Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - road shoes?

Hi to all,

My first thread here.......I'm a clyde, 5 foot ten and 290 lbs....I've just bought a Trek 2100zr and a set of Aerotech bibs.....I've got nothing to loose now but 100 lbs of excess me!! I currently have a set of Shimano SPD's on the bike with clip on flats. My neighbor, an avid cyclist, has suggested that I purchase a set of shoes for the clipless pedals straight away.......I've searched the forum but have to confess that I'm a little bewildered with all the opinions.....so...where do most start? Do I go hi-end straight away and buy something like the Sidi megas or is there another starting point? As well, do I need "road" shoes or are there reasonable alternatives in a mountain bike shoe? I will be mainly training with the bike other than a very short commute to work (nine blocks - I actually walk it more often than ride)

Any help is greatly appreciated......I really excited to get started with this!

I went with the Specialized Tahoe's. Great shoes and I would never look back to flats at this point.

Any particular reason why you went with the Tahoes though? I'm not familiar with them.....are they a MTB shoe or a road shoe?

I'm off to the bike shop to try some out anyhow.....

The Tahoes are mountain bike shoes, I have a pair and they are comfortable. The nice thing is they are easy to work in, the bad thing (in my experience) is they give me hotspots and sometimes cramps on my feet. I also have a pair of road shoes and have not had any hotspots or foot cramping yet. The down side to the road shoes is they are ackward to walk in.

I plan on continuing to use the Tahoes with my hybrid since the pedals I use them with have a non-cleated side so I don't have to wear the shoes if I go on a casual ride with my daughter.

Hi...I too, have a Trek 2100. If you have the stock pedals that came on the bike, which are Shimano M-505's with a cheapie plastic "test ride" platform pedal snapped onto one side...then I would suggest going with a MTB shoe. Mainly for the walkability of MTB shoes over road shoes. Also...the fact that all MTB shoes are set-up for SPD pedals, makes the buying process easier. Some road shoes are not compatible with the 2-bolt SPD pattern, so you would have to weed out those candidates right away. Personally, I found the stock M-505's to be extremely difficult getting in/out of. I swapped them out for the Shimano M-520 pedals...MUCH easier and way more adjustability on them. The shoes I'm currently using are Specialized BG Riata MTB shoe (this is a women's model). These are a rigid-soled MTB shoe..unlike the Tahoes mentioned above, which have a more flexible sole. The more flexible a sole is, the higher probability that you may get "hot spots"...at least that was my experience with them.

Linda

Thanks Linda, I'm just back from the shop and fell right into the problem with my pedals. I do have the stock M-505's and the shop recommended that I switch to one of the following models (which they had in stock)

1) An "Egg-beater style
2) Keo Look pedals
3) 206 Look pedals

I tried some Specialized shoes which were described to me as MTB shoes. They were comfortable but didn't seem very stiff. I also tried on some Adidas Adistar XC race shoes which again were comfortable but had about an inch between the end of the shoe and my toe. The guy at the shop said that it shouldn't matter as the fit in the heel was more important........I didn't buy them.....it just didn't seem right to have that much shoe left over.

So now I'm getting a little discouraged.......I've spent 1200.00 on a bike, another hundred on clothes/bibs and now I'm supposed to spend another $150 for pedals and $200 for some shoes?!! I think I'm gonna go put a hocket card in my spokes, throw on some sneakers and ride anyway......:)

About three weeks ago I went with the Ultegra 6600 pedals and a pair of Shimano R130s, both closeout deals at $80 and $100 respectively. I wanted the Look Keo Sprints, but after spending for the new bike, I was a bit tapped. I would think that a pair of shoes for $100 on sale would be decent, unless you're already doing century rides.

Going clipless was the best upgrade I've done.

Thanks Linda, I'm just back from the shop and fell right into the problem with my pedals. I do have the stock M-505's and the shop recommended that I switch to one of the following models (which they had in stock)

1) An "Egg-beater style
2) Keo Look pedals
3) 206 Look pedals

I tried some Specialized shoes which were described to me as MTB shoes. They were comfortable but didn't seem very stiff. I also tried on some Adidas Adistar XC race shoes which again were comfortable but had about an inch between the end of the shoe and my toe. The guy at the shop said that it shouldn't matter as the fit in the heel was more important........I didn't buy them.....it just didn't seem right to have that much shoe left over.

So now I'm getting a little discouraged.......I've spent 1200.00 on a bike, another hundred on clothes/bibs and now I'm supposed to spend another $150 for pedals and $200 for some shoes?!! I think I'm gonna go put a hocket card in my spokes, throw on some sneakers and ride anyway......:)

Mountie,

Eggbeaters might be a good option, but I still say to give the Shimano M-520 SPD pedals a try. They're cheap, durable, and very easy to use for the first-time clipless user. It only took me falling once with the M-505's, to make the decision to pull them off my bike and go with something else. My head was spinning with the amount of pedal choices, when I first started looking. But the 520's came highly recommended from SO many people on this very forum...I figured if that many people were happy with them, I had to give them a try. I'm so happy that I did. I got mine at Performance on sale, for $36...can't beat that price! My Specialized MTB shoes were around $85, but with some decent online searches...you should be able to find some a bit cheaper than that. Another plus with the MTB shoes...I wear them in my spinning classes at the gym...so I get "double-duty" out of them.

