So, hello all. I am the newest newbie here. Not new to cycling, but I have been out of the game a long time. I just put a deposit down on a used Litespeed at a local bike shop over the weekend. I sold my last bike (2003 LeMond Zurich) in about 2005. That bike had Time pedals, the only set of clip-in pedals I have used. Before that, my previous bike had toe clips. Yeah, i'm old...lol. So, the bike I am buying has pedals, but I don't have shoes. I'm not totally sure what kind of pedals they are. I will find out, obviously. So, I guess I am trying to brush up on the latest shoe and pedal technology. What do you like about what you have, what do you hate..

And if there is a better place to put this, please do. Or, slap me in the head and say, hey, go look here you big dummy.

Thanks!
Wayne

I've found Shimano shoes and pedals the best all around for fit, durability, cost.
Mtn bike type easier to walk in, road type sleeker looking, both very easy to click in and out of

Try before you buy

There are two types of clips: SPD & SPD-SL. The first one is intented for ''all-around'' use while the other one is intended for road usage.



You will get mixed opinions here. For instance, some people will say they prefer SPD (referred as MTB above) over SPD-SL (referred as ROAD above) for road usage. What's important is that you know the difference between the two & know what you like most. If you're looking for an ''all-arounder'' pedal, I'd get the dual sided SPD ones that can be used clipped on one side and unclipped on the other side. They are a good option for someone who rides in the city (frequent stops) & likes to go climbing from time to time. The SPD-SLs aren't as versatile - they can only be used clipped, but offer better performance on the long runs / races.

I'd try both & see what I like most. The bike you purchased might already have pedals that you prefer. In that case, you'll only need shoes. If not, you can get pedals (SPD or SPD-SL) for roughly 50$. Shimano is proven to be reliable. I ride with them and never had any issues whatsoever.

Thanks! I had the SPD-SL's style on my LeMond before. I am familiar with them having to be flipped over the correct orientation before you can clip, and the panic at a slow speed and not being able to turn them over, lol...

I used to ride with SIDI shoes, but as I aged, I found my toes and foot began to hurt on long rides. I found that my feet spread with age. SIDIs have a European toe box, which is somewhat narrow. I happened to own an old set of Specialized shoes and found that the toe box is wider to accommodate an American foot. I just switched to Specialized this year and like the light weight of the Torch model. Downside is, they are pricey.
As for pedals, I'd go with Look Keo or Shimano SPD SL, road pedals. When I decided to dump the old Look Delta Classic pedals, I went with Shimano SPD SL road. The reason I like Shimano or Look is they allow a wider degree of float which helps prevent knee fatigue and pain. I tried Shimano MTB type pedals with 2 bolt cleats, big mistake. They have very little float that led to serious knee pain for me.

If your bike comes with pedals they are most likely platform pedals.

If you've already ridden clipless, you've overcome the biggest hurdle, which is fear of clipless.

First choice is type of clipless pedal. Second choice is shoe, which depends somewhat on your pedal choice, but generally can be used with the proper cleat with any type of pedal.

Yes - I do remember feeling a little stressed out when I started using my SPD-SLs, but you get used to it very quickly (after falling on the side at least once or twice of course).

If I were to ride a lot more in the city than I currently do (I ride 95% in the mountains - the 5% city is to get there lol), I'd use dual sided SPD ones for the convenience. Check out the Shimano PD-EH500 or the PD-A530.

The dual sided SPDs are def easier to clip into, and as mentioned, you can walk in the shoes. There are SPD shoes available that look like road shoes, I have the Fizik Terra X5s and they look like regular road shoes. Most people don't even know I'm on my gravel bike and wearing MTB shoes unless I point it out (when I have the road tires on, they usually notice the 40mm gravel tires lol).

Just an FYI. The SPD pedals on your LeMond were probably the older Shimano design which was licenced from LOOK and is compatible with the older, LOOK Delta or Delta Classic pedals. The newer SPD SLs are lighter and easier to use, in my opinion, than the older design. The cleats are not compatible between those designs.

