I've been interested in the idea of getting a cage or special shoes with pedals, and was just wondering on some opinions from other commuters.

I don't want to have to change shoes, so maybe the cage may be a better option, but what's the difference performance wise? And are there any shoes that also double as general shoes so I wouldn't have to worry about walking in them?

My general commute is about 13 miles each way (26 miles) mon-thurs to campus, then a bunch of small rides (store, friend's house, work, etc.) throughout the week. I generally end up at between 120-150 miles a week. Specifically for the longer rides (like school), would be nice to have a bit of an upgrade.

Any recommendations? I have a lot of amazon credit, so things purchasable there would be preferred

IMO, clipless pedals and shoes are one of the single best upgrades you can do. Especially for me with one bad knee, I like knowing my shoe is always exactly where it needs to be. Pedal feel increases significantly, you feel much more in tune with the bike. But you generally give up some walking comfort, but not always. You can get commuter or "spin class shoes" which give up some stiffness for flexibility and ease of walking. Most performance minded shoes will be stiff, and shaped in a way to where you duck walk a bit, even if the cleat is recessed. Mtb shoes and pedals are a must, road bike shoes are Luke walking on ice in high heels

I strongly recommend trying some on at your lbs and trying to walk around. Most brands will have an option or two that are geared more towards walking. Try a few on. I can walk around in stiff mtb shoes to run into a store or a bar, but I probably wouldn't want to walk around a shopping mall or festival all day with them.

You might be able to find a pair of lightweight and/or folding slip on shoes that you can put in an empty water bottle cage, or store under your saddle bag or something and do a quick switch when you need to walk around. I do this with sandals in the summer.

I think you commute is long enough that you could benefit from clipless pedals, particularly if you have any hills you climb. They are more efficient, particularly when climbing.

Since you seem to want to use your bike for short rides to the store, etc, you might consider a combo pedal with clipless on one side and platform on the other, giving you flexibility. Lots of options for this on Amazon.

There are a number of "commuter" or "urban" bike shoes that accept SPD cleats in them. The look like normal casual shoes and the cleats are recessed for walking.

I have a set that I use when I want to walk around more comfortably on stops on a ride. - they basically look like a trail running shoe or light hiker, but have an SPD cleat in them - I think mine are Shimanno, but many brands make similar. I think brands like Chrome make some more stylish/trendy options. Haven't looked on Amazon but sure there are some options.

... but then you need a second pair of shoes , or have to walk around all day in cycling shoes .

not necessarily the best for all day on concrete floors ..

I would not buy the first pair of bike shoes without physically trying them on in a shop.

you can use that Amazon credit burning a hole in your pocket for the pedals ,

if you dont instead buy a book or something else with it.

Something like this, maybe?



You can run a comfortable platform pedal and stay attached

I've never been one for fashion. I wouldn't mind walking around school in biking shoes, just wanted to make sure that doing so wouldn't damage the shoes. Only places I'd probably just say eff it and go w/o the biking shoes are when I go to the gym or to the park to run my obstacle course.

I'll start looking around, thanks. I'll probably wait to buy them though until I get my settlement and a new bike. I got side-swiped by the city bus in January, and my bike was deemed "Unsafe to ride" by a couple of bike shops (but it's all I've got, so I gotta stick with it until I can replace it). FL drivers are as bad as they say. Nobody follows the 3-feet rule to pass. I'm lucky to get 6 inches most of the time

I wear Mtb shoes, I have two pairs, the ones with flexible bottoms for commuting, since I have to walk in them when I stop by the store or get food.

The other pair have hard soles they are for strictly riding, walking in them is horrible.

I carry my work boots in a pannier, because there are no empty lockers at work. When I had a locker I would leave my boots at work. I bought a pair of canvas kung fu shoes and folded them up in my trunk bag and slip them on if I plan on walking a bit.

So I've seen zip up shoes on Amazon that would work awesome for commuting. Also you could try folding flip flops.

I also use double sided pedals, spd on one side and platform on the other, for the days I wear sneakers to run a quick errand around the corner and don't feel like wearing my spd shoes.

+1 for this type of setup. I have these on my commuter:
[h=1]Shimano PD-M324 SPD Dual Platform Pedal[/h]and these on a road bike:

[h=1]Shimano A530 SPD Pedals [/h]


Both have a platform on one side and clips on the other. Pair them with a 'mountain bike shoe'. Lots of choices and price levels. Make sure they are SPD compatable.

Yup ^^^

hmm, looking at the two, I can't really tell a difference between them. Is there a reason you have both? Which would you recommend?

