen key in the axle as opposed to flats (the 3 pairs of Looks I own follow this) for a spanner.
2. You can't just get any spanner, an adjustable is usually too wide, and some spanners themselves are too wide. A dedicated pedal spanner is best if your pedals have the flats on, slightly longer for leverage when removing.
Firstly relax and remember you can keep going forward with only one foot clipped in. Start in a very low gear and if you miss the clip in first time, keep turning with your engaged foot. Concentrate on just one side at first so you develop the memory of leaning and disengaging from the same side. Once you've got that down, learn to do the other side. Always clip out before you get to a stop. As you're a starter, clip out well ahead so you don't come to a halt and panic still attached to your bike. Clip out whilst still carrying momentum.
It will vwery quickly become second nature. Don't fear it!
Only time I've ever gone down stationary is when I got dominoed by a clip out failure to my left. He took three of us down at a feed station on a sportive. Poor bloke was mortified!
agreed. I have SPDs on all my bikes and have 2 pairs of specialized shoes - one old and tatty, one with fancy carbon soles - and cleat pressure has never been an issue. I did have some more casual shimano shoes where it was but with a proper touring or MTB/CX shoe you should have no problems.
If you are concerned about fluffing the clip-in in traffic then, although they are a bit heavier, the SPD platform pedals like the M424 and M530 are nice because they help guide your foot into the clip and provide more support to pedal on if you do miss.
Another shout for the RT82s. Review if you haven't seen it already:
http://road.cc/content/review/90820-shimano-rt82-spd-shoe
I ride in them, my boyfriend rides in them. They're the most comfortable shoes I own (even off the bike), keep off the rain a bit, dry quick, and I think they look alright! Especially if you're not using them solely for clean summer rides. Never had any flex/hotspot issues when hammering the commute or riding all day. means I can swap between all my bikes and can actually walk around. I mainly use Shimano A520s and they give a nice little 'platform' much like road pedals.
Keos are nice but you won't believe how fast the cleats wear out if you do any walking whatsoever. Same with all delta style road cleats really.
This is exactly what I did - bought a cheap set on Ebay and then upgraded to carbon soles and whatnot once I was well up to speed (and had broken the plastic sole on the Ebay pair!)
It's alright, they wouldn't know me by this name anyway...
To put it in a bit of perspective, I was in the area of another reasonably local, much larger store, and so deliberately stopped by as I knew they carried a good stock of shoes. By comparison, my proper LBS only had older models in and nothing in my size, so they would have had to order stuff in just for me to try on. All a bit of a faff.
I didn't get a great deal of attention in the store I was in anyway, they were admittedly busy, but the guy just got the shoes from the back and basically left me to try them out by myself. Not a service particularly deserving of my money, even if it was only £100 or so. Was the same when I went looking at actual bikes, you'd basically need to put your money on the counter before they'd give you the time of day.
As for my proper LBS, he gets all of my maintenance/servicing work as I'm useless at that sort of thing, plus he's not exactly short of people dropping 6 grand on bikes in there, so I don't think he's too worried about me not buying a cheap set of pedals and shoes!
Besides, the £60 saved also treats the other half to a Valentine's meal tonight, which then smooths things over as far as my continued, and ever-more-expensive, obsession with cycling is concerned!
Ooh can I take this opportunity to express my love for the Look Keo Easy pedals? I personally really struggled with clip-in pedals for ages. I tried some different pairs and just could not get my feet out of them in time. However, and this is pretty personal to me, my ankles are hypermobile and I think that's why. I switched to SPDs and they were fine. Much easier.
After about a year one of my soles split (on a pair of dhb shoes which were otherwise, incredbily comfy and very good value, check them out for width - I'm not a skinny-soled person) and that was it. Couldn't find any SPD road shoes which were reasonably priced so bought some Look keo easy pedals and a pair of Specialized shoes in the sale (I've got small feet so tend to get decent prices). And luckily, they worked. Not easy to walk in (but neither were the others).
Do you need clip ins? Probably not, but I much prefer them especially in the wet when slipping off pedals more likely, that is uncomforatble and possibly dangerous. Toe clips I find extremely uncomfortable too. For mega sprinting the easy might not be so good because it's easier to clip out but for club rides and sportives they have done me fine. They are also reasonably priced and very light - mostly becuase they can't be adjusted. So if you think you need float and four way adjustment and all that, they are not for you. Good luck!
