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Beginner’s advice on pedals & shoes?

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  • January 29, 2014 at 2:20 pm #20597
    parksey

    Ok, so in a blatant show of my complete lack of road cycling knowledge, I’m after advice please on the subject of road bike pedals and shoes.

    Having had my road bike for a couple of months now, I feel sufficiently confident on it to be thinking about upgrading from the toe clips that came with it.

    However, I literally have no idea where to start…

    I’m broadly aware that there are different types of pedal system out there, but quite how they differ (or put another way, which one is better), I don’t know.

    What are people’s thoughts on this?

    I don’t spend hours on the bike or ride competitively, so I’m not looking for the lightest, stiffest, high-end stuff, just some serviceable kit to help me do some reasonable weekend mileage.

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  • January 30, 2014 at 7:34 pm #771041
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    movingtarget

    @parksey: I’d agree that a
    @parksey: I’d agree that a recessed cleat would work well for the type of riding you do (urban commuting mixed with longer weekend rides). My one concern on the Shimano A520s that they appear to be a single-sided entry pedal (in the second pic the left is the underside of the pedal and the right is the topside where you click in, dual-sided pedals look identical on top or bottom) meaning that when you’re at a standstill ie traffic light you’ll be fumbling a bit to click back in which get be a bit stressful with traffic breathing down your neck. Great price tho, gotta love Wiggle. Speedplay Frogs, which I’ve been happy with for the last 5 years, are pricey new (£63-152 depending on if you go for chromoly vs titanium) but it’s easy to get a pair of well cared for used ones for ~£36-49. Had the same pair of stainless Frogs for 4 years with almost no wear on them till I upgraded to a pristine used titanium pair (husband now calls me a weight weenie :P). There’s also a great review for dual-sided Shimano M520s here on road.cc too and they’re about the same weight as the A520s if you care about those things.

    http://road.cc/content/review/43776-shimano-pd-m520-spd-pedal

    @Dunluce: Not familiar with strap systems so hopefully someone else will chime in [nudge nudge]

    January 30, 2014 at 5:57 pm #771039
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    movingtarget

    Crosshouses wrote:I have

    Crosshouses wrote:
    I have Shimano M424’s which I’ve been using since I went clipless a couple of years ago. The only downside is that they look a little out of place on a road bike and I have had a roadie comment that I’ve fitted the wrong pedals 8|

    The pedals have a fairly big platform and can be used with street shoes, although not for long rides as the metal cleat mechanism is slightly proud of the platform.

    I’m interested in the comments about ‘float’. Bad knees forced me to give up running, but I’ve had no knee pain with these pedals (my summer rides are 3/4 hours) – do they ‘float’ or have I been lucky so far?

    From what I’ve read they have 5 degrees of float so just enough to keep your runner’s knees happy?

    January 30, 2014 at 4:16 pm #771037
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    southseabythesea

    Speedplays is where it’s at!
    Speedplays is where it’s at!

    January 30, 2014 at 2:30 pm #771035
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    parksey

    Thanks again for all the
    Thanks again for all the input. đŸ™‚

    Whilst the recommendations for road-specific pedals are appreciated, I think I am leaning towards some regular SPDs as a first attempt at clipless. With the nature of my riding, including the need to walk in the shoes, they seem to make the more sense.

    Any recommendations on which ones to go with?

    I have seen some “touring” SPDs which seem more road-like in their weight and appearance, such as these. Any good?

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-a520-touring-pedals/

    The bike is booked in with the LBS for once-over on Saturday, so will see what they’ve can offer.

    January 30, 2014 at 2:12 pm #771033
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    MT63

    Since I started cycling again
    Since I started cycling again a couple of years ago I have never used any sort of clipless system but used pedal straps. At present I use the Ynot strap which I find hold my feet well are easy to get in and out of and I can wear pretty much any shoe I want. I commute every day and have done several sportives including the Dunwich Dynamo last year. So my question is, if I’m not a racer or enter time trials is there any real need for clipless; what benefits would they give me?

