clipless on a budget
 

so after hearing lot about it I'm considering picking up a clipless spd system for riding. I just had a few questions about equpment. Getting into it.
shoes: I found a cheap pair on nashbar that could easily afford + some spd one sided pedals on CL. Do the price of the shoes tell you how comfortable they will be? Is it worth it to try on cheapos without intenton of upgrading? I don't have 200 to throw down on an expensive pair of clipless shoes and if I end up falling in love with it will I suffer?

systems - is there a ''best'' clipless system or is it more about preference? I still need to do my homework on it.

thanks in advance and if you have any good reading on it please let me know

Get some egg beaters for $20-30. Nashbar was selling Smarty's for $20 a couple weeks ago, which is about as much as you'd pay for a set of cleats. And the smarty's include cleats.

As far as the shoes go, the sizing can take some getting used to, and it's kinda important. I'd buy my first pair from an LBS where you can try them on, but at the least I'd want to see if a buddy's shoes fit to make sure I'm getting the right size.

you said it best, "I still need to do my homework on it." Search.

Anyway,
I searched, and the general consensus seems to be that people like SPDs, egg beaters are a little cheap (the inexpensive ones are most prone to breaking, and are most prone to coming unclipped accidentally), and the least amount of people (but not by much) seem to use TIME pedals, but they seem the most positively reviewed.

I went with time atac alium's. They're great, but I wish I'd had gone one step up and gotten ones with adjustable tension. I've had em for like 2 weeks, and already the left pedal feels looser than the right one, and it's accidentally unclipped twice. (however, it's only unclipped when my weight is forward during a "leisurly" skid. Keeping my weight back during an emergency stop, and I've experienced no problem. I'm pretty sure it's a form thing, and when I shift weight forward, I twist my left ankle out a bit. But regardless, even when not skidding, the left feels a bit looser.)

With shoes, $$ does not equal fit, but it does seem to translate into weight, stiffness, and maybe breathability. Fit is subjective and depends on a mix of your feet, and shoe design. If you're going to drop mad dollars on nice shoes, definitely try them on. If you're trying things out, and getting cheap shoes, then getting the BEST fit is not that important. I went with the AGU AQ24 shoes (and reviewed them comprehensively. search the forums.), and they're cheap enough I don't care if they don't fit perfect, because they still fit pretty good.

*Sidenote: the mechanism on the aliums is essentially just a metal spring, and it doesn't seem that weird that they'd be a little different from pedal to pedal, and that they'd eventually wear differently too. Regardless, for anyone that has them, is this common, or should I contact TIME and look into getting a replacement?

As I've said in a number of threads, SPD-M520. Great for beginners, adjustable tension, and cheap (bought mine used for ~$20).

You don't need to spend $200 on shoes unless you're racing and need the weight weeniness. You can get fairly good shoes for under $100; mine were ~$80. If you don't ride very far, I'm sure cheap shoes will be fine.

I picked up a pair of Adidas Minretts from ebay earlier today. They're not exactly "pro-level", but they weren't too expensive and they look comfortable / more relaxed, for city riding. After I bought, some people were telling me they're actually not that great... giving me a slight case of buyer's remorse. But we'll see. I'll report once they're here.

@ JesusBananas what shoes do you have?


Also looking at some Alium pedals. Was also considering M520's but apparently I've been able to find cheaper Aliums easier

I have Specialized Riata shoes, which I would normally recommend if I wasn't reasonably certain that only a very small portion of the forum could benefit from it. :lol:
See: http://www.google.com/search?q=specialized+riata

http://bicycleshop.com/images/librar...k_blu_07_m.jpg

Originally purchased for touring on my road bike (as was a lot of my gear), which I then migrated to my SS for commuting.

I see.

I was eyeing some Specialized MTB shoes, but opted to get the Minretts at half the price. Figured I'd try out clipless on the cheap at first, just in case I never really got into it... and then I could upgrade to something better later if I did get into it.

I could've bought some TARCK AS **** SIDI dominators for a decent price, but they're 2 sizes too large :cry:

Still tempted. Maybe if I ride with normal, thick socks, and if I really tightened the velcro down, I could get away with it.

Someone talk me out of making a jackass purchase.

the dominators are tarck? or the sizing is?

but yeah, get ones that fit.

+1

yeah I meant the shoe color scheme. the sizing is just plain jackass... if I were to get em. Already wrote them off.

