Pedals and shoes for a road bike - advice needed
Pedals and shoes for a road bike - advice needed
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Discussion

MHB

Original Poster:

431 posts

267 months

Sunday 24th June 2012
quotequote all
Hi all

I am in need of some advice regarding pedals and shoes for a road bike. I've been using ones from an old mountain bike, but would like to get something more road orientated. So can some suggestions be offered on what I should be looking at. Budget wise I suppose mid to upper mid range.

Jimbo.

4,219 posts

218 months

Sunday 24th June 2012
quotequote all
Pedals-wise, I'd suggest Shimano 105 5700s for VFM, Shimano Ultegra 6700s for "nicely down the middle", and if you're feeling flush and want "high end", Dura Ace or even Dura Ace carbons. Shimano stuff is a teeny, tiny bit heavier maybe, but it works. And will keep on working. "Heavy is good. Heavy is reliable" as per Boris the Blade. Plus the cleats don't wear anywhere near as bad through walking smile

105s are IRO £35-40. Ultegras are £70, both from Merlin. I run the Ultegras on both my bikes and can't fault them.

Shoes: whatever fits. Also consider availability of/ability to fit footbeds if required. Personally I like Northwave. SIDI and Specialized seem to rule the roost on the club runs I attend.

Ray Luxury-Yacht

8,918 posts

245 months

Sunday 24th June 2012
quotequote all
Well, I have MTB pedals with SPD's on one side on my mountain bike, and small single-sided Shimano SPD's on my roadie.

Shoes wise, I have Specialized MTB SPD shoes, but the tread pattern underneath is chunky without being monstrous.

Hence, I use the same shoes for both bikes - and the shoes don't look out of place on either bike.

I reckon two pairs of shoes for two bikes is unecessary...IMHO biggrin


MHB

Original Poster:

431 posts

267 months

Sunday 24th June 2012
quotequote all
Thanks for the swift replies. I suspect Ultegra will be the likely way to go, then find approporiate shoes.

Jimbo.

4,219 posts

218 months

Sunday 24th June 2012
quotequote all
MHB said:
Thanks for the swift replies. I suspect Ultegra will be the likely way to go, then find approporiate shoes.
This is about as cheap as you'll find them (overseas included):

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/road-parts/t...

or

http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/road-parts/t...

jackh707

2,132 posts

185 months

Monday 25th June 2012
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Ray Luxury-Yacht said:
I reckon two pairs of shoes for two bikes is unecessary...IMHO biggrin
I too was once a none believer, but then... I gave way to the beauty that is nice Italian pair of road shoes and some proper cleats.
For serious road riding they are a world apart.

djone101

967 posts

313 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
Got a set of Wiggle's DHB R2 Carbon shoes for a bargain £45 recently (normally £85) and I have to say as my first ever pair of clippy shoes they're really rather good. Did 60 miles yesterday in rubbish weather and my feet were comfy all through. Normally I wear a 43 but needed a 44 in these. Using Shimano pedals too. Getting the hang of the cleats - haven't fallen over yet though I imagine it will happen at some point.....

ChrisMCoupe

927 posts

241 months

Monday 25th June 2012
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I'm completely new to road riding and purchased my first set of SPD-SL's and some shoes last week. Shimano Ultegra pedals and Louis Garneau carbon HRS 2 shoes. I did have to go up a shoe size though. I can't fault either after about 100km of riding, very easy to get used to the clip in/out system of the Shimanos too.

Shoes from here, as in sale at moment:

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/louis-garneau/...

BalhamBadger

1,187 posts

202 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
Slight thread hijack but I'd be interested to garner opinions of those in the know:

My current road bike set up is a set of dual sided mtb SPDs and a very clunky pair of shimano spd road shoes. I think the shoes are intended for touring, with velcro fasteners and a recessed cleat protected behind rubber strips which make the sole. They've actually been brilliant, they're very practical and together we've covered 1,000s of miles and various sportives. However... I've been eyeing up some carbon-soled SPD SL shoes (R191s) and SPD SL pedals (probably 105s).

What difference do you think the new setup will make to my riding? I've got some serious rides coming up, with lots of climbing. Just curious as to the benefits of the upgrade.


MadDad

3,835 posts

290 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
All depends how much you want to spend, how much float adjustment you need, if you want dual sided entry pedals etc.

I have Speedplay Zeros with Mavic Galibiers and they work a treat for me!

The cleats for the Zero’s are quite cumbersome, but if you want to get better at hills they are the pedal/cleat combo for you, as there is no way you could walk up a hill in the buggers!

Unlike most other pedals the adjustment for float etc is on the cleat, not the pedal, and there is a lot of adjustment options available to you – so if you suffer from ankle/knee/etc issues these may be worth considering. You can also completely wind the float etc out and have them in a fixed position.

The pedals are very small and dual sided, nice and easy to clip in and out of. As I have said already the cleats are quite large, so although the pedal is very small, the contact area with the sole of the shoe is long and broad.

The Mavic Galibiers are a good balance of weight, adjustability and stiffness (IMHO), and have two Velcro fasteners and a ratchet fastener to keep your foot well planted on the up-stroke. Only downside is they have a big yellow M logo on them so look as if you bought them from Morrisons!!

Personally, I would nip along to your LBS and have a chat, no point in spending a fortune on ultra light racing shoes and pedals if you are into touring etc. Best to get the shoe/pedal combo right for your style of riding!!


