Pedal and shoe advice

Piggy

Am about to get a new bike - Moots compact with ultegra, DT Swiss Mons Chasserel wheels, Chris King headset and lots of other good stuff. At the moment I'm riding with standard SPDs and a Shimano shoe that's not reall road specific - and bought more so I could walk around in it without looking like a duck. Would I benefit from different shoes and/or pedals and if so which....Thanks a lot

maddog 2

some will say yes, some will say no.

I prefer spuds myself. With a good carbon-soled MTB shoe (eg. Spesh) and decent pedals (540s, XTR) they are stiff, lightish and practical. Didn't get on with road pedals - didn't like the float, the faff and the impracticality.

simbil1

What I noticed going from MTB spd's to road pedals was a more supportive feel from the pedal whereas the MTB spd feels more dynamic. I prefer the release on the MTB, but as I release much less when road biking it is not an issue. All in all I'm happy road cycling with the road pedals and MTBing with the spd's.
I got Shimano 105 road pedals - cheap and effective. If I bought again I'd go for Look just because I like the cleat covers they do so I could walk around without damaging anything.

McBain_v1

Dura-Ace pedals plus SPD-SL cleats on a carbon-soled shoe... nice

Hotblack Desiato

Crank Bros Candy. You know it makes sense.



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Barbes

I use SPDs on my tourer and have just bought a proper road bike. Initially i thought get Shimano 520s and use same shoes but vanity and an entirely Shimano free build forced me towards Look and Sidi. No regrets - they're both great. If you're new to clipless the Looks are easier than the SPDs to engage / disengage.

Piggy

Hotblack Desiato wrote:

Crank Bros Candy. You know it makes sense.



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Thanks = never heard of them before. Seen now on Wiggle. Why so good? Easy to engage/disengage. Any shoe compatibility issues? Like the Bianchi by the way...

Hotblack Desiato

Piggy wrote:

Thanks = never heard of them before. Seen now on Wiggle. Why so good? Easy to engage/disengage. Any shoe compatibility issues? Like the Bianchi by the way...

Have used Crank Bros pedals in various guises for years on my MTB's. Double sided,simple mechanism, easy in and out and fully user serviceable.

Ti versions available for the weight weenies and a road specific one (Quattro) if your don't want the zealots pouring scorn on your MTB pedals.

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cougie

Depends what you're using the bike for surely ?
As you say - road shoes are cack for walking about in, but clearly have the edge on riding.
So whats more important to you ?

maddog 2

cougie wrote:

but clearly have the edge on riding.

Not clear to me.........

eh

Time.

By far and away the best pedals around: low stack height, low Q-factor, low weight, nice float, almost impossible to pull your feet off accidentally and cleats that last.

IMO if you are serious about road riding then road pedals and shoes are the way forward being much more comfortable and stable on long runs.

NB: This is coming from someone who has run SPDs off-road (and a bit of on-road) since the early 90's.

Gussio

eh wrote:

IMO if you are serious about road riding then road pedals and shoes are the way forward being much more comfortable and stable on long runs.

Agreed. I commute with double-sided spds because of the ease of exit / entry. On the road bike I wouldn't like to ride with anything other than road pedals and shoes, especially on longer outings.

Look Keo Classics offer good value for money, IMHO.

magliaceleste

I'd recommend Crank Brothers Quattro's. They are proper road specific double sided entry pedals that actually allow you to walk around in them reasonably without faffing with cleat covers or destroying your floor. Cleats are available in two or three hole drillings too. I like the float. Couldn't get on with Time or Looks.

The bearings are much bigger that the ones in the Candys.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360029913&N=Crank%20Brothers%20Quattro%20SL%20Pedals

Piggy

magliaceleste wrote:

I'd recommend Crank Brothers Quattro's. They are proper road specific double sided entry pedals that actually allow you to walk around in them reasonably without faffing with cleat covers or destroying your floor. Cleats are available in two or three hole drillings too. I like the float. Couldn't get on with Time or Looks.

The bearings are much bigger that the ones in the Candys.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360029913&N=Crank%20Brothers%20Quattro%20SL%20Pedals

Thanks. I've read some feedback that the crank bors don't allow side ways movement? My left foot with spds naturally turns inwards. Would this be an issue in your experience?

M

spasypaddy

i use crank brother egg beaters (got them second hand off ebay) they are excellent and highly recommend them. Wish id got quattros but at £16 for the £50 pedals im not complaining!

magliaceleste

There's generally a fair bit of float on all Egg Beaters and Quattros included. My foot tends to go the opposite way to yours - heel in slightly and I've not found a problem. It's also easy enough to fit the cleat at a slight angle.

There is certainly a lot more float then Look Keo's which I found made my knees ache. II also found that Quattros are also also easier to get out of.

Unfortunately it's like saddles, a case of finding something that suits you.

eh

Why do you want double sided entry road pedals, what advantage does that offer?

Appart from old school Looks no pedal system needs cleat covers so thats no advantage. Further Crank Brothers are heavy and have minimal adjustment.

magliaceleste

Why double sided? Because it's easier to clip into. No more flipping the pedal to get the right side. Of course if you're a pro and the roads are always closed, it's no problem.

Well you can't walk in Keos very far without damaging them as the cleats are so soft. The Keo's are really light for the money though.

Time Impact RXS is the same weight as a Quattro Ti (although the RXS is cheaper). The Quattro Ti is about the same weight as the Dura Ace SPD-SL and about the same price. The speedplays might be lighter but you're back to watching the cleats again.

Why, Because my knees don't hurt thanks to the float and I don't have to rip the sole off my shoe to unclip. I'm used to Egg Beaters having them on all my other bikes.

I've actually owned/tried most of the rest and don't like them, so this is my opinion based on cash that I've spent. Feel free to ignore it, it's just my opinion. As I said above it's like saddles, everyone has a preference.

And finally, actually they don't have any adjustment. You can't adjust them because you don't need to.

cougie

maddog 2 wrote:

cougie wrote:

but clearly have the edge on riding.

Not clear to me.........

So Maddog - what shoes do you suggest are best for riding in ?? I'm sure the pro peleton would love to know the best shoe for riding.


I use road shoes and Look pedals for long stuff and racing, but if its winter or I'm gonna be walking I go for my MTB shoes and Time Atac pedals. Double sided, lots of float, but you can feel the pedal through the shoe more than you can on say a carbon road shoe.