Lidl cycling shoes - any use?

Animella

I've had a racer for a year now but haven't tried proper cycling shoes, I just have toe clips. Are the Lidl cycling shoes they will have on sale this Thursday any good and how do you know which ones to get for your pedals? Clueless, sorry !

Hmmzis

They are fine for training and commuting, well even racing is fine. Just note that they are not road shoes but more like MTB shoes and can accept only SPD cleats (2 bolts instead of 3 for SPD-SL). For 25eur they are very hard to beat.

No Pants

I can't say anything about how good or bad the Lidl shoes are, but they are generally two types of shoes; ones for mountain biking and ones for road biking. The Lidl offering looks to be of the mountain biking variety.
For both types, there is a clip fitted onto the sole of the shoe. This then attaches to the pedal. On road shoes, this clip protrudes and makes walking any distance impractical. One mountain shoes, the clip is recessed and walking is easier.

If you're using toeclips now, you'll have to replace your pedals to work with the new clip-in shoes.

Bloggsie

Animella wrote: »

I've had a racer for a year now but haven't tried proper cycling shoes, I just have toe clips. Are the Lidl cycling shoes they will have on sale this Thursday any good and how do you know which ones to get for your pedals? Clueless, sorry !

for a cycling newbie( like me) I would recommend your LBS, I know your probably looking at a bigger spend but the advice from them in regards the type of shoe & pedals to use can make all the difference, by the way be prepared to keel over like a drunk when you slow down or stop, you know you have to click your foot out but the brain & foot dont engage sometimes, if your tired or if you have to stop suddenly. I gave some people coming out of a funeral in Kilcock last june bank holiday something to talk about as they drove out of the church!.
it took every ounce of me not to swear like a drunken sailor, while lying on the grond like a turtle on its back, i can laugh about it now but back then..... aghh.

The Novacastrian

I have a pair. They are my 1st ever pair of cycling shoes with cleats and I got them as they were only €20, which is not much to try something out. I use them with Shimano M324 SPD pedals for my 45kms daily commute on my road bike. I like them and I can walk in the shoes too, normally. Because it is a commuter bike, I can also use the pedals when wearing normal shoes/ runners.

Luckily, I haven't fallen yet, but probably have just put the mockers on myself .

My pedal and shoe set up cost about €60 and I was able to fit them myself, (I bought pedals online).

dakar

Hmmzis wrote: »

accept only SPD cleats (2 bolts instead of 3 for SPD-SL)

You just saved me €25. Many thanks

Animella

OK, so I'd have to get new pedals too. Was afraid of that. I suppose LBS guy wouldn't be too happy if I came in with Lidl shoes in hand looking for the pedals to fit? Or do you just ask for SPD pedals? Thanks. How much of a difference do they make to speed?

idiottje

I am using these shoes for my 20k one way commute.. The yellow ones have a bit more flex in the uppers. The white ones are a more solid upper shoe, so if the shoe is overly tight, they are more difficult to break in. I have them a while now, and I find them good enough for the commute. The also sell overshoes every now and again, and they fit perfectly.

I am using these pedals.
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-m520-pedals/

The cleats that come with them are uni directional release, so I got a set of the multi directional release ones. I am happier with them as I know I can unclip quickly. as you never know what those pesky pedestrians will do on you when cycling in town ......

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-spd-mtb-cleats/
Make sure you select the SH56 ones!!

krissovo

Just ask for SPD pedals, I am a 100% certain your LBS would not care even if you came with clown shoes.

You will not dramatically increase speed, your efficiency will improve as you will work both the up and down stroke, the big plus is hills. Your leg muscles will be aching for a few sessions in new places.

Bloggsie

for me its about comfort over speed, when cycling 25-30 kms you will notice the difference. if your LBS has an issue with you coming in with the shoes, id be surprised, your a customer looking for advice which if done well, may lead to repeat visits & sales by you to them.
if you get attutude, you have the option of taking your business to another!

idiottje

Sorry, forgot to mention the speed thing in my last post (pending approval because of links I posted to Wiggle for pedals and clips). The biggest difference you will notice straight away is how much easier it makes it going up hill, more so than outright speed. The speed will come with technique after time. It took me sometime to practice pedaling pulling up as well as pushing down (you can only push when not using clips) which makes a huge difference to speed, and energy.

