Shoe / Clipless Pedal advice needed

Páid

I have a Trek 1.2 and an old mountain bike, both of which I use to commute about 35k (rountrip) 5 days a week from Lucan to the city centre.

This winter I'm hoping to get out on the road bike a bit more and hope to do a few sportives next year. I would like to get proper cycling shoes, pedals for both bikes and cleats.

I have a budget of about €150.

I'm thinking these shoes look like good value - http://www.cycleways.com/store/product/45977/Specialized-Elite-Road-Shoes-SALE/

Along with two sets of these pedals - http://www.cycleways.com/store/product/41795/Look-Pedals-Keo-Easy/

Do they look ok for what I want to do?

JMcL

If you've any amount of walking to be done at the end of the commute, consider MTB style shoes. In general unless you really need road pedals, I'd probably advise SPD style cleats. The Specialized shoes will take either (I've a pair, not that model exactly, that I use with SPDs and they're grand). SPD cleats are metal compared to plastic for road cleats so are a lot more durable, and with MTB shoes the cleats are recessed so you can walk more easily. For SPD pedals these are cracking value

Carlosthejakal

Might be of interest to you only €19.99 on Thursday in Aldi https://www.aldi.ie/en/specialbuys/thursday-26th-september/products-detail-page/ps/p/cycling-shoes/

f1000

I'm on my second pair of the Elite shoes and find them very comfortable and stiff. good value at that price as i paid 115 for mine. bought these also... http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/shimano-105-sl-5700-road-pedals/rp-prod50512

Lawr

mtb shoes sound like a good idea, but either way, the thing that I value most is the overshoes I bought for rainy days. The road shoes tend to be pretty airy. An overshoe will keep your feet warmer on cold days and drier on wet days. Invest in a few pairs of wool socks too if you can find some. Even when we they're warmer than nylon or cotton when wet. Finally, if you are doing a lot of winter cycling, consider getting a half-size larger than you would normally buy so that you can fit the thicker socks into the shoes.

who_ru

Hi all,

can anyone tell me what type of pedals would go with the shoes in the link? I've got a hybrid felt bike.

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/apparel/shoes/shoes-mtb/shimano-m064-spd-shoes-black-silver.html

Thanks for any help

lescol

who_ru wrote: »

Hi all,

can anyone tell me what type of pedals would go with the shoes in the link? I've got a hybrid felt bike.

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/apparel/shoes/shoes-mtb/shimano-m064-spd-shoes-black-silver.html

Thanks for any help

Any pedal marked SPD such as these:- http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/mtb-parts/transmission-gears/pedals-mtb/shimano-pedals/

SPD-SL are different:)

merc230ce

Yeah I found the SPD vs SPD-SL thing a bit confusing too. I initially bought a pair of -SL shoes coz they were on special in Wiggle but had second thoughts and returned them. 90% of my cycling is commuting and the thoughts of waddling into the office like a penguin, clacking and slipping over the tiles in the lobby every morning put me off

The SPDs are great - much more practical (O god, I am my mother), although when I go out for spins with mates it's always me who gets 'volunteered' to go into the shops for coffees coz I can walk properly

mamax

Grab yourself a bargain with these mtb shoes http://www.sportsdirect.com/muddyfox-mtb100-mens-cycling-shoes-144004

Páid

I was thinking of putting SPD-SL pedals on both bikes and using road shoes not MTB as I can leave a pair of shoes at work. I've been commuting for 2 years and my commuting routine (clothes, showers, etc) is fairly well settled at this stage.

Also, I cannot buy online as I've never had a pair of road shoes before and need to try them on in an LBS.

I suppose I could get cheap MTB shoes and SPD pedals for the mountain bike but I'm more interested in getting a medium range setup for the road bike as I want to get miles in over the winter, build up stamina and do a few sportives next summer.

merc230ce

These are the SPD ones I got. They're not too clunky / chunky looking and have been perfect for sportives for me (ROK etc.), although I'm sure they are neither the lightest or the stiffest shoes around. Horses for courses etc...

jgreene83

Hey OP,

I do pretty much the same commute from Celbridge. I have these shoes and these SPD's, the shoes are very comfortable and durable. I bought them online without trying (based on a few reviews I read saying that whatever size runners you take is the size to buy as the fit is exactly the same) and I couldn't be happier.

If you're mainly commuting you'd be better off with SPD rather than the SPD-SL as they can be awkward, especially as you'll be in and out of them like a yoyo!

Anyway, best of luck!

Isotonik

merc230ce wrote: »

These are the SPD ones I got. They're not too clunky / chunky looking and have been perfect for sportives for me (ROK etc.), although I'm sure they are neither the lightest or the stiffest shoes around. Horses for courses etc...

I too use the exact same shoe with SPD cleats and find them very comfortable and durable.

JMcL

Páid wrote: »

I was thinking of putting SPD-SL pedals on both bikes and using road shoes not MTB as I can leave a pair of shoes at work. I've been commuting for 2 years and my commuting routine (clothes, showers, etc) is fairly well settled at this stage.

Also, I cannot buy online as I've never had a pair of road shoes before and need to try them on in an LBS.

I suppose I could get cheap MTB shoes and SPD pedals for the mountain bike but I'm more interested in getting a medium range setup for the road bike as I want to get miles in over the winter, build up stamina and do a few sportives next summer.

Trying on shoes does make sense as sizing can be all over the place (my experience of Specialized is that you'll have to go up 1 or maybe 2 sizes)

In terms of basic functionality (i.e. keeping you attached to the bike) the actual cleat type is fairly irrelevant, so for example you could get the Specialized shoes, a pair of the Aldi shoes somebody mentioned for commuting and allowing you to walk, and 2 x the Shimano PD-M520s I linked to yesterday and still be within your budget. Alternatively you could put Shimano PD-A520s for the road bike which would give a bit of a bigger platform and would be a bit more comfortable for longer rides and still come in under €160 (look a bit nicer too)

This is similar to my setup. I'm not knocking road cleats at all, just saying this is what works for me and I've never had problems on longer rides (at least not foot related!). Also, having the same setup on both bikes gives you flexibility in switching between them since you do use both for the commute

davgtrek

Go SPD. I have 3 pairs of these pedals on racer & two mtb's and it makes perfect sense.
Shimano M424 SPD Pedals

You can have the spd pedals set to barely grip your shoe. Much looser than road type look pedals.
They allow more wiggle room for dodgy knees etc.
You can use these pedals reasonably comfortably with ordinary shoes as they are more pedal shaped than most clip in's.

Way to go.

gerrowadat

I use Shimano M324 pedals on both of mine, so I can use flat shoes for the odd short ride.