MHB

Original Poster:

431 posts

267 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
djone101 said:
Got a set of Wiggle's DHB R2 Carbon shoes for a bargain £45 recently (normally £85) and I have to say as my first ever pair of clippy shoes they're really rather good. Did 60 miles yesterday in rubbish weather and my feet were comfy all through. Normally I wear a 43 but needed a 44 in these. Using Shimano pedals too. Getting the hang of the cleats - haven't fallen over yet though I imagine it will happen at some point.....
I've looked on the Wiggle website, but these appear to have reverted back to the £85 price.

ratbane

1,395 posts

245 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
Shimano 105s and Ultegras are excellent. Last for ages, and easy in/out.

Shoe-wise, you need to try them on. I have wide feet, so best fits for me are Spesh and Giro. Shimano come in too narrow for me.

BalhamBadger

1,187 posts

202 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
Trying on is really difficult though, I can't think of any shop near me that stocks a decent selection of brands. That's why I've decided to stick with Shimano - severely limiting my choice but my old faithfuls have been brilliant to date. This is all assuming they base low-end and high-end shoes on the same sizing models...

Roman

2,034 posts

248 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
Shimano shoes are very narrow fitting so you really need to try before you buy. I normally wear size 45 or 46 but in Shimano I'm 48. Nice shoes though..

MHB

Original Poster:

431 posts

267 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
Based on the advice, Ultegra pedals currently on the way from Merlin Cycles. I'll need to try on shoes to get a decent fit.

The shoe / pedal process has ended up being a bit more costly than originally intended, as whilst browsing websites I've somehow also bought a Garmin 800!

daz3210

5,000 posts

269 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
MHB said:
Based on the advice, Ultegra pedals currently on the way from Merlin Cycles. I'll need to try on shoes to get a decent fit.

The shoe / pedal process has ended up being a bit more costly than originally intended, as whilst browsing websites I've somehow also bought a Garmin 800!
I bought the Garmin a few weeks ago.

I love the idea of being able to record where I have been, and it is now encouraging me to be more adventurous, just so I can log yet another route smile

FleshMechanic

3,997 posts

205 months

Monday 25th June 2012
quotequote all
MHB said:
djone101 said:
Got a set of Wiggle's DHB R2 Carbon shoes for a bargain £45 recently (normally £85) and I have to say as my first ever pair of clippy shoes they're really rather good. Did 60 miles yesterday in rubbish weather and my feet were comfy all through. Normally I wear a 43 but needed a 44 in these. Using Shimano pedals too. Getting the hang of the cleats - haven't fallen over yet though I imagine it will happen at some point.....
I've looked on the Wiggle website, but these appear to have reverted back to the £85 price.
Yeah, a few weeks ago they were on sale...and I wasn't sure if I should go for them or not. The next day I decided to, and they had doubled in price! I have a pair of shoes on loan, and will keep my eye on Wiggle,,,and snap the next bargain I see!


JPearson

1,270 posts

191 months

Sunday 8th July 2012
quotequote all
Just the thread i was looking for!

Just been and purchased my first Road bike ( '12 cube pelaton Pro ) and am looking for some clip-in's and shoe combo.

Have tried clip-ins before and had no problems with them, looking on some sites to buy them are a bit confusing.

I've been looking at this combo.

These in Black
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?Mod...

and these
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?Mod...

But the question i have to ask, is that do the shoes come with the clips on the bottom of the shoe already or do i have to buy them seperately? Or am i being stupid?

So will i need these to go with them?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?Mod...

Thanks for any help!


Jimbo.

4,219 posts

218 months

Sunday 8th July 2012
quotequote all
JPearson said:
Just the thread i was looking for!

Just been and purchased my first Road bike ( '12 cube pelaton Pro ) and am looking for some clip-in's and shoe combo.

Have tried clip-ins before and had no problems with them, looking on some sites to buy them are a bit confusing.

I've been looking at this combo.

These in Black
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?Mod...

and these
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?Mod...

But the question i have to ask, is that do the shoes come with the clips on the bottom of the shoe already or do i have to buy them seperately? Or am i being stupid?

So will i need these to go with them?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?Mod...

Thanks for any help!
You are correct re. shoes and pedals.Pedals will come with the cleats, so no need to purchase any the moment. They do wear with walking/engagement so you will need to replace them eventually.

As for what cleats you will need come eventual replacement, you'll need:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-spd-sl-cleats/ (The yellow - aka "Floating" - cleats).

Your choice in pedals is fine. If you can spare an extra £13, then these:
http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/road-parts/t...
...are a notch up. Not the end of the world if you do opt for the R540s, however smile

re. shoes, Shimano shoes are *very* good. However their sizing is a little off. General practice is to order 1/2 a size up or so. Best bet, IMO, is to pay a little more and buy them from a bike shoe, wherein you can try them for size.

okgo

42,127 posts

227 months

Sunday 8th July 2012
quotequote all
My everyday shoes are Shimano, like the ones you've listed, think I have ro76 and they have been good. Very hard wearing!!! Not very stiff, but I only have £200+ shoes to compare them to, so didn't expect them to be near the same stiffness.

For best shoes, the s works ones are good, but even 1 ride in I think my Bont Vaypours are fantastic, stiffer than anything I've tried and much more natural fit.