Lidl MTB shoes and other SPD ramblings

stuart_c-2

Well, a combination of not wanting to spend £50-60 on a pair of shoes only to find out I don’t like clipless and not wanting to spend £50-60 on a pair of shoes because I’m skint has led me to get a pair of the Lidl SPD shoes as noted in the credit crunch thread. (Already bought the pedals a couple of months back)

Fitted them last night and went for a quick blat and have to say that if any other beginners are thinking about it then GO FOR IT. I’m sure more experienced riders would be able to find fault with them, but for a noob I reckon they’re a great way of testing the water.

The cleat seems to stick out a wee bit so you can notice it when walking, but once you’re on the bike I didn’t feel any issues with them. If these last me even to just the end of winter I’d be happy with that, I can then replace with some full blown “proper” shoes.

Pedals I got were the ubiquitous Shimano 520’s, I set them on their loosest setting for the 1st run. Must say the biggest problem I had was clipping in the very 1st time, trying to translate where the cleat was to where the pedal is (For obvious reasons, you can’t see what you’re doing). Once I got the 1st foot in the other was easy and unclipping seems cool so far, will have to start tightening them up and see how I get on?

Is there any kind of guideline on cleat position? I put them on at what looked like would be under the ball of my foot, but once riding it felt like all the weight was on the arch. Where should you be aiming to have all the pressure, should it feel like it’s on the ball of your foot?

So, all in all, £20 for pedals + £17 for shoes = good cheap clipless fun. 8)

(Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to report back when I get over confident and have my 1st “clipless” moment)

stuart_c-2

Oh, one thing I will say about the shoes though, check the sizing. I'm an 11 in normal trainers, but got the 10.5 shoes and that was a good fit. I understand other shoes are normally the other way round.

BorisSpencer

They are quite heavy compared with more expensive shoes, but I've used them as winter shoes for the last couple of years. Laces fray and break quite quickly, but that's what paracord is for.

If you like the SPD experience, but are on a limited budget, watch out for the Aldi sale as well, their shoes are considerably lighter iirc £20 or so.

Zeroman_IR

With regards to cleat position, it can take a while to get it perfect. If your feet are feeling fatigued, or you have pains up the sides of your ankles etc after a ride, the position might be wrong. I have mine under the ball of my foot but even 3-4mm out and you'll probably notice. Keep at it, it's worth it to get it right.

angrymeerkat

Hmm... I'm always confused by SPD guys. Maybe I just don't have the balls for it any longer, but I found when clipped in I just don't have the confidence to push quite so hard - especially when things get slightly airborne. I do tend to wipe out frequently though!

SPDs are, however, great for any kind of commute/hybrid action... grinding up hills on the singlespeed, love it.

m@tty123

i got a pair of the lidl spd shoes in the winter and with my shimano m424 pedals they are great, i use them regularly and havent had any problems with them. cheap and good quality.

stuart_c-2

Just thought I’d give a quick update on the Lidl shoes, unfortunately it’s not a good update.

Went out last night for a ride (1st time I’ve had chance since getting them last week). Got about 5 miles in and noticed something was digging into my left foot while climbing a hill, so I pulled up to have a look and could see from the bottom of the shoe that something didn’t look right with the plate that the cleat bolts onto. Took the shoe off and lifted the insole to get to the plate, could see straight away that the plate had bowed and it was the back of the plate digging into my foot! Luckily I had packed my allen key set from this month’s MBUK (Yay to MBUK, how did you know?? 8) ) so I took the cleat and plate off and rode home with just my right foot clipped in. Couldn’t put proper weight on my left foot so right leg had a good workout.

Bugger.

But, have decided that in the short ride last week and the 5 miles last night that SPD’s are fine , no falls or wobbles and felt like I could pull harder up hills with them. So I’m going to return these shoes, get my money back and look for some slightly better shoes.

Now, do I get Spesh Taho’s or their BG Sport??

alfablue

I have Spesh Taho's, they are good shoes, look casual, good for walking. I have now gone for stiffer shoes as they are a bit flexy. The BG's will be stiffer than Taho's. Spesh shoes have a good insole which has a bump under the metatarsal arch, this doesn't feel good to me, but should suit most people. I got Shimano M076's instead as the footbed is flat.

gk141054

Eeekk.. just bought myself some of the Lidl shoes on Friday and ordered my pedals today so not too pleased having read your post.

Anyway will give them a bash and see what happens, but keep the receipt safe just in case.