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Any advice on cheap SPDs or cycling shoes? Whats easiest, most reliable and not over the top expensive.
Cheers
I still use clips/straps but I have read Rusty's guide elsewhere on the forum and bookmarked a set of Time Atac Aliums for future purchase (30 dabs new on eBay w/cleats, prob cheaper used). Joshvegas also pointed me in the direction of Shimano pedals which have one flat side so you can use 'normal' shoes if need be. Shoes are a dunno, as the sizing is weird between brands, but it's also covered in Rusty's guide.
Last year i was in the same boat as you Tp, i went for it:
Shimano SPDs w/cleats from eBay-£12 and a pair of Bontrager shoes on sale from Alpine-£40.
Just make sure the SPDs are set tight enough so you don't fly out of them when climbing. Ouch!!!
Cheap shoes ... I know it's tempting, but avoid lidl - the ones from a few years ago were fine.
But since they moved to using plastic soles they don't last, snapped the cleat-mounting off two pairs within a month, ack.
Otherwise the two big players, shimano and specialized are good bets. Personally I prefer specialized, the shimanos i own now have stretched around the heel so they don't fit as snugly as they should and after a years use they have a lot of heel-lift, specialized however use a plastic heelcup which lasts for a good for a while longer.
I have no experience of other shoes ...
colin
and what slint said...
Shimano are still my favourite for reliablility, plus the bearings can be serviced and replaced as you need to. I still have some from the mid 90s kicking around and still very smooth. The cleats are easy to get hold of and last maybe 2-3k miles. Downside is that you only have rotational float (twisty foot), bad news for knackered knees.
Times are good, if a little bulky/heavy, but nice and strong. Lots of rotational float, and lateral float (slidey from side to side) which will help knees with problems. Used a pair for a few years and had no problems except getting clogged with mud/ice (cheap ATAC Aliums I think). However the cleats are made from cheese or brass or something and wear quite quickly, especially id worn on tarmac.
There are also the 'downhill' SPDs with the central clipless body surrounded by a grippy BMXesque cage for extra support. You can normally feel the clipless part through the soles of your normal non-SPD shoes though.
If you want minimal have a look at Crank Bros Eggbeaters - very small and light, however the bearings last 6 months if you're lucky. Look quite trick though.
Specialized and Cannondale shoes are made very wide and have used both. My current Specs are about 4 or 5 years old with no sign of them giving up, extremely well made. Shimano shoes fit like Adidas, long and narrow but well made. You pays your money... I wouldn't spend under a £100 for SPD shoes.
Rusty's guide
rusty:I'm somewhat of a connoisseur when it comes to pedals in that I've tried them all. Here's a quick run-down:
Shoe Choice
- Mountain Bike Shoes
Pros: slightly easier to walk in
Cons: less stiff, only mountain bike style cleats- Road Shoes
Pros: very stiff, accept both road and mountain bike style cleats
Cons: slightly more difficult to walk inFor shoes I would definitely suggest road shoes. The ease of walking argument is moot really. I've used two pairs of road shoes and one pair of mountain bike shoes and they have all been equally easy to walk in.
Pedals
- Mountain Bike Pedals
Pros: loads of float, double sided
cons: loads of float- Road Pedals
Pros: firmer hold, Ideal for using on a road bike also
cons: single-sided, less floatSidedness
The single/double-sided argument is, once again, moot. You've been riding pedals which are far more difficult to get into than single-sided clipless pedals for quite a while. Once you're used to once system you are fine. When I was using solely SPD-SLs I was able to get my left foot clipped in within one pedal stroke of setting off.Float
Mountain bike pedals have a lot of float (twist before it unclips) whereas road pedals offer very little float. Loads of float is good for learning to trackstand on the pedals but isn't really required after that.Systems
The popular mountain bike pedal systems are SPD, Time ATAC and Crank Bros Egg Beater. Stay away from Egg beaters as they have a reputation for popping out when skidding and falling apart. SPDs are generally lighter than Time ATAC but are somewhat more prone to popping out when skidding. I ran Time ATAC Aliums for 6 months and had no scary moments. Time ATAC, as you may know, are the preference of couriers all over the world for fixed-gear use.Road systems are a little easier for me to discuss. There's Look and there's Look. Actually there's Look and there's Shimano SPD-SL which is Look but not Look. Campagnolo and Time offer proprietary systems but they aren't used widely at all. I have a lot of experience with Shimano SPD-SL and a few weeks of experience with Look.
Cleats
SPD-SL cleats are larger than Look cleats and have rubber grippers on each corner to allow you to walk better in them. It's possible to get Look cleats with grip on them to make this easier although Looks come with rubber covers (I'll show you them some day) so you don't really need the grip cleats.Pedal
The pedal bodies of Shimano pedals are manufactured out of aluminium and are heavier in weight compared with Look pedals which are made of injection moulded polyamide.Engagement/Disengagement
SPD-SL pedals are, in my opinion, quite a bit easier to get in and out of. This is perhaps due to the fact that I became adept at doing it when they were all I used and I have yet to develop the skill with my current Look pedals.Conclusion
Overall my suggestion would be to use mountain bike shoes with mountain bike pedals only if you're going to be using them solely for fixed-gear. If you intend on using them on a road bike, you'll appreciate the lack of movement your feet are granted by using a road setup.I would suggest you go with Sidi shoes. The only reason I don't currently run Sidis is because I ran out of money and couldn't afford to replace my Sidis with Sidis. Sidis are fantastic shoes, even the lower end ones I had, however they really do shine in the higher end. For mountain bike pedals I would suggest Time ATAC and for road pedals I would suggest Look.
PS. 2008 Sidis are extremely cheap at sidicafe.co.uk so there's no excuse not to buy them. I'd suggest Genius 5.1 (I think I'm going to buy a pair because I'd be crazy not to.
My Final Suggestions
MTB: Sidi Dominator 5 // Time ATAC Alium
Road: Sidi Genius 5.1 // Look Kéo SprintMy Pedal CV:
Cheap clips & straps + vans
Shimano SPD-SL (R540) + Sidi Raiden
Time ATAC Alium + Sidi Blaze
Shimano SPD-SL (R540) + Pearl Izumi Vagabond R4
Look Kéo Sprint + Pearl Izumi Vagabond R4
MKS Sylvans / MKS clips & straps + vans
i have spd advice, never stand in dog shit, seriusly
Cheers for info all
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