What type of shoes?
 

I use old-fashioned toe clips on my pedals. I finally bought some cycling shoes in '07 because they have a little harder sole than my old sneakers. Since I like to be able to stop and walk around, I went with something closer to the mountain bile style than the roadie style.

The clip/clipless discussions are somewhat akin to the proverbial Ford/Chevy debate.

I would suggest the MTB route for shoes. Unless you are an out and out racer that gets on the bike and next time you stop is after a quick 100 miles and it is home. I have been looking for a Look or Time type shoe that is walkable in but yet to find one.

On the pedals- The Shimano M520 is not bad but on Boreas last year- I got the A520's. Only one sided but they have a longer platform for the shoe. It does make for a bit more comfort on longer rides.

Can assure you that SPD's are the way to go- and please take a friend with the camera with you for the first fall. And cycling specific shoes have a very firm sole that does make for better pedalling efficiency.

I too like the A520. It is a middle of the road pedal with a road bike frame to distribute the load on the shoe and an MTB style cleat so that you can walk. Sort of the best of both worlds.

As a new user of clipless pedals I would recomend that if you go this route you substitute the M56 gold (multi angle release) cleat for the M51 mountain cleat that comes with the shoe. You will have to buy the 56 for an additional $20 but it releases in a more forgiving manner. This can be good while learning.

I've always ridden a MTB with plain pedals, the road bike with clips, Shimano SPDs are coming my way, with cages so I don't have to use shoes with cleats, but I've got some shoes to go with them. The cleats are recessed and the shoes walk like hiking shoes. This'll be interesting. I just couldn't live with shoes that don't walk ok. I always stop and walk around, so the other sort is just unsuitable for me.

Whatever you decide-try the shoes you prefer on-especially if you have wide or narrow feet or issues with arches. Don't take a gamble by getting them online unless you've tried wearing them first. Bike shoes are notorious for the same size fitting differently-even with different models under the same manufacturer.

I've tried the mountain and road style shoes and pedals but now use only the mountain bike style. I prefer them for their ease at walking in restaurants, rest areas on organized rides, restroom stops, etc.

I have Shimano M540 pedals on one road bike and Shimano M324 on the other road bike. I use the M324 with clip-in on one side and a regular platform on the other when riding with a biking program where there's a lot of stop and go riding. I also use that bike for errands or short rides around the neighborhood when I wear regular clothing and shoes.

As others have said, be sure to try the shoes on for size and fit before ordering from the internet.

I, too, am a diehard toeclips guy. My current cycling shoes are flat rubber-soled Lakes, although I also have a pair of Diadora mountain bike shoes.

More like the carburetor/fuel injection debate.

Seriously, get mtb shoes/pedals. Good for walking, you don't wear out the cleats, and a good pair of shoes will be comfortable on any ride. Friends use them on double centuries, I use them on double metrics.
Soooo much better than having a strap across your foot, especially if it's cold.

Shimano touring shoes
 

...work great, are (relatively) cheap, and look like cycling shoes. I've been using the same pair of RT80's (?) for commuting (25 mi rt) and randonneuring for the past 2 years, and figure they've got at least another season left in 'em. Combine 'em with Time ATAC mtb pedals and you've got a near unbeatable setup. On the downside, they're on the heavy side, and don't breathe well.

Scott P
Bend OR
XC skiing yesterday, 60 mi on the road 'bent today

I like road shoes. First, they make a big attention-getting clatter when I waddle into a convenience store. That assures that all eyes will be on me when I skid across the floor, land on my butt, and spill Gatorade all over my full Team Discovery kit. This provides endless hours of enjoyment for the local farmers, who last week judged my performance 9.6 for technique and 9.8 for interpretation, a personal record, which I will attempt to best on today's ride.

I have both. I commute in my SPD style shoes. I used to comute in Looks. It was possible, but a pain. I do like being able to walk!
My road bike has Shimano Look-style cleats I wear on real bike shoes. The shoes are great for longer rides.
My wife has SPDs on road shoes. It's easier for her to walk in than the shoes I have, but not as easy as the mountain shoes with SPDs.

I tend to think if you have good shoes with stiff soles SPDs are fine. We're not pro racers.
On the other hand (or foot) SPDs on shoes with flexible soles do put pressure in one spot.

I had my most spectacular spill while wearing road shoes and pedals. The new Madone only had a few miles on it and I wasn't used to the bike or the new type pedals. I was approaching a steep climb, trying to shift to the granny when the chain slipped off. As the bike slowed and I struggled to get unclipped I had that all too familiar feeling - you're going down:eek: I ended on my back with the Madone in the air and both feet securely clipped in. Unfortunately there was a couple in a pickup truck who witnessed the entire wreck. They offered to take me and the bike back to my car but I assured them I was only suffering from embarrassment and some minor road rash. There was no damage to the bike but I had a bruise the size of a softball on my hip for quite some time.

