Road Cycling - geting mtn pedals, but what shoe? Anyone not like the CB Mallet C pedal?

After riding my "new" used road bike for about 400 miles a naging concern is the horrible Forte shoes and pedals I bought from performancebike.com.

This is one purchase I wish I had made at a LBS. The pedals are leaking grease and no longer flip around with the useable side up.

I also am finding myself riding in traffic a lot since I switched to a road bike and clipping in and out is dangerous in some situations.
Not to mention it is realy hard to walk in them without the rubber "coffee shop" covers I bought for the cleats.

I really like the Crank Bros Mallet C pedal. It looks like it should work well for my needs based on reviews I have found around the web. I like that it can be cliped on both sides of the pedal, which isnt the case on similar shimano pedals.

First, can anyone think of a reason not to buy the mallet C pedal? They arent cheap and I am already going to have a pedal in inventory which Im not using cause of a bad purchase decision.

Second, what kind of shoes to buy. I dont want to drop a ton of $$$ on the shoes but dont want junk either. I really have no idea where to begin in choosing shoes. I use my bike for commuting, runs to the store, 50-80 mile solo weekend rides and often I ride my bike to my town's entertainment district and need to do some walking around.

Need:

shoe compatible with spd cleats

Shoe that is a good mtb style for a road bike rider. Needs to be comfortable for three or four hours at a time on the bike

shoe I can comfortably walk around in.

Affordable ($40 to $60 or so), or a good justification to spend more.

Thanks everypone in advance for replies

Best Regards,

Jeff Stanley

I wouldn't buy shoes without trying them - one of my pairs is 46 the other 47-48. The pedals look good to me.

www.nashbar.com has a pair of Pearl Izumi Vagabond shoes for $40 I believe. I ordered a pair and expect them today or tomorrow. You may want to look into mountain bike shoes since they tend to be a bit easier to walk in. The Pearls, look like regular shoes though.

I have Shimano 515's on both of my bikes and like them a lot. Double sided entry and all. Not too expensive, especially online.

specialized products have been always good..

they were making shoes as long as i can remember--well, not really.;)

Anyway, try out the Specialized MTN shoes line.. expecially the '03 models, they are on sale..

I like the look, very comfy and the soles are stiff.

I too have just bought a piar of Shimano M515s, they seemed to be the best combination of double sided (for easy reclipping in traffic), cheap (£30, about $50 US), good quality (Shimano :) ), and my LBS actually had some in stock (I would have ordered them in though)!

As for shoes, I went with Shimano M020s. They're an off-road shoe (as opposed to an off-road boot), and they just look like normal trainers/walking shoes. Good grip, reccessed cleats for off-bike comfort, real cheap at £40 ($65 US). I had to order them (they had the right colour, or the right size, but not both!), but it'll be worth the wait I hope.

http://www.shimano-europe.com/cycling/phpimages/product/picture/SHM020.jpg
Shimano M020 shoe.

Dexmax, I also looked at Specialized, the Sonoma in particular. But none of my LBS stock them so I couldn't try them on :(

Or if you're into the skater look (doubtful), Vans do a few SPD shoes too, for BMX racing, that look just as good as their regular shoes, if not better.

I just got a pair of Eggbeaters. I am very pleased. I was able to pick a pair of Specialized MTB shoes a while back when they were being clearanced. The combination works very well.

I'm happy enough with some Gaerne shoes - a little narrow at the toe box for my extra wide feet but not bad. Lake make great sandals (and presumably shoes...).

Why do you want that big ol' pedal platform on your road bike? I'd look more at the regular eggbeaters if you want the ease of use without the extra platform that you probably don't need.

Do you intend to ride without cycling shoes at all? If not, I would think you might be better off getting standard Egg Beaters or the new Candy SL.

I have a pair of Egg Beater S pedals on my commuter, and a pair of Candy SLs on my MTB. I bought both on eBay for just over half retail price. Both are very easy to take a few turns on without being clipped in (particularly the Candy SLs), and are quite easy to get in and out of in traffic. The Candys have even been fine for the odd ride with standard running shoes (handy for testing tune-ups to the drivetrain). I'm using '03 Specialized Sport MTB shoes which have been great so far - the stiff sole is good for long rides (50 miles +) without any hot spot problems.

From reviews I've read the Mallet C is a good pedal but as with many of the platform/clipless hybrids it can suffer from interference with some shoes.

I used Shimano M515s for quite a while - they were great for around-town use too. I only switched them out so that I could have the same system on both bikes.

Originally posted by ImprezaDrvr
Why do you want that big ol' pedal platform on your road bike? I'd look more at the regular eggbeaters if you want the ease of use without the extra platform that you probably don't need.

I was thinking that I may get rid of my "comfort bike" that I use for quick runs to the store. I dont like the thought of having to change shoes to run to the store if I am going to use my road machine for errands. I also like to ride my bike to parks not near my house and go running. Much more convienent if I am riding in runing shoes.

Is there a drawback to pedal platform style cliples pedals besides that they may not be quite as easy to clip into? these pedals from crank bros advertise that they include shims to insure that the clete is not too shallow in the shoe. I dont really need to be clipped in unless I am on open road, so as long as they are not any more difficult than the awful forte pedals Im sure I wont mind.

Has anyone used this specific pedal? How difficult is it to clip into it?