Shoes for clipless pedals

In article <[email hidden]>,

Atri I said:

Looking at what's available, I see a vast range of prices
(http://www.nashbar.com and http://www.performancebike.com). I realize
I get what I pay for, but what should I look for in a shoe? Some of
these prices seem quite a bit lower than those at the LBS - any
advantage buying at the LBS as opposed to online? I assume the shoe
size is the same as my regular sneakers?

Shoe sizing varies a lot. Bike shoes usually fit somewhat snugger
than sneakers, so you need to consider length, width, and volume.
Buy from a LBS where you can try them on first.

Regarding shoe models, that depends a lot on what kind of riding
you will be doing. Stiffer shoes give you the maximum efficiency,
but are uncomfortable if you're going to walk around off the bike.
Road racing have a minimal outer sole to save weight, but walking
a lot will ruin them. MTB shoes have lugs and spikes so you can
hike up muddy hills. Touring shoes are somewhere in between road
racing and MTB shoes and are probably best for recreational riders.

Atri I says...

Quoted message said:

I have never used clipless pedals before, and so, I have some very
basic questions. I'm looking at buying a LeMond Big Sky SL that comes
with Shimano M505 clipless pedals.

Looking at what's available, I see a vast range of prices
(http://www.nashbar.com and http://www.performancebike.com). I realize
I get what I pay for, but what should I look for in a shoe? Some of
these prices seem quite a bit lower than those at the LBS - any
advantage buying at the LBS as opposed to online? I assume the shoe
size is the same as my regular sneakers?

Here's what I found in the FAQ - it seems to describe my needs fairly
well.

Thanks,

Atri

Cycling Footwear

When it comes to cycling footware, I think the best option seems to be
one of the walkable clip-in shoe systems such as the Shimano SPD.
Having a shoe that you can walk in has two big benefits. First off,
if you have never toured, you will be surprised at the amount of
off-the-bike walking that is done during the course of the day in
order to buy food, take photographs and check out historic sights.
Secondly, having to carry a pair of walking shoes means extra bulk and
weight.

I would not recommend Look cleats for touring. I do a lot of walking
which is unavoidable. It has been my experience that even a little
bit of wear on the Look cleat can make it behave differently in the
pedal. While Look cleat covers
are available to protect the cleat during walking, during a normal day
on the road you do so much on and off the bike activity that it seemed
like too much bother to take the covers on and off and on and off,
etc.

What he says is true for SPD cleats, but I have found that the other
types of mountain cleats I have tried do not recess into MTB shoes as
well, so the advantage over road shoes is greatly diminished. You have
SPD pedals, so you will need SPD cleats and MTB or touring shoes if you
plan to keep these pedals. Personally, I think my road cleats and pedals
feel better than any of my MTB pedal/cleat combos. I'm not sure it is
rational, but it just seems the lower stack height and bigger cleat
contact area give a more positive feel. Yes road cleats suck to walk on,
but there is some token effort to make it possible when necessary. Be
advised that clipless pedals have a learning curve and you may fall
damaging yourself and your bike before you become proficient with them.

Atri I said:

I have never used clipless pedals before, and so, I have some very
basic questions. I'm looking at buying a LeMond Big Sky SL that comes
with Shimano M505 clipless pedals.

Looking at what's available, I see a vast range of prices
(http://www.nashbar.com and http://www.performancebike.com). I realize
I get what I pay for, but what should I look for in a shoe? Some of
these prices seem quite a bit lower than those at the LBS - any
advantage buying at the LBS as opposed to online? I assume the shoe
size is the same as my regular sneakers?

sizing or fitting is a tricky question - depends on the make and model
of the shoe. The fitting is preferred to be snug. Do take into account
that your feet tend to swell a little bit during long rides. So, a
little room is preferable (little wiggle room).

actually if you see SIDI - they have a nice method of fitting:
http://www.sidiusa.com/tech/faq.html#14 but, i think that applies to
those shoes only - coz they are leather ?? not sure.

