Road Cycling - What type of pedels do you recommend

I was wondering what type of pedals people like. Right now I have SPD, but when I ride, I feel a burning on the bottom of my feet. This then leads to my feet falling asleep. Does anyone have recommendations? Has anyone every experienced this before? I have a pair of Pearl Izumi I-Beam road shoes that I bought two weeks ago. Might it be the shoes, or might it be the spd pedals. I didn't have this problem with my mountain biking shoes. Any suggestions?

I'm currently riding with Speedplay Zeros (http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.zero) on my roadbike. I like them because they're double-sided and engage much like my mountain bike pedals (Time ATACs) which simply require you to stomp and go. Exit is typical heel-out. The Zeros also have adjustable float, are very light and offer a very large cleat to prevent hot-spots like you seem to be having.

Second vote on the Zeros. Hey, us P-Nor'westers have to stick together. Also have the Ultegra SL's (the new ones) on bike #2 and they are great also.

How's the fit on the new shoes? Try loosening the strap closest to your toes. That solved my sleeping foot issue with my Diadoras.

55/Rad

Do the Speedplay Zero's allow for no float without special cleats? The site says "Fixed or float, your choice." but it could be like SPD's and Look's where a different cleat is needed. I'm really loving my fixed looks right now, got my cleats lined up just the way I want them, and they're working great.

I'm also had SPDr and now use speedplay (X3) and love them (same reasons as posters above)..
the burning foot problem you could solve with a larger platform (Look? Time?) or a better shoe with a stiffer bottom, which will distribute the pressure over a larger area.....

Do the Speedplay Zero's allow for no float without special cleats? The site says "Fixed or float, your choice."
The Zero's are adjustable from fixed all the way to 39 degrees with the same cleat. I think mine are set at approximately 15-20 degrees.

55/Rad

Do the Speedplay Zero's allow for no float without special cleats? The site says "Fixed or float, your choice." but it could be like SPD's and Look's where a different cleat is needed. I'm really loving my fixed looks right now, got my cleats lined up just the way I want them, and they're working great.

Like 55/Rad mentioned, the float is totally adjustable by means of two seperate screws on the cleat. The design is really simple and quite ingenius. It uses a flat C-clip looking spring that is captured between two plates and can be constrained by means of the two opposing screws which capture a small tabbed extrusion from the metal spring. You can adjust inboard float and outboard float independently. Your aggregate float range is a union of the two independent float ranges. If you want to be fixed then you simply crank both float ranges down to zero degrees. To fix the cleats at a certain angle, you crank the screws down so they clamp at that specific angle. Your release angle is at the edge of the outboard float range. Once you hit the release angle, you will need to overcome the release tension to unclip. There is no tension adjustment as there is really no need for it. The track cleats have stiffer springs and thus have a higher release tension though.

http://www.neebu.net/~khuon/cycling/bikes/Aegis/2001-Aro_Svelte/images/PICT0028.JPG

Note that my cleats are the first generation Zero cleats which have longer phillips-head float set-screws (two silver screws off to the side). The new cleats are more compact and are adjusted using an allen wrench instead of a phillips screwdriver.

BTW, as far as shoes stiffness is concerned for the OP: I doubt that's a problem. I believe your shoe has a pretty stiff carbon fibre sole if I'm not mistaken. You might want to make sure the fit is right however.

I don't think its the pedals. It sounds like your shoes are just too narrow in the toe box area and or there is no support under the foot which could be causing trouble with your arches leading to discomfort and numbness.
If your symtoms are not appearing until you are well into a ride(like 30 miles) your foot could be swelling. If this is the case, stop and loosen your laces a bit. This may help. Good Luck!

Jim

I like Speedplays

I had the same problem my toes would go numb and I would get hot spots under my right foot on every ride. i was using the Genius 4 with the Time ATAC mtb pedals on my road bike. I switched over to the Time Impact S and all my problems went away. They offer a larger contact area with the cleat.

SPD SL-7800. After using everything for the last 20 years these are the best since the intrduction of clipless systems.

Wide platform, adjustable release tension, fixed or float (cleat option) low profile, smooth. What else do you need.

I own a pair of Look 206, they are not too bad. Scratches easily though... and it is sometimes tough to find your way into the pedal, without having to look at the pedals. Other than that, it has been quite long lasting. I don't exactly hate it or like it. Feel like getting a pair of those shimano SPD-SL. They look really cool, and heard lots of good reviews about them.

Note that my cleats are the first generation Zero cleats which have longer phillips-head float set-screws (two silver screws off to the side). The new cleats are more compact and are adjusted using an allen wrench instead of a phillips screwdriver.
The newer ones do have shorter set-screws and they are black. However, you adjust them with a Phillips screwdriver - a very small one.

I have the CSC model in red. Goes very well with the candy apple red 5500 frame and the Michelin Pro-Race Ironman's with the red stripes.

55/Rad

Anyone advise for dura ace 7750's? Just bought new pair on ebay. RoadBikeReviews seem to like them.

The newer ones do have shorter set-screws and they are black. However, you adjust them with a Phillips screwdriver - a very small one.

Ahh... for some reason I thought they were allen heads. Admittedly I have not seen one up close. Thanks for the clarification.

i use time ATAC pedals on my road bike paired with answer palisade shoes. my pinky toe on my left leg used to go numb, and sometimes would turn white if i rode long enough, i always thought it was just the cold, but it turns out that i was just tightening the lower strap on my shoes too much. since i started going a little easier on that, my feet have been much happier. i don't notice any problems with hot spots, or cramping or any other numbness.

i also used to get weird feelings in my knees and calves after a while, but i changed my foot position (rotated my heel inward a bit) and everything got much better. i figured out the thing about my foot position by riding my fixed gear bike with just regular platform pedals with toe clips and straps because that allowed my feet to just maintain their normal position. i'd say play around with your foot position while riding, and pay special attention to how tight you make your shoes, try a few things out over a week or so and if you're still experiencing problems, then check into some new equipment. from the feedback so far, it looks like the speedplays are going to be your best bet. there are a number of similar pedal designs out there coombe pedals (http://www.coombe.com/coombe_pro_pedal_system.html) being one of them. crank brothers' eggbeaters being another.

edit: the coombe pedals have adjustable float from 6 degrees to "full" float. if i'm ever in the market for new pedals, these are the ones i'll get. their site convinced me a while ago...but for now, i'm content with my times...

Another thing to check if your toes are going numb are your socks. I was wearing small sized socks for a while because I thought they were the correct size. Then one day I happened to be in need of some socks (forgot to bring some with me for a ride) and ended up perusing the cycling sock aisle at REI. I noticed that the same brand of socks I was wearing had a sizing chart based on shoe size and put me squarely in the middle of mediums. I picked up a pair and ever since then, I have not gotten numb toes.

I just swapped the old SPD pedals that came with my (2nd hand) bike to SPD-SL Ultegras a couple of weeks ago. I had also had suffered from numb feet. However I put in 115km on a training camp this weekend and noticed that there was no numbness at all any more.

Where does the burning start?

This could very well be a cleat adjustment issue or a shoe sizing issue instead of a pedal issue.