Cycle Shoes

Ianmel said:

My question is, would cycle shoes be of any
benefit to me or should i just stick to my own trainers.

You'll find them much more comfortable. And you'll pedal more efficiently.

"Ianmel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have always been a keen cyclist, but recently i have been enjoying
riding the country lanes on my mountain bike. I like to do roughly 20-30
miles each Sunday. I wear just ordinary trainers. Looking at some cycle
shoes at my local shop i was quite surprised at how heavy my trainers
are compaired to proper cycle shoes. One pair, Shimano MO20's caught my
eye. My question is, would cycle shoes be of any benefit to me or should
i just stick to my own trainers. Thanks for any advice.

Any weight saving will be a benefit as you have to accelerate pedals/feet
in their own orbit as well as carry the weight as part of the bikes all-up
weight.
However, the main benefit will be from having a sole that doesn't flex in a
power sapping way (imagine each time you press down your foot flexes rather
than applying pressure to the pedal with soft soles) <1> and all things
being equal they should be more comfy too due to the sole.
If you also switch to clipless pedals you should notice a fair increase in
pedalling efficiency. Ignore any horror stories relating to these, do a
Google search for more info. Shimano M520 pedals are excellent VFM:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/viewproduct.asp?category=Pedals+Clipless&ModelID=3759

<1> Notwithstanding you should be spinning the pedals rather than stomping
on 'em, again a Google search on cycling groups (as opposed to
rec.cottagecrafts) will reveal more on this topic.
--
Regards,
Pete

"Ianmel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

My question is, would cycle shoes be of any benefit to me or should
i just stick to my own trainers. Thanks for any advice.

Personally I prefer stiff soles cycling shoes to trainers. I'm no athlete
but I kid myself I'm riding more efficiently by not wasting effort on
squashing the trainer's shock absorbing sole. Plus I found that trainer
soles always cracked from the flexing and got gouge lines from the rat-trap
pedals.

But really my primary motivation in giving up trainers was to go clipless.
That feeling of being connected to pedals really helped with ankling and
generally added to the pleasure of riding.

--

Richard

--------------------

Individual replies to [email hidden]

less the Misdirections (and note the underscore after r246)

in message <[email hidden]>, Ianmel

(') said:

I have always been a keen cyclist, but recently i have been enjoying
riding the country lanes on my mountain bike. I like to do roughly
20-30 miles each Sunday. I wear just ordinary trainers. Looking at
some cycle shoes at my local shop i was quite surprised at how heavy
my trainers are compaired to proper cycle shoes. One pair, Shimano
MO20's caught my eye. My question is, would cycle shoes be of any
benefit to me or should i just stick to my own trainers. Thanks for
any advice.

Cycling shoes would most definitely be of benefit to you.

Firstly they have much stronger shanks which provide better support to
your feet when you're pedalling

Secondly, you can't screw your SPD cleats onto trainers.

Beware, Shimano shoes seem to use a very narrow last. Do make sure
they're comfortable before buying them. If your feet are wide look for
Sidi or Specialized shoes.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

... a mild, inoffensive sadist...

Simon Brooke said:

If your feet are wide look for
Sidi or Specialized shoes.

I found Sidi too narrow as well (Specialized fit me nicely).

"Peter B" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"Ianmel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have always been a keen cyclist, but recently i have been enjoying
riding the country lanes on my mountain bike. I like to do roughly 20-30
miles each Sunday. I wear just ordinary trainers. Looking at some cycle
shoes at my local shop i was quite surprised at how heavy my trainers
are compaired to proper cycle shoes. One pair, Shimano MO20's caught my
eye. My question is, would cycle shoes be of any benefit to me or should
i just stick to my own trainers. Thanks for any advice.

Any weight saving will be a benefit as you have to accelerate pedals/feet
in their own orbit as well as carry the weight as part of the bikes all-up
weight.

Unless yours are very heavy trainers, I doubt you will notice the
weight difference. Certainly not on 20-30 mile rides through the
lanes. Far more noticeable will be the greater ease sliding into
toeclips (if you currently use toeclips).

Quoted message said:

However, the main benefit will be from having a sole that doesn't flex in a
power sapping way (imagine each time you press down your foot flexes rather
than applying pressure to the pedal with soft soles) <1> and all things
being equal they should be more comfy too due to the sole.

