CaptWiggly

I have had my bike for about a year now and I am looking to upgrade some items to make my riding "better". I am also new to riding so I am not sure where to start. I was thinking clipless pedals and shoes and possibly a wider set of handlebars. I understand that the stem and stem extension have to change for new handlebars because of the age of my bike.

If I buy used pedals how do I know which shoes to get?

Thanks.

dr_lha

Not necessarily. You just have to buy handlebars that are compatible with your stem (quill I assume, i.e. looks like one piece of metal). This typically means bars that have a smaller diameter where the stem clamps onto them than the more modern design. Should be easy to find though.

There are basically two types of shoes: 2 bolt and 3 bolt (lets ignore shoes made for Speedplay for now!)

If you get mountain bike style pedals, you need 2 bolt compatible shoes. Examples of 2 bolt pedals are Shimano SPD and Crank Brothers Egg Beaters.

If you get "Look" style, which are the large plastic cleats favored by road bikes (Look and Shimano SPD-SL are a brands of these), then you need 3 bolt compatible shoes.

doolitcd

Can anyone tell me why road riders prefer look type cleats? I came over from mountain biking so I kept my spd shoes and put spd pedals on my road bike. Anytime I go on a group ride and we stop somewhere, all the look cleat guys can barely walk, while you can't even tell I have cleats on my shoe. Is there some advantage I am missing?

No need to change your stem for new handlebars, just make sure you get the right size to fit your clamp. I think it should be 26.4 mm, but double check that. I am on my third set of handlebars on my 1988 Schwinn, still have the original stem.

dr_lha

The stiffer, lighter shoes with a larger connecting area to the pedal that helps to give you better power transfer and removes hot foot issues, that can plague riders on long journeys. Pedals are "more aero" and typically lighter than MTB pedals, as they're made of a composite material (carbon if you buy fancy ones). No "squeak" that you can get with SPD pedals.

The "walking" part is the big downside of course.