I apologize if both these items have been covered numerous times before. I did some searching, but did not find what I was looking for...

So I really, really want to go clipless, but don't know where to begin. I commute about 8 miles to and from work on a GT Chucker 1.0. (https://www.comparestoreprices.co.uk/...-jump-bike.jpg). Not necessarily an ideal bike for how I use it, but a friend of mine had it laying in their garage and gave it to me.

While I have not used this beefy mountain bike to do any mountain biking, I do live very close to a highly regarded mountain bike course and I do fully intend to check it out and hopefully make lots of use of it.

I've been looking at the various clipless pedals and shoes, and I'm overwhelmed. My budget for this is limited and I want to make sure that whatever I purchase will be pedals/shoes that I will be able to stick with for a while. I'm bouncing between the dual purpose pedals that have clips on one side and platforms on the other or the crank brothers eggbeaters.

First question:

Can anyone recommend a good pedal/shoe combo for a first time clipless user. If I can keep it under $150 that would be swell.

Second question:

Some pals and I are planning a 30 mile ride Sunday and I was thinking about trying to pick up pedals and shoes prior to this ride. I won't have much time to get used to the setup prior to the ride. Is a 30 mile casual ride on a bike path a good way to break in / get used to this setup, or am I setting myself up for problems? Just not sure how much adjusting and fooling around is required for these things.

Thanks for your advice!

No need to overthink it.
1. Find a pair of "SPD compatible" shoes that feels good and fits your price range.
2. Flip a coin, saying, "Heads: SPD's, Tails:Crank Brothers" (lrank Bros. cleats are SPD-compatible and will fit your shoes.)
3. Buy SPD or Crank Bothers pedals that fall close to your price range and install. Possibly your local bike shop will install the pedals and cleats for you if you buy them there.

A casual, non-technical ride is a good place to sort out your technique. SPD pedals have adjustability in the tension that holds the cleat to the pedal, and you might want to tweak that a bit, before getting into traffic or on an MTB trail.

Bonus: The correct sequence is: "Slow down, unclip, stop" - not Slow down, stop, unclip"

yep, go SPD. there are bunches of knock off pedals that use the spd cleat that are relatively cheap.

Buy a good pair of shoes that fit. Lots of deals out there for shoes, last year's models. A touring shoe, usually lace up, can give you double duty in that the cleats are typically recessed and will allow you to walk around without grinding the cleats on the floor or pavement.

In case you don't know, Cleats come with the pedals. Spd cleats will likely fit any touring/mountain bike shoe you look at so don't worry about compatibility. When you get them and put everything on for the first time, go to a soft grassy field to try it out. I promise you will end up falling down once or twice as you learn to clip out and stop. Better to do it there than on the pavement. Good Luck!

Then do yourself a favor and read truman's recommendations over and over and over again. It’s no fun coming to a stop in traffic and not being able to (or knowing how to) unclip; I’ve been there, it's no fun!

Edit.

Also, when trying on shoes try them on while your feet a warm and have expanded, don't get a pair that fit too snug. I developed hot-foot from my first pair of riding shoes because there were too snug after my feet swelled from riding.

I have fallen in love with Speedplay Frogs. The baseline pedals retail for $105, with some good price-hunting, you should be able to be in your budget.

I like them because there is no spring-tension and they have very good mud tolerance and reliability.

I currently wear Shimano M076 shoes. I bought them because I really like my road shoes by shimano. The fit is not the same, and I find the M076 acceptable, but not fabulous.

2nd Question: Inside, with bracing (bike on a trainer if you have one) practice clipping and unclipping. Lots. You will probably fall anyways. If this group you are riding with are people you do not mind falling in front of, go for it. If it would permanently damage your ego, wait to make the change.

I'd stay away from the platform/spd type pedals. They may seem like a good idea when you're new to clipless -- they did to me, but after a couple rides I found no need for the platform. If I had it to do again, I'd go with eggbeaters or speedplay frogs.

