Advice regards Shoes/Cleats/Pedals for first bike

EightOhEight

I'm getting a Trek 1.5 or 2.1 as my first road bike.
I need to choose Shoes/Cleats/Pedals now... total noob regards this please help. What are the priorites? budget is limited.. Should I spend as much as I can on the shoes and upgrade the pedals/Cleats when finances allow? Look? SPD? what will it be? What do you use?
Thanks

Buckled_Rims

Well virtually every rider will have their own ideas and combinations that work for them, so the answer will be just as confusing as the problem :shock:

For a beginner I would go SPD with the M520 pedal, it's dual sided so you don't need to think too hard about clipping in. SPD shoes are far easier to walk in and some look like trainers so you wont get funny looks.

mattsaw

+1 for the M520s

I started off commuting with some Look Keo road pedals and found it really difficult with the amount of clipping in and out I was doing, especially on hill starts at lights. Once I moved over to some MTB shoes, multi-release cleats and 520s I haven't looked back. They are also 100% better than flats or clips.

springtide9

I have been using SPD MTB cleats since Xmas but have switched to SPD SL with no regrets (after being a bit anti 'not having to have two pairs of shoes').

Clipping in with SPD (MTB) cleats is easier than with the single sided road version, but still very easy. Unless you also have an MTB, I don't see much advantage. I personally don't really find then any harder to walk in than SPDs.

Dare I say it but have to admit; I prefer the reduced float that the SPD SL offer, larger contact area as well as my shoes are stiffer (although it could be that my MTB shoes are not very stiff).

But if I was doing a daily commute with lots of stops and starts, then I'm sure the 'clipping in' advantage would tip the balance to the SPDs.

When looking at road cleats, it did feel like a minefield with all of the different options; I just went with SPD SL on recommendation by a friend as well as being familiar with Shimano equipment.

If you are planning on buying SPDs, then the M520s are great value.

Fenred

Another 520 advocate here. Loads of float and set them light for quick release until your confidence builds.

zanelad

I had my first ride today on clipless pedals.

I got Shimano RT31 shoes. A road style shoe but with SPD cleats. The pedals were double sided. SPD fitting one side with a flat pedal on the other.

What a revelation. Cycling was far better than with trainers and flat pedals. Clipping in was easy, although I'm sure I'll get better with practice. No "moments" (I hope I'm not tempting fate by typing that) and easy to unclip.

Total cost was £100. Shoes were £60 and pedals were £40, bioth from my LBS. I could have probabty saved a few quid on-line, but I needed to see what size shoe fitted and you can't do that on-line. They ordered the shoes, cos I've got big feet and my size wasn't in stock, fitted the cleats and explained how the tension could be adjusted on the clip mechanism. Good service I thought.

Do it, you won''t regret it.

mikeyboy12345

All good advice, but depends on your riding. If commuting, I'd stick with SPDs. M520s are brilliant value, and using one system means no headaches (I use SPDs on the winter hack, fixie, "town" bike for shopping, and when touring). If you'll do none of these things and simply ride a road bike long distance for fun/fitness/speed, jump straight in and get road pedals.

I've currently got Specialized S-Works 2011 road shoes. Four times the price of an entry level MTB shoe, but much better value IMHO. I use Look Keo-compatible Ritchey Echelon pedals. Ok, they're £80, but they're only 230 grams a pair. Overall, the road shoe/pedal combo is over 400 grams lighter than my MTB shoes and M520 pedals. That's a big upgrade on what was already a big upgrade on normal trainers.

Which road pedal system? Shimano pedals are relatively heavy. I chose the Look Keo system as my the for-hire track bikes at my local velodrome use the same system!

If you only plan to ever ride a road bike you may feel, 6 months down the line, that the money you spent on SPDs was better spent on road pedals.

smokeysmoo2

+1 for the M520s
I still use 520's on my Langster, and I use Speedplay Zero's on Focus bikes, but that will more than blow your budget.
Start out with 520's then if you fancy a change once you are used to being clipped in, talk to others by all means, but this is one area where personal preference counts probably more than anything else.
I use Speedplays as I won't fit SPD's on my carbon bike, and after initially using SPD-R pedals I just could not get comfy with them on longer rides.
Make sure you check the tension on the pedals before you first try them so you ensure you can clip out easily when you need to.
Once you've ridden clipped in you will never want to go back to platform pedals again.

Squillinossett

Depends on budget, Speedplays if you are a bit flush, but for whtyou plan to use them for, the 520's are cracking value (about £15-£20 on ebay)