SPD v. Look clips for a road bike

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Time to buy new shoes.

I now have the basic, low end Shimano shoes with SPD clips and generic pedals to match (clips in on both sides). I am looking to upgrade as I replace the shoes.

Any advantage to switchng to look style clips (which means I also need new pedals)?

Any recommendaitons as to shoes (and pedals if needed)?

I am a recreational road rider (NOT racer), doing about 2,500 miles a season.

Thanks

I cannot recommend any particular shoes except for SIDI.... I have a pair of SIDI Zetas with carbon sole. As far as the pedal... I personally love my Speedplay pedals. I currently have the X-3, but I am going to be upgrading to Speedplay Zeros soon. The all titanium version will set you back about $300 bucks but are light. They have about a 15 degree adjustable movement. The one drawback of Speedplays is that they are so small in diameter that they can cause discomfort amongst some riders. I have heard of some people complaining of a "hot zone" on the bottom of their feet, where the cleat and pedal join. Of course, I have never had that discomfort, so perhaps someone else on this forum who has had that problem can comment on these.

Time to buy new shoes.

I now have the basic, low end Shimano shoes with SPD clips and generic pedals to match (clips in on both sides). I am looking to upgrade as I replace the shoes.

Any advantage to switchng to look style clips (which means I also need new pedals)?

Any recommendaitons as to shoes (and pedals if needed)?

I am a recreational road rider (NOT racer), doing about 2,500 miles a season.

Thanks

The general view is that with 'road' pedals you get more of a plaform for your pedaling action - for some this is important, for others less so. Some of the ' clearing mud and gunk ' engineering that goes into decent mtb pedals will also not be there (obviously).

For a recreational rider it really comes down to preference. I only ride on road so I use road pedals exclusively (I use Campagnolo pro-fit because I like them, but Look are just fine). Also I can recommend Sidi shoes. Get the nicest you can afford and you will thank me.

You'll only know whether you care for large platform pedals through trying them. I use both types regularly (SPD-SL and SPD), and while I use to think that the large platforms were more comfortable, I now don't notice the pedals at all, whichever sort I use.