Need clipless pedals/shoes (newbie to them)- recommendations?

[chris c]

Want to spend around $200 for both. I do road riding. I want something that
I can walk in (recessed cleat) but not a mountain shoe. I was told their is
a touring road shoe (I think it was called that ) or something. I am not
sure exactly what to look for. I want to be able to walk in the shoes (not
long distances as with sneakers). I know the cleats are replaceable.
Thanks, you guys are very helpful on the group.

[Mike Jacoubowsky]

> Want to spend around $200 for both. I do road riding. I want something
> that
> I can walk in (recessed cleat) but not a mountain shoe. I was told their
> is
> a touring road shoe (I think it was called that ) or something. I am not
> sure exactly what to look for. I want to be able to walk in the shoes (not
> long distances as with sneakers). I know the cleats are replaceable.
> Thanks, you guys are very helpful on the group.

Why not a "mountain" shoe (whatever that means)? Recessed-cleat shoes come
in a variety of models, most of which are called "mountain bike" shoes but,
in reality, are most-often used for road bikes. Some are styled a bit more
conservatively than others, but what you really want (for road use) is a
shoe that's lightweight, rigid sole (which favors riding more than hiking
about, which you're not going to be doing) and, most of all, fits well. Make
sure there's some room at the toe, because you tend to push forward when
riding and don't want bruised toes. If you even think it might be too small,
it is.

Don't spend much on the pedals; the $50 Shimano SPD-520 is a wonderful pedal
that lasts forever and has virtually zero issues with cleat engagement and
release (which cannot be said for some of the "compatibles").

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

[Roy Owen]

chris c wrote:
> Want to spend around $200 for both. I do road riding. I want something that
> I can walk in (recessed cleat) but not a mountain shoe. I was told their is
> a touring road shoe (I think it was called that ) or something. I am not
> sure exactly what to look for. I want to be able to walk in the shoes (not
> long distances as with sneakers). I know the cleats are replaceable.
> Thanks, you guys are very helpful on the group.
>
>
For road riding I like the Time Sport(older series I know). There is
plenty of rotation for the knee and they clip and unclip easily. Forget
about walking though, you could walk for a short distance (100 yds). If
walking is a must get a cheap pair of water shoes and put them in your
jersey pocket or frame pouch.

Just my $0.02.

--
Roy Owen

Keep the leather side up,
and the rubber side down.

[David L. Johnson]

On Mon, 23 May 2005 02:37:07 +0000, chris c wrote:

> Want to spend around $200 for both. I do road riding. I want something that
> I can walk in (recessed cleat) but not a mountain shoe. I was told their is
> a touring road shoe (I think it was called that ) or something. I am not
> sure exactly what to look for. I want to be able to walk in the shoes (not
> long distances as with sneakers). I know the cleats are replaceable.
> Thanks, you guys are very helpful on the group.

I highly recommend Speedplay Frogs. Not everyone likes them, but for me
they are the most comfortable and secure cleats I've found. Their "float"
(rotation) is totally free, not spring-loaded to really push your foot
into one position as most others do. Really an improvement for my knees.
Some people say they feel like riding on ice cubes, but that sensation
goes away fairly quickly.

I use "mountain" shoes for road riding; not particularly flashy ones, if
that is your problem. They do come in colors other than flame-red. I
also use more touring style shoes, and shimano sandals. All work fine,
and I leave my shoes on for work, and never have a problem except a slight
crunchy sound when walking on sidewalks.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a
_`\(,_ | conclusion. -- George Bernard Shaw
(_)/ (_) |

[Art Harris]

Chris C wrote:

> Want to spend around $200 for both. I do road riding. I want
something that
> I can walk in (recessed cleat) but not a mountain shoe. I was told >
their is a touring road shoe

Pedals: Shimano PD-M520 (Around $55, less on eBay)

Shoes: Shimano T092 (These have a recess for the cleat, good stiff
sole, and the sole isn't lugged/clunky like a MTB shoe.

http://tinyurl.com/88aht

Art Harris

[chris c]

Because the mountain shoe is not as stiff, right?


"Mike Jacoubowsky" > wrote in message
.. .
> > Want to spend around $200 for both. I do road riding. I want something
> > that
> > I can walk in (recessed cleat) but not a mountain shoe. I was told their
> > is
> > a touring road shoe (I think it was called that ) or something. I am not
> > sure exactly what to look for. I want to be able to walk in the shoes
(not
> > long distances as with sneakers). I know the cleats are replaceable.
> > Thanks, you guys are very helpful on the group.
>
> Why not a "mountain" shoe (whatever that means)? Recessed-cleat shoes come
> in a variety of models, most of which are called "mountain bike" shoes
but,
> in reality, are most-often used for road bikes. Some are styled a bit more
> conservatively than others, but what you really want (for road use) is a
> shoe that's lightweight, rigid sole (which favors riding more than hiking
> about, which you're not going to be doing) and, most of all, fits well.
Make
> sure there's some room at the toe, because you tend to push forward when
> riding and don't want bruised toes. If you even think it might be too
small,
> it is.
>
> Don't spend much on the pedals; the $50 Shimano SPD-520 is a wonderful
pedal
> that lasts forever and has virtually zero issues with cleat engagement and
> release (which cannot be said for some of the "compatibles").
>
> --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
> www.ChainReactionBicycles.com
>
>

[Mike Jacoubowsky]

> Because the mountain shoe is not as stiff, right?

