Rookie needs 'shoe' advise

yyz1970 said:

Just purchased a Giant OCR2 (my first road bike) with shimano M505 clipless pedals any advice on shoes would be appreciated. I can't wait to ride it! it's -5 degrees celcius here in ontario canada.

How much you have?

I found out the hard way (lots of shipping charges) that European shoes are more narrow than American mfg shoes. I have narrow sz 13. All the American made shoes I tried wouldn't lace (snap, velcro, whatever) up tight before the sides of the shoe started bumping into each other. I ended up with Sidi. They've worked fine - except for having to replace both ratcheting mechanisms once.

yyz1970 said:

Just purchased a Giant OCR2 (my first road bike) with shimano M505 clipless pedals any advice on shoes would be appreciated. I can't wait to ride it! it's -5 degrees celcius here in ontario canada.

Find something that fits well and has a shoe drilling that works with cleat/pedal.

Things to consider:

What type of riding are you going to be doing? If you're not planning on racing there's no need to invest in a high dollar shoe. If you plan on mostly recreational rides or touring where you may be getting off bike and walking around a bit, you may be better off with a mountain bike shoe. Most of them have the cleat recessed. At -5 Celsius, make sure that you're either wearing some very warm socks, or that you purchase some booties for your biking shoes, or both. Frozen toes make for some very uncomfortable riding.

I've got an OCR1 with the same pedals as yours and I'm wearing Performance Forte Traverse II mountain biking shoes, they are an inexpensive way to start off. I've just started using them recently and I'm still trying to get the cleats adjusted properly.

Whatever you get, make sure that you practice snapping in and out of the pedals with your bike braced against a wall or something until you're sure you've got it right. I got to my first stoplight and couldn't unclip, fell over and sprained my thumb trying to break my fall. That was nearly a month ago and the sucker still hurts.

go with Shimano road shoes - I wear 11N and my Shimano's are great !!!

yyz1970 said:

Just purchased a Giant OCR2 (my first road bike) with shimano M505 clipless pedals any advice on shoes would be appreciated. I can't wait to ride it! it's -5 degrees celcius here in ontario canada.

I'd go with road pedals and shoes.
www.kingzoftheroad.com

HOw old are you? How fussy are you about your normal street shoes? If you're young, not too fussy, you can probably get away with a less expensive shoe.
If you're sensitive in the foot area or are planning on eventually doing say 150 miles a week --or say doing rides that last more than two hours-- I recommend investing in a better shoe.
Top of the line: Sidi and Carnac. Carnac can be a really fine shoe --have beautiful interiors --foot fits in the shoes like a glove. But pricey and some guys with narrow feet find them too wide.
Shimano also makes a good shoe -- I think I've seen them for 150 bucks, which would make them cheaper than Sidi and Carnac. You prob know this already but: be sure to be sized for the shoe ie don't buy them from catalog --every brand and/or model varies in its sizing. Good luck and enjoy and I recommend getting booties!

yyz1970 said:

Just purchased a Giant OCR2 (my first road bike) with shimano M505 clipless pedals any advice on shoes would be appreciated. I can't wait to ride it! it's -5 degrees celcius here in ontario canada.

Don't trust the sizing charts. Try a few brands to see which once fit the best. I just bought my second pair of Diadora's (the first pair is 12 years old). I'm a 10 D/E and their size 44 fit like a glove. Sidi makes a great shoe too.