Road Cycling - Shoes, cleats and pedals, oh my!

Hey guys and gals, I've been looking at some other threads about shoes and cleats and pedals. Obivously the pedal is the thing you step on. Cleats are the little piece of metal that clip onto the pedal that connects onto your shoe. The shoe is a shoe with a special "port" for the cleat. Right?

I should start with getting the pedals, then cleats, then shoes... in that order. right? I do not curently have anything so I have to start from stratch.

Are there different kinds of pedals with different purposes? I mean a pedal is a pedal. As long as you have the matching cleat and shoe....

I am accustomed to "regular pedals" on my MTB that are flat and large. The thing I might be a little leery about is getting in and out of the clips....

Do cleats come with the pedals? Will any shoe fit any cleat??

-Dan the Man-

The pedals should come with the cleats. (If you buy them new.)

Not all shoes are compatable with all pedal/cleat systems. It's just something you have to confirm when you are looking at particular shoes.

There are some pedal/cleat/shoe systems that are more suited to MTB and others that are more suited for road biking. You can use MTB pedals on road bikes and road bike pedals on mountain bikes if you desire. But, road bike systems generally have a stiffer sole and wider base. This will generate fewer hot spots on long rides. Mountain bike shoes are easier to walk in for those times when you have to walk your cycle.

What's the best system? Personal preference. Everyone has their favorite. Maybe more than one.

You get used to getting into and out of the pedals. It just takes practice. I have Look's and haven't had any problem. My wife had trouble clicking out on the Look style. She has Speedplays now and is really happy with them.

I would recomend going with the true name brand. I tried one of the off (store) brand versions of a look pedal and had a lot more trouble getting out compared to to the true Look pedals I have now. And that was with the spring tension all the way released on the off-brand and in the middle of the name brand.

Originally posted by ockey53
Hey guys and gals, I've been looking at some other threads about shoes and cleats and pedals. Obivously the pedal is the thing you step on. Cleats are the little piece of metal that clip onto the pedal that connects onto your shoe. The shoe is a shoe with a special "port" for the cleat. Right?


Yep... that's basically it.


Originally posted by ockey53
I should start with getting the pedals, then cleats, then shoes... in that order. right? I do not curently have anything so I have to start from stratch.

Well... I wouldn't say you need to do it in any particular order. Also, cleats should come with the pedals so it's a question of do you pick the pedal and then the shoes or vice versa? To be honest, I would first pick the bolt pattern. This will determine what shoes and pedals you can mix and match. I know this sounds silly but bolt-pattern really does seperate the different classes of shoes and pedals.

A few things you need to know. The most common bolt patterns are either 3-bolt or 2-bolt. 3-bolt are more commonly found with road shoes. 2-bolt are more commonly found on MTB or multi-use shoes. There's also a 4-bolt pattern that's also used for road shoes. Some shoes are drilled to accept 2 or more of the above patterns.

So now these leads to the question of road-specific shoes vs. MTB and multi-use shoes. A road shoe is optimised for weight (or lack thereof), power transfer (stiff soles) and generally comfort only when you're actually riding. All other things come last... such as walking. Road shoes generally don't have much traction and the soles are really not designed in such a way as to recess the cleat area to make it easy to stand or walk with. If you plan on doing a lot of off-the-bike or hiking activities then you might not want to use road shoes.

MTB and multi-use shoes... especially those that use 2-bolt (also known as SPD) patterns generally have a recessed cleat area and some fair amount of tread for walking around with. They will still have stiff soles although some may not be as stiff as a pure road shoe.


Originally posted by ockey53
Are there different kinds of pedals with different purposes? I mean a pedal is a pedal. As long as you have the matching cleat and shoe....

Road pedals generally use 3-bolt or 4-bolt patterns. They are often only single-sided and are weighted so that they try and face upright to accept the cleat without thye user having to manually flip them over. The weighting doesn't always work which is why I prefer double-sided pedals. There aren't many choices for pure road double-sided pedals. The Speedplay X and Zero pedals, Bebop pedals and Coombes pedals are the only ones that come to mind. Many people use MTB pedals on their roadbikes because they don't like any of the aforementioned but still prefer double-sided pedals.

MTB pedals generally all subscribe to the SPD bolt pattern (2-bolt) standard for mounting cleats. Most of them are double-sided. There are even ones which are four-sided (Crank Brothers Eggbeaters). They are typically heavier than pure road pedals but can withstand more abuse. They generally designed to clear mud and work in nastier conditions than road pedals. However they don't offer as much a contact area as road pedals and thus you lose a little bit of efficiency when using them. They also tend to have a greater stack height so your foot is not as close to the spindle of the pedal as on a road shoe which leads to a little more loss of efficiency.


