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What type of clip based shoes should I purchase?

I have the speedplay pedals, I love them. The show side lasts well because there is nothing sticking out to get worn down.

I got the ergo 3 sidi shoes as well that have the flat base made for speed play.

I was very happy when I got into this set up.
 
If you tend to do walking AND riding, then it's better to get something compatible like Shimano SPD or Time ATAC. The shoes will have a raised surface for walking with the smaller cleat recessed. As all shoes are different, it's probably best to purchase from a local dealer so you can try them on. Shimano shoes are great and they aren't so differently priced than e-commerce. Especially now that the Yen is getting hammered. If you will be performance riding oriented - then probably a different style will be suitable.
 
I second Tim's (GSAstuto's) recommendation. SPD is great for entry level road riding.

I use SPD pedals with Shimano SH-MT42NV shoes because you can walk in them almost like in regular sneakers. I use my bike for shopping and running errands (even going to the odd informal business meeting) and walk around any place that I ride to.

Let me add that getting cleated shoes & pedals was one of the best things I did since getting back into cycling. Though the pedals I went for have both a flat and cleated side, I find *never* use the flat side.
 
What Tim and Joe have said I very much agree with.

I use the Shimano SPD shoes as well, I have three pair, two for summer and a winter shoe for well, winter :rolleyes: They are great, I wear them around all day, just like regular shoes.

The summer shoes are MT42s
shimano-mt42-sh-11-zoom.jpg

I think they have something new, MT 43s out this year.

For the cooler temps I have the Shimano MT71 touring shoes....
23613.jpg


Like Joe said, you can walk around in these shoe no problem, but they might not be enough of a road bike look for you. You will have to get the roadies to comment on which shoes are best for what you are doing.

What are you doing btw? Mainly just riding on the weekends, racing, or commuting...?

I like the SPD pedals, get the double stomp kind, not the one side flat, the other side clipless pedal like Joe said, you will never use the flat side.

Cheers!
 
Another pedal option is the Japanese MKS 'ezy cube' . They allow you to quick release the pedal making the bike easier to pack, or simply a mild 'ride away' deterrent. Bascially same cleat as Time ATAC or SPD, btw. Though it is unique - meaning, you need to use the MKS cleat, but it fits fine on ANY SPD capable shoe.
 
Thank you for the great advice so far, looking at the pedals now, unfortunately, the local shop here only has shoes up to 27 cm, I am a bit bigger than that, also picked up a brooksb-17? saddle? was in the clearence bin for 6000 yen.

As far as riding goes; probably every day, since I am still a college student, a bit of a free spirit or so. Currently on break and in a small coastal town, so mainly just fishing and kendo right now. So alot of riding dependent on weather.

Picked up the Mt 43s for about 4,000 yen.
 
Thank you for the great advice so far, looking at the pedals now, unfortunately, the local shop here only has shoes up to 27 cm, I am a bit bigger than that, also picked up a brooksb-17? saddle? was in the clearence bin for 6000 yen.

As far as riding goes; probably every day, since I am still a college student, a bit of a free spirit or so. Currently on break and in a small coastal town, so mainly just fishing and kendo right now. So alot of riding dependent on weather.

6k for a B17 is a great deal!! (esp. with the weaker yen)

Hopefully you also got some Proofhide:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/brooks-saddles-proofide-40g-tub/

I use SPD on a couple bikes, and if you're just starting, that would be my suggestion.

