My take on going clipless
 

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I bought the shoes from REI, and I got the Pedals off eBay. I wanted to try out a Clipless setup because I love the way straps feel when I can get them tight, but every set of shoes is different and its quite difficult to get the straps on quick and easily.

I am not much of a fan of the Velcro straps, but I do love the clincher. Definitely recommended for people who want a very snug fit. I set the tension on the pedals to the easiest. After about a mile I felt the desire to tighten them up, but resisted as I didn't have many stops and wanted to make sure I felt comfortable un-clipping. Which by the way is very easy. Squirrelli suggested I go with a single release instead of the multi so I wouldn't get so confused with the different exit points, and I have to agree. I also am glad I went with a mountain bike shoe over the road bike shoe as I felt very comfortable walking around a store in the M087's.

Overall my first trip was a 6 mile commute with a few stops. I did not fall, although after un-clipping both sides I realized when I leaned over to dismount, I would find myself clipping back in which I could see relating to a fall. I am definitely glad I went clipless and will definitely invest in more pedals for my other bikes.

-$115 - 20% coupon - $50(credit) - $21.20(dividend) = $20.79 Shimano M087
-$17.50 + $12.00(shipping) = $29.50 Shimano M540 SPD
Total spent: $50.29

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I also just switched to clipless pedals, and got shoes from REI. I'm using egg beater chromes and like them so far.

Edge_Walker: Yes, I like egg beaters for riding clipless as well. However after using them for quite sometime, I've moved back to platforms for their simplicity and the ease at which I can just hop on my bike and go at anytime, with any shoes I happen to be wearing.

pretty sure my feet would have hurt if not for my clipless on saturday's 68 mile ride.

however, brakeless is kind of stupid and i've nearly died several times from unclipping partways down a hill.

my sidi's and m520s have been going strong. booyeah.

might switch to a road setup to try it out though at one point.

I have to say, its so much Simpler to use specific shoes to clip in, instead of adjusting your clips/straps tight enough for a good ride. I agree, it is nice to wear whatever shoes for a jaunt less than 5 miles, but I feel it is much better going clipless

I kind of want to try it as well.

Alex, are you planning to go back?

wait what? No I will not go back, though I might try a road setup as well as xkillemallx16

clipless makes riding any kind of bike so much better.
unclipped b4 back peddling, and thank god i had a brake

I was messing around with a friend's MTB setup yesterday. I was pretty derp derp with the clipping in and whatnot, but I think I might invest in a clipless setup over the summer.

this

This is the reason I switched to platforms and Retrogression straps after a year of clipless. No the the foot hold isn't as good nor are sids as easy but I have a brake and I'd much rather wear vans

The real answer is that any one setup doesn't work for all situations, which is why I have more than one bike. I have clipless on some bikes, both SPD with walkable shoes and road clipless, old school clips and straps with old school slotted cleats on the shoes, plain pedals with no retention and of course one bike with the Retrogression setup. Which bike I choose depends on the type of riding I am doing and the clothing I am wearing. All of my FG bikes have some sort of foot retention, mostly clipless, which works best. My latest hot setup is SPD clipless pedals with SPD walkable sandals; you can laugh all you want but it works very well.

^ My dad has a pair of those Keen SPD sandals. Very nice.

As far as wanting to wear walkaround shoes when getting off of my bike It's not that big a deal for me to pack a pair of flip flops. Then again I live in california where it's flip flop and board short weather 93% of the year so that may be unfair. Plus I feel fancy wearing my clipless shoes.

Further, with anybody that has small feet Jensen has some carbon soled three hole road shoes for sale. Something like forty two dollars before shipping.

i'm very interested in a road setup. i'm looking at the spd-sl and a pair of either sidis or shimanos or specialized, but i don't know that it will be worth it on rides shorter than 30 miles or with more than three stops.

i like my used m520s just fine and maybe i just need to get new shoes and pedals to keep from unclipping as much and keep my shoes performing well. my race shoes are really ****ty adidas that have all but broken.

the big problem with SPD-SL is that my rondels would be useless on whatever bike they're on, and the big problem with new shoes and pedals is that i could just as well go SPD-SL.

road clips are harder to clip in and out of but offer more support and better power transfer, from what i gather. for 95% of my miles, that's not going to outweigh the decrease in convenience.

so i'm pretty conflicted, because new pedals and or shoes is a ton of money to not have it be way better that 5% of the time.

i think i'll probably end up just saving up for some shoes before i do any races, and going with my current spds.

Shimano R086 shoes and 105 pedals are a great way to get into a road set up without dropping too much cash. Those shoes are on sale pretty often and the 105s are the same thing as the Ultegras for $50 less and only a few grams more. You can also try the R540s.

I know shoes are personal, but if you try them on and like them then you can find lots good deals online.

@Lilcphoto if you ever want to give eggbeaters a shot I have like 3 pairs your well to borrow for a while... or trade for some stickers :p

I love riding FG with a clipless setup but lately I have been having a problem with my toes going numb after about 20 minutes on the bike, really sucks.

LOL. ... or maybe, because it wouldnt be a good idea to rotate your heel toward the bike ( in ) on an FG ... :)

Assuming you didnt cut off circulation to your foot at the rachet/buckle... it could be from the huge preasure point ( all of your weight on 1, square inch. ) of the mtn spd or crank brother. Thats why road pedals and cleats are so much bigger ...

It turned out to be my shoes. I never realized they were just a bit to small and it was making me curl my toes which was causing numbness. I went and got new shoes today (Specialized MTN Sports) and had to get a size 14 1/2 (normal shoe size is 12) and went for a ride. All I can say is COMFORTABLE!! So make sure the size is right before leaving the shop/store.

This is what I'm most interested in. How did you get the shoes so damn cheap? Ive been looking for inexpensive shoes forever and can never seem to find a good deal in my size (46).

if you want I check the local gear resell place we have hear and send them your way. Any style/ price range your looking for?

Ex: I got these (like $200 shoes) for $30... (not my photo BTW)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/roberto...os/4696984059/ = my new track shoes :love:

Bumpin up an old thread and PMing you.

I'm mostly interested in somewhat MTN shoes. I'm mostly a commuter so I want to be able to walk in them. I've been waiting for the Shimano M086's to go on sale in my size somewhere, but I'm open to anything. Thanks

I've been riding eggbeaters on all my bikes for years, my 3rd set broke so I finally tried Look Keo Classics. I'm still getting used to clipping in the road pedals, have to look down. Eggbeaters are super easy to clip in have have ridiculous float, feels so loose that I can roll my feet. The keos have almost no float, and feel very secure - the direct feel / efficient power transfer that others have mentioned. I've never had any problems with hot spots. the eggbeaters feel loose and rattle, the keos feel tight and efficient.

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