Sad pedals and shoes

kenyanscott

I'm not new to mtb as such.

But this is my first decent bike and I'm wondering if I should just take the jump and get myself a set of shimano mtb shoes and pedals and get kleats.

I'm seeing

Bike shoes
Walking boots
510s
DC shoes

But I'm thinking should I invest the time now to get spd and learn to cycle with them?

rockmonkeysc

Go for the SPD's now. People will tell you flats teach you better technique but as soon as you change to clips it all becomes irrelevant.
I wouldn't go back to flats except for big jumps or freeride sessions.
If you have to go for flats DC shoes aren't really designed to take all weather, muddy conditions and 5.10s are like sponges so I prefer Shimano AM41's

kenyanscott

im looking at

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/mo65-mountai ... 24903.html

and

http://www.decathlon.co.uk/m-520-mounta ... 69982.html

BigAl

The pedals are certainly a good buy and a good inexpensive way to try SPDs

Can't comment on the shoes

jamski

Personally I'm starting out with flats. Never tried clipless but just being able to jump on the bike without needing anything appeals to me. I'm sure clipless isn't as daunting as it seems to me but I'm feeling secure enough on flats for the time being, and happy knowing I can bail if needed!

Clockworkmark31

I started with flats and still have flats.

Never tried clipless too, but shimano Saints and adidas trainers always works well. Plus adidas have some new cross conutry MTB shoes atm (they own 510).

Personal choice I guess, but I don't like the idea of being clipped in.

But other people will say the opposite. It is a personal preference IMO.

FishFish

Well, no-one can contradict your personal preference they can just say what theirs is. I too use Saints and trainers and removed the washers from the screws for better grip. I'd be terrified to be clipped in but most people who are prefer to be.
I don't think it is an evolution.

The Rookie

The M520's can be found cheaper on Amazon and at Merlincycles.....

My M520's are now 6 years old and have done over 6000miles, maintenance has been the occasionally drop of oil on the pivots and......er, well that's it. Not the lightest SPD pedal but for the money and near bomb proof reliability they are impossible to beat for value.

codfather

As stated, flats will teach you the "proper" technique, but it's of little use if you end up sticking with clipless.
I'm a long time flat rider moving to SPDs on the polo bike and while I don't like them yet, I appreciate their advantages.

5 10s are super comfortable (IME) but you'll spend the rest of your life drying them if you ride them at this time of year.
But no one can really tell you how comfortable shoes will be, you may have weird shaped feet, or they might, so it's all completely subjective.

kinioo

Clockworkmark31 wrote:

I started with flats and still have flats.

Never tried clipless too, but shimano Saints and adidas trainers always works well. Plus adidas have some new cross conutry MTB shoes atm (they own 510).

Personal choice I guess, but I don't like the idea of being clipped in.

But other people will say the opposite. It is a personal preference IMO.

Same with me here.

Flat pedals since beginning.

Currently with cheap Karimor walking boors from SPortsDirect

HardrockRob

Started with SPDs and moved to flats a couple of years ago. SPDs where great but was finding the confidence just wasn't there on techy bits. Moved to flats with 5 10s and was stunned at how grippy they were. May have lost a bit of efficiency and hard to think a lot more about foot placement to start with but instantly more confident on steeper bits.

Might go back to SPDS at some point but havin lots of fun on flats so am in no rush.

jamski

As stated above I ride flats. Nukeproof Electron Evo's, I find them amazing, so grippy. Shoe wise I have £10 walking shoes from Decathlon! They grip fine, not exactly waterproof, but that doesn't bother me, they dry quickly enough.

The Rookie

Codfather wrote:

5 10s are super comfortable (IME) but you'll spend the rest of your life drying them if you ride them at this time of year.

Not sure if it will help on 510's but I've now got drying my Shimano's off down to less than a day, get home, hose off mud, squeeze out what water I can, in the spin (not tumble) dryer with the insoles out of the shoes (all in a laundry bag) for a 20 mins spin cycle, and into the airing cupboard and they are dry by the next evening. The spin dryer is about a days worth of normal drying out.

poah

been using time atac pedals for 20 years with various SPD shoes. I currently have two pairs one for summer and one for the rest of the year that are goretex lined (northwave). Once you get used to SPD's its second nature but not everyone gets on with them or indeed the various types of clipless pedals out there. have a look at bike-discount.de for a set of time atac; for shoes I would try a few pairs from CRC to find ones that fit.

codfather

The Rookie wrote:

Codfather wrote:

5 10s are super comfortable (IME) but you'll spend the rest of your life drying them if you ride them at this time of year.

Not sure if it will help on 510's but I've now got drying my Shimano's off down to less than a day, get home, hose off mud, squeeze out what water I can, in the spin (not tumble) dryer with the insoles out of the shoes (all in a laundry bag) for a 20 mins spin cycle, and into the airing cupboard and they are dry by the next evening. The spin dryer is about a days worth of normal drying out.

Any recommendations gratefully received. My current approach is cramming them full of newspaper, putting up with the dampness on the next ride and trying to forget what a pleasant shade of blue they used to be. But there's only so many free local papers one can lift from Tesco before eyebrows begin raising.

Clockworkmark31

As we all agree it's personal, having read some of the comments I've got a few questions.

Flats are and will be my bag as I like the freedom and the sense of security. But what is the "proper way" you learn on flats? And for people using SPDs do you really gain in efficiency?

Currently looking at these bad boys

JGTR

Yep love SPDs, great for long XC and does help on the hills, also good for descents as they keep your feet on the pedals with no chance of bouncing off.

Saying that I've been using flats more as I felt SPDs were holding me back as I would only ever go so fast.

rockmonkeysc

SPD's aren't just about efficiency, I'm not convinced they are more efficient. For me it's about the security of keeping my feet in place on the pedals and never getting bounced off them but also the ability to pedals across extremely rough ground, places where I couldn't pedal on flats.
Especially when riding downhill I feel very insecure on flats.
As for drying out Shimano AM41 / AM45 shoes,I just hose them off, put them on a radiator and they're dry by the morning.

Clockworkmark31

RockmonkeySC wrote:

SPD's aren't just about efficiency, I'm not convinced they are more efficient. For me it's about the security of keeping my feet in place on the pedals and never getting bounced off them but also the ability to pedals across extremely rough ground, places where I couldn't pedal on flats.
Especially when riding downhill I feel very insecure on flats.
As for drying out Shimano AM41 / AM45 shoes,I just hose them off, put them on a radiator and they're dry by the morning.

Ok, I guess that is a plus point of SPDs, riding through the mud and the upstroke works.

Maybe I don't ride hard enough, but never have I bounced of flats.

I don't like the idea of being clipped in as I think in a certain situations you can't correct it fast enough.. Just my thoughts.

rockmonkeysc

Once you've used to them you can unclip instantly without thinking about it.
Putting a foot out while drifting around corners is poor technique, never take a foot off unless a crash is inevitable.

codfather

I've only had them for a few days now, but unclipping with SPDs is incredibly easy, not like roadie pedals. The retentive force is much smaller and it becomes second nature incredibly quickly. My current issue is with being unable to clip in smoothly, but I'm going to chalk that up to badly worn cleats and stupid pedal design.

RockmonkeySC wrote:

Putting a foot out while drifting around corners is poor technique, never take a foot off unless a crash is inevitable.

Damn fun though. On the handful of runs I've used them, despite the ease of clipping and unclipping, I find SPDs oblige you to use a better cornering technique under circumstances like this.

jamski

After my most extreme test so far yesterday, I can see the appeal of clipless! I may just give it a go.