Go your LBS and buy a pedal spanner. The longer the better, and learn how to replace pedals ..... they don't work like normal bolts.

mylittlepony

Can I cycle in these lidl shoes without clips just flat on pedals as usual like with my my trainers shoes?

lissard

The M520 pedals mentioned above come with a pair of MTB cleats that fit the LIDL shoes. They work perfectly fine but in my experience the SH56 multi-release cleats are far easier to clip in and out. I used the lidl shoes for commuting for 6 months. My only criticism of the shoes is that the MTB 'grips' are made of plastic and have no grip at all on slippy surfaces. Nearly splatted myself several times coming in and out of my shed. I eventually replaced them with Shimano XC50s but in fairness these cost 4x more. For €25 the lidl shoes are a bargain.

idiottje

mylittlepony wrote: »

Can I cycle in these lidl shoes without clips just flat on pedals as usual like with my my trainers shoes?

My brother in law does this with his commuter bike (Felt QE 90Ex with standard pedals). I was chatting to him the other day and he said he has noticed a difference in the amount of energy he is using, but he has noticed his foot can slip on a wet day because of the hard plastic grips on the sole of the shoe. I put a set of toe clip (strap) pedals on for him, and he is saying that it makes a better difference, but he is unhappy that when he stops, the weight of the strap assembly rotates the pedal so the strap is on the underside when he is moving off. He is reluctant to go clipless because when learning to use clipless you WILL fall off.

If you are thinking of changing to clipless, practice before you go out on a cycle. Lean against a wall, and unclip 100 times one one side, 100 times on the other, and repeat until your comfortable. Also, rotate the small allen bolt on the spring clip as far as you can in the minus direction. Tighten up as you use the pedals over a period of time when unclipping. It makes the shoe less likely to unclip accidentally as you tighten up, but only do this after a period of time, and increase the tightness incrementally.

EDIT II: Learn to fall to the left!!!

lennymc

I had a pair for about 3 years, raced cx and did mountain biking on them. They were perfectly fine. I replaced them because the sole on one fell off (i put them through hell, mud, water, never washed, thrown in a corner kind of hell). I certainly got my 25 quids worth. Bought a pair of muddy fox ones to replace them, only because the lidl ones werent on offer and i needed something quick.

Highway_To_Hell

mylittlepony wrote: »

Can I cycle in these lidl shoes without clips just flat on pedals as usual like with my my trainers shoes?

If you are not going to clip in stick with trainers/runners, the stiffer sole of cycling shoes will not give that much of an advantage without clips and as someone said soles aren't really made for gripping so tend to slip.

Animella

Thanks a million all. I'll give them a go so. .. and will practice plenty!

fazer1

TK Max in Limerick and i assume other branches have cycling shoes in stock at the moment Polaris is the make I think, don't know anything about them but the quality looks ok. From memory i think they were priced around €19.00.

Animella

Thanks, might be in Galway before Thursday and will have a look.

Animella

Anyone used Shimano M324 pedals- they have a flat side and a clip in side so you don't have to change pedals. They sound ideal, is there a catch?

Highway_To_Hell

Animella wrote: »

Anyone used Shimano M324 pedals- they have a flat side and a clip in side so you don't have to change pedals. They sound ideal, is there a catch?

I have them on my commuter, work a treat, wear clip on shoes when cycling to work and if taking a spin to the shops just hop on with whatever I am wearing. can use both sides with ordinary shoes and easy enough to clip in.

Have a set in the garage to put on my 12 year old son's road bike, was waiting for lidl/Aldi to have the shoes back in to get him a pair.

Colonel Panic

Animella wrote: »

Anyone used Shimano M324 pedals- they have a flat side and a clip in side so you don't have to change pedals. They sound ideal, is there a catch?