Also, do different shoes have diff clip in positions? I generally tend to bike towards the front of my foot vs the center

recessed spd cleats on shoes with half plates are comfortable enough for all day wear. in fact, i wear shoes with spd cleats most of the time -- even when going out.

suffered through these for years -- switching to two sided spd pedals on all my bikes was liberating.

I originally had double sided spd Wellgo pedals but for some slower group rides, being clipped in was dangerous because of people stopping abruptly and weaving. I switched so I could ride unclipped if needed

Hi Bovice,

I'll chime in with the unpopular answer for what it's worth. I rode for about 20 years in clips and straps, then about 15 in SPDs, and now for about 5 or 6 years (2000+ commuting miles per year) on platforms with my street shoes (actually any shoes in my closet). I'll tell you experientially that the difference between riding attached to the pedals and riding platforms is tiny at best.

This is something that gets discussed (sometimes a tad emotionally lol) here at BF from time to time, so I'll leave you with a suggestion: Get a pair of platforms and use them for a week. If you still prefer to attach, that's fine - but I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. I won't lose any sleep if you go the spd route or clips and straps, but I'm just letting you know platforms are a real option, especially for decreasing hassle particularly for the shorter rides you describe.

I keep a spare pair of shoes at work. If that doesn't work for you, there are SPD shoes that one can actually walk in (although that might not be ideal either).

I personally don't like riding not being clipped in, but that doesn't mean that you have to clip in.

A mountain or commuter shoe with a recessed cleat will be fine to walk around in all day. May feel a bi stiffer in the sole then a normal sneaker would, but should be fine.

Something like this would probably work great for you
Shimano SH-MT33 Grey - Zappos.com Free Shipping BOTH Ways

They have a few other models as well. Pearl Izumi has some nice ones, and Specialized has one called the Tahoe.

Typically shoes that accept SPD cleats allow you to move the cleats forward or back in the mount, so you can set it in a way that is comfortable for you.

^^^This^^^

Adjust for comfort and fit, but not a lot. Basically, they are very close to the theoretical ideal spot and move to prevent injury.

I used to have a platform snap-in that connected to an SPD pedal. Basically an easy way to convert any SPD pedal to platform/SPD dual-type setup.

A mtn bike I bought many years ago came that way. I don't have them anymore, but I'm sure some Googling (or Amazoning) would turn something up.

Another plug here for the A530 pedals. I have them and love 'em.

I've been using some stiff-soled Bontrager SPD MTB shoes since I started commuting last year, but I have a 31 mile commute each way and I pretty much never have to stop anywhere in between work and home. If I want to ride to lunch or errands during the day, then the platform side of the A530's is available. It's not the biggest platform but it gets the job done.

I generally drive to work on Monday and bring Tuesday's clothes with me. Then at the end of the day I stash my shoes in a file drawer to use the next day after I get to work by bike. Then I walk out to my car barefoot. I'm always barefoot when not at work or on the bike so it works for me.

But actually I've been wanting another pair of SPD shoes that is more walking-friendly. My LBS has these Bontrager "multisport" SPD shoes that I'd like to try sometime soon.

Bontrager: SSR Multisport (Model #10989)

Look, I gotta warn you - from your description there is no perfect solution, and I would personally suggest you stick with regular platform pedals. If you want more efficiency, but some BMX shoes or skate shoes (they have a non-compressible sole that's good for avoiding power loss from shoe cushioning while pedalling).

Regular Platform Pedals - advantages are that you can wear whatever shoes you want, including shoes that are comfortable to walk in. Disadvantage is that they're slightly less efficient - partially because padding on your shoe tends to be eat a tiny bit of the power, partially because you can't pull up while pedalling.

"Strap" Pedals - advantage is that you can pull up more, but still not quite as efficiently as with clipless. Drawbacks are that it's more difficult to get out of in an emergency stop (in my opinion) because you have to make the less-natural movement of pulling your foot back (whereas with clipless the clip-out movement is the more natural push-your-foot-to-the-side movement you usually do anyways). It can also get tedious to look down every time you put your foot in and out of the straps every time you stop (like at traffic lights).

"Clipless" pedals (two sided) - best power transfer - if you learn how to use them right. But it also isn't really a big increase vs regular pedals for most people. If you don't retrain your legs on how to pedal it's not even an advantage at all. They're also more expensive - $100 for pedals and $100 for shoes usually. Obviously the biggest drawback is needing to wear around specific bike shoes with a hard sole which isn't great to walk around in (I go grocery shopping in mine, but wouldn't want to walk around campus all day).

