jeepinjake98

Hi, i am a def newbie to cycling, and currently I have regular generic pedals on my road bike (any shoe plastic type) and am trying to get info on how to choose the right shoes/pedals/cleats. I know nothing, the choices/price range is overwhelming right now. Anyone able to point me in a direction of a website or retailer? Thanks

jeepinjake98

so i answered some of my own questions with a simple search... I have decided I want to buy the SPD-SLs and some basic Shimano 098 shoes. Do I also have to buy cleats or do the pedal/shoe come with that?

craign04

i would suggest trying shoes on before you decide on some.

Little Darwin

Absolutely try them on.

I need wide, so I am a little more limited.

I also limited my choice to shoes I can walk in, because I am not a racer and don't want to walk any more like a dork than I usually do...

I am getting the Lake MX-101 shoes from my LBS. Pedals, I haven't decided for sure, but probably Crank Brothers Candy SL, but perhaps a Shimano double sided SPD.

However, I am definitely not a performance cyclist, just an old man on a bike, so your needs could be, and probably are, different.

I am curious though, in case I decide to move to road shoes some day, what were the key elements that made you decide on SPD SL?

jeepinjake98

i basically narrowed it down to the SPD-SL or the Speed x/5's I read good reviews on both, but in the end, the idea of more surface area seems to suggest more control/comfort to me. One post on this site said they got cramps and hot spots from the speed x/5s that went away with the larger platform of the SL's.

I still need to know if I have to buy cleats or not?

-VELOCITY-

Shimano R098's and Speedplay X5's user checking in here. I've never gotten cramps or hot spots from my X5's. Maybe that was someone's unique experience. Speedplay's are great and easy to learn and use. But for shoes I went to my LBS before purchasing any. Most people will tell you that's the best way to go.

Little Darwin

With the soles of shoes being so rigid, it is interesting that problems like hot spots could happen...

BTW - Cleats come standard with most (if not all) pedals.

Psimet2001 

You'll get the cleats with the pedals. If you're going Shimano then order from https://www.probikekit.com . If you want to know more about them then just do a search.

Don't get too attached (pun not intended) to your new pedals...you will undoubtedly buy different ones within a year. You will use this set to help figure out what you like and don't like, and you will then begin to understand why there are so many pedal options out there.

Enjoy.