Originally posted by ockey53
I am accustomed to "regular pedals" on my MTB that are flat and large. The thing I might be a little leery about is getting in and out of the clips....

Now that I've described the basics, I should mention that there are a large variety of pedal designs out there each offering different features. You will probably want to have you LBS show you different types and makes of pedals and have them explain each of the features. Some things you should keep an eye out for:

[1] Entry method - Some pedals require you to go in toe-first. Others have you just stomp on them. Others may require you to slide your foot in sideways.

[2] Exit method - Almost all pedals that I can think of will have you exit/release using a heel-out motion. Some allow you to release with both heel-in and heel-out.

[3] Adjustable tension - Some pedals (mainly Shimano SPD and clones) have adjustable tension that you can use to make it easier or harder to clip in or out. Others are preset and don't have any such adjustments.

[4] Float - Float is how much of an angle you're able to twist your foot before you release from the pedal. Some pedals have very limited float (only 4 or 5 degrees) or none at all. If you have knee problems, you will want to avoid those pedals. Other pedals have a generous amount of float (20+ degrees) but having too much float can make you feel not as secure in the pedal and it can feel like you're pedalling on top of blocks of ice. Some pedals have adjustable float. Some pedals such as the Speedplay Zeros have independently adjustable float meaning you can set the amount of float inboard (heel-in) independent of outboard (heel-out).

[5] Self-centering - Some pedals try and center your feet to a preset position. Others don't. Some may even have adjustable centering which allows you to preset where the pedals want to position your feet within the float-range.

[6] Serviceability - Some pedals offer grease ports and the ability to take them completely apart and service while others are fairly well sealed.

[7] Material - Like bike frames and anything else cycling related, pedals can be made of a variety of materials for their variety of parts. This is generally done for purposes of weight of the pedals themselves. As they are rotating mass, people try and advocate for lighter pedals. The one thing you will want to keep in mind is that most manufacturers set a rider weight limit of around 185lbs for those pedals that have titanium spindles.

I think I covered everything here... but most likely not. I'm sure other people will pipe in to fill any holes or correct any mistakes I've mentioned.



Originally posted by ockey53
Do cleats come with the pedals? Will any shoe fit any cleat??

See above.

Wow, awesome!

I think I'd probably go with a MTB shoe for the comfort of walking. Which in turn says I'm looking at a SPD pedal set. I don't think I need most of the features you listed and just to be accustomed to the clips.

Do they have rubber covers for the cleats so they can be a "normal" shoe in order to protect the cleat??

Does the spindle size vary with different cranksets, or is that a universal size??

-Dan the Man-

Originally posted by ockey53
Do they have rubber covers for the cleats so they can be a "normal" shoe in order to protect the cleat??

You can buy covers for most road pedal cleats since you really do need them to make them walkable not only from a traction standpoint but also to keep from damaging the cleats. However, MTB shoes and cleats tend to be recessed and thus walkable without the need for covers. If you go with SPD pedals and cleats then I wouldn't worry about it. They're made so you can walk on rocky ground without cleat covers.


Originally posted by ockey53
Does the spindle size vary with different cranksets, or is that a universal size??

Spindle lengths may very and you may want to investigate that if you can't adjust your cleats enough to give your feet a good/proper side-to-side position. However, spindle threading is standard.

Cool.

Let's see.... can I come up with any more ridiculous questions to ask.....?

I'll go to my LBS and try out a bike they have with SPD pedals.

Oh, I got one.... are bike shoes the same sizing as normal shoes (sneakers)? hehe

-Dan the Man-

Originally posted by ockey53
Let's see.... can I come up with any more ridiculous questions to ask.....?

I don't think any of your questions so far have been rediculous.



Originally posted by ockey53
I'll go to my LBS and try out a bike they have with SPD pedals.

Good idea.



Originally posted by ockey53
Oh, I got one.... are bike shoes the same sizing as normal shoes (sneakers)?

Yes and just like any other type of shoes, different manufacturers have different ideas about what a size 10 shoe means. This is especially true between shoes made in Far East vs. say shoes made in the US or those made in Europe. Ballparkwise they'll be close but you really do need to try them on in person. I wouldn't advise buying a shoe online for instance unless you are very familiar with the fit and sizing of the manufacturer and perhaps even that particular model. Also, be aware that shoes may be sized in metric. Here's an equivalency chart (for Sidis anyways).

http://sidiusa.com/tech/images/shoe_size.gif

Originally posted by khuon
I wouldn't advise buying a shoe online for instance unless you are very familiar with the fit and sizing of the manufacturer and perhaps even that particular model. Also, be aware that shoes may be sized in metric.

What I'd probably do is to go to my LBS pick out a pair of shoes and pedals. Then go home and do a search on those same exact shoes and pedals for the lowest price. That's just the way I shop... I'm a bargain shopper. But I definitely get the highest quality for the amount of money...