Also, look up and consider the shimano A530 pedals. Yes, they do have a flat side, but I'd offer that that is sometimes an advantage.

~~~

on edit: As Stu asks, what kind of riding will you be doing? The answer to that will point to one pedal or another. I have the A530 pedals on an "around-town" bike. I don't use the flat side too often, but I can hop on it with any old shoe and go (downtown for an evening beer, combini, even to work). For that kind of utility, the flats are nice. OTOH, if you are riding for exercise/training, you don't need that.

If you're not used to clipping on, and even if you are (I've used them for many years), it is sometimes nice not to think about getting clipped in. Maybe it'd be busy traffic, or an intersection, a time when you'd want to be paying attention to what's going on around you, and getting started pedaling, rather than thinking about getting clipped in. If you miss the side with the clip, then you've got the (very stable) flat side under your foot and you can easily pedal a bit and then get clipped in.

(And, given the once-in-a-million chance that a shoe cleat or pedal would fail somehow, the flat side would be really nice to have.)
 
6k for a B17 is a great deal!! (esp. with the weaker yen)

Hopefully you also got some Proofhide:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/brooks-saddles-proofide-40g-tub/

I use SPD on a couple bikes, and if you're just starting, that would be my suggestion.

Also, look up and consider the shimano A530 pedals. Yes, they do have a flat side, but I'd offer that that is sometimes an advantage.

Will look into it! Just waiting for the cycle to be delivered first before I make a pedal splurge!
I think I will aim for a goal of completing the giro de hotaka in 2014? Not riding for placement, but just getting through it.
 
A B17 for 6000 yen? Wow, do they have any more :eek:
 
The B17 Standard (Black) is JPY 9,699 on Amazon right now so, yes, 6000 is an excellent deal. Even a year ago when the yen was strong I think I paid about 8600.
 
If you're just getting into cycling, you can't really go wrong with the SPDs, they won't break the bank either. Just like you, I got my defy 3 last year, and some SPD pedals to go with it.

And again, mad props to StuInTokyo, for giving me a pair of shimano shoes. Mate, I still wear them to this day and they've been super solid. So there's that! :D

Cheers and have fun!

p.s. Oh I forgot, I'd suggest a double sided pedal so that you don't have to mess with which side is up or down. May be a little more expensive and/or heavier, but the peace of mind I think is worth it. I have the pd-m424, they've been solid and hassle free so far.
 
If you're just getting into cycling, you can't really go wrong with the SPDs, they won't break the bank either. Just like you, I got my defy 3 last year, and some SPD pedals to go with it.

And again, mad props to StuInTokyo, for giving me a pair of shimano shoes. Mate, I still wear them to this day and they've been super solid. So there's that! :D

Cheers and have fun!

How do you like the bike so far? Also which pedal did you go with? There seems to be a pretty hefty selection of spds.
 
The bike is good, it's a workhorse! Changed my life in a few ways, and I love it for that.

Two things though:
1) get some clip pedals (but you're already working on that!)
2) possibly change tires/wheels sooner rather than later. The original 25mm tires and wheels actually make the bike kind of... dull, change to 23mm tires and suddenly it breathes again! You'd better do this soon.

Regarding the wheels, I got a pair of ultegra 6700s and they juuuuuust roll so nicely. Furthermore, I also had some fun changing the hubs to 105 hubs (yes, weaved the spokes again myself) and, what do you know, the old wheels are now quite nice too!

But don't take my word for it. Use the bike as it is for a few months, get a feel for it, and then start experimenting! Have fun! :D
 
If you're not used to clipping on, and even if you are (I've used them for many years), it is sometimes nice not to think about getting clipped in. Maybe it'd be busy traffic, or an intersection, a time when you'd want to be paying attention to what's going on around you, and getting started pedaling, rather than thinking about getting clipped in. If you miss the side with the clip, then you've got the (very stable) flat side under your foot and you can easily pedal a bit and then get clipped in.

I bought myself PD-T780 SPD pedals after about 5 weeks. In the 16 months since then I have used their flat side maybe 2-3 times and only for very short rides (local errand, test ride round the block, etc), because the MTB shoes work so well for me that I don't feel tempted to wear my Asics or my hiking boots (my other favourite shoes) when I go out on the bike.

From a safety point of view, I think I'd be better off with dual sided SPD pedals because I would never be fumbling for the correct side to connect to. The PD-T780 aren't bad, mostly they come out with the correct side on top, so I just put my feet down and the shoes snap in, but in the odd case where I find myself dealing with the flat side on top, it may become a distraction. If that happens while I'm in an intersection or another situation that needs my full attention I make a conscious decision to postpone locking in for a moment. What I do like about the PD-T780 is the reflector. My preference would be a double sided SPD pedal with reflector. Is there one?
 
(And, given the once-in-a-million chance that a shoe cleat or pedal would fail somehow, the flat side would be really nice to have.)
I have seen this happen. A friend lost one of the two bolts attaching the SPD cleat to his shoe. The result was a dramatic failure to unclip when he next stopped. TimbERRRR.

This was in the middle of Nowhere, Kyushu, in the middle of Golden Week.

We got him patched up and reattached his cleat with a car license plate bolt.

The lesson? Check that your cleat bolts are tight, every once in a while. Especially when they're new.

I had a pair of those dual-sided SPD pedals for a while. Didn't like them and went dual-sided on all my steeds. Flirted with ATAC for a while, but went back to SPD eventually. Just so easy.
 
Well, all the extremely helpful comments by everyone make this decision pretty easy! :eek:

I have seen this happen. A friend lost one of the two bolts attaching the SPD cleat to his shoe. The result was a dramatic failure to unclip when he next stopped. TimbERRRR.

This was in the middle of Nowhere, Kyushu, in the middle of Golden Week.

We got him patched up and reattached his cleat with a car license plate bolt.

The lesson? Check that your cleat bolts are tight, every once in a while. Especially when they're new.

I had a pair of those dual-sided SPD pedals for a while. Didn't like them and went dual-sided on all my steeds. Flirted with ATAC for a while, but went back to SPD eventually. Just so easy.
 
Didn't like them and went dual-sided on all my steeds. Flirted with ATAC for a while, but went back to SPD eventually. Just so easy.

A friend of mine who owns two road bikes, a MTB and a Brompton said he used to have different pedals on different bikes, but eventually switched all of them to SPD so he can use the same shoes with every bike - really convenient!
 
Another pedal option is the Japanese MKS 'ezy cube' . They allow you to quick release the pedal making the bike easier to pack, or simply a mild 'ride away' deterrent. Bascially same cleat as Time ATAC or SPD, btw. Though it is unique - meaning, you need to use the MKS cleat, but it fits fine on ANY SPD capable shoe.

So I have these cleats and pedals. Here's a picture of the bicycle at the lockup in anti-ride away mode:
attachment.php


IMO, the Shimano cleats are easier to engage. These require a bit more concentration. There's also no float, which so far does not bother me.

For commuting, I prefer pedals with flats on one side. In dodgy situations, I would disengage, flip to the flat side, and have the option to keep pedaling or quickly bail. Previous to this MKS pedals, I had the Shimano PD-A530. I was really happy with how they work and the versatility. (Until a perp rode it away, using the flats I bet.)

So shoes and pedals would depend on your use case.
 
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