I ride a 35 yo Peugeot that I bought new. It came with Lyotard pedals and Christophe toe cages and straps. Today, it still has those same cages, straps and pedals. What's not to like?
Jon

Thanks for the feedback! I'm sure i'll be back shortly with more questions.

According to the OP's first post, they were Time pedals

Mine kind of hang in the correct position already when my shoe isn't in them, so clipping in is rarely problematic. I'm using the Ultegra 8800 SPD-SL pedals, but my previous Ultegra 6700 pedals were fine in this regard too. I've never been tempted away from this style of pedal on my road bike. One nice thing about the MTB style is you can get shoes that are easier to walk in if you find yourself in need of walking during a bike ride, but other than a couple times I was a couple miles from home and had a ride-ending mechanical and had to walk home, it's never been a problem. There are enough reasonable solutions to possible but improbable "what if" scenarios that my choice of pedals and shoes aren't directed by them.

Get a pair of speedplays (zeros) if you want dedicated clipless. Entry from either side btw.

I've been using Speedplay Zeros for around 15 yrs. I love them. They have been reliable and I am so damned lazy I rarely do maintenance on them. If you want to walk in your shoes I'd consider Speedplay Frogs. My GF is clip in challenged and after a variety of systems including SPD and Look, I convinced her to try Frogs and she is a happy cyclist.

Being that it is used, who knows? Either way, a bike shop should be able to toss in a pair of cheapo plastic platforms if needed to help get one riding right away.


[MENTION=505972]Badbird2000[/MENTION], personally, I like Look pedals. No gigantic reason except I've been riding them since High School. I tried Speedplays because they look super cool but didn't like how they clip in or the way the float feels. Unless you want "walkable" shoes, any road shoe will have the three bolt pattern that will fit road cleats so find the shoes you like and go from there. I suggest starting at the shop selling you the bike.

Time still makes pedals. You can get Xpresso 2s for about $40 with cleats.

Thank you. That seems to be the best idea, given when I pick the bike up I would like to hit the saddle as soon as possible. I'm doing a bit of research in case I don't like what comes on it. I can deal with it for awhile anyway.

Thank you every one!

I stated with clipless Look 166 in the 1980s. They were a revelation over using leather strap and metal cages. I upgraded to better Looks when they became available. I sort of dealt with the cleat replacement (about 2 pair a year). In 1999 I bought some Speedplay X2's. I figured that the cost of them was less than I had paid for Look cleats at $15 a pair x 2 x the number of years I had used them. I still use X2 on both road bikes. Full float is fine but I also don't have knee issues. I use my SPD mountain pedals on one road bike where I know I will be walking sometimes. I don't feel any problems with out the X2 float and don't find any loss in "performance" over the road dedicated X2. So, for the OP, I would say go with some mountain bike SPD pedals and good shoes, Sidi, etc. You are not racing so the slightly more heavy SPDs will be not noticeable.

I've been using Ultegra (SPD-SL) pedals for years and love them. A riding buddy uses Speedplay Zeros and loves them. Another friend uses XTR (SPD) and loves them. I don't think any pedal system is better than any other, per se, but one might work better for you. Try multiple types if you can.

for me SPD-SL is much easier to clip in due to the sheer size of the cleat. with SPD, I would have to find the cleat first. Also the hard plastic interface of SPD-SL is way more stable compared to SPD, where the cleat is stabilized by soft rubbers form the shoe

I've been using Time pedals since 1993. Espresso models since 2015 (4, 6 and 10s). Sidi shoes since the mid 90s (I have narrow feet and they fit well)

FYI:

If you're in the market for new bike shoes, leftlanesports.com is having a one-day sale today (24-Sept) on everything on their site. It's 24% off their already discounted prices.

I purchased some fancy Vittoria shoes that I would never have considered at full price. With the discount, they were 74% off retail.

Road Shoes

MTB Shoes