Don't understand all the clipless pedals cleats thing.

ollie35

I have just bought a mountain bike and new road bike. I used to cycle years ago and loved it and being a runner wanted a change. When I purchased my road bike it had clipless pedals on that I have never seen or heard of before. After asking around I am told that I need some spd shoes and may have to fall off a few times..Ouch

I have looked around and found some shoes but they don't go up to a size 11 so I am watching some on ebay at the moment. The questions I have are;

On my mountain bike I have reversable pedals and on one side they have like a metal section that looks like this is where the shoes clip in, on my road bike they are completely different and have no metal section in them. Then I am told you will get shoes without cleats and need to buy some, they are all different and I have no clue which ones I need, it is getting very confusing. Can someone please shed some light to any of the above.

Sorry for so many newbie obvious questions, but I am totally lost as I have never even heard of clipless pedals or cleats..etc

Thanks Paul

Pirahna

As you've already noticed there are different clipless systems. Nothing to stop you using the same system on both road and mountain bikes.

In general mountain bike pedals tend to be double sided. The cleats (the bit on the shoe that clips into the pedal) are small and screw onto the shoe with two bolts. Mountain bike shoes have the cleats recessed into the sole and you can walk properly in them. There are softer versions of mountain bike shoes with a less agressive tread on the sole which manufacturers refer to as "leisure" shoes. SPD is the name Shimano give to their pedal/shoe systems. You can use whichever make of shoe and pedal you like as long as the mounting holes are compatible. Any two hole show will work with any two hole cleat.


Road shoes commonly have a stiffer sole with no tread. The cleat sits proud of the sole which makes them difficult to walk in. The pedals themselves are single sided and cleats are larger, usually with three screws to mount them on the shoe.

Different makes of pedal will require different cleats. The best advice I can give is to get sorted out with your SPD pedals and shoes then put the same pedals on the road bike.

on the road

You'll be better off getting new pedals if your size shoes are so hard to find for those pedals. Maybe get the same pedals that are on your mountain bike, then you know you've got the right shoes.

ollie35

Thank you Pirhana/on the road for your replys, it has opened things up. O.k firstly I hate the pedals on my mountain bike and really don't want clipless ones on there and also the pedals are very small and first project is to get some new ones, so I want to concentrate more on the road bike for these as people do say they are very beneficial.

So the next thing to do is basically buy some spd shoes and then take it from there? That's the problem, once I have the shoes I don't know which cleats to buy, if there are different sorts, a quick search on google came up with loads of different ones, how do I know which I require? Again sorry if there is a daft question there, I am very new to these shoes.

Thanks Paul

Cajun

I don't 'off road' but I can tell you from experience that the SPD system is the most unreliable for clipping in/out. Ask some of your mates who off-road, and see what system they recommend... Crank Bros has a big following here in the US....as a 'Roadie' the clip-ins allow you to use two sets of leg muscles and allow for a smoother (rounder) spinning technique. you push with one, while pulling with the other...
http://kozy.com/page.cfm?pageID=419

John.T

Cleats normally come with the pedals so if you get new pedals you will get the cleats with them. You do not say what make of pedal you have on the road bike but any good bike shop should be able to tell you and provide cleats to suit. You will need shoes that have the fixings for these cleats. As previously said there are 2 main types of shoe/pedal set-up. The usual one for MTB and touring bikes (but used by many 'road' riders, especially in winter) is the Shimano SPD system which uses recessed soles for the cleat so you can walk in them. The other system is the Look or Shimano SPD/SL one which uses a 3 bolt fixing for the cleat and is difficult to walk in.
I would recommend getting SPD pedals and shoes for the road bike as they are easier for a novice to start with. If as I suspect your MTB pedal has SPD on one side and standard flat on the other you would be able to ride both bikes with the same shoe and use the flat side on the MTB with trainers or similar.

uphillbothways

There are lots of different types of clipless pedal system and each has it's own particular type of cleat. Shoes vary in which systems they are compatible with. Generally, pedals and shoes divide into Mountain and Leisure shoes which are compatible with SPD cleats and pedals and Road shoes which are compatible with Look, Speedplay, Time and SPD-R amongst other types. Mountain and Leisure shoes generally have recessed cleat mountings, which mean that you can still walk normally in them, whereas road pedals just have a flat sole with mounting holes on to accommodate the various types of cleat so you have to do that weird hobbly walk you see roadies doing. You can't use SPD-compatible Mountain shoes with road-style cleats; Some but not all Road shoes will accept SPD cleats. SPD cleats attach to the shoe with two bolts, whereas most types of road cleat attach with three bolts.

