clipless questions
 

I've been thinking of getting a clipless setup because a few people have told me how amazing it is riding clipless. A few questions.
1. I have bad arches and need to wear stiff, custom made arch supports. Will I be able to fit these in the shoe (looking at the izumi Vagabond M3 if that makes any difference)? Do I need to be wearing the supports while riding?
2. I've been recovering from a knee injury (I know, I'm falling apart). Is clipless any better or worse for knees than toe clips? Any special setup or anything I have to take into account because of the knee issues?
Thanks.

go online and order up some shoe inserts
from superfeet if your customs don't work

take the original sole inserts from the shoe and scissors
and you can build up a superfeet to custom specs
with some glue


there might be knee/cleat issues, but you can avoid them
by going to a bike shop and have the proper cleat
installed and set up. cleats and pedals have varied
float options. one will work best for your body. try a few.


yes it is worth it

the difference between biking shoes and walking shoes is that walking shoes are made to support your foot as it makes an impact going down. biking shoes are made to support your foot as it exerts force spinning through a circle. more like a glove than a shoe.

that said, you might or might not need your stiff, custom made arch supports. you may or may not be able to fit them in the shoe. experience will be your best guide in this situation, so i recommend going to a shop to shop for shoes and bringing out supports with you.

when i worked in a shop i heard lots of people talk about knees and clipless pedals. some people loved the lots-of-float (side to side movement) that Speedplay allowed, and others found that less float, from more standard pedal designs, was better for their knees, because it focused the movement on the spin and allowed no haphazard side-to-side.

again, experience is going to be your guide.

I have knee issues too (torn ACL and meniscus) and never have had a problem with clipless pedals. Just make sure you give yourself enough float. I use eggbeaters.

Don't know about the arch supports. Take them with you and go try out a bunch of different shoes at the LBS.

iwould say you wont need arch supports. i usually use them in my walking shoes, but since when riding i am always on the balls of my feet, its not an issue.

as for float, i have my eggbeaters setup to have 20degree float. pretty easy on the knees. maybe even better than straps.