A normal 15mm open spanner should do the job. Main thing is how wide the head of the spanner is, as you don't have a lot of clearance between the pedal body and the crank arm to get in there and tighten it up.
If you don't, I'm pretty sure this month's Cycling Plus magazine has a "free" pedal spanner with it. Doubtless it won't be the most exquisitely-engineered tool you'll ever use, but it'll do the job and you've then got something to read when you're done.
I'm pleasantly surprised that the vast majority of commenters have come down on the SPD side. When I restarted my cycling about 3 years ago, club riders were pretty much all using look/keo. I notice a lot more people on spds on club rides now. As many other have said you only really need to consider 'road' pedals if you want to race at the higher levels. If you want to be an SPD weight weenie, then Xpedio do some very light one sided SPD pedals.
It has to be said that some people move to the larger platforms if they find that spds create pain 'hotspots' on their feet but that's never happened to me. If you want to 'look' pro (you are likely to end up looking Fred) or copy the pros then Speedplay are indeed 'where it's at'.
Finally, shoes. For very good value beginners shoes try Pearl Izumi all road. You may find them for around 35 quid. They don't have the technical fastenings but we are not about marginal gains here! They last well.
I gained far more from a proper bike fit than all the gear changes, including insoles to correct pedalling motion.
My first foray in to clipless was using Shimano's M545 SPD's, which I believe are now branded as Click-R, on my MTB. When I started using a road bike more I use the M540 even on my new Specialized Secteur. I've only ever used one pair of Shimano MT42 MTB shoes mainly as I can't afford a pair of road shoes.
One piece of advice that I'm looking for is at such time I can afford a pair of road shoes can anyone recommend a make that is generous in its widths, as I have quite wide feet.
Sidi makes what they call a Mega model for their road and MTB shoes which have a wider shoe last with a bigger heel cup. It will also accommodate a high arch for people who have a non-wide foot but need more vertical shoe space. I have their Dominator (in the regular last) which is made for CX and MTB but is really popular with commuters and recreational riders esp here in Portland where the streets are so mucky. They do induce some sticker shock but I've had the same pair for 5 years and aside for some minor scuffs look and feel great. You can also replace the calipers and ratchets as well as the sole if/when if wears down so you can get a lot of use for your investment. If you've got the time and are willing to get a previous season model you can get them for 20-25% off RRP. My friends who race and do tri like the Genius road shoe line. Very light with a stiff sole for more efficient force transfer.
I sometimes use the spin bike in the gym which are fitted with SPD, and this is the only time I have ever used them.
To me compared with speedplays (or SPD SL) they seem a little loose for me, there isnt any vertical or horizontal movement but there is a slight rotational change you dont get with speedplays. Not rotational in term of float, to explain it, if you twist towards the outside of the foot then the inside there is some movement from the cleat.
That being said it might be because the gym pedals are used and abused?.....
One thing to consider is the construction of the shoes too - I have a pair of old Shimano leisure mtb shoes and while they look quite conventional they weigh a ton and are both porous and absorbent, so overall they're a bit shit, really.
I also have some Specialized mtb ones that look a lot like road shoes with velcro fastening. They're significantly lighter, cooler in the summer and dry out a hell of a lot quicker. Much better.
I run SPDs (+ compatible Shimano shoes) on my road bike and agree with all the SPD comments above. I use SPDs on my MTB, Hybrid (combo pedals) and thought I needed road cleats when I got my road bike. LBS advised SPDs and I've been 100% happy. Borrowed a bike/shoes a while back with road cleats and walking around on them off the bike was a nightmare.
I ride SPD SLs on my road bike and SPDs on my winter/commuter hydrid but I can remember using double toe straps and leather boots with a slot in the cleat
Agree with the comments on SPDs, if you are riding in traffic then they are safer, easier to get in and out of with minimal loss of benefit. Certainly the best starting point then change later once more confident.
Remember, everyone falls off at least once when they start to use them, the key is to anticipate and clip out a bit earlier than you think. SPDs make that easier
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