People always say the catch is that if you need to service the bearings, the tool to open them costs more than the pedal. I plan on asking my LBS if they have the tool when the time comes!

Get In There

You could also look at the MuddyFox range of cycling shoes; http://goo.gl/lc0YS2

I bought the old version of the RBS200 in a sale 22e which was my first pair of cycling shoes, it stood me in good stead for almost a year so I then upgraded them a few months ago for the RBS Pure; 57e for a pair of shoes with carbon sole. Price can't be beaten and I'm very happy with the fit and the look of it.

browsing

Colonel Panic wrote: »

People always say the catch is that if you need to service the bearings, the tool to open them costs more than the pedal. I plan on asking my LBS if they have the tool when the time comes!

What special tools do you need to service the pedal bearings? The bearings in my m324's became loose so I adjusted it myself. All you need is allen keys to take off the surrounding metal guard, then pop off the plastic cover at the end of the axle and use I think a 12mm socket to take off the axle nut. The bearings are then there and can be taken out etc.

Get In There wrote: »

You could also look at the MuddyFox range of cycling shoes; http://goo.gl/lc0YS2

I bought the old version of the RBS200 in a sale 22e which was my first pair of cycling shoes, it stood me in good stead for almost a year so I then upgraded them a few months ago for the RBS Pure; 57e for a pair of shoes with carbon sole. Price can't be beaten and I'm very happy with the fit and the look of it.

Wow, that's really good value. I want to get a pair of MTB shoes with recessed cleats so I can walk around in them etc. and they kinda look like runners. Did they wear well for you before you upgraded? Were you using them every day for commuting etc? I've a good few muddyfox shorts and jerseys and i think the quality is excellent (even though some other people haven't had good results).

Animella

Well I got them :-) I bought the last pair in my size at 8.10 am. All that was left then was over twenty pairs of tiny size 4s and a couple of size 5 and 6.

Just have to get those pedals now. Thanks for the advice.

aFlabbyPanda

All gone except for a pair of yellow in size 4,

Looking for a white/silver pair of size 8 if anyone wanted to help out?

dastardly00

Animella wrote: »

Anyone used Shimano M324 pedals- they have a flat side and a clip in side so you don't have to change pedals. They sound ideal, is there a catch?

I've had those pedals for 3 years now. I've had no problem whatsoever with them. I would highly recommend them as an entry level pedal. A mate of mine has the same pedals for the last 2 years and he's had no issues either.

FYI they are €31.99 on Chain Reaction Cycles at the moment.

Animella

Thanks dastardly00, I ordered them on wiggle earlier. €31.44- of course had to order some gels then to make up to €50 and get free delivery!

Looking forward to trying them out :-) Lazy teenage son who also uses my bike missed out on his own shoes by not getting up 15 mins earlier.

dakar

Get In There wrote: »

You could also look at the MuddyFox range of cycling shoes; http://goo.gl/lc0YS2

Thanks for the heads up on these, good value as a starter shoe.

JustAddWater

Got a pair of these in LIDL warehouse today for €20, more so on impulse because of the bargain

Very new to cycling, building up to 20k return commute to work, do it once a week

Attaching out of the box pedals that came with my road bike. Thought I would check with the more knowledgable folks here, what options do I have with shoes and pedals?

There's one big incline on the commute and I read that correct shoes can make a difference!

Anyone still looking, there's a few black pairs in 9 (seemed to be all 9's) and I got the last white ones. Loads of yellow ones left in Fonthill warehouse

Thanks!

carltonleon

Animella wrote: »

Thanks dastardly00, I ordered them on wiggle earlier. €31.44- of course had to order some gels then to make up to €50 and get free delivery!

Looking forward to trying them out :-) Lazy teenage son who also uses my bike missed out on his own shoes by not getting up 15 mins earlier.