All true, but: (i) the M020s don't have an especially stiff sole and
(ii) do you find currently that your arches ache or that you can feel
hot spots (or merely the sharp edge of the pedal) through your
trainers? If not, don't spend money on this non-problem.

Quoted message said:

If you also switch to clipless pedals you should notice a fair increase in
pedalling efficiency. Ignore any horror stories relating to these, do a
Google search for more info. Shimano M520 pedals are excellent VFM:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/viewproduct.asp?category=Pedals+Clipless&ModelID=3759

Yes, absolutely. In theory, switching to cycling shoes and switching
to clipless pedals are separate decisions. But unless you have
complaints about your trainers (as opposed to marketing literature
telling you why you should have complaints about your trainers), they
really are the same decision. That is: under those circumstances, the
only real reason to spend money on cycling shoes is to be able to
mount cleats on them. And Peter B is right: (i) that's a good thing
to do and (ii) the M520s are excellent pedals, both in absolute terms
and as VFM.

I'm thinking about buying a pair, too. My trainers keep sliding off the
pedals when they are wet, which can be a bit dangerous. The Shimanos look
good; I don't want to spend a fortune either.

Vivian
-------
"We learned more from a three minute record than we ever learned in school".
No Surrender

"Ianmel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have always been a keen cyclist, but recently i have been enjoying
riding the country lanes on my mountain bike. I like to do roughly 20-30
miles each Sunday. I wear just ordinary trainers. Looking at some cycle
shoes at my local shop i was quite surprised at how heavy my trainers
are compaired to proper cycle shoes. One pair, Shimano MO20's caught my
eye. My question is, would cycle shoes be of any benefit to me or should
i just stick to my own trainers. Thanks for any advice.

--

Vivian said:

I'm thinking about buying a pair, too. My trainers keep sliding off the
pedals when they are wet, which can be a bit dangerous. The Shimanos look
good; I don't want to spend a fortune either.

A pair of Zefal toe cups will stop them doing that, but cycle shoes are
a win in any case because of the stiffer sole.

Never mind about whether they /look/ good, how do they feel? #1 Good
Point of any footwear is do they fit *you*, and trying them on against
alternatives is the only real way to get the shoe that fits best.
Shimano shoes don't work for me, they do work for friends. We tried
them on to find out though.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Vivian said:

I'm thinking about buying a pair, too. My trainers keep sliding off the
pedals when they are wet, which can be a bit dangerous. The Shimanos look
good; I don't want to spend a fortune either.

I found out that my Shimano M037W's (with not insignificant tread) are
terrible in the wet on my metal platform pedals (serrated edge to the
pedal, so very secure in the dry). It was like riding with a layer of
ice between sole and pedal. VERY unpleasant - but I'd imagine my
trainers would feel exactly the same.

Other than that, they are very good - I found it a lot less tiring
cycling in these than my old trainers. More difficult (impossible) to
get out of toeclips with them due to the amount of tread on this model
though, hence the metal cage platforms till I graduate to clipless.

--

Velvet

What Pete said. Well I recall a something written by the Wise Mr.
Ballantine:

Wise Mr. Ballantine: I'd like a pair of ski boots, please.
Ski Shop Lackey: And what sort of boots does Sir require?
Wise Mr. Ballantine: Ones that fit.

All questions of style, price and so forth thrown straight out of thee
window.

I personally like Carnacs, but then I'm one of those deviants who uses Look
pedals and doesn't walk far in cycling shoes.

--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================

Velvet said:

More difficult (impossible) to
get out of toeclips with them due to the amount of tread on this model
though, hence the metal cage platforms till I graduate to clipless.

Are you riding in cycling shoes without any sort of retaining mechanism?
Cycling shoes aren't designed to be used like that, are they?

Thank you everyone who took the time to reply to my plea for advice. Yo
have given me a lot of info to ponder on

-

Simonb said:

Are you riding in cycling shoes without any sort of retaining mechanism?
Cycling shoes aren't designed to be used like that, are they?

Not really, but that doesn't mean they won't improve matters. Keeping
the right(ish) part of one's foot on the pedal isn't /too/ hard to do
and stiff soles make for more efficient power transfer whether you're
directly attached or not.

