Pedals & shoes

hill_struggler

Hello,

A newbie to road cycling so please be patient. I am taking on a 1500 mile ride this summer aiming for 100 miles a day and really just want to know which pedals and shoes people would advise?

Thanks!

Anonymous

Fairly stiff MTB shoes with ratchet closure and Shimano or crank brothers (Candy 1's) pedals with a platform.

Make sure the shoes are as comfortable (well fitting) as you can.

hill_struggler

Thanks Carbonator! Will they be as comfortable as clip less pedals over the long distances? Sorry for the basic questions I'm just being given so much conflicting information from cyclist friends!

bendertherobot

Both types are clip less, just different types.

The MTB type are SPD and the Road Type SPD SL.

Basically, this:



So, type C is the type Carbonator is recommending. Type A is your usual Road type.

So, you'll need the correct shoes to go with each type. There's no difference between A and B. And no difference between C and D.

I agree with the MTB suggestion. Something like Giro Code. Cheap(er) at Evans at the moment.

Anonymous

C are touring pedals (clip in one side/normal shoes the other) which I would strongly recommend avoiding.
I was meaning normal double sided ones (clip in both sides). Something like Shimano M530's or Crank brothers Candy 1's

bendertherobot

Yeah, I posted that too quick

THese:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-m530 ... il-pedals/

Bargain at the moment.

Anonymous

Evans will price match wiggle if you want to get them in a shop and try some shoes on.

northpole

The above advice is sound for touring which I presume will entail some element of sight seeing and stopping/ walking about along the way. Road shoes and pedals would be better if you are going to be concentrating on riding with very little walking. I did a 6 day ride with friends some years back and underestimated the amount of walking about we'd do - my carbon soled pride and joy road shoes weren't in great shape after the trip - I should have gone with spd's!!

Perhaps stating the obvious, but if you are going to be riding in warm weather, when buying your shoes at this time of year, allow a very slightly loose fit - several hours in the saddle in warm weather will result in more swollen feet than you'll have in early spring (assuming you are enjoying UK weather at time of writing!).

Peter

Anonymous

I don't see it matters what time of year you buy shoes as the temp in the shop will be the same, you are trying them on without riding in them anyway, and surely you are buying them to fit you all year.

But yes, make sure that are not too tight ;-) Snug but not tight.

One of the reasons I recommended ratchet (as opposed to velcro) top strap is that they are (IMO) easier to loosen mid ride if/when your feet swell.

Boa have the added advantage of being removable with one hand and without bending down, which is bliss after a long ride :-)

hill_struggler

Thank you all for the advice, it has been a huge help! I was thinking road shoes but no doubt I will be doing more walking than I expect to so will definitely go with SPD's. On my way to LBS now! Got to love a bit of bike shopping on a Monday!

Cheers!