Pedal system advice
top_bhoy
Posts: 1,424
My mate has asked me on what type of clipless pedal and shoe he should buy for his first foray into clipless systems. I have personally (over 20 years) only ever used Look systems. He will want his purchase to last for a decent time period without breaking and to provide reasonable performance without emptying his bank. (Utopia!!!!..lol)
He will primarily be using the set-up for road cycling and I can't see any disadvantage to the Look system for what he wants. However I don't want to blindly advise him down that path because that is what I have only ever used (or I have never considered alternatives because of the expense of changing everything at the one time).
I've had a look about and will suggest to him the Shimano R087 shoes with a PD-R540 pedal. This road combo would appear to meet the criteria. The R087 should also take a Look Keo cleat.
Should he decide to go the Keo route, what are the lower end of the Keo range of pedals like to use (my experiences are only with the top price range Keo pedals)? If the look Keo route was suggested he would go that way if it met the budget; as a first timer into clipless, he has no pre-conceived concepts on what he goes for.
(Am I correct in assuming that the SPD-SL and Look Keo systems are reasonably close to one another in performance terms so as not to make much difference to a novice user other than gaining specific familiarity with the chosen system? Also, for his purpose, are SPD pedals really a poor compromise unless he intends to walk distances more than a few metres in his cycling shoes (I know I find walking to the front door in the Look cleats difficult
).
Thanks for reading and any advice/guidance appreciated.
He will primarily be using the set-up for road cycling and I can't see any disadvantage to the Look system for what he wants. However I don't want to blindly advise him down that path because that is what I have only ever used (or I have never considered alternatives because of the expense of changing everything at the one time).
I've had a look about and will suggest to him the Shimano R087 shoes with a PD-R540 pedal. This road combo would appear to meet the criteria. The R087 should also take a Look Keo cleat.
Should he decide to go the Keo route, what are the lower end of the Keo range of pedals like to use (my experiences are only with the top price range Keo pedals)? If the look Keo route was suggested he would go that way if it met the budget; as a first timer into clipless, he has no pre-conceived concepts on what he goes for.
(Am I correct in assuming that the SPD-SL and Look Keo systems are reasonably close to one another in performance terms so as not to make much difference to a novice user other than gaining specific familiarity with the chosen system? Also, for his purpose, are SPD pedals really a poor compromise unless he intends to walk distances more than a few metres in his cycling shoes (I know I find walking to the front door in the Look cleats difficult
).Thanks for reading and any advice/guidance appreciated.
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Comments
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I'm a Look man too, i've used them for years without a problem. I always recommended them to friends who are just starting out, they're easy to use, set up and you get the choice of three cleats, all have been happy and found them easy to use, the only issue is the same with any shoe and cleat is ..... starting and stopping but that comes with practice.
I've got carbon on one bike, classic on another and to be honest there's no difference, a mate purchased a pair of the Look compatable pedals for £25 and they're working fine.0 -
I've been running a pair of cheap Exustar look type pedals for a year now and have had no issues at all. Got them off eBay for about £25.0
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Thanks.
Just got an email from him and he is going to go for the Shimano R087 shoes with a PD-R540 pedal. Had a look and surprisingly he can get these shoes locally less than from Wiggle et al.That was the clincher as he can try them on instead of guessing and it's difficult to argue against that logic when there isn't a whole lot between the different systems.0
