Robert A

I'm looking for shoes for use on my hybrid (Sirrus Comp) and my Shimano T780 SPD pedals. Nearly all riding will be in the city. I'm looking for something that strikes the right balance between comfort and cycling efficiency.

I went to three stores: REI, Helens and Cynergy and in my first pass, I narrowed it down to these three contenders:

1 - Shimano M089
2 - Specialized Rime Elite
3 - Pearl Izumi X-Alp Drift III

All three seemed comfortable enough in the store but I have no idea how they'll feel on the bike.

The Specialized shoes appealed to me the most, though I cannot be sure if it was the actual shoe or the happy customer who swore by his own Rime Elites. The Shimanos seemed all business and had a tightening device that I thought might make for a better ride. The Pearl Izumi's were the most fun of all, being very lightweight and comfortable, though I'm a little concerned about the lack of lateral support.

Any thoughts or insights from the group would be most appreciated.

MRT2

Lateral support means nothing when it comes to cycling shoes. Since your pedals are SPD, yYou only have a few degrees of float in either direction. The job of the shoes is to hold your feet and be relatively stiff so your pedaling effort goes into the pedals. I get that it is hard to tell which will work the best, but try to go with the one with the best fit. A good fit should be snug, but not too snug as your feet may swell in hot conditions.

Robert A

I wound up going with the Pearl Izumi X-Alp Drift III from REI. Far and away, it had the best fit. The other two had some looseness in the heal which troubled me. The bonus is that they're on sale, which I didn't know until I paid.

So I just mounted my bike with SPD pedals for the first time and was able to clip in and out without difficulty. My LBS set the pedals to maximum looseness and I can feel that there is a lot of movement all around. Question is, how do I adjust them so I don't get into trouble while I'm learning how to ride? I riding in the city with lots of traffic and signals.

habilis

I have yet to try clipless pedals. I HAVE tried cleats, toe-clips, and (lately) Power Grips. With any kind of foot retention, it's important to get thoroughly familiar with it before venturing into heavy traffic. Maybe practice clipping and unclipping in a parking lot. You should learn how to adjust the pedals so you can gradually (over several rides) find the setting that's best for you. If they are loose now, that's good. At this stage, being able to get in and out fast is more important than being firmly attached to the pedals.

CrippledKonaBoy

I started clipless with SPD's, and after about 3 years, went to Time ATAC. I'd never go back. Just sayin.....

Loose retention on the pedals is a good way to start. All you need for getting used to them in traffic is to NEVER FORGET (and you will, we all do) to twist that foot outwards BEFORE you need to. You only need to uncouple one foot, BTW.

What I discovered when I went to SPD's (and later the ATAC's) is that the bike seemed to 'talk' to me -- a LOT more feedback from the bike and the surface I was riding over.

Sounds like you made a good shoe choice; I started on 661's, and for all the others I've tried, Shimano has been the most reliable. I have a new pair of Shimanos now, but they aren't suitable for cold weather, so I'll try them in the spring. (For now, I'm going back to flats, first time in 10-1/2 years)

Enjoy!

bkirkwd52@gmail

With shoes, go with the best fit, period. Put them on in the store, tighten them down to riding tightness, move your toes around. If you feel the slightest discomfort, that is not the shoe for you.

kevindsingleton 

I recently went clipless (from platforms), and I bought Specialized MTB shoes, with the BOA tightening device. So far, I've been very impressed with the overall improvement in efficiency and an increase in my average watts and cadence. I haven't had a chance to do any real climbing, yet, but the faster spin will allow me to maintain ground speed in lower gears, which appeals to me and my fitness goals.

Tim_Iowa

I made the same decision; I bought Pearl Izumi X-Alp Seek IV shoes.
The PI X-Alp and X-Road shoes have a very flexible sole (for a cycling shoe).
Some folks think this would cause problems or lessen the efficency of power transfer.
I can't speak to that, but I can say that I rode about 4000 miles in mine over the last two years and I'm very happy with them.
I can ride to work in these shoes and walk around in them all day without discomfort.
FYI, the shoes were even better after I replaced the stock insole with a Spenco Cross-Trainer insole.

It's good to start with the clips at full looseness; that's what we do at the LBS I work for.
The clips on your T780 pedals each have one tension screw on the rear part of the clip (with the clip side facing up).
Use a hex key (3 mm, maybe?) to adjust the tension. Righty-tighty = more tension.
If I were you, I'd ride with them at full looseness for a couple weeks, and get in the habit of clipping out ahead of time. As you get more comfortable, tighten the tension screws a little at a time. There are detents in the screw, so you can count the clicks in order to tension both pedals the same amount.

I also have the T780 pedals. They're the best SPD/platform pedals Shimano makes.
I appreciate the built-in reflectors; pedal reflectors are super visible because they have a signature movement that's easy for drivers to recognize.