You'll probably fall once or twice, that's part of the experience.

If you know how to track stand, slow down, stop, unclip is just as easy as slow down, unclip, stop. And track stands impress the opposite sex...okay. okay. It makes them think you're a dweeb but in your own mind, you'll be a rock star!

In answer to snorkel's original question, I like Shimano M520. Tough, cheap, two sided, easy to get into and out of. Just set the tension low and make sure the cleat is tight on the shoe. I've never tried Crank Brother's pedals because I have to many bikes to retrofit.

What Truman said. Shoes should be fitted before purchasing. I ride almost exlcusively in spd sandals and get them via mailorder. Sheldon Brown lived in his Shimano sandals.

riding with clipless pedals is learning a habit. You will probably have some exciting moments at first. Everyone does. You quickly forget that your foot needs to unclip and the fun begins. The time involved to learn is short. Do it where you can fall over, safely. I had to put the plain old pedals back on my bike for short time. I would instinctively attempt to unclip my right foot when approaching a stop. That was as funny to me as learning to ride clipless in the first place.

Yup, falling over is kind of a rite-of-passage. When I fell over I was more concerned with scratching my Tarmac then with bodily harm.

Gosh you guys are awesome. Thanks for all of the helpful replies! I have a $100 gift card to the LBS, so I plan on going there and trying stuff on and figuring it all out. I think I am most likely to go for th eggbeaters due to the price and one of my friends has them and loves them to death. The froggies look really nice though.

Don't mind falling, and it sounds like Sunday's ride will be the perfect time to do it.

Thanks a bunch!

Good on you. I'm kind of jealous 'cause I'd really love to go clipless on my commuter but am lacking in the funding department right now. Enjoy!

I prefer eggbeater-based pedals, myself. I have 'em on all my bikes.

I neglected to mention that if you buy mountain biking shoes, the shoe's tread will (mostly) keep the cleats from scratching floors and getting worn out on pavement, as well as making it easier to walk. Roadie shoes don't have such tread and are more problematic in this regard.

You should set things up and try them out a bit before that ride. I've had people "debug" brand new pedals on group rides and, if there are problems, it could be annoying for other people.

Good thing this isn't in the road forum, or UMD would rip you a new one.

PS: I fell once. But nobody was around to see it, so technically it didn't happen.

My first pair of shoes were Shimano MTB-style shoes, something in the lower end of their line. I purchased those primarily because of price and they seemed more walkable, less roadie.

They sucked.

My current pair is Shimano M0-76, and I love them. They look very "roadie" but are actually way more walkable than the first pair. I would definitely ask the folks in the bike shop to let you walk around in them with the cleats installed so you can get a feel for that.

+1 to this. When I bought a new bike in October, they didn't have the pedals (dual sided, platform/clipless) I wanted so they gave me some Shimano SPDs to use for a week. I took to clicking in and out like a duck to water, possibly because I'd been riding with clips and already had the slow/get your foot out/stop concept down. When they put the other pedals on, I found them cumbersome and unnecessary. The LBS guys laughed, said they figured that would happen, and let me return the dual-siders without any sort of charge and stuck some double sided SPDs on. So far, I like 'em a lot, but I'm still pretty new to the whole thing.
https://www.rei.com/product/764684
(They're priced pretty high on there, I paid eighty bucks for them locally.)

They also heavily discounted my shoes (like forty percent), but I'd also just bought a new bike-- either way, when it's a major purchase, don't be a tool, but don't also be afraid to haggle.
https://www.specialized.com/cn/en/bc/...mId=7053&eid=0
They fit better than any shoe I've ever worn in my life. I love 'em. Very walkable, too.

real content first:

Egg beaters work through all kinds of muck. Their reliability is somewhat suspect, but I've had no problems with mine so far so I cannot really weigh in to the pos/neg there. Don't be put off by how skinny they are. You don't need platforms and don't worry about being able to wear normal shoes while you bike after this because you probably won't care to. spend the extra money on a stiff-soled spd-compatible shoe (like the specialized above) to mitigate the hot spotting of such a small pedal. The sole of the shoe IS your platform. Your feet will thank you.

