bragi

I totally agree with you; clipless are not everyone's cup of tea. However, I have to also agree with the other poster (lil brown bat, I think) who mentioned that this isn't the thread to argue that point. The OP has apparently committed him/herself to clipless; let the clipless faithful share their advice in peace.

Randochap

Why not go to your LBS and buy shoes and pedals? There you can get the expertise and help you need as a newcomer to clipless pedaling. Don't buy shoes off the interwebs, unless, as mentioned above, you have worn the same shoe before ... which I presume doesn't apply here.

I recommend SPD (double sided) pedals and MTB shoes.

Less than $100? I don't think so. You get what you pay for in this case especially.

bcarter6

This is a tad out of your price range, but I think these are really great shoes. They are actually comfortable to walk in (I maybe walk a half mile in them a day, so I'm not saying they are comfy for long walks, but for standing around all day and walking around an office, they are plenty fine). These have held up great, I've been using them for almost a year and they are not at all worn out, they hold up much better than sneakers. The only problem I'm having is the tread has started to wear just enough so that the cleats are clicking a bit on the floor. Also, these were great for me all winter, plenty insulated to around 20 degrees (doesn't get much colder in Georgia).

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...tegory_ID=2120

I am running M540s SPDs at the moment and like them a lot, but if this is your first clipless system, you might want to have a look at egg beaters or candys. I prefer the feel of SPDs, but I admit that they have a bit more of a learning curve than egg beaters do. If you go with the egg beaters, you'll get the hang of it really quickly and have no problem clipping in and out.

gear

I used those shoes with SPD pedals. The shoes were OK, I still use them sometimes in the summer as they breathe well. Not so good for cold weather.

SPD pedals sucked with road shoes, better SPD-SL or look. The cleat is small and so is the pedal catch. You will often find that you over shoot the catch as the hard bottomed shoe will slide across the metal and tiny pedal and catch. SPD-SL on the other hand is hard to miss as the cleat and pedal catch are so big. I never look down when clipping with SPD-SL.

Platform on one side and SPD on the other are horrible pedals because gravity makes the catch side face down so you need to flip the pedal with your toe then try and connect before it flips back over. I hated them.

Anyone who declares that road shoes won't work for commuting (or the opposite) that MBT shoes make for a poor commuting choice, is only commenting on their own commute. Bike commuting is such an individual experience that what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another. Think about your own commute before making choices on clothing and bikes. For instance where I work I have clothes, shoes, a washing machine, a shower, my bike stays inside where no one goes near it, so why wouldn't I ride an expensive bike with very little carrying capacity and use road shoes? For me to hear someone declare that road shoes don't work for commuting seems like they have no idea what my commute experience is like, which is probably true.

ItsJustMe

My initial cost for getting into SPD was about $60. I got Shimano pedals new on eBay for $22 I think, and shoes for about $35. Shipping on both pushed it up to $60. I'm still riding with the same shoes, pedals and cleats, though for the last few weeks I was experimenting with toe clips. I put the SPDs back on for a 65 mile ride on Friday, and though I don't think it matters much, I'll probably leave the SPDs on until I need to ride in street shoes again.

caelric

Some people just don't get this. They think that their experience is the be-all, end-all of the world. This goes for just about everything. Too bad so many have blinders on.

Elderberry

Thank you, Rando. I was about to make the exact same post. Working at a shop and having tried our entire stock of mountain shoes before settling on the Shimano MO76's for their optimal comfort to price ratio, I'd say that trying the things on and keeping your feet in 'em for a good amount of time is vital. Sizing can be a little different for each brand and model, and that's definitely not something you want to have even a little off.

And $150 is a little more of a realistic pricepoint for decent shoes/pedals. Shoes like mine run $90 and you can get some Shimano M520s for about $50. Your LBS, check it out.

ItsJustMe

I got M520s from eBay for $22 (they said they were used, but they only had a few scratches, I suspect they were used for test rides or something), Shimano mountain shoes (I think M040) for $35 elsewhere. I'm at over 3 years and 15000 miles (in all weather) on the combo, though the shoes have ripped a bit around one toe. I have a backup pair of shoes waiting, also paid $35. I'm going to wear the Shimanos all summer unless they totally fall apart, then switch before winter.