At an LBS, you should be able to try out different models - atleast the
first pair of shoes, i would suggest you to to a LBS.

if you feet are wide or narrow, your choices narrows 🙁 only a handful
of the shoes are available.

Looking at LeMond Big Sky SL (comfort road bike), i am guessing the
purpose to be more recreational/touring purpose. Do check out some of
the touring shoes - like shimano SH-M034 - i use it most of the time and
it is pretty stiff for a touring shoe. Since it has recessed cleats, it
is pretty nice and easy to walk around in. road shoes - which do not
have recessed cleats, would make you walk like a duck 🙂 - but again
more stiffer soles means better power transfer.

my sh-m034 is 47cm sized
my sidis are 45.5 cms(Mega)

both fit me just right - the size isn't 100% guarantee that it will fit.

+ravi

Quoted message said:

Here's what I found in the FAQ - it seems to describe my needs fairly
well.

Thanks,

Atri

Cycling Footwear

When it comes to cycling footware, I think the best option seems to be
one of the walkable clip-in shoe systems such as the Shimano SPD.
Having a shoe that you can walk in has two big benefits. First off,
if you have never toured, you will be surprised at the amount of
off-the-bike walking that is done during the course of the day in
order to buy food, take photographs and check out historic sights.
Secondly, having to carry a pair of walking shoes means extra bulk and
weight.

I would not recommend Look cleats for touring. I do a lot of walking
which is unavoidable. It has been my experience that even a little
bit of wear on the Look cleat can make it behave differently in the
pedal. While Look cleat covers
are available to protect the cleat during walking, during a normal day
on the road you do so much on and off the bike activity that it seemed
like too much bother to take the covers on and off and on and off,
etc.

Super Slinky <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

What he says is true for SPD cleats, but I have found that the other
types of mountain cleats I have tried do not recess into MTB shoes as
well, so the advantage over road shoes is greatly diminished. You have
SPD pedals, so you will need SPD cleats and MTB or touring shoes if you
plan to keep these pedals. Personally, I think my road cleats and pedals
feel better than any of my MTB pedal/cleat combos. I'm not sure it is
rational, but it just seems the lower stack height and bigger cleat
contact area give a more positive feel. Yes road cleats suck to walk on,
but there is some token effort to make it possible when necessary. Be
advised that clipless pedals have a learning curve and you may fall
damaging yourself and your bike before you become proficient with them.

Thanks for the inputs. Any suggestions on learning to use clipless
pedals? Or do I just do it for a while and it comes with time?

Atri

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

Quoted message said:

Super Slinky <[email hidden]> wrote in message

news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

What he says is true for SPD cleats, but I have found that the other
types of mountain cleats I have tried do not recess into MTB shoes as
well, so the advantage over road shoes is greatly diminished. You have
SPD pedals, so you will need SPD cleats and MTB or touring shoes if you
plan to keep these pedals. Personally, I think my road cleats and pedals
feel better than any of my MTB pedal/cleat combos. I'm not sure it is
rational, but it just seems the lower stack height and bigger cleat
contact area give a more positive feel. Yes road cleats suck to walk on,
but there is some token effort to make it possible when necessary. Be
advised that clipless pedals have a learning curve and you may fall
damaging yourself and your bike before you become proficient with them.

Thanks for the inputs. Any suggestions on learning to use clipless
pedals? Or do I just do it for a while and it comes with time?

Atri

I just started using clipless pedals earlier this year. I parked the bike
next to a pole in the neighborhood, climbed on it and practiced clipping and
unclipping until I felt comfortable before starting to ride with them. For
the first couple miles I only clipped one pedal at a time until I got the
hang of unclipping while stopping. After that I felt like I could handle
both feet being clipped. I've only had a couple times I forgot to unclip<g>
Thankfully both times I fell over into the grass!

