Shoes and pedals

willardx

Hi all,
I having been commuting by bike for more than 5 yrs and have decided to have a bash with cycle shoes with cleats (if this is the right lingo). i have seen some dhb t1 shoes which look ideal, but i need some pedals. Can anybody recommend some inexpensive ones. I dont care about weight or brand just something reliable. Thanks.

bails1310

I purchased some DHB montain bike shoes with some Shimano SPD's which have proved good, second hand off eBay and no issues with reliability

I also have some DGB road shoes for my road bike with some Look Keo pedals which do feel better but much more expensive.

arthur_scrimshaw

if the shoes are spd (not spd sl) then google Shimano m520 pedals. You can often pick them up for less than £20 and they're unbeatable for the money. I've bought three sets, easy to service and pretty bullet proof.

Poves

Absolutely agree with Arthur, look for Shimano M520's. They are always well reviewed as "why pay more?"
Word of caution though.... cheaper sellers often sell them without the cleats to get the price down and you will then find you need to pay £6-7 for the cleats. The cleats should come with the pedals - not the shoes.
Happy cycling

Poves

willardx

Cheers. I went for the 520 and some shimano mt43 shoes which seem great. Does anyone have any advice on alignment etc. It seems comfortable now but i dont want knee problems 6 months down the line. Thanks again

arthur_scrimshaw

willardx wrote:

Cheers. I went for the 520 and some shimano mt43 shoes which seem great. Does anyone have any advice on alignment etc. It seems comfortable now but i dont want knee problems 6 months down the line. Thanks again

Aligning cleats can be a bit hit or miss unless you go in for a proper bike fit. I've never had issues with setting up empirically, they are easy to adjust and there's also a bit of 'float' in the pedal/cleat interface anyway. Some people suggest sitting on the edge of table and looking at the natural angle your feet are in relation to your body, then either toe in or toe out the cleat on the shoe to replicate this. Front back alignment is less critical to knee problems I would think.

cjcp

I've got the DHB/M520 combo for the commute and some off-roading. They've had just over two years of use, and I should probably get a new pair of shoes (the middle strap has broken on one foot), but I don't see the point when they're covered by overshoes at this time of year.

redvee

I wear DHB M1s along with some Lakes of a similar price scale. These are clipped into XT M747 pedals that are on their second lot of grease.
With regards alignment, each person is different but you need to look how your feet hang and get the cleats to be set parrallel and straight, it's a lot of trial and error. Fit cleats to shoes, sit on bike and see how it feels then try again. For/aft adjustment should be so that when you stand on the pedals you clip straight in, again trial and error.

willardx

many thanks. i have aligned them pretty straight but will check the hang of my legs! thanks again for advice.

Mr Plum

willardx wrote:

many thanks. i have aligned them pretty straight but will check the hang of my legs! thanks again for advice.

With those Shimano cleats (black) there's loads of lateral float so you really don't have to worry too much - your leg/ankle should be able to find its natural position without being restricted by the cleat positioning if you have them set up 'roughly' right.

whitestar1

Decathlon. Shimano m520 £20 Shimano MT 32 £40 close to eight months now. I will never go back to ordinary pedal (flats) again. Although it does stop me from going on a casual ride because I cant be bothered to change shoes. Some how my leg musles look highly developed now

Bordersroadie

Fore/aft adjustment can make a huge difference. I had knee pain and calf cramps for months, finally discovering that moving the cleats back in the shoe just 5mm solved both problems.

Loads of internet stuff on it - get Googling!