SPD pedals are your best bet if you've never used clipless pedals before for a number of reasons - you can still walk normally in most SPD compatible shoes, they're generally easier to clip in and out of and the pedals and cleats can be bought quite cheaply.

If you're more serious about road riding, particularly if you want to do long sportives or get into racing, then you'll probably want road shoes and pedals - they're generally more secure, lighter and more comfortable than SPD pedals, but they are usually harder to get in and out of. I don't know whether the pedals you've got will be suitable and I can't tell what kind of cleats you'll need without looking at them. If they have a brand name printed on them, look up the manufacturer's website where you should be able to find out what kind of cleats you need. When you're shopping for shoes the salesperson/website/ebay listing should say what kind of cleats the shoes are compatible with. You might want to just forget about the existing pedals on the bikes - a set of cleats costs about £10 but a pair of basic pedals (with cleats) costs as little as £17 for a pair of SPD M520 or if you'd prefer road pedals £27 for a pair of SPD-SL R520 or £32 for a pair of Look Keo Classic (all via ebay inclusive of P&P).

Most systems offer a range of cleats. For SPD cleats your choice is between Single Release which require you to twist your foot in a specific way to get unclipped and Multi Release which will unclip with a twist or sharp tug in any direction but straight up. SPD pedals generally come with Multi Release cleats which are easier to get unclipped from, but Single Release cleats are a bit more secure and lessen your chances of accidentally clipping out. Generally the cleats within a road pedal system are all Single Release and vary in the amount of 'float', that is how far you can twist your foot before you unclip. The cleats that come with pedals usually have lots of float. Some people prefer to have little or no float which provides a more solid, 'locked in' sort of feeling but you can b*gger your knees if your setup is wrong with low-float cleats.

Which pedal system to go for is a bit of a prickly subject as people tend to be quite loyal - a lot of us have several pairs of shoes and numerous bikes which adds up to a lot of pedals and cleats. If you're planning on doing touring or just want the minimum of hassle, go for some SPD pedals and shoes. If you're planning on racing or doing sportives, go for road pedals. I started with Look road pedals but ended up switching to SPDs as I started doing more touring and commuting than pure leisure riding and I don't race. As regards shoes, your best bet is probably to go down to your local bike shop and try some for size. If you're on a budget, you can find excellent deals on last year's models of shoes - I find J.E. James particularly good in this regard though it's worth shopping around.

ollie35

Thanks for all your informitvive replys, I think the best thing to do is go to my local bike shop with the bike and then take advice from them. It is a bit pricey near me, but is the best option to make sure I get it right.

alfablue

ollie35 wrote:

Thanks for all your informitvive replys, I think the best thing to do is go to my local bike shop with the bike and then take advice from them. It is a bit pricey near me, but is the best option to make sure I get it right.

Hi Ollie, with respect I think you should take advice from here, not least Uphillbothways' very balanced summary. Decide on style of riding/use/whether you want to walk in the shoes and decide on the basis of the above info. Much better than buying on the basis of the LBS staff preferences. If you are price-sensitive then why not start cheap and go for SPD 520's on eBay and some cheap shoes (maybe as low as £30, like these from Wiggle. Then as you know what it's all about from your own experience maybe spend a bit more.

I am all for supporting LBS's but you will pay top price, and if you're starting out maybe save the cash initially.

John.T

Shoe fit is too personal to buy on-line. Go and try some on. If you then buy them on-line that is up to you but it is not good form. It is worth while putting some business over your LBS counter and getting known there. They will often put themselves out to help in future.

will3

Hi watch out for shoe sizing. Shimano shoes tend to come out rather small. Worth trying them on if poss.

ride_whenever

and remember your feet swell when riding, so if in doubt go a little bigger.

alfablue

will3 wrote:

Hi watch out for shoe sizing. Shimano shoes tend to come out rather small. Worth trying them on if poss.

agreed, usually size 45 I needed 47 in Shimano

synchronicity

Have a read of this.

"Widespread Shimano Pedal Confusion"