Some "mountain" shoes are quite stiff. For example, the Sidi mountain bike
shoes are similar stiffness to their road line. Cheap mountain bike shoes
may sacrifice some stiffness for walking comfort, but the better ones
generally don't.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

"chris c" > wrote in message
...
> Because the mountain shoe is not as stiff, right?
>
>
> "Mike Jacoubowsky" > wrote in message
> .. .
>> > Want to spend around $200 for both. I do road riding. I want something
>> > that
>> > I can walk in (recessed cleat) but not a mountain shoe. I was told
>> > their
>> > is
>> > a touring road shoe (I think it was called that ) or something. I am
>> > not
>> > sure exactly what to look for. I want to be able to walk in the shoes
> (not
>> > long distances as with sneakers). I know the cleats are replaceable.
>> > Thanks, you guys are very helpful on the group.
>>
>> Why not a "mountain" shoe (whatever that means)? Recessed-cleat shoes
>> come
>> in a variety of models, most of which are called "mountain bike" shoes
> but,
>> in reality, are most-often used for road bikes. Some are styled a bit
>> more
>> conservatively than others, but what you really want (for road use) is a
>> shoe that's lightweight, rigid sole (which favors riding more than hiking
>> about, which you're not going to be doing) and, most of all, fits well.
> Make
>> sure there's some room at the toe, because you tend to push forward when
>> riding and don't want bruised toes. If you even think it might be too
> small,
>> it is.
>>
>> Don't spend much on the pedals; the $50 Shimano SPD-520 is a wonderful
> pedal
>> that lasts forever and has virtually zero issues with cleat engagement
>> and
>> release (which cannot be said for some of the "compatibles").
>>
>> --Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
>> www.ChainReactionBicycles.com
>>
>>
>
>

[Leo Lichtman]

"Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote: (clip) Cheap mountain bike shoes may sacrifice
some stiffness for walking comfort, but the better ones generally don't.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
A few things are beginning to clear up for me, which I'd like to explore.
So there is a trade-off between flexible shoes for walking comfort, and
stiff ones for better pedalling. I recently played around with Crank
Eggbeaters and Crank Candy pedals. I ended up with the Eggbeaters because
of easier clip in. While I was experimenting with the Candy pedals (They
have a plastic platform that surrounds the clip) I noticed that they make
firm contact with the shoe sole, distributing the pedalling pressure. From
this I conclude that a more flexible shoe would work well with these pedals,
and the trade-off becomes easy clip-in vs good riding and walking in
flexible shoes.

Mike, does this make sense?

[Mike Jacoubowsky]

> "Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote: (clip) Cheap mountain bike shoes may sacrifice
> some stiffness for walking comfort, but the better ones generally don't.
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> A few things are beginning to clear up for me, which I'd like to explore.
> So there is a trade-off between flexible shoes for walking comfort, and
> stiff ones for better pedalling. I recently played around with Crank
> Eggbeaters and Crank Candy pedals. I ended up with the Eggbeaters because
> of easier clip in. While I was experimenting with the Candy pedals (They
> have a plastic platform that surrounds the clip) I noticed that they make
> firm contact with the shoe sole, distributing the pedalling pressure.
> From this I conclude that a more flexible shoe would work well with these
> pedals, and the trade-off becomes easy clip-in vs good riding and walking
> in flexible shoes.
>
> Mike, does this make sense?


Almost. Even the more-flexible shoes are (or should be) pretty stiff across
the center, where the pedal contact would be. Thus, for nearly all
high-quality shoes, the size of pedal/cleat contact shouldn't be all that
relevant to comfort issues. It used to be otherwise; many shoes were simply
too wimpy.

Besides, on a recessed-cleat shoe (mountain or whatever you want to call
it), the maximum area available for cleat contact just isn't all that large.

People go to a lot of trouble to not buy boring things that work well. The
inexpensive Shimano pedals, combined with a better-quality shoe, make for a
great combination.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com


"Leo Lichtman" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote: (clip) Cheap mountain bike shoes may sacrifice
> some stiffness for walking comfort, but the better ones generally don't.
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
> A few things are beginning to clear up for me, which I'd like to explore.
> So there is a trade-off between flexible shoes for walking comfort, and
> stiff ones for better pedalling. I recently played around with Crank
> Eggbeaters and Crank Candy pedals. I ended up with the Eggbeaters because
> of easier clip in. While I was experimenting with the Candy pedals (They
> have a plastic platform that surrounds the clip) I noticed that they make
> firm contact with the shoe sole, distributing the pedalling pressure.
> From this I conclude that a more flexible shoe would work well with these
> pedals, and the trade-off becomes easy clip-in vs good riding and walking
> in flexible shoes.
>
> Mike, does this make sense?
>

[Leo Lichtman]

"Mike Jacoubowsky" wrote: ( clip) Besides, on a recessed-cleat shoe
(mountain or whatever you want to call it), the maximum area available for
cleat contact just isn't all that large.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Here's what I did: I clicked a Crank Candy pedal onto a Shimano shoe with a
Crank cleat (off the bike.) Looking at the pedal/shoe assembly
up-side-down, I saw the plastic pedal platform, surrounding the "Eggbeater"
part, in firm contact with the shoe sole, outside the recess. This is why I
believe this arrangement would be more tolerant of a flexible shoe sole than
the Eggbeater alone or a typical SPD clip-in.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Mike wrote: People go to a lot of trouble to not buy boring things that
work well. (clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
That observation applies to me, I am sure. Even when I don't have a
problem, I keep looking for solutions.