Cycling Shoe advice
bayhota
Posts: 40
When and bought myself a road bike, and a lot of gear for commuting to work and cycling at the weekend.
The only thing im having troubling deciding in what shoes id need.
The bike come with flat pedals with toe clips, so my question is what shoe are the best for these pedals, nor would i need to swap them for different pedals and if so what pedals should i go for and what shoes then id need.
This is all new to me so what should i go for?
I dont want to be spending a fortune.
thanks in Advance
The only thing im having troubling deciding in what shoes id need.
The bike come with flat pedals with toe clips, so my question is what shoe are the best for these pedals, nor would i need to swap them for different pedals and if so what pedals should i go for and what shoes then id need.
This is all new to me so what should i go for?
I dont want to be spending a fortune.
thanks in Advance
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Comments
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For toe clips, you mainly want an upper without too many extrusions, as they'll get caught. You can't really get toe clip-specific shoes anymore, but SPD shoes work well, and the SPD system is a great all-rounder for road cycling anyway. Riding with clips and straps is actually very good training for using clipless.0
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I'd recommend considering SPD as a good all-rounder.
For a reasonable amount you could get Shimano spd m520 pedals + Shimano mo65 shoes but worth finding a shop to try and buy shoes.0 -
^ wot they said. I have simple SPD pedals on both my road bikes. M520 on one and M540 on the other. Double sided so it's easy to just stomp and go. M520s are about £15 a pair and come with the cleats.
Footwear wise I have an old pair of Nike touring shoes. They look a lot less chunky than MTB shoes but the cleat is recessed into the sole so they are walkable without skidding / wearing out the cleats / sounding like a pit-pony.
Nike stopped doing cycling stuff years ago* but Shimano do a couple of touring shoes. Their RT32 is the simplest / cheapest. I find footwear is best bought from a shop so you can try on different makes / sizes; others may recommend internet shopping for several pairs at a time and returning the ones that don't fit...
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-rt32-spd-touring-shoes/
* unless you're Mark Cavendish0 -
sounding like a pit-pony.
A/ You only sound like a pit-pony if you walk rather than cycle
B/ The clip in/out noise of SPD SL trumps any pit-pony-ness even if you do walk
To the OP, candy 1's with a pair of ratchet top strapped MTB shoes would be a good option
A600's would be good too.0 -
I was in the same boat not that long ago. My bike came with awful toe cages that in my opinion are a nightmare! Originally I opted for MTB SPD's with the doubled sided pedals and kept them on the loose setting (so easy to get in and out of), but now have switched to Road SPD's with some lovely Fizik shoes!
I was always wondered about falling off and still being clipped in, but I shouldn't have, switching to SPDs was the best decision by far
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Have a look at some of the "casual" SPD shoes here...
http://bicycletouringpro.com/blog/stylish-spd-bicycle-touring-shoes/0 -
I was in the same boat not that long ago. My bike came with awful toe cages that in my opinion are a nightmare! Originally I opted for MTB SPD's with the doubled sided pedals and kept them on the loose setting (so easy to get in and out of), but now have switched to Road SPD's with some lovely Fizik shoes!
I was always wondered about falling off and still being clipped in, but I shouldn't have, switching to SPDs was the best decision by far
I'm not going to pretend that the ones that come free with bikes aren't rubbish - proper ones are much better - but once you're used to them, clips and straps are no harder to get into than single sided clipless.0 -
after much looking im going with the shimano a530, but i cant decide on what road sdp shoes.0
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Had a530 pedals but got rid of them, rather have double sided clip in. My XT pedals are my favorites.
May as well get mtb shoes if going SPD (they are often the same except for the tread). I've just taken delivery of a pair of Shimano MO65, so far so good. My last pair (MO77) lasted around 25,000 miles, robust things!