Shortly afterward the pedals and shoes were permanently retired. The shoes just take up space in my closest and the pedals collect dust on a shelf in the garage. Maybe someday I'll offer them to someone who wants the same experinces you describe:)

When I started road bike riding I borrowed a bike with Crank Brothers Candy C pedals and road shoes. I got used to the pedals pretty quick but not the slip sliding when trying to walk in the shoes. When I bought my own road bike I stayed with the Candy C's because they were cheap (~$40) and thought I would upgrade later. For shoes I bought a pair of Lake CX 120 touring shoes on sale. They have the raised lugs that keep the steel cleats almost completely off of the floor, making them very easy to walk, drive in and they have very stiff soles making it easy on my feet when pedaling. Now that I have been road riding for awhile I am completely happy with this set up. I don't see any need to upgrade. I got both from Performance or Nashbar, I don't remember which, but it was from a link from this forum.

I can see a good argument for MTB shoes even for general road riding, MTB shoes are very versitile and work reasonably well for all but racing. Now that I am no longer racing if I were starting over buying new shoes and pedals I might buy only MTB stuff, but I don't plan to stop using my road pedals and shoes on my road bike. If a ride is going to involve a lot of walking I won't take my road bike.

FWIW: I think the "can't walk in road shoes thing" is oversold. Just carry cleat covers in your jersey pocket if you go for road shoes and might need to walk some. You can actually walk pretty well with Look cleats and Kool
Covers.

Do you want to compromise your walking ability for riding or compromise your riding for walking? You're choice. I choose differently for different bikes and their intended purposes.

For long rides or fast rides where the only walking involved is at rest stops or maybe a short walk into a store or restaurant for a mid-ride snack or meal, I definitely go with road pedals (Look) and carry cleat covers. But when I am riding into town for something that will involve a lot of walking around, I use MTB shoes and pedals (eggbeaters).

I use to ride with clips but when Look road clipless came out I became an early adopter. Then Shimano SPD's came out and you can actually walk in them so I switch to these.

Depending on which shoe ones chooses I think that SPD's are as good as any of the road clipless. I have used other than SIDI's but for riding versus walking SIDI's are the best. They are just a little stiff for walking and quite expensive.

If you still want clipless but want to emphasize walking or hiking a bit more then a more flexible shoe with grippier sole is best. They make some that look like light, low-topped hiking shoes which are very comfortable. Note that the more flexible shoe can sometime be too flexible when trying to unclip and I think this can be responsible for crashing during panic stops.

Then, the are SPD sandles which many swear by (not at). I have not used these.

Inexpensive shoe? My bike fitter really wanted me to correct things and that was the first thing. The big question is what's a good shoe for a good price. At colorado cyclist the SIDI Genius 5 is going for about 170.00 this weekend only.

Different bikes, different shoes. On my commuter I have combination pedals, so I can ride with regular shoes or use the flipside to ride with my SPD walkable shoes. I use the SPDs when I know I am going a few more miles.

For my "fast bike," I use full on race type Look shoes... very comfortable when really pressed hard.

I also move the Look Pedals to the commuter when touring... long stretches on the bike require the most comfort.

So bottom line... I go with what works best for my cycling plans for the day.

w2brdbkr,

My answer depends on how you plan to use the bike. I started my return to road biking with a pair of Crank Brothers Candy C pedals (inexpensive, very easy to clip in & out even when dirty, good rep for quality) and Shimano mountain bike shoes. It was easy to hop on & off the bike and, as others have said, the shoes made it easy to walk into stores to pick up a snack (banana, pie, you name it).

I noticed, however, that as my mileage increased (~50+ miles), so did the "hot spots" on my feet. So after about three years I switched over to a pair of Look A5.1 pedals and Specialized road shoes (for folks who over-pronate). The hot spots immediately disappeared. On the other hand, I will admit that walking in road shoes is a bit tricky, even with cleat covers.

So...if you plan to go on long rides with few (if any) stops, then my suggestion would lean towards a road shoe and Look/Shimano pedal. If you're thinking about short trips, frequent stops, or have a need to walk through dirt on occasion, then I'd go with mtb shoes and Candy C pedals.

We have a BINGO!

I'm an un-apologetic restaurant-to-restaurant bike rider. It's unusual for me to ride more than 25 or 30 miles without getting off to do something else (usually eat) for a while. I own 3 pairs of mountain bike style shoes and no road style shoes. I like it that way.

The guys that I work with, on the other hand, are race oriented and are horrified by the pedals that I have on my road Klein.

"I'm an un-apologetic restaurant-to-restaurant bike rider."
Retro Grouch-your obviously a man of taste! I concur. I use speedplay frogs with Shiman mtb shoes. I use the Speedplays as they have a lot of "float" allowing for greater movement on the pedal. I have read that this will help cut down on knee injuries and I'm all for that!

+1
except that using cleat covers on road cleats makes walking on dirt much less of a problem.

MTB shoes with Crank Brothers on any bike. Works.

I have three things to say to you: "Quack! Quack! Quack!"