I've repeatedly found that you also have to spend time customizing where the clip is and how the shoe is setup to avoid knee pain. You might get lucky and be better, but it's easier with platforms.

"Clipless" pedals with a more walkable bike shoe - I tried this and hated it. You still have the clip on the bottom making noise on some surface when you walk, and the softer sole gave me knee problems while pedalling. Imo, this is the worst of both worlds.

"Clipless" pedals (one sided, with a platform on the other side) - I hated this to. You still have bike-specific shoes, and now I had to look down at the pedal every time I wanted to clip back in (some people say they don't need to, but I always found it to be a problem). The problem is that this is the worst time to be looking down at your pedals - it's always when you're going through an intersection where your head should be up looking at cars.

You can carry a 2nd set of shoes to walk around in and switch shoes when you get there this way (don't need to switch back for a short ride to a friends or the grocery store), but I just don't think it's worth it.

"Clip-on Platforms" - they sell something that sounds good - it's a platform that clips onto the pedal. Best of both worlds, right? Problem is, the platform clipping on is never as stable - it will twist around a bit (because the clipless part is mean to do that when you're wearing a shoe). I own some - don't waste your money on it.

"Clipless" (2 sided) with large platform that lets you use regular shoes - if you carry shoes to change into when you get there, this isn't the worst solution. In my experience, it's definitely better than the previous one. But it still doesn't solve your problem of need to carry 2 pairs of shoes.

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Bottom line - I ride clipless to work. But that's because I can keep a pair of shoes in my desk drawer and change into them when I get here. And I don't have any stops longer than grocery shopping on my way home.

I suggest for your purposes, best solution is to get two things -

1. A good platform pedal. Here's one my dad has that I like $30 (WELLGO Alloy BMX Mountain Bike Pedals Sealed 9/16") -
Amazon.com: Wellgo Alloy BMX Sealed Mountain Bike Pedal, 9/16-Inch, Black: Sports & Outdoors

It's sealed so it can handle being left outside in ****ty weather, the pins on it give you as much grip as humanly possible between your foot and the pedal (without going clipless or straps), and the wide platform should be good on your feet.

2. A pair of BMX shoes (or anything with a non-compressible sole, like Converse All Stars, or Skate Shoes). Here's one of the first ones that popped up on amazon -
https://www.amazon.com/DC-Mens-Black-...ords=bmx+shoes

BMX shoes are the easiest, as they're specifically designed for wearing on a bike with platform pedals.

I've gone through almost every iteration of possible shoe/pedal combinations, and I think it's just not worth the hassle for your needs to go with clipless. The speed/efficiency difference is very small, and likely to be eaten up by time spent messing with it anyways.

Okay, I've decided, I'm going to go with the a503 pedals;

I have a pair of shoes I'm looking at, but I'll ask one silly question before I buy them.

I'm a big anime fan, and I find myself going to conventions whenever possible. I was thinking of dressing up in the Hakone bike team uniform from Yowamushi Pedal



That being said, the most expensive part of any cosplay costume is going to be the shoes and in this case, getting a replica pair of shoes would probably be as expensive or more expensive than legit biking shoes and be useless outside of the costume. Anyone have any recommendations on a white/blue scheme shoe? Sorry for the troublesome question, but I figured I'd kill 2 birds with one stone on this one since I'm really into the anime now and wanting to go to my next convention as one of the characters

The 324 is the size if a regular stock pedal and with the clip on the other side run a little heavy. I'm a bigger guy and new to road riding,so the idea of clipping out well ahead of a light and still having a platform to ride on was appealing to me. I got these for the hybrid that got me riding again. Just moved them to my new commuter bike (specialized tri cross).

The 520 platform is a little smaller and oval and the pedal is much lighter. These I have on my road bike.

I won't tell you that it's the only way to go. The 'increased efficiency' arguments aside (not sure I believe it for the average joe puttering around), I prefer to be clipped in because my big feet will slip occasionally.

as you can tell, there are a lot of opinions. I personally would not walk around all day in biking shoes but one could. I keep shoes at work to change into.

My 2 cents.

Datsme

You should try fashion out. I can almost guarantee you'll have a better sex life. Jokes aside, get a pair of DZRs. Here are 2 examples.

Fair enough; considering my commute is with a 25+ lb backpack and my u-lock is 4 lbs, I don't think the difference in weight between the pedals would make any difference to be honest. I'll just go with the cheaper of the two I think