Southern California - budget for shoes about 200.00 any advice

to go with speedplay titanium clickins

That's a pretty good budget. Are these your first set of cycling shoes? For practicality's sake, you should be sure to try on different brands and styles to see what fits best and what fastener system (i.e. buckles, velcro, etc.) works for you. Keep in mind that shoe sizing can vary wildly from one manufacturer to another.

That being said, I can't imagine a more comfortable shoe, for me, than my S-Works road shoes. I found my 2010 model on clearance for under $200. Specialized also makes a very similar "Pro" model (2011) for $200 (regular price).

first shoes first road bike first carbon first click in first fall too cervelo r3 by the way

My suggestion would be to forget the expensive titanium, and put the extra money into the best pair of shoes you can afford.

These are budget shoes.

http://cdn3.skechers-usa.com/img/productimages/medium/62039_DKBR.jpg

They go with pedals like these.

http://www.generation-outdoors.com/gallery/main.php/d/13943-1/Toe+Clip+Side.jpg

$200 shoes are *not* budget.

$200 shoes are *not* budget.
The title threw me at first as well, but he's stating that his budget for shoes is $200, not that he wants budget shoes.

To the OP, with that budget, go to a store and try them on. Snug but comfortable is more important than just about anything else.

Sneakers and platform pedals work just fine.

A $200 budget moves you into Sidi range, one of the most liked brands around (aside from the price, that is).

A $200 budget moves you into Sidi range, one of the most liked brands around (aside from the price, that is).
But I reiterate, go to at least one store and try multiple brands on. Although Sidi is possibly the #1 choice among hardcore riders, they are not for everyone. They kill my feet in less than 2 hours. Too bad my feet like Shimano shoes, because they look horrible.

These are budget shoes.

http://cdn3.skechers-usa.com/img/productimages/medium/62039_DKBR.jpg

They go with pedals like these.

http://www.generation-outdoors.com/gallery/main.php/d/13943-1/Toe+Clip+Side.jpg

$200 shoes are *not* budget.

lighten up

I thought that was keeping it light.

Like the other guys have said, the best thing you can do is go to a couple of the bigger bike shops in the area and try on as many different brands as you can. Be sure you're wearing cycling socks when you go, or you'll get to use the "special" sock pile.

i have been seeing the shimano custom fit road and mountain shoes on bonktown and chainlove today. i can't say anything about them, but they are supposed to be pretty good. they will probably be back on those sites soon

Shoes are like saddles in that everyone has an opinion on which is the best. Because they are like saddles, you'll have to discover which ones will work for you, it's a personal journey so to speak.
In general terms sole stiffness is important, the stiffer the better for road cycling. Personally I need a wider shoe but length needs to be exact.
The process of finding out what's right for you, from type of bike, to the tires you'll roll on, is an individual journey. I'm not discouraging you from asking for opinions, but remember that's exactly what you'll get, opinions. The facts are that like all the folks giving their opinions are that they had to go through the discovery process as well, just like you are doing now.
The process at times is a pain in the ass.....that being said, it's also very rewarding.
I'll share one more thing I've learned and IMHO, don't go cheap on shoes.
Good luck and ride safe!

If you are really on a budget, return your ti pedals and get stainless. the comfort of your foot is logarithmically more important than saving a few grams on your pedal. Knowing what I know now, were I to go back and do it again, this would be my priority in spending my money,
bike fit>shoes>saddle>bib shorts>pedals>frame>wheels

btw, they are "clipless" not clickins, it's counterintuitive, I know.

200.00 seems very middle of the road from what im seeing not looking forward to falling a few times at the beginning but hey thats part of the deal

rofl special sock section that returns my foot fungus with a vengence too funny and that is great advice.by the way im such a rookie i didnt even know there was socks for bike shoes

Check out the Sidi Zephyr at performance bike. On sale $119 regular price is $189. Nice shoe

yep your right i decided early on i was not gonna get crap anything for my new hobbie i bought a cervelo r3 so im gonna due it justice and not be cheap and buy really good everything including shoes your posts are always informative by the way and i do appreciate it.one more thing should i install the speedplays when i get them this weekend or let a bike mechanic do it?it looks real easy

Pedals are easy to install. Remember that the left pedal has left hand threads.

If you are really on a budget, return your ti pedals and get stainless. the comfort of your foot is logarithmically more important than saving a few grams on your pedal. Knowing what I know now, were I to go back and do it again, this would be my priority in spending my money,
bike fit>shoes>saddle>bib shorts>pedals>frame>wheels

This is great advice! I just got a preliminary bike fit on my 12-year-old custom frame, that was designed for me, that has already made my riding more enjoyable. (It's preliminary because I had to order a new fork because the steerer had been cut too short.) I'm really looking forward to the full pro fit in a week or so.

It took me three or four tries to get the shoes right. I just found a saddle that is as comfortable as my old Selle Italia Flight but doesn't make my guy parts go numb. And I bought my first pair of bib shorts last month and now know what all the fuss is about with those.

If you feel like you must buy S*play, stick with the steel spindles, and as sdgrannygear says, spend the money you saved on one of the items above.

And one more thing on the socks. You don't necessarily have to buy cycling-specific socks. I'm using RoadRunner "hyper-thin" synthetic running socks that I prefer to my old Smartwool or cotton cycling socks. Dry feet are happy feet.

Trust me cervelo, you are not skimping by buying 180 dollar stainless pedals. I know guys with 10K+ bikes that still use stainless, in fact, I don't know of anyone that uses titanium because the cost benefit ratio is simply not worth it (depending on your point of view). Now if you wanted to buy 50 dollar nashbar pedals... Not that there is anything wrong with that, I can almost assure you, you wouldn't really be able to tell the difference off the bat. In fact, you will probably like them better than speedplays initially since those are much easier to get into than speedplays. Since you've never ridden clipless, the larger surface area would give you more confidence. The tendency when starting out as a newbie is to go light-light-light. I made this mistake early on. Comfort is #1. I cannot emphasize enough how important a proper fit is to your riding.

Trust me cervelo, you are not skimping by buying 180 dollar stainless pedals. I know guys with 10K+ bikes that still use stainless, in fact, I don't know of anyone that uses titanium because the cost benefit ratio is simply not worth it (depending on your point of view). Now if you wanted to buy 50 dollar nashbar pedals... Not that there is anything wrong with that, I can almost assure you, you wouldn't really be able to tell the difference off the bat. In fact, you will probably like them better than speedplays initially since those are much easier to get into than speedplays. Since you've never ridden clipless, the larger surface area would give you more confidence. The tendency when starting out as a newbie is to go light-light-light. I made this mistake early on. Comfort is #1. I cannot emphasize enough how important a proper fit is to your riding.
great advice im going speedplay and im off the titanium thing since im not lance armstrong......im going with stainless speedplay zeros and putting the extra cash into shoes ....thanks for your post it was right on