Helo , proper shoes + pedals ? Any differences .

blackstick

Hey there , how are you ?

Just some questions on shoes with cleats that are used with those special pedals .
Do they really make a difference ?
Heard they can really channel more force onto the crank .

But will they be hard to get off when stopping on traffic ? Unless you know the track stand thingy .
And if you have them .... what do you do if you need to stop for a wee , but those cleats are under your shoes ?
Or do you just walk with them underneath ?

Sorry , very newbie question .

Lightning

Yes, they make a big difference. They're more efficient since you can also pull the pedals instead of just pushing them down one at the time and way more comfortable to use. Your feet also never slip if they're properly adjusted, which is great.

They're not so good for walking but yes, you can walk in them for things like that with no problems at all. As for stopping in traffic, you just need to get used to clipping/unclipping. You might be scared the first few rides but it soon becomes second nature.

team47b

'what do you do if you need to stop for a wee'

Stop?

They do make a lot of difference, once you get used to them you will never go back. Unclip one foot before you stop. Remembering is the problem to start with!

Two basic types of shoes, MTB shoes that take small metal cleats that clip into MTB pedals, these shoes have tread and the cleats are recessed so you can walk in these. And Road shoes that take cleats that clip into spd sl style pedals, road shoe cleats stand proud and are not supposed to be walked in.

There are many kinds of these pedals,and everyone has an opinion on which is best, but you need to consider whether you need to walk off the bike and how many bikes/pedal types/shoes you want to own.

I'm sure more coherent people will be along soon...

iPete

Biggest difference is comfort and knowing your feet are always planted in the right position.

ForumNewbie

I just started clipping in last year, but am still using mountain bike pedals on my road bikes as I think they are better as double-sided so easier to clip back into at junctions etc., as well as to walk on. If you get really confident you can eventually go for road pedals as bigger platform, but honestly mountain bike ones (SPDs as they are called) are really best to start with. In my case, I can't really see me moving to full road pedals and shoes.

unixnerd

Start with SPDs, SPD-SLs and their like (Look KEO, etc.) and harder to clip into and you can't walk far with the cleats they need. Shimano SPD shoes let you walk normally and are easy to get in and out of, M520 or similar pedals.

Wobbler72

I am newbie (started riding in Jan this year) and started out from the off with the mountain bike spd mounts. They're easy enough to clip in and out of and, depending on your choice of shoe, can be easier to walk in. I'm training up to do a 100 mile ride in June and as I've started to build up the mileage I found that I get a "hot spot" under the ball of my foot from this type of pedal / cleat arrangement.

I've now swapped to the spd sl road style pedals and cleats. I find them much more comfortable to ride in with a wider, more secure feel to them; and they're just as easy to clip into. The only downside for me is that I find them slightly harder to clip out of (even on the loosest setting). Not enough to be a problem though.

HTH

Mad_Malx

I would definitely go SPD to start with - easier to get in and out, and you can walk in the shoes.
A520 pedals are more 'road' style, and maybe less prone to hot spots, but I didn't have this problem with M520's and these were ok for me too. A530's offer one side you can use without clipping in - useful if you are nervous about clipping in at junctions etc and useable in ordinary shoes.

Very easy to unclip, but very many of us (most?) of us have had a zero speed off in the first weeks - stop at junction, then fall over sideways as you attempt to casually put your foot down. Hopefully no one looking, but for me it was in a crowded shopping street. It's your pride that takes the biggest hit.

The 'pulling up' effect is probably much less than we all like to believe - when measured with force transducers the effect is minimal. What you do get is a much more connected feel to the bike, and they eliminate the risk of slipping off pedals (once clipped in). I had worse injuries with this - scraped shins or heels - pre clips than since.

alihisgreat

blackstick wrote:

Hey there , how are you ?

Just some questions on shoes with cleats that are used with those special pedals .
Do they really make a difference ?
Heard they can really channel more force onto the crank .

But will they be hard to get off when stopping on traffic ? Unless you know the track stand thingy .
And if you have them .... what do you do if you need to stop for a wee , but those cleats are under your shoes ?
Or do you just walk with them underneath ?

Sorry , very newbie question .

-They make a huge difference in comfort, stability and power transfer.

-They are by nature harder to deal with in stop start traffic than 'normal' shoes on flat pedals, but they aren't really a chore once you become comfortable with clipping in and out (i find the key is to relax, and don't try and rush clipping in.)