    January 30, 2014 at 11:52 am #771031
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    NickK123

    I have had Campag Deltas and
    I have had Campag Deltas and Look Keos over the years, and found them both ok. Accept comments from others re ease of walking about in SPDs (and nearly fell over big time at a Sportive stop on the Campag cleats – think Fred Astaire!) Top tips, when starting, set minimum spring tension, unclip early on one side when coming to a stop, minimise heroics when traffic comes to a crawl by unclipping … Not that I have been caught out by these things you understand …

    January 30, 2014 at 11:20 am #771029
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    Kapelmuur

    I have Shimano M424’s which
    I have Shimano M424’s which I’ve been using since I went clipless a couple of years ago. The only downside is that they look a little out of place on a road bike and I have had a roadie comment that I’ve fitted the wrong pedals 8|

    The pedals have a fairly big platform and can be used with street shoes, although not for long rides as the metal cleat mechanism is slightly proud of the platform.

    I’m interested in the comments about ‘float’. Bad knees forced me to give up running, but I’ve had no knee pain with these pedals (my summer rides are 3/4 hours) – do they ‘float’ or have I been lucky so far?

    January 30, 2014 at 11:19 am #771027
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    jason.timothy.jones

    I would recommend SPD’s for
    I would recommend SPD’s for starters, in part as they are fairly affordable, can take a beating, but more importantly easier to get out of in a hurry that ‘road’ pedals

    PS, the only time I have taken a fall was when I put my SPD-Sl cleated foot down on a wet while line at a stop sign X(

    January 30, 2014 at 11:08 am #771025
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    VeloPeo

    IngloriousLou wrote:parksey

    IngloriousLou wrote:
    parksey wrote:

    Will definitely make sure I get comfortable with them before going out on the roads proper.

    You’ll still fall off a few times, everyone does :)

    And try not to do it stopping at traffic lights.

    In front of a pub with a beer garden

    On a very hot day

    When the beer garden is full with drunk lairy people who laugh at cyclists falling over.

    I’d imagine that would be highly embarrassing.

    **Ahem**

    January 30, 2014 at 10:23 am #771023
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    pants

    I use SPDs for everything, I
    I use SPDs for everything, I like being able to walk around.

    January 30, 2014 at 10:05 am #771021
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    adamthekiwi

    +1 for Time, but only because
    +1 for Time, but only because that’s what I had on the commuter, as it was inherited from the MTB. I used SPD for many years before switching for Time’s greater simplicity, float and mud-clearing ability (the last of which is clearly worthless on a road bike!).

    I’m slightly surprised to see so much love for MTB clipless systems as I thought I was some kind of pariah for using MTB boots on the road bike! Much easier to walk in, though, as others have said, and I’m certain I don’t notice the extra few grams.

    January 30, 2014 at 9:44 am #771019
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    Miles253

    I must be one of the few
    I must be one of the few people that use Time pedals. With lots of float but a still a solid platform to push against I find them to be brilliant. I have used SPd and look keos, though I enjoyed the keos I had a persistent problem with creaking, not sure why, even after greasing and cleaning. Perhaps Time jus fit me as I’ve got poor knees, but the entry system is just so easy. Step in and click!

    January 30, 2014 at 8:58 am #771017
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    IngloriousLou

    parksey wrote:
    Will

    parksey wrote:

    Will definitely make sure I get comfortable with them before going out on the roads proper.

    You’ll still fall off a few times, everyone does đŸ™‚

    January 29, 2014 at 9:09 pm #771015
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    Matt eaton

    FWIW I have run SPDs and SPD
    FWIW I have run SPDs and SPD SL. I actually prefer SPD SL, especially with the zero-float cleats but I’m now running SPDs on all of my bikes simply because SPD SL doesn’t work for ‘cross and the benefits of a single pedal system outweigh any downsides to using SPDs on the road in my view.

    I also commuted on SPD SL for about a year. I didn’t find them too bad to walk short distances in but they were a PITA if I had to use the stairs at the station to change platforms. If you are doing any kind of practical riding (commuting, to the shops etc. ) them SPD or similar are the obvious choice. If you only cycle for fun then perhaps SPD SL or similar are worth looking at.

    January 29, 2014 at 8:46 pm #771013
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    parksey

    Oh and yeah, the irony wasn’t
    Oh and yeah, the irony wasn’t lost on me posting this the same day as a news article reporting the death of a cyclist while using clipless for the first time.

    Will definitely make sure I get comfortable with them before going out on the roads proper.

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