Just another note on these Animella. They have a small allen key nut on the side so that you can loosen the tension so you can clip out much easier. It will give you a lot more confidence knowing that you can clip out in a hurry if needs be. I tend to be clipped in for most of my journey into town and then at the last section where the traffic is bedlam I clip out as I am constantly stopping at traffic lights and cars are stopping and changing lanes etc. I just find it easier

Unknown Soldier

JustAddWater wrote: »

Got a pair of these in LIDL warehouse today for €20, more so on impulse because of the bargain

Very new to cycling, building up to 20k return commute to work, do it once a week

Attaching out of the box pedals that came with my road bike. Thought I would check with the more knowledgable folks here, what options do I have with shoes and pedals?

There's one big incline on the commute and I read that correct shoes can make a difference!

Anyone still looking, there's a few black pairs in 9 (seemed to be all 9's) and I got the last white ones. Loads of yellow ones left in Fonthill warehouse

Thanks!

You will need a set of pedals that you can clip into? The pedal in your pic looks like a standard pedal? The ones that people have mentioned above are dual usage. One side is flat like a normal pedal and the other has an SPD clip in system. So you can switch between the two, if you need to. Or use normal shoes, with the normal pedal side.

If it is of any use to you (and OK with the mods?) I have a brand new/unused set of the Shimano M324, mentioned above, that I was going to return to CRC, that you can have for 30e, I paid 32.50 in January. PM me if you want. I'm close enough to Fonthill (Mods, feel free to delete the offer bit if it is breaking the rules)

Thargor

Anyone have an opinion on the Aldi cycling shoes from yesterday?

hesus2003

Friend bought a pair of aldi cycling shoes he is looking for pedals and cleats. There are four holes on bottom of shoe am I right on thinking you only use 2 to bolts cleats to shoe?

rollingscone

hesus2003 wrote: »

Friend bought a pair of aldi cycling shoes he is looking for pedals and cleats. There are four holes on bottom of shoe am I right on thinking you only use 2 to bolts cleats to shoe?

They're for MTB cleats. Four point connection. I use MTB pedals on my road bike because I'm a saddo.

not yet

hesus2003 wrote: »

Friend bought a pair of aldi cycling shoes he is looking for pedals and cleats. There are four holes on bottom of shoe am I right on thinking you only use 2 to bolts cleats to shoe?

Yeah just two of the four..

Got a pair of these, not bad for the money and do the job.

not yet

rollingscone wrote: »

They're for MTB cleats. Four point connection. I use MTB pedals on my road bike because I'm a saddo.

Can I join the club..

mtb A 520 pedals, have to say I find them brilliant and the guy in the LBS said it makes sense using mtb around town-commuting-recreational.

hesus2003

There is 4 holes on the aldi does which 2 are best to use?

not yet

hesus2003 wrote: »

There is 4 holes on the aldi does which 2 are best to use?

Depends,

Try both and go for a spin, it's only an inch between them but either one could be the difference between comfort and pain.

Daroxtar

Thargor wrote: »

Anyone have an opinion on the Aldi cycling shoes from yesterday?

I got a pair the other day. I have nothing to compare them to but they seem fine to me so far. Might be no harm double checking the size, I'm 9 1/2 or 10 in most other shoes but the 9 is plenty big on me.

Seaneh

Lidl in Artane still has a basket full of the shoes from a few weeks ago, also have a few pairs of bibs and shoft shell jackets and some helmets, if anyone is looking.

Unknown Soldier

hesus2003 wrote: »

There is 4 holes on the aldi does which 2 are best to use?

Do they have room to slide up and down a small bit? I know the Lidl ones do.

I did a fair bit of reading up on cleats a few months ago, being new to them myself. The general rule of thumb (unless you are a sprinter/racer) seems to be that the first knuckle of your big toe, the first "cuneiform" at the ball of the foot end, should be inline with the middle of the pedal. That more of less puts the ball of your foot on the pedal.

Probably a good starting point and tweak as needed.

In saying that I read a blog/article about 4 or 5 weeks ago and it gave me a whole new set of legs when I moved the cleats back about 10 mm.
The difference was just unbelievable. It reduces "heel drop" and less use of the calf muscles. And when you think about how your leg/ankle/foot works/transmits the power via peddling, it makes perfect sense.

Hope some of that helps.