Cleats and Pedals

doozer16

Buying a new bike VERY soon.
Looking for advice on how to get pedals and cleats on the cheap.
I will be doing triathlons so easy access for shoes would be handy but not essential (once they can be tightened/loosened easy enough with cold hands).
Probably some very stupid questions here but here goes!
What exactly should i be looking for? ....is it just shoes and pedals,are the cleats the shoes or are the cleats attached to the shoes?
How do i know shoes/cleats/pedals etc are compatible with each other?
Any advice greatly appreciated.

Captain Havoc

Most cleats fit all road shoes. Cleats come with pedals. You might get some cheap pedals in the adverts forum. Cycle Super Store had cheap LOOK Keo pedals a couple of times last year, they may have them again this year. I'd say if you went into most LBS they'd give you a discount for buying all three together.

dave_o_brien

doozer16 wrote: »

Buying a new bike VERY soon.
Looking for advice on how to get pedals and cleats on the cheap.
I will be doing triathlons so easy access for shoes would be handy but not essential (once they can be tightened/loosened easy enough with cold hands).
Probably some very stupid questions here but here goes!
What exactly should i be looking for? ....is it just shoes and pedals,are the cleats the shoes or are the cleats attached to the shoes?
How do i know shoes/cleats/pedals etc are compatible with each other?
Any advice greatly appreciated.

The cleats come with the pedals. The major road systems use a 3 bolt system, so almost every road and triathlon specific shoe is made to suit these. The eccentric 4 bolt pedal systems often supply cleat adaptors.

So what you're looking for is a pair of shoes and pedals.

In terms of the shoes, there is a slight difference between road and triathlon shoes; tri shoes tend to be a single large strap with a hook at the back. This is so you can have your shoes in the pedals in transition 1 so you just hop on the bike out of t1 and get up to speed before you put your shoes on and slip your foot in and tighten on the go. They are not as secure as road shoes, but obviously the loss in efficiency in a tri is less than the time needed for strapping, clipping and tightening road shoes. Personally, I use road shoes in tri's anyway, but I do a bit of road racing as well...

There are also mountain bike systems, but I'd say if tri's are on the horizon, a road pedal system would be the way to go.

On a side note, if you're bike and pedal shopping, and happen to be need a 56cm bike and 10 shoe, I could include a pair of Northwave Jet shoes and Look Keo Easy pedals in this package?!
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056567864

Zen0

Modern cleats don't need to be tightened by hand. A bolted on clip piece on the sole of your shoe engages with a receiver on the pedal and locks in place. You twist your foot to release. There are two main types, road and MTB. Road cleats stick out of the bottom of the shoe, MTB ones are recessed in the sole to make walking easier. I use MTB cleats even though I cycle on the road, as I like the fact that they are easier for walking around in, especially when commuting or cycling with the kids. Others will tell you road cleats are better. Road shoes will take most road cleats, but not MTB cleats, so you need to make that choice first. If getting road cleats, you need to choose your pedals first (they will normally come with a set of cleats).

johnk123

I have the Shimano TR-31 shoes that I bought almost a year ago and they haven't let me down at all. They were my first pair of road shoes and even though they are triathlon specific that wasn't why I bought them. (I got a good deal from my LBS on them. The box was a bit ripped so I got a few extra quid off)They have one velcro strap that's still nice and sticky even after a year.


I have used them in a couple of triathlons and they work exactly as they were designed to. Quick and easy pull on and very quick to tighten, even on the go. Good quality material in them too, inside still in great shape with plenty of padding etc. Now I don't know a lot about triathlon shoes, but they have served me well as my first pair and I would recommend them.

I went for Look keo pedal setup. I believe I posted a thread about this back when I was deciding and all setups got good reviews. It's definitely a personal thing. I mean, I was a little nervous starting off as I'd heard stories from friends about falling over in traffic with them on for the first few times etc but I found them very intuitive. I can't comment on the SPD setups as I have never used them but from the group of cyclists I know a lot use Look and are happy with them.


As Havoc mentioned your LBS will give you a discount if you buy all 3 together. They also fitted mine (as they were my first and I was still only learning about bike parts and maintenance) which was handy.

Good luck with the new bike. Use the search tab on this cycling forum and you'll learn loads. It's a great resource to have.

doozer16

Thanks for the help lads, that's cleared a few things up for me.

@ Dave, Thanks for the offer but im a size 8 and im settled on buying a new Cube Agree. Are your pedals in good nick? also does that bike computer you have come with everything from instructions to sensors etc? ,,,,might be interested in that if you were selling it at a decent price.

dave_o_brien

doozer16 wrote: »

Thanks for the help lads, that's cleared a few things up for me.

@ Dave, Thanks for the offer but im a size 8 and im settled on buying a new Cube Agree. Are your pedals in good nick? also does that bike computer you have come with everything from instructions to sensors etc? ,,,,might be interested in that if you were selling it at a decent price.

Ah, that's fair enough, the Agree's are nice bikes, you'll love it. The cateye computer's are easy to set up, and most of their manuals can be found online, which is my way of saying I don't have it anymore! The pedals are in good nick, other than a few scuffs, are as new really. They are, strictly speaking, not mine. The deal is that if I sell the bike, I'll have funds to get the kind donor a replacement set.

The thing is, I need either them or the spd's at the moment, so I'm offering on or the other as part of the deal on the bike. After the weekend, if it still hasn't had any offers, I'm going to move it to adverts with the same offer, ie, the bike, cages, computer, choice of saddles and choice of pedals for €600. If that doesn't sell, I'll sell you the computer for small change. They're fairly cheap to begin with.

Actually, I have a Cateye Vectra Wireless 5 head unit I don't need, but without the bracket, speed sensor or magnet. You can have it if you like, although I think the 2nd bike kits are nearly as expensive as a whole computer.

doozer16

Cheers Dave, as i was typing about the instructions the thought struck me about them being online! I'll hold out for the whole computer kit if ya don't mind. Have a million things to get at the moment so half getting a comp package would be a bit of extra hassle i don't need. If the original becomes available great if not no worries
Cheers, Dooz

dave_o_brien

doozer16 wrote: »

Cheers Dave, as i was typing about the instructions the thought struck me about them being online! I'll hold out for the whole computer kit if ya don't mind. Have a million things to get at the moment so half getting a comp package would be a bit of extra hassle i don't need. If the original becomes available great if not no worries
Cheers, Dooz

They're cheap and readily available bits:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=26193

If you're getting the Cube in Ireland, most shops will stock either it or an equivalent, and should knock a few quid off of their price for you too if you're picking up the bike too.

As an aside, which Agree are you getting?

doozer16

Cube agree

http://www.cube.eu/en/road/pro-comp/agree-gtc/

She's a sexy bitch!

doozer16

Sorry the GTC , not race/pro just GTC

dave_o_brien

doozer16 wrote: »

Sorry the GTC , not race/pro just GTC

Lovely machines, I'm a big fan of their new frames this year. You'll love it!

doozer16

Can't wait, im so broke i'll have a bike with no pedals for about 2 weeks!!!!

dave_o_brien

doozer16 wrote: »

Can't wait, im so broke i'll have a bike with no pedals for about 2 weeks!!!!

About the cheapest new ones I've seen recently:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/wellgo-r096-road-pedal-keo-compatible/

doozer16

nice one,,was having a look and spotted some shimano's on bike24 for 26 euro. Everything on there pedal wise was way cheaper than everywhere else.

doozer16

YES, 51 posts!, now i can join the Footie forum!,,,bout fookin time :-)