Which Shimano Road Shoes??? (and leg warmers vs tights)

Interferon

Hi

I'm in the market for my first pair of road cycling shoes and pedals. I was going to go for shimano due to price and compatibility. Have seen these shoes, but would like some advice as to which are the best please. My budget is ~£50 but I can flex that a bit if any of these are a cracking deal...


1) Shimano R126
http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/shimano- ... 52631.html

2) Shimano R085
http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/shimano- ... 45135.html

3) Shimano R086
http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/shimano- ... 59535.html

Or would people reccommend anything else ~£50 mark (looking for things on offer, so RRP is higher than £50).

Also - can leg warmers replace bib tights? As in can I get away with bib shorts + leg warmers around this time of year and in autumn, or are the tights better??

Cheers guys & happy riding!

bendertherobot

I'm not sure what you mean about compatibility.

Pedals come with cleats. It's the cleats, not the make, that have to match the shoes.

So, 3 bolt triangle are, basically, road cleats. Look and Shimano cleats will fit Shimano shoes, ditto Sidi, ditto Northwave etc. etc.

The only issues, apparently, are getting deeper bolts to fit Shimano cleats to Time shoes.

amaferanga

Have you tried them on? My advice would be to buy your shoes based on how they fit, not on how much they're discounted. If you have tried them on and they fit you equally well then get the ones you like the look of best.

FWIW I'm a big fan of Bontrager road shoes (got some of the Race and the RL) because they're a great fit for my feet. You can get the Race model for about £60 and depending on your size, Pedal On might have some RL for £70 (RRP is £139). But again you'd need to try them on....

eh

Yeah fit is the most important bit. However, assuming they fit then for me the R126 would be my buy due to their carbon fiber sole, which is stiffer than the plastic type ones.

I have an older version of the R126 and a mtb type version of the R086, and the CF sole is well worth it.

Yeah I don't understand the compatability point either. The 3 bolt pattern on all those shoes will take pretty much any road pedal cleat combo e.g. Look Keo, Shimano SPD-SL or Time RXS / i-click

sungod

knee or leg warmers are fine, the roubaix/thermal types are the ones to go for

i usually only bother with bib-tights for zero/below