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/135...ium-Pedals.htm

The pedals alone retail for that price at most places.

I'm looking to SPDs and Eggbeaters right now. going to see what I come up with, if I can do it all for under $100 im going to be stoked.

I've heard and read that crank brothers pedals can be problematic. Not sure though. YMMV.

Can anyone tell me what the difference is between Time Aliums, and Time ATAC Aliums? Or is it the same thing? I keep seeing different ones on ebay and other shops and I'm not quite clear. Are the ATACs the "higher end" version of the Aliums?

they're the same.

the ATAC is just their moniker for "auto tension adjustment concept," the baseline design for their mtb clipless pedals.

Just put mine on Friday and I love them. Easy in, easy out and so far haven't fallen once.

Crank Bros' Egg Beaters are meant to be clipped in and out easier than other clipless pedals.

I have a friend who crashed into a parked car and shatter his jaw because he accidentally unclipped when he was climbing a hill, scary scary stuff.

I have the m520s too. They are great for beginners as well. Clipping in and out can be a bit frustrating if it's new. I rode clips for 25 years, and still use them for my city bike.

Shimano shoes tend to run small. Also, your feet will swell while you ride, so take this into consideration. I think shoes that are too large will just be impossibly frustrating to ride in.

Specialized MTB shoes have a great reputation. I owned a pair of Specialized cycling shoes (for use with clips) for years and years, until they literally fell apart.

No experience with Time atacs but the people who use them swear by them.

I've accidentally unclipped from my eggbeater MXRs (the cheapest ones I could find) exactly once, and that was with a beat to hell pair of cleats, at the end of a long ride, when I was tired, and pulling as hard as I could up a climb. I don't blame the pedals, I was climbing too much with my back and twisted out of them.

I rebuilt them once at about 1,500 miles (rebuild kit is on ebay for $10 shipped).

As long as your pedal mechanics aren't out of control, I don't see how you can unclip accidentally. They've got a pretty decent amount of float before you even begin to engage the spring.

http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/7841/imgp5138.jpg

The Minretts are what I wear if I know I'm gonna be off my bike, and don't want to carry an extra pair of shoes.

Pros:
- Don't look super stupid once you get them worn in
- Pretty comfortable off the bike; last week I played some pickup softball in them, which included full on sprinting around the outfield after fly balls etc.
- Passable on the bike, and comfortable on longer rides. Relatively breathable given they're part suede.

Cons:
- Kinda heavy for bike shoes.
- Look pretty dumb out of the box.
- The laces are not enough to keep them snug for any serious road riding. No matter how tight I lace them up, after a couple hours I can slip my foot out of them without untying (takes a little effort, but still... shouldn't be possible). If they had one ratcheting velcro strap on the upper, they'd be perfect. You can see I've got them laced twice through the top eyelets, which helps a little.

Cool. I assumed it was just different sellers using different names, but wanted to make sure. Thanks.

Lolin. I actually think they look alright, in an inconspicuous sort of way.

I found a decent deal on Eggbeaters via CL. tryin to haggle them down. Ebaying some shoes, or might just pick them up in shop. I look forward to trying this out. If it fails, some lucky biker forumer is in for a good deal.

Btw nate, every time I see your avatar I'm tempted to find a picture of Brick, or Brian for mine.

Oh yes, forgot to mention: if you're riding for an extended period of time (e.g. more than just going to nearby supermarket or something), velcro > laces. And you get to pretend to be a little kid again with velcro shoes.

I wonder if leather laces might not hold better.

I just traded a guy some track drops and a pair of cheap pedals with toe clips for a pair of old Icon SPD pedals and a pair of Mavic cyclocross shoes. I have to get some cleats though. I have never ridden clipless before, any advice before I do?

I wouldn't go ride in traffic right off the bat.

Stand next to a fence or wall and clip in with one foot. Leave the other foot on the ground. Unclip (twist your heel out away from the bike). Clip in again. Unclip again. Clip in. Unclip. Clip in.

I usually clip in my first foot with the pedal at the bottom of the circle, and angle the my toes down a bit. Then engage by pushing the foot forward and down at a 45-ish degree angle.

Then start rolling, and do the same thing while riding. Clip, unclip, clip, unclip.

It's not super difficult to do, the hardest part is just getting that muscle memory for where your foot/cleat goes in relation to the pedal. Once that's down the rest is easy.

:eek:

agh!! wish I could get this rght now