abdul10000

I am trying to buy my first set of clip less biking shoes and I am really confused by the different options and possible combinations available. To make things more difficult I have no access to any store to try shoes and pedals in person. Therefore, I narrowed down my search to Shimano brand, but I am not sure which pedal system or shoes to go with. So far here is what I was able to get:

SPD 2 holes
double sided so easier to mount
can work with both road and mountain/touring shoes
maybe easier to get in and out of, especially clickr system??
smaller contact surface, less efficient and can create hot spots on long trips

SPD SL 3 holes
single sided, harder to mount
limited to road shoes
large contact surface and more comfortable

Touring Shoes
2 holes cleat system
very easy to walk in
low stiffness, is it harder than gym shoes??
good designs

Mountain shoes
2 holes cleat system
easier to walk in, and no damage from walking some distance
medium stiffness, not as efficient
ugly designs

Road Shoes
3 & 2 holes cleat system
very hard to walk in and get damaged easily
high stiffness, very efficient
sleek designs

With all of this information I am still not sure which way to go because (I think?) my riding style can benefit from both systems. I have a road bike and do daily rides of 30 minutes. I basically go through allot of stops and fast accelerations. The best part of my ride is the acceleration and I want to improve it as much as possible. I often start from almost a dead stop or turn and blast my to top speed (usually 45kmph). In other parts of my ride I go slow and keep prepared for any pedestrians. With that in mind:

Will the spd sl pedals give me better acceleration or is their benefit limited to long trips?
Is the spd sl hard to clip into, is it risky to use when I am going slow and on the look out for pedestrians?
Are road shoes very hard to walk in and get damaged from walking?
If I get a road shoe can I use it effectively with a spd pedals? (I read they require special adapter which makes walking even worse)
Are Shimano's touring shoes very soft, as soft as regular running shoes?

Sorry for the long the post but the more I research the more questions I get, so I thought I get advice directly from the experts.

Thanks in advance!

Number400

Great questions. I started with MTB shoes w/2hole SPD on my road bike and this worked to get me used to clipless and allowed me to walk around if need. I have found that one shoe cannot do it all (the same as one bike cannot). Over time, I have acquired quite a collection of shoes. As they wear, I use the older ones in bad weather to keep the newer shoes fresh longer.

Road/Racing bikes = SPD SL
Cyclocross = SPD pedals with platforms
MTB, general riding, errands, etc... = SPD pedals with platforms so if I have to walk around, I take this bike.

If it is a longer road trip with walking, I will bring walking shoes.

Heathpack 

I'm a newby, so take what I say with a grain of salt. I had a fitting yesterday with a guy who is an expert fitter (including for US and Canadian National teams). He said he really liked the shoes I have, which are Specialized. The reason is that most people have a slight varus angulation to their forefoot, which means that in the front 1/3 of their foot there is an outward slope (ie the little toe is downhill from the big toe). Most shoe manufacturers assume the big toe and little toe will be on an even plane.

He said nothing about Shimano shoes one way or another. But he mentioned the Specialized shoes take the varus angulation into account when they mold the shoe. People buy them because when they try them on in the store they fit well. On the bike, they work well for most people and result in less foot numbness.

So maye you should consider Specialized shoes. I like mine quite a bit.

H

Cyclelogikal

Start out with a shoe like a Shimano R087 and go with SPD-SL if your talking road biking. I have seen the mtn. bike route but in the end you will more than likely migrate to the SPD-SL or similar 3 bolt pedal/cleat system.

You also learn to walk on your heels when out of the saddle. But more importantly your not walking around much when road biking or at least I am not so it is no real issue. But they also make a cleat cover to protect your cleats while walking around.

Just my two cents.

mercator

It sounds to me as if you would be happy with a touring or mtb shoe with SPD road pedals, since you aren't riding very long distances and you are concerned about walking in them. Lots of road cyclists use this setup and the only major disadvantage is that the weight of the shoe/pedal combination is generally a bit more than a comparable SPD-SL system. A couple of points:

- Double sided pedals are important for riding on rough terrain where you might need to dab and then re-engage but for road riding it usually isn't that critical. A pedal like the A-600 works the same as a SPD-SL in how it comes to rest, once you train your muscles to find that spot it becomes second nature.