-Track stands have their problems too -> the only 'clipless' moment I've ever had was when i was track-standing at a junction and the chain slipped when i tried to move off -> luckily i managed to get my left foot out quickly and avoid falling over!

-If I want to stop for a wee I'm more concerned about the high-front on one of my pairs of bib shorts -> can be really tricky to stretch it down.

andyeb

About a year ago I made the transition from standard pedals + toe clips to SPDs across all my bikes (road, mountain, folding commuter). During this time I've covered around 3000 miles and only had two "incidents" as a result of failing to unclip in time; one of these was an instance where I needed to stop so quickly all my concentration went into stopping and I didn't remember I needed to unclip until I was going over sideways. The other time was just last week, but that happened because I hadn't been giving the SPDs enough maintenance and love - an important lesson learned there!

On the road I find SPDs enable me to focus on spinning smoothly, rather than keeping my feet on the pedals. Off road on my mountain bike, SPDs greatly help me to stay on the pedals on bumpy descents but also help with bike control and enable me to "lift" the bike via the pedals when hopping over obstructions.

A question for the more experienced roadies - what benefit would I get from going over to road-style clips?

ForumNewbie

Another benefit I find with the double-sided pedals (I use M540s) and mountain bike shoes is that you can easily pedal with one foot unclipped if you want to unclip in plenty of time when approaching obstables. I just move my unclipped foot further forward on the pedal and I still can get power through it until I am ready to clip back in, when fully clear of junction. As road shoes have a flat surface aound the cleat, I would think this would be much more difficult as an unclipped foot would slip off the pedal.

shouldbeinbed

I think they're great, another that uses double sided SPD/flat pedals regardless of bike. I'm happy and confident unclipping but it can be easier negotiating a busy city center at the weekend on the flats, or if you just need a quick trip out.

The first thing to do is set up the spring grip tension on the pedal, start loose and work it tighter to your preference - its to do with how easily you can twist your foot out of the pedal so don't worry about pulling up and out when pedalling. And make sure the cleats are properly tight in the shoes (tighten till the bolts squeak), my clipless moment was because of this. Foot twisted cleat didn't - TIMBERRRRRR....

Don't be put off tho, they're dead easy with very little practice.

tomhowells

hello all, another real newbie question!
I am looking at switching to Shimano SPD M324 MTB Pedals for my 13 mile daily commute to work. They have one SPD side & a flat side, best of both worlds for a newbie, I have been told.

My question is, can I get any type of road/MTB shoe and most cleats will fit it? Looking at getting a used pair from eBay at first (austerity measures), so I don't know what ones to go for!

Any help much appreciated.

Tom

Gizmodo

tomhowells wrote:

hello all, another real newbie question!
I am looking at switching to Shimano SPD M324 MTB Pedals for my 13 mile daily commute to work. They have one SPD side & a flat side, best of both worlds for a newbie, I have been told.

My question is, can I get any type of road/MTB shoe and most cleats will fit it? Looking at getting a used pair from eBay at first (austerity measures), so I don't know what ones to go for!

Yes, SPD is a standard so any shoe and that says it is SPD will take an SPD cleat. Normally the cleats will come with the pedals and you can buy replacements in few years when you've worn them out. An SPD cleat bolts onto the bottom of the shoe using 2 bolts.

winrya

tomhowells wrote:

hello all, another real newbie question!
I am looking at switching to Shimano SPD M324 MTB Pedals for my 13 mile daily commute to work. They have one SPD side & a flat side, best of both worlds for a newbie, I have been told.

My question is, can I get any type of road/MTB shoe and most cleats will fit it? Looking at getting a used pair from eBay at first (austerity measures), so I don't know what ones to go for!

Any help much appreciated.