JeffS

Noone said it can't be done. If you don't already have shoes and pedals, and aren't going to be a roadie (meaning you don't need to fit in with others), or aren't using your commute to train for your triathalon, you would be hard pressed to come up with a single reason to buy road shoes over mountain shoes for a commute.

The question wasn't about you.

lil brown bat

So...how come you didn't answer the original question? Still.

nahh

Thanks for the input guys! Since i'm commuting, solo riding 25-30mi a couple times a week, and routinely doing 40-50 mile group rides on the weekends I think i'm going to go with road shoes.
I'm not going to walk farther than my door to my bike, and changing shoes before I walk into work, being able to walk well isn't a real issue.

Plus, if I need to have walking shoes i can swap the pedals in about a minute.

thanks for the great insight, this is why bf is awesome.

caelric

Huh, will you look at that...not all commuters are the same.

I_bRAD

That is true, but it was relevant.

I_bRAD

OK.

Yes, the sizing for the shoe is the European sizing.

You do not need to buy cleats, they come with the pedals.

For the record, your contribution to this thread so far has been 2 posts challenging semantics.

lil brown bat

No, it's been two posts pointing out the futility of answering a question about how to do a perfectly reasonable thing with an argument about why you yourself are not doing that perfectly reasonable thing. That's not "challenging semantics". Your choice is a perfectly fine one, but OP wants to do something different, that's all.

Oh, and as for why I didn't post my own clipless solution? It's a totally boring common one and someone else already did.

apricissimus 

You're forgetting the "I just like them" reason for using road shoes/cleats/pedals, which is a perfectly valid one.

lambo_vt

+1, I much prefer road shoes/pedals after switching to Speedplays. They're downright hazardous to walk in without cleat covers, but $10 later and I'm good to go. Then again, walking comfort is nowhere near a priority for me - might be for someone else.

mwmcginn

So, after reading this I am a little confused. I am looking for a solution for my road bike to use it on commuting as an opportunity to train on the way home. I bike/bus and have the SPD-SL type cleats on my road shoes, but this is no good for my walk into work (3 blocks from where I park the bike) Are there any MTB shoes or sandals that work with spd-sl?

Kojak

I use road shoes, but then, my desk is about 25 feet from where my bike sits, just outside the window. I also used road shoes however when I still lived in Seattle and the journey to my desk was quite a bit further... albeit on carpeted floors, which were road shoe/cleat friendly.

In most cases, I would say that the mountain bike shoe comments are fair, especially since the OP doesn't sound like they're going to be signing up for a local crit any time soon.

mwmcginn

would those only work with spd pedals, not spd-sl?

tjspiel

Just to muddy the waters, there are walkable road/touring shoes as well.

DirtyDragon

we should all contribute 10 dollars for some R&D and spec out some real commuter shoes. We could all make a killing since i bet you half the people who walk into a bike store want a shoe they can also feel comfortable walking around in.

canyoneagle

Yet another vote for mountain bike shoes for commuting.

It is worthwhile to call/visit several bike shops in your area to see if they have any closeouts on shoes (which is not too uncommon).
I was lucky enough to get some '07 old stock closeouts this spring for 60% off of retail, so check around in your area.

As far as pedals are concerned, some form of platform is desireable, and I personally recommend double-sided engagement (one-sided can be a real pain IMO). Check out the other thread on this topic:
https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/554263-quest-ideal-commuting-pedal.html

ItsJustMe

I went clipless for about $50. $35 for shoes, about $20 for Shimano 520 pedals on eBay.

I think they're overrated, personally. I rode with them for 3 years, and I still prefer having them on to not, but not a whole lot. I swapped out for platforms over the weekend, and I don't care all that much one way or the other. Toe clips work pretty well too.

pityr

mtn shoes are great all around riding shoes. I also have a pair of road shoes that I can use with my booties since the booties don't fit over my mtn shoes.