How important are good quality road shoes?

Samvan77

Hi all, I am a newbie who have just invested in a decent road bike to start cycling. The next step now is find the right pedal and shoes. The local bike shop tried to sell me a pair of Specialized road shoes for a £100.00 excluding cleats and pedals - which to be honest I thought was a bit excessive. I am not looking to compete in any competitions but just cycle for the sheer enjoyment of it so therefore can not justify spending a £100 on a pair of shoes alone.

So this brings me to pose this question to you - How important is it to invest in an expensive pair of road cycling shoes? Does it make a big difference?

I looked around online and found these pair of shoes on Wiggle http://www.wiggle.co.uk/time-rxc-road-shoes-/ and was thinking of using it with a pair of http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-r540 ... rt-pedals/

What do you think or recommend?

smidsy

IME it is worth getting a good pair.

I started out with Sports Direct stuff and quickly realised they were false economy.

The soles need to offer good support and I have now ended up with carbon soled ones (Giro Factor) although this is not essential.

It is also worth getting some that have adjustability in the tops too (so at least 2 straps across them) and if you can get ones with a ratchet system or similar even better as these give a good secure fit with almost infinite settings.

You can get decent stuff from lesser known brands e.g. DHB (Wiggle) for reasonable money.

Finally never buy without trying on as sizes and fit vary enormously between makes and models.

iPete

The ones that fit best are the ones you want.

I've tried sidi dominator 5s, s-works et al and the ones that fit best are 50quid Shimano MO77s! For the money they are pretty bomb proof but not as stiff as the others.

markos1963

It's not what you spend on the shoes it's the fit. Generally the more expensive ones will have a greater range of adjustability but that doesn't mean you can't get something that fits for less. I got some Diadora carbon soled shoes from Chaireaction for less than £80 and they have been great. Just shop around and I'm sure you'll find something suitable.

Bozman

Comfortable/good fit with a stiff sole.

jonomc4

I never realised the joy of a good shoe until I bought a pair os Sidi's

thistle_

If they don't fit properly you'll struggle to ride very far.

If you've got comfy shoes then you won't be cutting rides short because your feet ache.

Are you getting cleats if you are a beginner? If not you need a shoe that you can use without them. A lot of 'road' cycling shoes don't have any tread so your feet might slip off the pedals.

If you're riding through the winter, you might want to buy some overshoes to keep some of the rain/wind out.

Shark Sandwich

It's worth noting that (for me at least) cycling shoes last for donkeys. They wont fall apart like normal trainers or running shoes. You should get years and years out of them.

tetley10

I'm a newbie but I got some shimanos for £60. They're comfortable and are doing the job so far.

gozzy

I've been using a pair of £20 Aldi shoes for a couple of years now, no complaints at all.

styxd

Make sure they fit, that is the key thing. Expensive shoes with carbon soles are stiff and have a more positive feel, but this doesnt matter if they dont fit right. I've had ill fitting shoes in the past and its difficult to get the rest of your bike to feel right if your shoes dont fit you properly. I'd say go to a shop and try some on, or order a load of different ones from different manufacturers, and then return the ones you dont want.

bikergirl17

it is all incremental, in my view.

i think it is worth paying up for shoes, since you should have them for 2+ years at least. i just cycle for fun, but think there are bits of kit where you should pay up for good products and i include shoes in that.

i have had all three levels of sidis made for women. the higher end sidis (carbon soles) feel stiffer and i do perceive a benefit in standing climbs -- it just feels more stable.

equally important is that they are relatively snug around the mid foot (i like the sidi buckle a lot) and the cleats are in good shape. wearing worn cleats negates any benefit.

**
you may also consider your pedals. i used cheap entry level look pedals for five years. i noticed a dramatic difference when i went to the basic carbon keos in climbing.

Monty Dog

Depends on the intensity of your cycling and whether you're prepared to compromise some comfort for performance. For general cycling, you're unlikely to notice anything but comfort, but start really jamming on your pedals at your max and you start to notice flexy soles and floppy uppers. Fit is foremost, because if they're nigglingly uncomfortable they'll be instruments of torture at the end of a long day. IME expensive shoes warrant the expense over cheap ones as they last 3-4 times as long.

philbar72

before: standard trainers and normal pedals. feet were destroyed. endurance was reduced because they kept slipping.
after: got some shimano R133's and some 105 pedals. the legs now transmit power correctly and you just have a better base to work from. except when walking, i look a right chump when walking. but in all seriousness, get some if you can, make sure they are comfortable and that you can easily get cleats, for when your originals wear out.