But if you've got SPuD compatible shoes and you want to go any sort of
distance you might as well put the relevant pedals on IMHO.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter B:

Quoted message said:

Ignore any horror stories relating t

thes

I would say don't ignore the horror stories, but don't be put off b
them. Having been clipless for just a couple of months. I'm alread
confirmed in my belief that I'm never going back. Yes, I've fallen off
couple of times but the benefits far outweigh any disadvantages

Ianmel, go for it - you won't regret it

d

-

Quoted message said:

I would say don't ignore the horror stories, but don't be put off by
them. Having been clipless for just a couple of months. I'm already
confirmed in my belief that I'm never going back. Yes, I've fallen off a
couple of times but the benefits far outweigh any disadvantages.

Ianmel, go for it - you won't regret it.

I agree with the above. I went clipless by default, in that I was given a pair
of Look road shoes as a freebie. Yes, for this middleagedfatbirdonabike they
took a wee while to get used to and yes, I fell off, thus learning the single
advantage of having a large rear end - cushioning during a fall ;-) PLus, for a
while after first changing to clipless, I was followed by husband and son on
bikes yelling "UNCLIP!" very loudly ever time I approached somewhere I needed
to unclip, to remind me to unclip before coming to a halt...

Saying the above, I've never regretted for a second changing to clipless. They
really do make cycling smoother, easier and give less stress on the knee joints
when pedalling - uphills are easier, indeed, I will not willingly go back to
traditional platform pedals. Even in traffic now, clipping in and out is second
nature. If this middleagedfatbirdonabike can get immense benefit from them and
get used to them *easily* - then pretty much anyone can :-)

Cheers, helen s
p.s. I no longer require the hints from son & husband to unclip before
stopping...

--This is an invalid email address to avoid spam--
to get correct one remove fame & fortune
h*$el*$$e*nd**$o$ts**i*$*$m*m$o*n*s@$*a$o*l.c**$om$

--Due to financial crisis the light at the end of the tunnel is switched off--

Reply to Dave Larrington

Quoted message said:

I personally like Carnacs, but then I'm one of those deviants

An advert in Loot this week offered a bike and a pair of Carnal shoes.

--
Mark, UK.
"Does wonders for the cadence, madam." <twirls moustaches>

Simonb said:

Velvet said:

More difficult (impossible) to
get out of toeclips with them due to the amount of tread on this model
though, hence the metal cage platforms till I graduate to clipless.

Are you riding in cycling shoes without any sort of retaining mechanism?
Cycling shoes aren't designed to be used like that, are they?

I'm riding in shimano m037w's with fair amounts of tread (though no grip
in the wet it transpires) without any retaining mechs, yes.

They're designed to be used with shimano spd pedals, however they have
rubber covers on the base that you remove to fit the cleats (and put
back if you then take the cleats off again). Apart from the fairly deep
tread there's nothing to stop you using them with either toestraps, or
no restraining mechanisms at all - stiff soles are good just on normal
platform pedals IME - I can keep my foot in a good position much easier
with these than normal trainers (which were a bit thin-soled, and meant
the arch of my foot could feel the trailing edge of the pedal).

These ones in particular, I would NOT recommend with toestraps - far too
easy for the tread to lock in to the tag at the back of the pedal on my
toestrapped-ones, so you have to lift as well as wiggle and pull back,
very easy to not get it out through various bits being tangled up with
other bits.

Don't find much problem with feet bouncing off pedals - never did as a
kid either - though if I take all the weight off the rising foot
obviously it'll come adrift, which is the big plus of spds.

Loved the feel of spd's while the bike's on the turbo, but not ready for
that on the roads yet. The day will come, then I'll be able to take all
the weight off the rising foot and maybe learn to pull up with it too.

Oh, the tread plus the serrated edge of the metal cage/platforms means
they're actually fairly secure and don't slide around. The little
ripples in the metal edge settle into the tread of the shoes fairly well
and stop them moving. Unless it's wet.

--

Velvet

Peter Clinch said:

But if you've got SPuD compatible shoes and you want to go any sort of
distance you might as well put the relevant pedals on IMHO.

Pete.

Unless you don't fancy the inevitable falling over during the learning
process...

In which case, like me, you'll happily do nearly 50 miles in them on
standard metal cage type platforms ;-)

Velvet

Velvet said:

I'm riding in shimano m037w's with fair amounts of tread (though no
grip in the wet it transpires) without any retaining mechs, yes.

I was thinking of a cycle shoe without tread.