kajero

Two years ago, I fell with the bike while wearing the clipless bike shoes and broke my elbow.
So now I won't wear the clipless shoes except for spin classes. And even in the spin classes I find it difficult to clip in and out of the pedals. So what kind of shoes do I use/buy now? I have some Specialized shoes that I bought and didn't put the clips in, but after while my left foot toes hurt terribly (arthritis kicks in) so I really do need to get something before I ride in the MS150! I have never had any pain problems with the clipless shoes I wear to spinning classes -- they don't seem to trigger the arthritis problem.

Please help! Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. I wish I weren't so scared of the clipless shoes -- I heard you can get about 2 mph extra with them.

10 Wheels

I ride this way. 37,000 miles

StephenH

About the first six months I had my Sojourn, I just had platform pedals on it. I found some fairly stiff-soled shoes at REI and mainly used them, they worked better than sneakers, which I also used. They weren't bicycling shoes, specifically.

You may eventually get 2 mph out of clipless pedals, but there's not a great immediate benefit- I sure didn't get 2 mph faster when I started using them. But what I found is that if you're riding, clipless pedals are more convenient, if you're stopping and starting, platform pedals are more convenient, so it's just a matter of which you do more.

big chainring 

I ride MKS pedals and Shimano MT33L shoes. They are cyling shoes, I just dont put cleats on them.

chucky

If you like the shoes you use for spin classes then get another pair of them and use them without cleats. For pedals I recommend one of these (or you can get the same designs on ebay for less...just search for "wellgo" and compare the pictures):
https://store.velo-orange.com/index.p...ts/pedals.html

Clipless pedals do not make you go 2 mph faster. That's a myth that's been debunked many times by scientific inquiry...although they might give you more confidence to ride harder without worrying about your feet slipping off the pedals. It depends on what is more likely to kill your confidence: fear of feet slipping off or fear of feet getting stuck.

Rhodabike

I have pegged platform pedals on my commuter/general transportation bike. The little threaded steel studs dig into any shoe with a bit of squish in the sole and give a reasonably good grip. I can use them with hiking boots in winter, sandals in summer, running shoes or soft soled dress shoes any other time.
Failing that, most SPD shoes come with the threaded holes covered with a rubber skin that needs to be cut off with a utility knife. Leave the skin in place and you've got a stiff soled touring shoe to use with clips and straps.

fietsbob

comfortable walking shoes and BMX/MTB platform pedals with a larger surface than #4 shows..
Lots of choices..
https://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...p?category=666
just a sampling..

chucky

Yeah, but those weigh a ton. The velo-orange platform (not cage) pedals give just as much support and grip, but they're made for road riding vs jumping on the pedals.

meanwhile

Google "power grips" and then use almost any shoes you like, although a stiffer sole is better.

Dahon.Steve

This is good suggestion.

Years ago, I would have told the OP to stay with clipless but not anymore. I still have clipless but my perference is now platform and will only use clipless if there is a platform option on the opposite side of the pedal.

Northwestrider

Just about any shoe will work. I have ridden many miles with platform pedals and tennis shoes, and even rubber sandals.

2wheelcommute

Do you have a brand/link for those? I'm exploring non-clipless, but not-strictly-platform options too and might want to check those out.

10 Wheels

https://cgi.ebay.com/CLASSIC-MKS-SYLV...item35b13be348

https://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trk...All-Categories

For the clips, I had ones for straps and just cut off the strap part with a hacksaw.

kajero

Stupid ME! when I fell off the bike I swore I'd never wear clipsless shoes again. So I sold my pedals with the "grips" on eBay. Now it looks llike I get to buy them again. LOL. I'm off to the LBS to look at shoes tomorrow! And possibly by new pedals. The kind of I have now are just those rubber platform thingies. There's too many pedals on Ebay so now I am more confused as ever!

Retro Grouch 

Here's an idea that might be worth a try.

Buy a pair of gold-colored SM-SH56 multi-release cleats. Then try them out in spin class and see how much more easily they release. I almost gave up on clipless pedals until I stumbled onto them. They have made all the difference for me. Now I'm afraid to try anything else.

Oh - and I understand the anxiety that comes after breaking an elbow. I broke BOTH of mine around a year and a half ago but my fall wasn't related to using clipless pedals.

Velo Dog

You've got all the suggestions you need already, but FWIW, after using three or four different clipless pedals for several years, a couple of years ago i went back to toe clips and straps on platform pedals. I do my serious riding in mountain bike shoes, which have lugged soles that grip the pedals pretty well, but I ride a lot in whatever shoes I have on--running shoes down to Starbuck's, boots in winter, whatever.
On my singlespeed, I have plain old BMX pedals with grippy little studs.
For all around use, I like these. You may be able to find them cheaper than Rivendell, though: https://www.rivbike.com/products/show...-pedals/14-020

kajero

Thanks for the suggestion. I am going to look into these. Hopefully they are still in stock somewhere seeing as they come from Japan and lots of stuff seems to be in short supply.

10 Wheels

Here you go.
https://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trk...All-Categories

seedsbelize 

At the moment I'm riding cage pedals and athletic shoes on my roadbike. No clips, but I plan to pick some up on my next trip North. I do lose contact with the pedals at high cadence.

surfrider

Crank Bros 50/50 pedals on my road bike. They're BMX-style pinned pedals, but with a more 'roadbike' appearance. Got 'em cheap at a sale (they're regularly $80/pair). I've got a pair of Forte pinned MTB pedals on my MTB (Performance's in-house brand). They retail for about $50. A friend has Sun Ringle Zu-Zu pedals on his commuterized MTB (also about $50) and loves em. For shoes I just wear tennis court-type shoes - flat bottoms that'll stick to the pins on the pedals, and the shoes are reasonable stiff. FWIW: My tennis shoe size is 13 US, boot size is 14 US; never have found a pair of clipless shoes that fit, but I'm satisfied with my current set-ups so am not interested in trying clipless any more. If its comfy and works, ride with it.

kajero

Just ordered these from Ben's Cycle. I found a coupon and my total cost with shipping was $33. I can't wait to get them! Thanks again for the suggestion.