Pedals with clips
 

Hello. I'm bying new pedals w/ clips and shoes. It will be my first pair of this type. What should I check or to make sure of when I'll be buying them?

I saw there are road and mtb pedals. Shoes are different too. Will mtb shoes fit to road pedals, or vice versa? What is usually more expensive, MTB or road? I guess MTB pedal suppose to be very solid, what is more confortable?

Maybe someone would recommend me their favorite pair shoes and pedals.

thanks

I'll start at the beginning. When you say clips, I assume you mean "clipless." Clips refer to the toe clips of yore. They're mostly gone now, except for clips with cheap platform pedals, and some track racers that use toe clips because they spin at a very high cadence and don't want to risk coming out of clipless pedals on a track bike.

Anyways, here's how the shoe-pedal combo works. Shoes, mountain or road, don't come with cleats, but instead they have screw holes in the soles for cleats to screw into. The pedals actually come with the cleat, so they match the pedals.

Looking at shoes, first, the important thing is to find wants comfortable. Road shoes are generally designed for performance, so they will be shaped as to allow a slight bend in the toes, almost as if you are balancing on the balls of your feet. This adds to the power of the pedal stroke. Some mountain shoes are performance oriented, and will have a similar cant to them. Other mountain shoes are designed to have flat soles, and be more comfortable. These shoes are also easier to walk around with. Mountain shoes generally with have some kind of traction element, like a rubber cleat or sole, to make it easier to walk on trails and such.

On the bottom of any shoe you will find the aforemention holes for screwing in cleats. Most road shoes are compatible with many different cleat styles, although some only are set up for traditional pedals. Most mountain shoes, on the other hand, will only handle one type of cleat connection (SPD...I'll get into the cleat connection styles later). If you are road biking, I recommend getting a road shoe. They provide a firm platform for pedalling, with a variety of different cleat types. The downside is that they are difficult to walk in...but hey, who wants to walk? If you decide that walking ability is a priority, then you can get "sport" mountain shoes. They only accept SPD cleats, which allows the cleat to rest in a nook in the sole of the shoe, making walking easier. Some people like that; I don't the sacrifice is worth it. Plus I'm OCP.

As for the cleat connection style, here it is, as promised. The two main types are LOOK/SPD-SL, and SPD. The LOOK-style has three screws, and a wide, triangular platform. It provides a wide surface area, which makes for a very stable pedalling platform. It is also the traditional road style. SPD uses two screws, place horizontally, with narrow spacing, making for a small, compact pedal. Most road shoes accept both. Here is a diagram. http://georgegarnercyclery.com/site/...yclery.com_SB2 SPD-R is not often used, so I'll skip it. I would recommend getting the LOOK/SPD-SL style cleat. They also offer adjustable cleat position, which increases your ability to customize the fit of your bike/pedals.

As for pedals, I have Shimano "105" pedals. They retail for 90 dollars, and they work pretty well. They use the SPD-SL cleats, although an equivalent LOOK pedal will probably work just as well. There are a number of different pedals out there, including SPD and Speedplay designs, but I have no experience with them, so maybe someone can chime in about those. Some people swear by them, but I personally prefer the traditional design.

Looking at shoes, make sure you get one that fits. Like I said, I recommend a road shoe. Specialized makes an excellent lineup of shoes...their "body geometry" fitting corresponds nicely to my feet. While I think that their shoes are generally designed quite well, everybody fits differently, so they might not be your cup of tea. Your shoes should fit like running shoes, or anything normal athletic shoe--snug, but comfortable. I used to have some Specialized Sport Road shoes that I liked. They were very cheap, and they felt good, except that they are too small. Unfortunately Specialized doesn't make size 50, which is what I need. Tear.

Anyways, sorry about the length. Hope that helps.

I agree, the Shimano 105 or Ultegra pedals are great value

JensonUSA has the Ultegra level pedals for $84. They are out of stock, but should be in this week. Sounds like a good deal to me.

what about speedplay?

i just got the speedplay zero titanium pedals... I guess I like them well enough. Dont have much to compare them to tho since they are my first pair of clipless ever. They fit in several types of shoes apparently (few extra holes and peices to adapt to almost any shoe). The float is adjustable or you can make it fixed so your feet dont wobble at all.

Wish I had more to say about them... I simply dont have any experience with any other pedals. The guy at one of the bike shops I was at suggested them cuz he preferred them.

I have used both mountain bike shoes/pedals and road bike shoes/pedals on my road bike. I originally had SPD-Rs (bought the bike second hand and they were already on it) which I hated. Switched to LOOKs which were great - on the bike. Off the bike the shoe/cleat combination was horrible. I have since switched to mountain bike shoes and CrankBros Candy pedals.

If you plan primarily on road biking, road shoes/pedals will probably be more comfortable. They had stiffer soles and wider platforms which improve pedal efficiency and also prevent hot spots. However if you ride in traffic a lot and have to stop fairly often, mountain bike shoes/pedals would probably be better. Since I use my bike primarily for transportation I found mountain bike equipment to be the best for me.

Yeah, as Yoshi, I drive a lot in traffic and have to stop quite often. Road shoes, is it possible to damage the cleat when walking? Are there any road shoes made as those for mtb bike? Ah, I'll just go to my local bike store tomorrow and check it all out. Then I'll have a better idea of what's better. Thank you for your suggestions ;) Later.

Check out:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...pedal+question

and

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...pedal+question

Well, I went to the store today. I bought Shimano SPD pedals and mountain bike shoes for them. It's all great! Had my first ride today, it's quite hard for legs. I Was tired fast and had to go slower than usually. I'm not used to that pulling manoeuvre. I guess I'll be doing exercises for my leg muscles at the gym, to build up some strength. A big plus, I find, climbing hills is a lot easier now! Although it's kind of difficult to step in and out, guess that will come with practice. There's only a few things I'll have to adjust, but in general I'm really satisfied and happy. :D

remember you have to practice during off season clipping and unclipping while supporting yourself between a door frame.