Here's a link to the pedals I'm referring to:

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=17524&subcategory_ID=10045

Looks like they are selling for $45 now...still not a bad price. Check out the customer reviews on them...lots of happy users.

Linda

Personally, I use Eggbeater C's and love them. :D Fastest and easiest clip out you've ever seen. :D

I've got M520s on my MTB and A520s on my road bike. M520s (purchased at www.niagaracycle.com (http://www.niagaracycle.com) regularly $35 but I hit a sale and paid $25) are double sided so less to think about when clipping in on a trail. The A520s (Performance Bike for $53) are single sided but have a bit of platform for support.

Both are really easy in and out (I had never ridden clipless before these and after 1,500 combined miles I haven't fallen due to a release problem) and feel really nice. I also have a set of VP Component SPDs on my commuter and they are much more work to get in and out of.

My shoes are Answer Flatfoot MTB shoes. They look like skate shoes and work quite well on the bikes and walking around.

I have a dual sided pedal -- not sure of the make -- and I have enjoy these shoes:

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442621335&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302692667&bmUID=1209005133553

http://images.mec.ca/media/Images/Products/Cycling/5013352_v1_m56577569830666456.jpg

http://www.blueskycycling.com/product3534_COMBOKIT_-2007-Adidas-El-Moro-Shoes-w--Crank-Brothers-Candy-C-Pedals.htm

I brought these as my first set and they seem to work fantastic, Good price & they have other combo deals also

Thanks for all the suggestions!! I've found a set of Look Keo Sprints for a decent price but I'm heading into the city tomorrow and will have a better selection there. I figure I'll find a comfortable shoe first, then worry about what pedals will fit them after.......

thanks again!!

if you're new to biking, I'd say go with the eggbeaters and a comfortable shoe. I use Nikes that I got from the LBS, they are mtb shoes, and were around 80 bucks or so. The Look pedals are great, but a little harder to get in and out of.

Find yourself a good pair of sneakers, some mks sylvans or wellgo platforms (~30 bucks), spend your time on the bike having fun instead of throwing your money away in the bike shop.

I use SPD pedals on both my mountain bike and my road bikes. The shoes I currently use are a cross that are suitable for both road and mountain biking. One particularly nice feature of mountain bike shoes, or crosses like I have, is that the cleat is recessed into the sole. This protects the cleat and leads to a more normal walk. The pedals I have on my newest bike are these: http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?sku=6503 .

I prefer spds because of the walkability. In my opinion, the most important thing to consider regarding shoes (once you choose between road and mountain) is comfort. I believe that spending more for comfort pays dividends in the long run. Everything else is going to hurt or be sore for a while so you might as well make sure your feet are happy. If they hurt from your shoes 15 miles from home the ride home is not a happy one.

Good luck.

Find yourself a good pair of sneakers, some mks sylvans or wellgo platforms (~30 bucks), spend your time on the bike having fun instead of throwing your money away in the bike shop.

+1

Personally, I use Eggbeater C's and love them. :D Fastest and easiest clip out you've ever seen. :D

+1 I have 2 pairs of eggbeaters cause they rock. I may need to get more for my other bikes!

As others have said going without clips or clipless is fine and certainly not a bad idea especially if you're just starting out. I'm considering putting flat pedals on my bikes again for a bit just to see how it feels. If you do want to go clipless here's some advice:

I would recommend deciding if you want to go with a road style set up or a mountain/recessed cleat style set up first. That will narrow down your choices significantly. Personally I find it a little impractical to ride with clipless in the first place as most of what I do is commuting (which involves a decent amount of walking around). But I really like being clipped in so I opted for the slightly more practical mountain/recessed cleat style set up. I've ridden on LOOK style road, and Speedplay road pedals in the past but IMHO unless you're planning on just riding on the road for really long distances and doing almost no walking they really don't make sense.

I don't know enough specifics about currently available road pedals and shoes to give you good advice there but I can tell you that either the Cook Bros. Eggbeaters or TIME ATACs are a good way to go for pedals. I prefer the Eggbeaters because the float doesn't "center" meaning that the springs in the pedal aren't trying to pull your foot back to one position constantly, and clipping in and out is really easy (4-sided entry is super sweet). As for shoes I'm currently riding Sidis they're a really well made shoe and surprisingly comfortable but not cheap.

I'm currently using Shimano M-520 SPD pedals with Specialized BG Sport MTB Shoe. Pretty cheap and they work great.
http://westsidecycling.com/images/library/large/spec_sh_spt_mtb_blk_06_m.jpg

another option is to add powergrips instead. they are pretty cheap and will work with whatever shoe you want to wear.
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/Profile.cfm?SKU=1401&item=62-1016&slitrk=search&slisearch=true

I use MTB shoes, I have road ones they just arn't near as comfortable and I notice almost no improvement at all! The little advantage there is for me isn't worth the price.

Are most bike shoe sizes done in EU sizes? Either way, I am looking for shoes in larger sizes (a 17 or 50.5EU). Anyone know where I might be able to find some?