Shoes and pedals for £150

ilovebigwig

I'll be quick.

Long time commuter looking to move on from toe clips, does plenty of cycling (road bike) as well as the commuting, has £150 to spend on new pedals and shoes.

What type/models to go for? The commuting involves some steps to walk up with bike and strolling into the office.

Any advice much appreciated.

alfablue

I would suggest Shimano SPD's; they were designed for mountain biking but the shoes that go with them have soles you can safely walk in, unlike road shoes.

Shimano M520 pedals are their cheapest and work brilliantly; available for £20 or less online, and great value. I have PD-M520s (£20), PD-M770s (XT), about £50, and PD-M980s (XTR) about £100 and I can't tell which is which in use.

Don't go for single sided SPD's, you don't really need the flat side and it can be a nuisance if you have to flip the pedal (I guess you're used to that woth toe staps though).

For shoes you can get those that look like trainers or board shoes for a casual look, or those that look like road shoes if you don't worry so much about fashion! The latter are stiffer and therefore better (at least for riding).

I have Shimano m770 shoes, cost around £60. Specialized BG Sport mtb shoes are similar. You can spend more and get better closure systems (ratchet) and composite soles for greater stiffness.

I use SPD on all my bikes (road, mtb, audax, commuter) so I can wear the same shoes on all of them; much simpler. You could get shoes and 2 sets of pedals for under £100.

ilovebigwig

Thanks, that's exactly the sort of advice I was after, will have a look in a couple of LBS's this weekend.

godders1

Agree with the SPD recommendation if you want to be able to walk anywhere.

My chosen combo for commuting:

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Specialized-BG- ... _40258.htm

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-a600 ... ng-pedals/

I have the M520s on my winter bike and to be honest they're a great value pedal but I do prefer the bigger platform on the A600s (and they look miles better).

Bordersroadie

alfablue wrote:

I use SPD on all my bikes (road, mtb, audax, commuter) so I can wear the same shoes on all of them; much simpler. You could get shoes and 2 sets of pedals for under £100.

Great advice.

I use SPDs (Shimano M540, slightly more £ than the excellent M520) on all my bikes too, and have saved up for the last year to buy the stiffest MTB shoes you can get. The result is effectively as good as any road system but with all the advantages of SPDs: being able to walk normally, having just one pair of shoes, needing to set up the cleat/pedal system only once etc etc etc etc.

On your budget I agree the Specialized range offer a great option, it's my brand of choice too.

godders1

If you have small feet I'd snap these up! :shock:

http://www.cyclesurgery.com/pws/UniqueP ... CSBC0314KR

ilovebigwig

Thanks everyone for the tips...unfortunately I have large silly clown feet so will not be able to get that bargain.