Beginner’s advice on pedals & shoes?

Wish I’d started a thread
Wish I’d started a thread like this before I bought mine. The LBS recommended spd-sl pedals so I went with that. Have never felt secure in traffic and that has affected where I’ll ride.

I had some problems with
I had some problems with numbness/burning on here balls of my feet way back when I had these Pearl Izumi MTB shoes with an SPD platform that currently escapes me (old timer’s disease). While MTB shoes that look like sneakers are stiffer than trail runners, they still have a rather flexible footbed to allow for scrambling. I switched over to Sidi’s when I started using my Speedplay Frogs and while their MTB shoes aren’t as stiff as their road shoes which have carbon fiber in the sole, they’re still stiff enough that I can’t really stand up on the ball of my foot when standing on the ground so much stiffer than the sneaker style shoes. I did initially have some numbness/burning with longer rides (70+ miles) but after adjusting my saddle a bit that pretty much disappeared. The Frogs are slightly bigger than the road pedal lollipops (ie Zero and Nanogram) ~6.5 cm squared but not that much smaller than most SPD platforms. I wonder if you could borrow a set of SPDs from a friend with similar shoe size and swap out your pedals to test it out for a week (commuting and your longer weekend rides)? Would your LBS be willing you let you do some test rides on their Look pedals for comparison? Just a thought.

Clip in pedals are not for
Clip in pedals are not for everyone, mind. I have used every type of pedal clip-in system there is and truly believe cleats have fecked up my left knee, the right one not so bad but far from perfect. All down to prolonged clipping in use over the last 5 years. I never had them prior to that and knees were fine. I put it down to having weird limb/bone structure I guess.

You get lateral play/adjustment, your foot and can swing up and down freely but you get no tilt play, you foot is pulled flat and firmly onto the pedal and I am sure thats whats damaged my knees. You can get shims that allow the cleat to be given a couple of degrees of tilt and you can get in foot orthotics (I have them in my current shoes as prescribed by mu physio) but I reckon they provide very limited benefit.

I still ride with MTB spd’s but only ever clip in now when I am sprinting against my mates for fun or going up a hill in the wet, but even then I think I dont need to. That means 90% of my ride time is unclipped and they have not affected my own performance on the bike to any noticeable margin. I have never had a foot slip off a road bike pedal whilst wearing correct shoes and going unclipped. Ive been doing this following a course of physio and exercises for the last year and my left knee is not worse and possibly slowly getting better, but I fear the damage is done. Over 25 years of serious riding my knees were fine until I got clip in pedals 5 years ago (and spent countless hours making adjustments, using shims, orthotics, etc.)

I never clip in in town traffic either, too dangerous, which also reduces clip-in time. Unless you are pro, semi-pro level and need to eek every bit of power and efficiency out of your cycling there is no need for clip in pedals in my humble opinion, despite the insane peer pressure to do so. clip-in pedals are just not a definite must-have but please yourself. Just trying to provide a balanced view. They can, in rare situations cause more harm than good, and can be bloody dangerous where there is any traffic in any kind of volume.

Yep, spd’s a perfectly good
Yep, spd’s a perfectly good solution for the OP.
Spd sl’s have less ‘walkability’ but I disagree that they’re only for racers/pro’s as some have said.. With SL’s there’s more options for float (zero to 9 degrees), and a wider platform, which when combined with maximum release tension I really like as you feel very connected to the bike and transfer of power feels better, esp when standing on the pedals

But each to his own, and I wouldnt make a judgement about someone whether they’re in all the top end gear, just as I wouldn’t judge them for using standard spd’s.

Just another random thought,
Just another random thought, Specialized do insoles with high and medium foot arches. Will fit most makes of shoe – and make a big difference in comfort to those of you who don’t have flat feet.

http://www.sigmasport.co.uk/search?query=bg+footbed&pg_start=0&fq=&pg_rows=&sort=#/fn4wfn5zY29yZSBkZXNjfn4=

I use crank brothers
I use crank brothers eggbeaters 4 points of entry and previous to that I used their candy pedals as they were my first clipless and I felt that they offered me some reassurance with a standard if small pedal, a psychological thing. Walking isn’t a problem with a mtb shoe as the cleat is well out the way, so no duck walking or perilous slips.

Chuck wrote:Simon E

Chuck wrote:

Simon E wrote:

Chuck wrote:

If I’m honest I probably went for SLs because of some vague ‘it’s the rules’ roadie thing.

Which is why I automatically consider anyone who cites this kind of made-up ‘rule’ as an ignorant fool whose opinion is worthless.

If I’m reading you right here then you won’t mind if I leap to my own conclusions about you and your opinions.

You’re welcome. I’m flattered by the attention 😉

My issue is with the clown who felt the need to impart this sage advice with such certainty. We all have been ‘advised’ by someone who claims to know what they’re talking about but is in fact talking cr@p. Personally I don’t enjoy the discovery.
🙁

I sometimes use the spin bike
I sometimes use the spin bike in the gym which are fitted with SPD, and this is the only time I have ever used them.

To me compared with speedplays (or SPD SL) they seem a little loose for me, there isnt any vertical or horizontal movement but there is a slight rotational change you dont get with speedplays. Not rotational in term of float, to explain it, if you twist towards the outside of the foot then the inside there is some movement from the cleat.

That being said it might be because the gym pedals are used and abused?…..