MountainMonster

I love the look of the proper road shoes, the really expensive kind. That said, I have short and wide feet, so none of them fit. The best shoes I have found cost 50 and are exactly what I need.

lotus49

As with most things, it's worth avoiding the very cheapest but the law of diminishing returns kicks in pretty quickly.

I've got a pair of Shimano R087 road shoes (£53 online) that have two velcro straps and a ratchet so they are easy to adjust and seem to suit me well. You can spend £400 (and for all I know more) on a pair of shoes but I very much doubt that they are 8 times as good as my shoes.

Do make sure they fit though and that means trying some on before you buy.

GGBiker

What you need is a pair of the Shimanos or DHB from wiggle.co.uk and a pair of Shimano R540 pedals which come with cleats and are available for about £26.

damov2

I picked up a pair of these http://www.evanscycles.com/products/spiuk/zs11r-road-shoe-ec043245 (they are on offer at the moment) with some 105 pedals, and they have been great so far! I bought a size larger as I have wider than usual feet.

Samvan77

Hi Everyone, wow thanks for all the feedback. I reckon I will start of with some Shimano RO77's and take it from there.

lc1981

I've got a pair of Shimano R077 and they've served me well, although after buying them I did see some R087s for not much more money and wondered if I should have got them instead. As for the pedals, the PD-R540s get good reviews although again, the PD-5700 (the 105 pedal) are available for not much more cash.

edewer

I started out with a set of Specialized Elite shoes, were just shy of £100. Great shoes but did little to no research before buying them. Theyve been great, and had I not travelled 150 miles to see a friend to go riding, only to find i'd forgotten them, i wouldnt have bought the SIDIs I now have. They were just shy of £200, which i know is a lot, but the comfort, feel and ability to really power into the pedal with them is 10 times better!

So yes, a good quality shoe is important

thefd

Samvan77 wrote:

I looked around online and found these pair of shoes on Wiggle http://www.wiggle.co.uk/time-rxc-road-shoes-/

These have loads of air vents which will lead to really cold feet. Fine if you are riding them in a hot country but in the UK in winter this is a bad idea! Go for shoes without many air vents.

styxd

TheFD wrote:

Samvan77 wrote:

I looked around online and found these pair of shoes on Wiggle http://www.wiggle.co.uk/time-rxc-road-shoes-/

These have loads of air vents which will lead to really cold feet. Fine if you are riding them in a hot country but in the UK in winter this is a bad idea! Go for shoes without many air vents.

Eh? What?

In the UK in winter you use overshoes, surely?

thefd

styxd wrote:

TheFD wrote:

Samvan77 wrote:

I looked around online and found these pair of shoes on Wiggle http://www.wiggle.co.uk/time-rxc-road-shoes-/

These have loads of air vents which will lead to really cold feet. Fine if you are riding them in a hot country but in the UK in winter this is a bad idea! Go for shoes without many air vents.

Eh? What?

In the UK in winter you use overshoes, surely?

Even so - you will still get colder feet with all those air vents. Honestly - my old shoes had loads of air vents and my feet where like ice. I changed my shoes and the new ones are soooo much better. These shoes will have vents on the bottom, which even with over shoes you still get cold air in!

styxd

TheFD wrote:

styxd wrote:

TheFD wrote:

Samvan77 wrote:

I looked around online and found these pair of shoes on Wiggle http://www.wiggle.co.uk/time-rxc-road-shoes-/

These have loads of air vents which will lead to really cold feet. Fine if you are riding them in a hot country but in the UK in winter this is a bad idea! Go for shoes without many air vents.

Eh? What?

In the UK in winter you use overshoes, surely?

Even so - you will still get colder feet with all those air vents. Honestly - my old shoes had loads of air vents and my feet where like ice. I changed my shoes and the new ones are soooo much better. These shoes will have vents on the bottom, which even with over shoes you still get cold air in!

You're supposed to wear socks aswell you know

lotus49

My feet don't seem to get particularly cold (in fact I don't really feel the cold that much in general) but I do wear overshoes. However, there is a simple solution to the air vents in winter and that is the judicious application of duck tape.

Most things can be solved with a bit of duck tape and this is no exception.