Hybrid Bicycles - bike shoes

Hi,

I'm about to pull the trigger on a new performance hybrid, probably a Giant Rapid 3. I have a question about bike shoes.

The Rapid comes with pedals with toe-clips and I have never used them before. I'll probably use them for a while as I don't think I'm in a hurry to go to clipless pedals.

I'm wondering if I'm better off wearing running shoes or buying cheaper bike shoes like these: http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524442621335&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302692667&bmUID=1268961013412 They seem like the soles are much stiffer than a regular running shoe.

Any opinions welcome...

J

I wear cross trainers with my Marin Fairfax. It has toe clips & straps. The soles of the shoes are pretty worn down from many miles of walking but they work fine on the bike. I keep the straps loose enough so it's easy to get in and out of but they are still functional as far as being able to pull up on the pedals. I have thought of getting a pair of mountain bike type shoes, but so far the cross trainers (New Balance) are working just fine. When I first got the bike, I thought I might convert to clipless pedals after a while, but I don't see any reason at all to do that now. I'll save the clipless pedals for when I graduate to a real road bike in another year or so.

That Giant Rapid 3 looks like a pretty good bike for the price. Quite similar to my Fairfax except for the forks are different materials (steel vs carbon). One of the best things I did on my bike was to replace the round grips with Ergon GP-1's. Eliminated wrist pain on longer rides.

Hey J... Out of curiosity, what other bikes did you look at? I am heading down to test ride the Rapid 3 and the Sirrus over the weekend.

Funny... I keep looking at those clips and wonder if I will like em... IT's the only part of the Rapid I don't like (on paper anyway)

Hey Creeze,

I'm also looking at the Trex 7.2 fx, the Kona Door Prize and the Specialized Sirrus. Heading out in a few minutes to try to get some rides in before it rains. If one doesn't feel significantly better on a test ride, I'll probably go with the Giant.

My understanding of the toe clips is that they can be removed with a couple of screws if you only want a flat pedal. And of course pedals can be changed.

I think the 2010 Sirrus comes with toe clips too.

J

Sounds like the same bikes I'm looking at. I tested a 09 7.2 last night and wasn't impressed (with either the bike or the shop), so I'm heading to ride the Rapid and Sirrus this morning. The Door Prize looks like a shop specific bike, and there is no close Kona dealer to me anyhow.

I wear cheap sneakers. I love toe-clips - and cheap sneakers work fine for me. Hard-soled "bike-shoes" hurt my feet.

To each, their own.

thanks. i think i'll stick with running shoes for now.

i rode the sirrus, 7.2 fx and door prize today. the door prize seemed a little more upright than the other two. i'm not feeling much of a difference at all between the bikes. i think i like the rapid 3 the best so one more spin on that and i'll take it.

the door prize is store specific. at a high-level it is the kona dew with lighter wheels, thinner tires, a deore derailleur and lighter handlebars and stem. of course, i don't work for the store and am going by memory on these differences that the sales person mentioned to me.

j

You usually get a lot of bike, for your money, with Giant.

Picked up the Rapid 3 today. I was actually fairly torn between that and the Trek 7.3. I rode the 7.2 and wasn't thrilled, but the 7.3 had a faster and more comfortable feel to it. But the Rapid was the best of the bunch for me. Good luck on your decision.

thanks.

i bought the rapid 3 yesterday. the store's putting a rack on it for me so i don't get to pick it up until later this week. that's okay since the temperature plunged again here in Toronto.

j

I just purchased a Rapic 3 today---I sold my Raleigh C-2000 to a friend of mine---however, I am taking the pedals off o the C-200 and having the LBS put them on the new Giant. I have Shamano pedals---oneside is slipless, the other side it a platform. I generally ride with clipless pedals and I wear Shamano shoes. I like it much better than the old toe clips that I started with. THe are, I beleive, MT 41's---they are very comfortable and I have actually worn them to school when I forgot my other shoes---I taught in them all day and rode home in them.

Tim C.

I rode with the same pedals for a while but found that for riding in traffic they were a little complicated. Plus I forgot to step out of the clips until almost too late a couple of times. I switched to a broad flat pedal like I was using on my mountain bike and that seemed to work great. Also ride with a pair of skate boarding shoes, also work great.

I personally would rather be clipped in than have toe clips and straps. I find it much more intuitive to get out of clipless, myself. I wear MTB shoes and use Shimano M520 pedals on my hybrid. On my mountain bike, I actually use flat nylon cage pedals because I am only riding that with my girlfriend on crushed limestone trails...normally not riding very hard ;) For flat pedals or toe clips, a little stiffer sole than running/crosstraining shoes would be helpful.

I do generally just use my beat up $20 reebok sneakers on my mountain bike. The soles are worn out but they are still together, somehow...

Talking about clipping in, anyone know of a shoe that is made for people with short wide feet? I wear an 8 EE shoe and cant seem to find a decent clipless shoe for wide feet without spending several hundred dollars. Is the second reason I went to flat pedals on my bikes.

I personally would rather be clipped in than have toe clips and straps. I find it much more intuitive to get out of clipless, myself. I wear MTB shoes and use Shimano M520 pedals on my hybrid. On my mountain bike, I actually use flat nylon cage pedals because I am only riding that with my girlfriend on crushed limestone trails...normally not riding very hard ;) For flat pedals or toe clips, a little stiffer sole than running/crosstraining shoes would be helpful.

I do generally just use my beat up $20 reebok sneakers on my mountain bike. The soles are worn out but they are still together, somehow...

I agree---once I practiced and became used to the clipless, that was the way to go. I do not use anything else, and my riding---on crushed limestone trails, on multi-purpose trials, and on roads, is fine. When I first purchased the clipless pedals, I did take my bike up to my school where i teach over spring break once---nobody was there, and I rode around the hallways---until I got the hang of it;then I went outside to the parking lot and practiced some more. I feel very comfortable now riding with the clipless pedals.

Talking about clipping in, anyone know of a shoe that is made for people with short wide feet? I wear an 8 EE shoe and cant seem to find a decent clipless shoe for wide feet without spending several hundred dollars. Is the second reason I went to flat pedals on my bikes.

Sidi offers wide shoes in their Mega sizes, both road and MTB versions, but they are high priced. From numerous posts I have seen wide bike shoes seem to be scarce, and expensive, items.

i ended up with running shoes for casual riding with the family or riding where i'm going to want to walk easily after. i also got the bike shoes linked in my first post. they have a fairly stiff sole and are spd compatible. they offer more support than a runner for use in the toe clips and in future i can use them as entry-level clipless shoes.

so far so good!

j