- How much contact surface you need is a big variable, I guess some people have more sensitive feet than others. Lots of people report that with really stiff soled shoes they can use any type of cleat.

- Spring tension is adjustable with both types of pedal, so release difficulty shouldn't really be an issue, although in my experience SPD pedals tend to be less demanding in terms of foot angle precision. In other words, I seem much more likely to get an accidental release under hard effort with SPD than SPD-SL.

- Touring shoes have a subdued, street look because they are used off the bike as much as on. If you are buying shoes just to ride in, most brands make the same shoe in both MTB and road versions (eg SH-M088 and SH-R088), it's up to you if you think those are stylish but recognize that you already gave up a great many style points when you got on your bike so what's a few more?

- With shimano pedals, you get what you pay for, the more expensive ones have better springs and bearings.

I've tried on a few shimano shoes (but never bought any), so I'm not sure if my advice will be very useful.
With respect to fit relative to the shoes I wear, in a 45 they seemed to be about:
-the same length/volume as sidi dominators,
- slightly smaller than diadora speedracers., and
- slightly larger than quoc phams.

zvez

Very happy with the specialized elite shoes I have. I like the shimano SPD road bike pedals (3 bolt). The positives with the shimanos, the cleats have color coded plastic tabs on them so you you can walk (tho still looking like a stork) without having to go with covers as you would with the look cleats. The shimanos also come with red tabs for no float and yellow tabs for 6 degrees of float (this is how much free movement in your feet on the pedals.

The other big thing to do, and I just got them a few weeks ago after getting a precision fitting with my bike, insoles. Specialized has three color coded classes. These make a huge difference in keep your ankle from flexing during pedaling. I noticed a huge difference first 60 mile ride with them.

The shoes I started with:

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/ftr...oes/elite-road

abdul10000

This is very encouraging to know, as I am leaning towards touring shoes and the SH-CT45 model in particular. However, when you look at this model's stiffness rating (which is 3) and compare that to the stiffness rating (10 and 12) available on the better road and mountain shoes you get the impression that you will lose pedaling power, but I am glad to know that that is not the case.

great tip

I thought contact surface correlates to power transfer but I gather its aimed more towards comfort?

no no man got stay pretty, lol

You bring a very good point. I wear Nike running shoes size 45.5EU 11.5US 29.5cm. I once tired the Bontrager RL-MTB and the size that fit me was 45.5EU 12.5US 29.3cm. I think I should be looking at and comparing the cm figure because it is the most consistent, correct? Looking at Shimano's adaptive size chart 29.5cm falls between 46-46.5EU.

abdul10000

Thanks, I would love to know the specific reasons behind this

This is interesting to know, I will try to reseach and see if they have touring shoes.

Interesting, what was the main reason you switched from spd to spd sl?

abdul10000

I think the RECREATIONAL & FITNESS SHOES are pretty much the same as touring offered by Shimano, right?

zvez

don't know, to be honest I've only looked at road bike shoes as they actually suit the type of riding I do best.

Cyclelogikal

SPD-SL is better for road with the wider platform for transferring energy of long climbs to me. Plus the SPD's are to me specific to mtn. biking. I have since gone from SPD-SL to Time Iclic system. Lighter and I like the float system better.

UnfilteredDregs

I'm a newb as well with clipless...I did a bunch of research and ordered a bunch of shoes from online sources that had very generous return policies... I went with SPD/ MTB 2 hole as the initial foray...

I ended up with Lake shoes and SH-56 cleats... I LOVE the "BOA" system that tightens the shoe to the foot. As far as power transfer goes, I can't speak to that other than in my limited experience an excellent bike fit is the most important factor.

I recently went for a fit on a Compu-Trainer system and over the course of two hours I walked out with I'd say a 10% gain in efficiency due to adjustment of cleat position, seat height and bar rotation.