Beverly - who probably did it the hard way but at least I can ride clipped
now 🙂

In article <[email hidden]>,

Atri I said:

Thanks for the inputs. Any suggestions on learning to use clipless
pedals? Or do I just do it for a while and it comes with time?

Find a big empty parking lot and practice making quick starts and
emergency stops. You don't want make a mistake in the middle of
heavy traffic. Entry and exit should be second nature to you after
15-30 minutes of practice.

Atri I said:

Super Slinky <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

What he says is true for SPD cleats, but I have found that the other
types of mountain cleats I have tried do not recess into MTB shoes as
well, so the advantage over road shoes is greatly diminished. You have
SPD pedals, so you will need SPD cleats and MTB or touring shoes if you
plan to keep these pedals. Personally, I think my road cleats and pedals
feel better than any of my MTB pedal/cleat combos. I'm not sure it is
rational, but it just seems the lower stack height and bigger cleat
contact area give a more positive feel. Yes road cleats suck to walk on,
but there is some token effort to make it possible when necessary. Be
advised that clipless pedals have a learning curve and you may fall
damaging yourself and your bike before you become proficient with them.

Thanks for the inputs. Any suggestions on learning to use clipless
pedals? Or do I just do it for a while and it comes with time?

check out earlier threads on this group - most recent one was with
subject 'Light Dawns'. you prefect your method by practice. have you
been using toe-clips now ?? if not, the concept of having the feet
attached to the pedals is kind of odd. So, keep the spring tension on
the SPD low - you can just lift your feet away from the pedal and your
feet will come loose. Once you are more comfortable, increase the spring
tension - so that you do not want unintentional unclippings (when
pulling the pedal on your up-stroke)

+ravi

Quoted message said:

Atri

Atri I says...

Quoted message said:

Thanks for the inputs. Any suggestions on learning to use clipless
pedals? Or do I just do it for a while and it comes with time?

Atri

Practice for a while if you can, although practicing on grass probably
isn't going to be easy with a road bike. You may want to accept the fact
that you will fall a few times at first and periodically thereafter.
Pedals, saddles, handlebars, and possibly the rear derailer are going to
be contact points with the ground when you fall over. Try not to forget
that you are riding clipless and don't wait till the last second to clip
out.

Ravi <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<1100126507.108629@sj-nntpcache-5>...

Quoted message said:

Atri I wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Thanks for the inputs. Any suggestions on learning to use clipless
pedals? Or do I just do it for a while and it comes with time?

check out earlier threads on this group - most recent one was with
subject 'Light Dawns'. you prefect your method by practice. have you
been using toe-clips now ??

Yes, I switched to toe clips about 3 years ago (just before my first -
and only (so far) - century). I just needed to figure out how to flip
the pedal over, since gravity sent it the wrong way, but that was not
really a problem. I think my feet are not 100% symmetrical, and so,
one toe pointed straight forward in the toe clips, and the other was
about 15 degrees to the outside. Would that be an issue with clipless?

Thanks to everyone on this thread for all the suggestions - I will
practice as suggested before I go into traffic.

Atri

Quoted message said:

if not, the concept of having the feet
attached to the pedals is kind of odd. So, keep the spring tension on
the SPD low - you can just lift your feet away from the pedal and your
feet will come loose. Once you are more comfortable, increase the spring
tension - so that you do not want unintentional unclippings (when
pulling the pedal on your up-stroke)

+ravi

Quoted message said:

Atri

(Atri I) said:

I think my feet are not 100% symmetrical, and so,
one toe pointed straight forward in the toe clips, and the other was
about 15 degrees to the outside. Would that be an issue with clipless?

You can adjust the cleats to accommodate foot rotation. Most
people's feet turn outward at least a little. If you're not
comfortable with setting the rotation, a local shop should be able
to help you out. Some clipless pedals have "float", which means the
foot can rotate slightly on the pedal without coming out. I think
the pedal with the most float is the Speedplay.

--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://bike.terrymorse.com/