Originally Posted by
GuyForget
It's been proven that the differences are incredibly small, and if you just learn how to pedal you don't need any expensive pedals and shoes that people try to make you feel like you need.
Whatever a person is currently using is what they will say is the best, otherwise they will feel like they've wasted their money. *Of course* when a person goes out and spends $100 on something they will "feel" a huge difference. Clipless might make some inexperienced cyclists feel like they are so much faster, but it's all in their head unless they have very poor technique.
I have to kind of disagree. Last year I got a pair of free Shimano shoes. These were really expensive new, like $280 or something like that. I'd never pay that much for shoes. They are the kind that they use heat to mold to your feet. They are the very best most incredible shoes I've ever ridden and I've gone from the old days of leather lace up shoes and clips to clip-less and so on. So what I am riding now are currently the best and they didn't cost me a dime, I won them at a race
Lightweight stiff carbon sole shoes are easier to pedal after 80 miles or 10 miles. Less weight you have to move around on your foot the better. Plus when the fit just right as in molded to your feet I swear you can feel parts of your pedal stroke you didn't even know were there. Just going from regular running shoes to a cheap cycle shoe with a stiff sole makes a huge difference clip-less or not.
I hope these last me a long time because as much as I love them I'd still not pay that much for a set of shoes
And yeah like I was saying if you want efficient clipped set up then you need shoes with cleats just like a clip-less set so you may as well go clip-less unless you just want a day tripper to ride to the mall or something.