I went with SPD/mtb for practicality. Walking on road shoes is quite limiting IMHO. I do see road shoes in my future on an as needed basis, meaning events and such.

abdul10000

Does Shimano offer float on their pedals? I researched few models and it seems they don't which is really odd.

Yes, I am leaning towards taking the same rout and adding the road system in the future for longer more demanding rides. And that is why I posed the following question:

I thought since road shoes can clip to both systems, do they preform well on their secondary (spd) system?

zvez

The shimano spd-sl pedals. They do offer float cleats, the red color coded tabs on the cleats are 0 degrees float, the yellow coded tabs are for 6 degrees of float. If you have dura ace 9000 pedals the offer a blue color coded cleat that is 1-2 degrees float. As far as I know these blue ones only fit the dura ace pedals.

Cyclelogikal

Yes there is a float of I think 6 degrees on Shimano cleats. I just like Time system better for me.

abdul10000

This is really great to know. Does the Time Iclic System you are using now offer more degrees of float?

In what way, more float or a different feel?

abdul10000

While I was researching pedals I found this very informative thread comparing the A520 vs A530 vs A600.

seymour1910

I have used both time Iclic and now Shimano SPD-SL. My time pedals were lighter and they did have a nice amount of float, they were easier to get out of (great for beginners) and about the same as far as clipping in. The SPD-SL platform is a little wider. The only negative I can say about the iclic pedals would be the cleat durability. You always want to keep the walking to a minimum with road cleats, but the iclic cleats did wear faster than the Shimano cleats.

mercator

That's not correct. I'm using the blue cleats with ultegra SPD-SL pedals and they work just fine.

Of these three shimano SPD road cleats, I use the A520 and A530. The A600 looks like an ultegra level version of the A520, which is an excellent pedal by the way. A couple of years ago I rode a double century with A520s and sidi dominators, by the end of the day my legs were like rubber and my ass hurt, but my feet felt fine.

I have the A530 on my commuter, which allows me to wear any kind of shoe (or snowboot) on that bike. Unlike the A520 or A600, they aren't rear weighted, so you have to flip them around if you want to use a particular side.

abdul10000

Thanks for your input, I guess they are both very similar with the A530 having the advantage of two sides (one platform, and one cleat) and the A520 having the advantage of being always in upright position and ready to be clipped in. I am personally leaning towards the A530 because when I ride slow in areas with pedestrians I need the freedom of switching to the platform side. I wonder it is possible to pedal the A520 comfortably without clipping in? I plan to get the touring shoes, so is it possible to be pressing the pedal without being automatically clipped in, and if possible is that comfortable?

double_stuf

zappos.

free shipping, returns. pick a few. don't nerd out over features too much. pick what fits best.

pedals? speedplay.

OTOH, if you're riding three hours a week, why bother?

cosmicwheelie

I'm considering the same things as the op. Leaning heavily toward speedplay, is there any reason to pick a SPD-SL pedal/cleat over Speedplay for a first timer? I'm really into the minimal look and seemingly simple design of speedplay

abdul10000

pedals? speedplay.

regular pedals allow you to push only, clipless pedals allow you to push and pull and engage all your leg and hip muscles.

dangerd

I use the A530's because like you I have to sometimes ride where there are a lot of pedestrians on the path.
It is nice to know that I can clip out and ride the platforms then when I am in the clear just clip in and go.
Also I like to get off the bike and walk when necessary.

spectastic

For serious road riding/racing purposes, definitely go with the SPD SL, look or speedplay.

For commuting or mountain biking, go with SPD. From what you've provided, it sounds like spd is a better option. Most mountain bike shoes allow you to have full traction when you're walking, and they're stiff to give you the benefit of stiffness.

I now have platform pedals on my commuter, with toeclips. I chose this option because it's convenient. I can wear any shoe I want, and I can use a steel insole or something to make it stiff (I still need to try that).

There are also pedals out there that's half platform and half SPD. That's also an option.