Shoes and Pedals



Paul Dombrowski

New Member
Mar 30, 2013
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I just bought a new Fuji bike and am considering getting shoes and pedals for the first time. I have been riding without them for like 10 years. Any suggestions for a first time clipper?
 
Campy or Look pedals? shimaNO if you already have that stuff on your bike and want to match up. All three are very good pedals IMO. Try cleats with float before attempting no-float cleats unless you are good at dialing stuff in quickly. There must be fifty pedal systems on the market and they all have their fans. I prefer the platforms found on the Campy/Look (builders of Campy pedals) and shimaNO systems. Everyone has their favs...take Speedplay for example. I do not care for them, but they are top notch stuff.

Shoes? They absolutely must be tried on and fitted 'in person' if you ask me. Buy whatever is comfortable and fits. If it looks good to you and you really like the shoestrings/ratchets/wires/knobs/velcro...so much the better.

Wear them for an extended period in the store. Tighten them. Loosen them. Walk the carpet. Drink a cup of coffee in them. After feeling good in them for awhile, take them home and mount your cleats. Got a trainer? Start indoors if you can. Don't be afraid to go thru lots of attempts to get them where they feel 'right'.

A little blue Loctite on the cleat screws will keep them in place while you play around with cleat position. Only after I get mine fully dialed in do I gives the screws a real torque down.

If you buy pedals with adjustable release tension, keep the setting somewhat on the low side until you get familiar with clipping out at the last second. This helps avoid those Laugh In falls at red lights and stop signs.

Good luck! I predict you'll enjoy riding in clipless pedals and a comfortable cycling shoe.
 
Paul Dombrowski said:
I just bought a new Fuji bike and am considering getting shoes and pedals for the first time.  I have been riding without them for like 10 years.  Any suggestions for a first time clipper?
Well, the big players are Shimano, Time, Look, and Speedplay. You can also get pedals from Performance Bike's house brand, Forte, and the largest manufacturer of pedals in the world (I believe) and the least well known, Wellgo. People from the Antipodes will also suggest Keywin. After using Look, Speedplay, and going back to Look, I'm now using Shimano pedals and find them the best of three brands I've used. Pedals, however, like most things are a matter of personal preference. As many as there are that love Shimano pedals, there are also many who like Look, Speedplay, Keywin.........and there are a few weirdos who like Time (I kid). If I were you I'd visit a few local bike shops to see what they have in stock, what they have to say, and what the prices are. With most brands, you should be able to find a set of pedals for around $60-80. Of course prices go up from there. In a given manufacturer's range, price can indicate quality to a point. More expensive pedals from a brand can have more and better bearings that the less expensive ones. It's also true that beyond better bearings, about the only differences between less expensive and more expensive pedals is weight, body material (aluminum vs. carbon fiber vs.......), and axle material (chromoly steel vs. stainless steel vs. titanium). All pedals will come with cleats, and nearly all cleats will fit nearly all shoes. The Look/Shimano style cleats have a 3 hole pattern that is standard on virtually every road shoe (with the exception being possibly touring shoes, commuting shoes, and the like). Time cleats also now fit that 3 hole pattern. Speedplay uses a 4 hole pattern that can also be fit to the 3 hole pattern via plates included with the pedals. There are very a few shoes that come with the Speedplay pattern that allow the Speedplay cleat to be attached directly to the sole without needing an intermediate adapter plate. There is also a pedal type--called SPD by some--that uses a very small cleat that attaches with 2 bolts. A lot of shoes no longer come with a 2 hold bolt pattern, but there are few, notably touring shoes and bike shoes that are intended to be worn all day while on your feet at work or walking about. On such shoes the cleat is mounted so that it is recessed in the sole. Ask more questions, and you'll get more answers.
 
I can vouch for Wellgo pedals, I have used versions of their SPD and Look compatible systems. They are priced cheaper the the more well known brands - but some of the shimano touring pedals look identical to Wellgo models.

Pedal/Cleat choice will depend on how you intend to ride. Most of the newer systems are great for on the bike performance; but I would like to give a shout out to the humble SPD system. SPD cleats are cheap and very versatile, they can be recessed which is great for touring, charity rides and commuting. The cleat itself is very durable, they may outlast your shoes. SPDs are at home on and off road. Finally, if you are into indoor cycling (spinning) most bikes accept a SPD cleat.

I also like my Look compatible cleats, but the plastic has a limited useful life and failure can be very irritating if not dangerous. I inspect them before every ride.
 
In terms of wear, I've found the Shimano cleats to be more durable than both the Look and Speedplay cleats. I'm using Dura Ace pedals (SPD-SL, which for the uninitiated is similar to the Look cleat and entirely different than an SPD cleat).
 
If I was you do not just assume you want road style shoes and pedals. I myself prefer mtb pedals and shoes because I want something I can walk on. A couple of weeks ago I bought a pair of crank brothers candy 3 for 72.00 on ebay (2011 model but brand new). You may want to try both road and mtb shoes to see what you prefer. Regardless of what you buy make sure you try every pair on in a store. The same brand can differ in size from show to shoe. I bought a pair of Giro Carbide's on Friday. I tried on three other models before I decided on the Giro that and they all differed in size from 44, 45, 46 lol. As far as the pedals go since these will be your first I would suggest something with at least some platform.