Tom

Go for the shimano a530 pedals. Same principle with a flat side and an SPD side but nicer quality and although rrp at £60 I got then from here http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... Googlebase £32ish delivered!

jthef

there is a diffrance as it trains you feet to go in the right possition as I nitice when I ride my lads bike which does not have clips.
The diffrance between road and spd is comfort and walking. if you are riding longer distances use the road cleats, and if you are going to be walking a bit get SPD's. I would also say I use cleat covers on my look keo cleats, it makes the cleats last a lot longer, gives you grip when walking from the bike to the shower block at work or where evere.
I haze found the copys to be better than the look as they are softer and easer to get off when cold http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/Look-PEDAL-%26-SHOE-CLEATS-SPARES-ACCS-Look-Copy-Keo-Cleat-Covers-Pair/LOOKPEDZ205000000000

ForumNewbie

tomhowells wrote:

hello all, another real newbie question!
I am looking at switching to Shimano SPD M324 MTB Pedals for my 13 mile daily commute to work. They have one SPD side & a flat side, best of both worlds for a newbie, I have been told.

My question is, can I get any type of road/MTB shoe and most cleats will fit it? Looking at getting a used pair from eBay at first (austerity measures), so I don't know what ones to go for!

Any help much appreciated.

Tom

I thought of going for one-side flat at first (M324 or A530s), but someone pointed out more off a faff to find the side you are looking for. It is much easier with double-sided pedals, even for a beginner, as you don't need to look down at all. I can even pedal comfortably with one foot unclipped if and when I need to with double-sided SPDs.

shouldbeinbed

ForumNewbie wrote:

tomhowells wrote:

hello all, another real newbie question!
I am looking at switching to Shimano SPD M324 MTB Pedals for my 13 mile daily commute to work. They have one SPD side & a flat side, best of both worlds for a newbie, I have been told.

My question is, can I get any type of road/MTB shoe and most cleats will fit it? Looking at getting a used pair from eBay at first (austerity measures), so I don't know what ones to go for!

Any help much appreciated.

Tom

I thought of going for one-side flat at first (M324 or A530s), but someone pointed out more off a faff to find the side you are looking for. It is much easier with double-sided pedals, even for a beginner, as you don't need to look down at all. I can even pedal comfortably with one foot unclipped if and when I need to with double-sided SPDs.

With respect, rubbish. I've never had a faff or problem using M324s either with cleated or regular footwear. I have upgraded to dual platform/SPD'S from double sided SPD's because of the slipping and/or discomfort of cycling in work shoes / trainers /adidas sambas etc for anything more than a couple of minutes.

tomhowells

Thanks everyone for the advice & opinions. Thanks winrya for the a530 suggestion, I hadn't heard of ribble cycles, they look a pretty decent site!
Looking at a pair of MTB m1.0. Seem to have good reviews for road & dirt?

blackstick

Thanks guys for the help and advice !!
Will look seriously into clipping my foot .

singleton

Personally, I use clipless (SPD-SL) and I didn't find a "massive" difference over what I used before.

I should say that prior to clipless, I tracked down and bought a pair of stiff soled trainers which I only used for and used quill pedals and toe clips that I pulled tight - but going to clipless for me wasn't a noticeable difference in comfort or power transfer tbh.

smidsy

Is it just me or is clipless a confusing term?

Clipless should be what we actually call flat pedals i.e no clip.

I understand that clipless actually refers to the fact that you do not have to clip into a toe cage but you do still 'clip' in to a clipless pedal.

Surely 'clip in' or 'clip on' is the correct term??

Cue a variety of sarcastis and derogortary replies ;-)

tomhowells

On the contrary, being a newbie, it confused the hell out of me for a while!

rick_chasey

blackstick wrote:

Thanks guys for the help and advice !!
Will look seriously into clipping my foot .

Just clip your nails. Clipping your foot will make it difficult to walk!!!


An FYI - I commute through London on full road cleats (not recessed) and they're fine.

After a few months you'll regret not having made the change sooner.

As an aside, because your feet are fixed onto the bike, it's worth being a little sensitive to any knee pains if you get any. Be prepared to fiddle around with the cleat positioning until it's pain free.

ForumNewbie

smidsy wrote:

Is it just me or is clipless a confusing term?

Clipless should be what we actually call flat pedals i.e no clip.

I understand that clipless actually refers to the fact that you do not have to clip into a toe cage but you do still 'clip' in to a clipless pedal.

Surely 'clip in' or 'clip on' is the correct term??

Cue a variety of sarcastis and derogortary replies ;-)

Although clipless is a term now universally used, I agree that it is a confusing term. As we talk about clipping into them and clipping out, it would surely have made more sense for them to be called clip-in pedals. As pedals with toe-clips are still referred to as pedals with toe-clips, I don't see how there would have been any confusion.