first time cycling shoes

fungirl said:

I read a lot that it makes so much difference using special cycling shoes than just runners, like I do. How difficult is it when you start? Feel a bit scared to be 'trapped'. Are there shoes to use for MTB and road racing. Not really going in muddy trails, but I do ride a Norco Charger mountainbike.

Cycling shoes have very stiff soles to better transmit power and better spread the pressure on ball of foot. As for feeling trapped, it's important to practice clipping in and out, ideally doing so at low speed on a patch of nice soft grass. The pedals can be adjusted so as to make clipping out easier, though this also makes it more likely that the shoe will come unclipped at an inopportune time. Road shoes/pedals differ from mountain shoes/pedals, though many folks use "mountain" shoes & pedals (typically SPD or Crank Brothers) on their road bikes. Mountain shoes are better for walking around in when not on the bike. The number of screw holes in the bottom of the shoe must match the number of screws used to attach the pedal cleat to the shoe. Typically, "mountain" pedal cleats have SPD-type connectors with 2 screws, whereas "road" pedal cleats have 3 or 4 screws.

Your LBS can advise you.

I tried on close to 15 different shoes, the last set I tried just happened to be the most expensive but also happened to fit me unlike any of the others did. it was worth the money though since my feet dont hurt at all after any rides no matter how long I am out. (Sidi Ergo 2 vernice) I have fallen 3 times now 😄 because it took me time to remember that I was clipped in. be sure that if you do get cycling shoes you get in a routine by unclipping the same foot each time to start muscle memory. cycling shoes are important because being clipped in you can use power all the way through your leg stroke on the pull up not just on the push down. It was difficult for me at first, but after 5 or 6 rides it just became a natural motion.
the diff between MTB and road shoes are mainly this....if you pick up a shoe and it has cleats on them, then they are generally a MTB shoe which you still can use on a road bike. some people like to use them because they are much easier to walk around in if you happen to be a rider that rides to a coffee shop for lunch or something. You can use either, but I prefer to use strictly road style shoes.

Try on lots of 'em- let your feet make the choice for the shoe and your comfort level for the type.
Road shoes are more efficient for riding, and can be "shimmed" under the cleat to adjust for unequal leg length.
Mtn/touring shoes are easier and safer to walk in, and the cleats tend to last longer
The width and "last" (shape) vary from brand to brand and some brands (sidi for one) come in more than one width

bianchi10 said:

I tried on close to 15 different shoes, the last set I tried just happened to be the most expensive but also happened to fit me unlike any of the others did. it was worth the money though since my feet dont hurt at all after any rides no matter how long I am out. (Sidi Ergo 2 vernice) I have fallen 3 times now 😄 because it took me time to remember that I was clipped in. be sure that if you do get cycling shoes you get in a routine by unclipping the same foot each time to start muscle memory. cycling shoes are important because being clipped in you can use power all the way through your leg stroke on the pull up not just on the push down. It was difficult for me at first, but after 5 or 6 rides it just became a natural motion.
the diff between MTB and road shoes are mainly this....if you pick up a shoe and it has cleats on them, then they are generally a MTB shoe which you still can use on a road bike. some people like to use them because they are much easier to walk around in if you happen to be a rider that rides to a coffee shop for lunch or something. You can use either, but I prefer to use strictly road style shoes.

fungirl said:

I read a lot that it makes so much difference using special cycling shoes than just runners, like I do. How difficult is it when you start? Feel a bit scared to be 'trapped'. Are there shoes to use for MTB and road racing. Not really going in muddy trails, but I do ride a Norco Charger mountainbike.

The" trapped" feeling is disconcerting at the beginning , to say the least. The best way to learn is to have somebody hold the bike for you and practice unclipping and clipping 20 or 30 times or more. You can also do it by mounting the bike while holding on to the edges of a door frame, so you can stabilize yourself. If you have a trainer is even easier. When I first started, the times i fell, were always when "re-starting" the bike... say after stopping at a light or on a slight upward incline. Practice pedaling with only foot clipped, so that you can always maintain momentum as you try to clip the second foot.
Once you learn, you'll never go back to regular shoes...

rparedes said:

The" trapped" feeling is disconcerting at the beginning , to say the least. The best way to learn is to have somebody hold the bike for you and practice unclipping and clipping 20 or 30 times or more.

what helped me was getting a trainer, chances of falling off of that are slim and you will be able to practice clipping and unclipping easier.

