Pedals & Shoes for 2.2K Bike: Any Advice Appreciated!

Arequipa

Hi! I hope you are all enjoying your weekend! I am soon to take delivery of my Cube Carbon fibre racer. I have done lots of cycling over the years;but this is my first serious racing bike.
I need to purchase pedals & cycling shoes & have looked in various shops & online & am not sure which make(s) to go for!

Could you recommend a good shoe & pedals which would be suitable for a 2.2K carbon racing bike?

I am aware that this topic has been raised on numerous occasions, but maybe there are some new offers/deals available?

Here is a shoe I liked on Chain Reaction Cycles:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=56209

I am a UK size 10.5, so is it better to squeeze into a 10 or sock up in a 11?

Appreciate all and any advice!:P

chakattack

A snug (but comfortable) fit is best but it's nice to have space for thicker socks in winter. It's better to buy in a local bike shoe so you can get this balance right without having to send stuff back.

For pedals - speedplay get my vote but if you're looking for a bargain cyclesuperstore have contador look pedals for 50 euro if you're not worried about doping allegations and his signature on them.

Arequipa

Thanks for the advice! Will check these out. The contador pedals seem to be good value; think the yellow pedals won't go with the black,blue & white collie of the frame!

The bike weighs about 7.8kg; so is it important to get lightweight pedals/shoes?

Arequipa

Diarmuid

You are not going to save a lot of weight in pedals. Look classics are about €55 and 140g, the carbons €110 and 120g, to get to 95g you'll need to spend over €250
Picking the system the you like the best is more important

Captain Havoc

+1 on the Contador pedals. I have the Keo 2 max Carbons and I love them. Shoes I'll never buy online, always from a shop. Also another wee thing, cleats, I don't like loads of float the keos come with 3 different levels of float. I think at the end of the day as there your first clipless pedals they'll be awkward for you anyway and you can expect a few spud falls anyway which ever system you choose.

SurferDude41

I ride speedplay and find them excellent, the cleats are a little hard to walk in though. Those Look Keo-max 2 Contrador pedals sound like a great deal.

When you are buying road shoes, wear a pair of thin cycling socks. Road shoes should be a very close fit, with just enough room to wiggle your toes a little. If the shoes are only a half size too large, you will find your feet sliding around especially when climbing a hill.
You can buy thin thermal cycling socks, that don't compromise a close and comfortable fit.
When the mercury drops below 10 degrees C, or when it's raining. I wear neoprene shoe covers (overshoes) I find the ones made by Pro, especially good. SD...

Happy Cycling:)

Arequipa

Thank you for the replies! I went cycling with a friend around Naas a few weeks ago; used his brothers bike & did well until the very end; we arrived at his house, I forgot I was wearing clip on shoes & fell sideways to the ground!

These are the pedals I was looking at;

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mobile/MobileModels.aspx?ModelID=42883

And the shoes;

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mobile/MobileModels.aspx?ModelID=56209

I take your point about buying the shoes in a shop; maybe I could squeeze into size 10's!

Thank u!

Lumen

I would not recommend "squeezing" into a size too small.

I bought a pair of Specialized shoes which felt snug in the shop but gave me a lot of grief on long rides. I now ride them without the footbed, but it's not ideal.

I also bought Sidis which felt great in the shop but not out on the road after a couple of hours.

IMO you're best off going for a long ride before going into the shop to let your feet swell up a bit.

Arequipa

Hi Lumen! So if I'm size 10.5; maybe go for size 11? With couple pairs of socks!

Lumen

Arequipa wrote: »

Hi Lumen! So if I'm size 10.5; maybe go for size 11? With couple pairs of socks!

No, buy whatever fits! Honestly, there's no way to know without trying them on.

deise muay thai

Speedplay!!! for pedals and I'd say the cleats will work nicely for ice-skating to.

theotherone

To echo what others have said. I would go slight higher on the shoe size. I have a pair of Shimano shoes and went with the same as my shoe size. In warm weather I have problems with them on longer rides. But funny enough in the winter they seem o.k. On the system its nice been able to use the same shoes for your complete fleet

Arequipa

Hi! So I imagine in warm weather, after a long ride your feet swell a bit, but in winter your feet tend to be cold!

Any of you tried Look Geo Max or Mavic shoes?

Thank u!

littleredspot

Def try on shoes. Different brands are often different fits eg I've been told Specialized are narrow fitting. But even in the same brand, some shoes just fit differently even in the same size. I recently had to try 6 shops before I could find something comfortable, last time, I got a perfect pair in the first shop.

blorg

Specialized are WIDE fitting
Mavic are very narrow
Standard SIDI are in between; they also have a wide variant

You really need to try the shoes, you can't just buy online unless you have tried the brand before.

Lumen

This "go visit a shop" business saddens me. This is the internet! We should innovate.

What we need is a shoe size "database" (Google spreadsheet?) of boardsies feet measurements (width and length in CM, for simplicity) and cycling shoe make, model and size.

Find Your Shoe Size - Step by Step Guide to Measuring Your Feet
http://shoes.about.com/od/fitcomfort/ss/measurefeet.htm

Arequipa

Okay thank u Blorg!

dave.obrien

I use Keo 2 Max pedals, and really like them. If you want to buy over the internet and can find them cheapest there, that's fine. I'd go to a shop for my first pair of shoes though...

Arequipa

Think the pedals are cheapest online with Wiggle & Chain Reaction;so will get these online.
Agree with you;is best to try the shoes in a shop!

Thanks!