Jet Travis

After reading the recent Speedplay threads, I was convinced to buy one or another of the mid-to-higher-end road pedals. And then I saw the prices.

Yow!

I can be very creative at justifying nearly any bicycle-related purchase, and I'm not knocking the product, but I'm just in shock. I mean you could buy an awful lot of beer for the price two shoes and two pedals. Come to think of it, I bought a nice Italian-made road bike frame on Ebay for similar coin last year. Guess I'll just stick with the ol' SPD pedals and cheap mountain bike shoes I've been rolling with for the past five years or so. Besides, I reckon no shoes or pedals on earth would lift me from my status as a charter member of Team Dead Last.

Louis

High end shoes and pedals are outrageously priced. Perhaps PT Barnum was right.

Long deKlein

I, too, recoil in horror at high end pedal and shoe prices, but I reached a point where I just couldn't hang with MTB shoes and SPD's any more. I'm running Nashbar Look knockoff pedals (<$50/pair) and Nike and Cannondale low to midrange shoes, also <$50/pair, bought from Craiglist (Nikes) and Nashbar using a 20% discount on top of an already discounted price. Way better than the MTB/SPD combo. Dunno why there aren't any Speedplay knockoffs--maybe they've got better lawyers.

CB HI

I thought you could only rent beer!

BluesDawg

There's the problem.

Timtruro

Beverly

I'm not about to give up my SPD's. That would mean I couldn't wear those great cycling sandals all summer

George

I think everything is getting sky high. I went over some of the receipts I saved from the things I bought and I was at shock myself. I just threw them away last night, but I am going to watch my spending from now on. I think if more people start doing, that the prices will start going down. Or I would like to think they would, anyway.

dave.henri

What's wrong with SPD's? I think they are a great pedal. Besides, you can walk around without looking like you're wearing high heals.

Pwnt

Hey Jet, my suggestion is to buy used. The pedals are next to indestructable so let the original buyer take the hit. Then spend the extra money on higher end shoes.....or beer.

Beverly

I know such a person who has two pair of Shimano SPD-SL's gathering dust in the garage. PM me if you're interested.

Jet Travis

Maybe I like high heels.

BluesDawg

Variety is the spice of life. Just because you choose one type of pedal for certain situations doesn't preclude choosing a different type for other situations. You don't have just one kind of bike for every possible cycling situation, do you? Why limit yourself to just one kind of pedal?

n4zou

I just use old fashion clips and any shoe I want to wear that day. If I were in a competitive event I could see spending the money but all I'm doing is riding a bike for fun and exercise. My current shoes are a pair of tennis shoes I found on clearance for $4.50 and they work fine, both on and off the bike.

Torgrot

+1 to that. I don't take the cycling seriously enough to warrant anything more than my skateboard shoes. Well padded and flat.

torgrot

Retro Grouch 

It's the war tax. We've been putting the cost of the Iraq war on the credit card. When you do that it takes awhile but eventually you have to pay the piper. In this case the dollar exchange rate has gone down the tube and, since most bicycle parts are imported, the price has shot up.

Terrierman

As a matter of fact, yes I do. At least every possible cycling situation that I am personally likely to encounter....

Spinz

I got my pedals on eBay. $80.00 with free shipping for new SPD 6620 Ultegra pedals,$125.00 for a pair of new Specialized Pro Carbon shoes. No complaints here. Lp

BluesDawg

Nothing wrong with that, if that keeps you satisfied, though you are building up quite an N+1 deficit.
Myself, I enjoy the variation of using different bikes and accessories for different situations. Not that there is only one type for each situation, there is plenty of overlap. But I do like variety.

stapfam

I was nearly into the realms of buying different shoes and pedals for the road bike a couple of weeks ago. I do get a good deal from my LBS- but the price made me think again. I still do a bit of offroad so SPD's are the rule there. Have the road bikes set up with A520 road pedals for SPD's but according to some- I ought to be getting proper road shoes and pedals. I would have got the pedals at a sensible price and the shop did find me a top rate pair of shoes in my size that they were prepared to almost give away. Tried on the shoes- and I could not walk in them and that was before the cleats went on. I am not one of those riders that get on the bike- do a quick 100 miles and go home- I need PIE and coffee- I need a comfort break and I do enjoy taking a rest and walking about every now and then.

In hind sight I should have taken the shop up on their offer of the shoes and pedals. They were cheap- but how good is cheap when they would cause me other problems. Would falling in clipless shoes without the bike Count as an entry in Club Tombay.

Digital Gee

I doubt it. They seem to have pretty strict standards.

The Weak Link

Bicycle magazine suggested that you save money on pedals and buy a good set of shoes. I mean, how much better a rider would we be if we spent $450 on Unobtainium Speedplays? One the other hand, I can tell a big difference in comfort with my (gift certificate) Sidi's.

BluesDawg

Stap, no offense, but you are still pretty much a noob as a road rider. It would take a week or less to master the fine art of walking in road shoes and cleats. I'm not saying you would want to take a stroll around the block or through the mall, but the short walk to the table for pie and coffee would quickly become a non-issue. Just get it over with. Get the shoes and pedals and some cleat covers and get on with your life. Anyone who can stoke an offroad tandem, ride an offroad century and climb Mont Ventoux can manage to learn to walk in road cycling shoes.

BluesDawg

+1

cyclinfool

I'm still using my Niki road shoes I bought in 1997 off the clearance rack from Performance for about $25. Still using the same speed play X2 pedals - had to replace the cleats once as they wore out. Also on my second pair of laces. I view the investment well worth it and would never go back to conventional pedals. The difference you get is worth it even for the recreational rider.