-Dan The Man-

Originally posted by ockey53
What I'd probably do is to go to my LBS pick out a pair of shoes and pedals. Then go home and do a search on those same exact shoes and pedals for the lowest price. That's just the way I shop... I'm a bargain shopper. But I definitely get the highest quality for the amount of money...

If you spend time with the LBS getting fitted for shoes, you should be up-front about it and let them know that you intend to price-shop and even look online. It's only fair. I think it's rude to waste a LBS's time with no intention of ever buying something from them.

Very true, I used to be a saleman.... I know how it is. Will do!

-Dan the Man-

I want to see if I can get a pair of SPD compatible shoes that are black and yellow (to match my bike, of course) in size 11. Any suggestions on a pair you might have?

-Dan the Man-

I found a pair of shoes I like from Nashbar.com. These are them. (http://www.nashbar.com/profile_moreimages.cfm?category=84&subcategory=1041&sku=9223&brand=) They are SPD compatible.

My question is since they're MTB shoes, do I need to get MTB/ATB pedals? or do I have the choice of road pedals?

-Dan the Man-

Originally posted by ockey53
I found a pair of shoes I like from Nashbar.com. These are them. (http://www.nashbar.com/profile_moreimages.cfm?category=84&subcategory=1041&sku=9223&brand=) They are SPD compatible.

My question is since they're MTB shoes, do I need to get MTB/ATB pedals? or do I have the choice of road pedals?

SPD mounting patterns usually only work with cleats that are intended for MTB style pedals. There are however some MTB style pedals that work quite well on roadbikes too. Speedplay Frogs and Eggbeaters are just two that come to mind. They use cleats that mount to 2-bolt SPD holes.

Okay so technically, almost any pedal will work fine on roadbikes. Some just seem to work better than others. I would buy the one that has the features you're most interested in and is most comfortable for you to operate.

Ockey, I just got my first clipless pedals this week. I opted to go with MTB pedals and shoes for my roadie because I want to be able to walk once I get off the bike!

Although a friend who rode professionally told me that if I spent less than $100 on pedals I was wasting my money, I have been happy so far with $40 Wellgo pedals. They are very easy to get in and out of, and I only fell once getting used to them! (in soft grassy area; I definitely recommend starting out in a soft grassy area to practice getting your feet out of the pedals.

Got Specialized shoes; have noticed many riders with Specialized shoes and all say they love them. Mine are quite comfy so far.

Hope this is useful!

Why do they call them clipless if they clip in??

-Dan the Man-

Originally posted by MaxBuck
Ockey, I just got my first clipless pedals this week. I opted to go with MTB pedals and shoes for my roadie because I want to be able to walk once I get off the bike!

Although a friend who rode professionally told me that if I spent less than $100 on pedals I was wasting my money, I have been happy so far with $40 Wellgo pedals. They are very easy to get in and out of, and I only fell once getting used to them! (in soft grassy area; I definitely recommend starting out in a soft grassy area to practice getting your feet out of the pedals.

Got Specialized shoes; have noticed many riders with Specialized shoes and all say they love them. Mine are quite comfy so far.

Hope this is useful!
Tell you pro he's full of crap.Your not racing.

The main difference I can say between Wellgo and other cheap pedals vs. Looks.. Shimano's etc is they will not last as long.

As for why are they called clipless when you clip into them, Standard pedals have Clips and straps that your shoe fits into. With clipless pedals there is not clip for your shoe to slide into, so they are clipless. I know it confusing because people say they clip into the pedal.

So are clipless pedals, flat pedals. Flat meaning just pedals for regular sneakers.

-Dan the Man-

I think pictures would help alot....

-Dan the Man-

I think I finially got a set!

I have collected the components I want here (http://www1.coe.neu.edu/~dschilli/bike.html).

I've decided on this shoe...
http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/medium/NW-FUEL.gif
and these pedals...
http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/medium/YP-MTNPR.gif

-Dan the Man-

ockey,

After the replies to your post I am changing my mind to purchase MTB pedals instead of Road pedals.

The pedals pictured above-- what is the specific name of the pedal? I am going to look into them for myself. I would like to see if they have double sided entry and just how much they weigh.

Thanks!

Originally posted by cindy
ockey,

After the replies to your post I am changing my mind to purchase MTB pedals instead of Road pedals.

The pedals pictured above-- what is the specific name of the pedal? I am going to look into them for myself. I would like to see if they have double sided entry and just how much they weigh.

Thanks!

I actually did that work for you already. These (http://www1.coe.neu.edu/~dschilli/bike.html) Are the parts for my new bike. In there are the pedals and shoes that I am getting from nashbar.com. Enjoy!

-Dan the Man-