Do fancy adding some Bont Riots for racing.0 -
[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19660743#p19660743]Simon Masterson[/url] wrote:I was in the same boat not that long ago. My bike came with awful toe cages that in my opinion are a nightmare! Originally I opted for MTB SPD's with the doubled sided pedals and kept them on the loose setting (so easy to get in and out of), but now have switched to Road SPD's with some lovely Fizik shoes!
I was always wondered about falling off and still being clipped in, but I shouldn't have, switching to SPDs was the best decision by far
I'm not going to pretend that the ones that come free with bikes aren't rubbish - proper ones are much better - but once you're used to them, clips and straps are no harder to get into than single sided clipless.
And getting out again?
All that grasping to release the strap while braking and downshifting as the junction looms - no thanks!- - - - - - - - - -
On Strava.{/url}0 -
[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19660743#p19660743]Simon Masterson[/url] wrote:I was in the same boat not that long ago. My bike came with awful toe cages that in my opinion are a nightmare! Originally I opted for MTB SPD's with the doubled sided pedals and kept them on the loose setting (so easy to get in and out of), but now have switched to Road SPD's with some lovely Fizik shoes!
I was always wondered about falling off and still being clipped in, but I shouldn't have, switching to SPDs was the best decision by far
I'm not going to pretend that the ones that come free with bikes aren't rubbish - proper ones are much better - but once you're used to them, clips and straps are no harder to get into than single sided clipless.
And getting out again?
All that grasping to release the strap while braking and downshifting as the junction looms - no thanks!
Out of interest, have you ever tried? I don't have any old fashioned cleats (though I have a pair of shoes that can take them, and you can get modern versions), but unless you're using these, chances are you will be able to get a foot out without loosening if you really need to - that's my experience, anyway. That said, you'd be surprised how good you can get at reaching for your strap very quickly!0 -
Shoes have cost me £££ until I finally realised I need a specific wide fitting shoe.
The problem is that you dont know if the shoe is going to be comfortable on a long ride until you wear them on a long ride, by which time they will be marked and you cant take them back.
I went through 2 sets of shoes at a cost of something like £100-150 each (and only wore them a couple of times as they hurt after 20 miles) until I got a third pair of SHimano's with wide fit, and finally that lateral foot pain went and I could cycle any distance without pain. Those first two pairs are still sat in their shoe boxes in the garage - a little scuffed but essentially like new.
Anyway, that doesnt really help your initial query.
I use SPD-SL shoes but they are a pain to walk on (so I dont), which is fine for road use, but if I was commuting I'd consider something with recessed cleats so that you can walk when off the bike.0 -
I've just ordered the Shimano A530's for my new bike - the MTB pedals, one sided clip-in, the other flat.
I've been looking at appropriate shoes. The Giro Republics look ok and seem appropriate, anyone used them?0 -
I can't speak for the Giros, but I have the same pedals with Shimano MO89 Torbal and find them very comfortable. Not too bad for walking in either, for short distance anyway. I see the Republics have laces where the Shims have a very secure feeling ratchet system.
Had to do a quick run to the shops yesterday and wore some normal shoes for my first unclipped ride in ages. It felt positively weird and I thought my feet would slip off the pedals at any moment. Can't believe I used to ride like that all the time!0 -
I've just ordered the Shimano A530's for my new bike - the MTB pedals, one sided clip-in, the other flat.
I've been looking at appropriate shoes. The Giro Republics look ok and seem appropriate, anyone used them?
I have the Giro Republics. They are nice shoes but you need to make sure you have some spare 'walking pads'.
They are plastic pads that bolt to the underneath of the sole. They have a thin layer of rubber on them that wears away within a few miles of walking on pave. Once the rubber comes away, the plastic pads themselves take many miles to wear through but eventually the sole wears away as well.
Giro say they are replaceable but I could never find anywhere that sold them or could order them. My shoes have worn away now and the cleats have as well. They lasted well over a year though.
Annoyingly, now they have worn away I found somewhere that sells the pads - just too late.
http://www.alwaysriding.co.uk/giro-walking-pads.html0