When I first started using my cycling shoes I had that trapped feeling also. I think it just takes time to get use to them and your ability to clip out. I put my bike on my trainer and practiced many times before actually trying them out on the road. The clips loosen up the more you use them and it will become second hand to you to clip out. Good Luck!🙂

fungirl said:

I read a lot that it makes so much difference using special cycling shoes than just runners, like I do. How difficult is it when you start? Feel a bit scared to be 'trapped'. Are there shoes to use for MTB and road racing. Not really going in muddy trails, but I do ride a Norco Charger mountainbike.

I just bought pair of shoes & pedals this past weekend. I got back into cycling about 4 months ago & ride a 25 + year old Kabuki (road bike). I am hard to fit in shoes, I take a mens size 7, but the width is triple to quad E.

For weeks I looked online and was resigned to a high dollar pair of Sidi Megas that I would probably have to order. I went to my LBS to look at shoes and knew that I would be looking for about a size 40 (according to most charts, american men's size 7 translates into about a european size 40). They had one Shimano in stock in size 40, but it was much too narrow. I asked the person helping me if they had any other size 40's in stock in the back. He went back to check. Meanwhile, I was looking again through the display shoes and one caught my eye that it looked like it was slightly wider than the rest. They were Cannondale shoes for $80. I held my New Balance running shoe (size 7) up to this shoe and they were the same length. This pair of cycling shoes, however, was marked size 42.5. I tried them on & they fit perfectly. They were mountain bike shoes, not road shoes. I got them as well as a relatively cheap set of Shimano pedals.

I have used these all this week (have ridden 4 out of the last 5 days) and am very pleased with this set up. Others are right, however, make sure you practice clicking in & out of them. I came to a stop last night & fell, because I couldn't click out in time. The only things hurt were a little scrape on my knee & my pride 🙂

Based on my experience, I would recommend the following (remember, however, I am just getting back into cycling & just about everyone here has more experience & knowledge about these things than I, so I would defer to their wisdom):

1. Go to your local bike shop to find your shoes. I have a feeling that the sizes vary a good bit from manufacturer to manufacturer.

2. Talk with a knowledgable sales person about what you want, they will be able to guide you in your purchase.

3. Take a good-fittlng pair of sneakers with you for comparison purposes. This could help with length differences between brands.

Hope this helps.

Rob

fungirl said:

I read a lot that it makes so much difference using special cycling shoes than just runners, like I do. How difficult is it when you start? Feel a bit scared to be 'trapped'. Are there shoes to use for MTB and road racing. Not really going in muddy trails, but I do ride a Norco Charger mountainbike.

FWIW. You can wear MTB cycling shoes WITHOUT using the 'cleats' ... or, dedicated pedals.

Cycling shoes do have STIFF soles ... the advantage is magnified the longer the distances which you ride.

OldGoat said:

Cycling shoes have very stiff soles to better transmit power and better spread the pressure on ball of foot.

Do you happen to have a citation for this?

Rabbitbunny said:

Do you happen to have a citation for this?

No citation is necessary, the idea of a cycling shoe is to have a stiff sole. If you move to the high end of the spectrum, the soles get even stiffer. Flex of the sole will bleed off some power generated. It has to in order to bend the shoe.

There are other sources of power loss when not using cycling shoes, but you didn't ask about those.

alienator said:

No citation is necessary, the idea of a cycling shoe is to have a stiff sole. If you move to the high end of the spectrum, the soles get even stiffer. Flex of the sole will bleed off some power generated. It has to in order to bend the shoe.

There are other sources of power loss when not using cycling shoes, but you didn't ask about those.

Right, I asked about the one I was interested in. Why is that the idea of a cycling shoe, What is the science behind it?

It's simple. A bike shoe is designed to effectively transmit the power applied by the rider's foot and to be comfortable while doing that. That's about it. The mechanical side is explained by simple Newtonian Mechanics, and even the physiological side can by partially described by mechanics.

I sometimes wear these shoes when riding my road bike. Works for me.

Five.Ten BA51C Reviews

Proper cycling shoes and cleats -- of which I've used some version for 35 years -- add immeasurably to the comfort and mechanical advantage of cycling. No other single piece of wearable kit improves performance to the same degree.