My current spd shoes are shimanos that I got for ~50 off pricepoint.com. They're *very* comfy to walk in....and rubbish after a scant 10 miles because those comfortable flexible soles do little to support my feet. Thankfully I have roadieTastic shoes and spd-sl's for all the times I'm not commuting.


I took pix and spammed everyone i knew when i fell the first time. some people hide their shame...i flaunt it flagrantly for some odd reason

the definitive Order of Operations, ver.Unclipping:
realize you forgot to fasten your helmet
remember you forgot to fasten the extra strap on your bag to keep it from flopping around and striking your face repeatedly
stall, lost in thought, pondering how funny you'd look being repeatedly brutalized by your trendy, yet functional bag
come to a complete stop, still lost in though, listing quickly groundward
land gracefully on your arms, tweaking your front derailleur back a bit as you're forcefully ejected from your pedals

--bonus points for doing as I did: take pix with your phone of your newfound red badge of stupidity (rash/gritty bloody mess) and spam it to everyone you know before continuing on to work.

*sigh*

ACK just saw the 30 miler part. You wouldn't buy new boots just before setting out on a 5 mile hike, let alone going 30 miles anywhere. You'll want to play with the cleat position a bit on some longer rides. You don't usually experience things like foot pain and toe numbness until you get a few miles on the latest setup. Make sure you have something with you that can loosen/tighten the bolts on your cleats in case you need to tweak them. Keep in mind that how you set your cleats will determine how your legs and feet move for every stroke of that long trip. check out sheldonbrown dot com(?) and look for the section on pain so you know what to look for.

I earned my right of passage. Got a set of eggbeaters and a pair of decent Nike MTB shoes on clearance. Was just out practicing clipping and out. While at a stop with my right foot unclipped I leaned a bit too far to the left. Super alarming feeling to be tipping over and not be able to get your foot down.

Aside from that all is well and the pedals and shoes seem good! Can't wait to try them out on a real ride. Thanks all for the advice!

I am just getting over the pain in my arm from the first five times I crashed at a stop light/front porch. I have Crank Bros eggbeaters SL and 661 mtb spd shoes. I got great ebay buys on them.

I use clipless, the SPD type, on club and weekend rides or on the trail since the shoes are walkable, mine feel like a pair of sneakers but I prefer regular platform pedals and regular sneakers for my city commute. I don't trust myself in the morning to be able to unclip if I come to abrupt stop, and I would hate falling in traffic I tried the road pedals (Look?) and hated the shoes.

Adam

I have the road version of this shoe and will probably never buy any other brand of shoe. The body geometry and larger toe box makes for an outstanding cycling shoe. I only wish I had gone for the full carbon BG Pro version which is stiffer.

You will fall over more than once. When you do, just make sure you jump to your feet as quickly as you can, throw your hands into the air and belt out a confident TADA. That way, someone might think you meant to do it.

What's important for me is to laugh. I fell over and started laughing because it is funny. Never take yourself too seriously.

I got the dual SPD vs platform pedals and hate them. The rationale was if I chose to ride very short errands (in street clothes) OR if I chose to ride in extreme weather with big waterproof boots. Fortunately this pedal is on Rusty, the backup bike; I love the 2-sided MTB SPD pedals on my good road bike. The MTB shoes are very practical for commuting; I love my Keen SPD bike sandals. Also on my commute there are some rough stretches where I have to dismount + walk on some rough terrain.

If you've ridden with toe clips, going to clipless is not a big deal. But yes, before you ride make sure you practice unclipping a few times and do some short neighborhood practice rides. Don't sweat the clipping in part; clip in on one side, push off, and get pedaling. The cleat should home in and lock onto the pedal without need to coast. Look where you're going, not at the pedal. If need be, the first pedals can be with the arch of your unclipped shoe to avoid slipping.