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I'm interested in a cheap pair of road bike shoes that clip onto the pedals. Does anyone have recommendations? I would like to pay less than $60 for these shoes in a (US) size 9. Links to vendors appreciated!
Seth
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Personally, I'm a big fan of Nashbar's Ragster II sandals -- they're cheap (when on sale, which is often), SPD-compatible (I use them with Egg Beaters) and you don't need to worry about your socks getting soaked in the rain.
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I've been wearing these --
http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Pr … 00__400034
and have been happy with them.
I really like the MTB style shoes rather than the road bike style, even though I use them on road bikes, as they're acceptable if you have to actually do some walking, where road bike shoes are not.
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Is there any drawback to using mountain bike shoes & pedals on a road bike?
The spandex crew will frown at you.
Last edited by bizikletari (2010-09-23 14:48:55)
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seth wrote:Is there any drawback to using mountain bike shoes & pedals on a road bike?
The spandex crew will frown at you.
Well, I'm not so concerned about that...
What type of pedals work with these types of shoes? Is "SPD" a type of binding system?
Appreciatively,
Seth Johnson
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There are many different types of clipless pedals, SPD is one of the more popular because the cleats can be mounted recessed into the shoe. This makes walking easier, as you aren't walking on the metal cleats. When you buy a pair of pedals, a set of cleats is usually included.
Be very careful installing the cleats. If the alignment is off, you can injure your knees. I bought my first pair 12 years ago and didn't know what I was doing. 6 months later, I had to quit riding for a while to recover from a knee injury caused by bad alignment. Talk with someone who's done it before, or better yet (if you can afford it) get a bike shop to do a professional fit.
I use Speedplay pedals and cleats now, because there is a lot of "play" in them (i.e. the alignment is less important). The downside of them is that they're expensive, and difficult to walk in. But I have no knee issues. :-)
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SPD is both Shimano's proprietary "standard" for clipless pedals, and their (not-so-proprietary) standard for where on the shoes the bolts to mount your cleats (which will come with the pedals, and also be available as a replacable "wear" piece -- the cleats are made of softer metals from the pedals to protect the pedals from wear) are placed.
Shimano's SPD system is quite popular -- personally I prefer the system used by Crank Brothers pedals (easy to get in and out of, there's nothing on the pedals that needs to be adjusted [except maybe cleat positioning on your shoe], and their entry-level "smarty" pedals can be found deeply discounted). Anyhow, SPD-compatible shoes will work for most pedal/cleat systems, not just Shimano's.
I believe one of my coworkers told me he switched to Speedplay while recovering from some knee issues -- so if that's a concern for you, rmonsees' suggestion is probably a good one.
By the way, I strongly agree with the suggestion to use mountain shoes over dedicated road shoes.
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Wow. Thanks for the valuable information. I wouldn't have guessed I could damage my knees from a haphazard shoe/cleat installation.
I'm gathering that a mtb shoe like this:
http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Pr … 1022908_-1
Will work with a variety of mountain bike pedal systems. Would the cleats that come with these pedals work with those shoes?--
http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Pr … 000_400048
I like that one because you ride with regular shoes or cleats.
Any other recommendations on dual pedals that would work with mtb shoes?
Appreciatively,
Seth Johnson
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Seth, those will work fine. That pedal is the most popular "dual use" pedal that I'm aware of.
If you're serious about clipless pedals, it's convenient to ditch the "dual use" pedals as half the time you don't get what you want and you have to fuddle with them, but these are fine for "easing" yourself into them and deciding if you like them, and of course for bikes you'll sometimes ride with normal shoes.
If you decide to ditch the dual use pedals and go all clipless, these are good and inexpensive --
http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Pr … 000_400048
And if you swap pedals a lot, this is *well* worth the cost (standard wrenches don't cut it) --
http://www.performancebike.com/bikes//P … 0596_-1___
Make sure you adjust your new clipless pedals to hold your shoes pretty loosely at first. I say this because it takes some practice to get your feet out of them, and a lot more practice to get your feet out of them in an emergency as a reflex, so you WILL fall over. Often at first, but it never really stops, just becomes more rare. It usually doesn't hurt you, but it can, and usually it only happens when you have an audience. Might as well make it as easy as you can on yourself.
I don't think adjusting them is so difficult as rmonsees says, but he is right that if you get it wrong, it will kill your knees, fast. If you do it yourself, make sure your feet point in the same direction that they do naturally -- even a few degrees off can result in lots of pain later. And the first time or two you use them, and each time you use them after adjusting the angle that your feet point at, ride for a short distance -- a mile or two max -- and then take a few hours break to see if your knees get angry at you. (It won't really start hurting on the bike, but will later. I've been there, it's not pretty.)
And since we're giving Performance Bike links, just in case you don't know, if you're a member of their club, you get 10% store credit back on all purchases, and any bike accessories you buy from 12-2 on Tuesdays is 10% off. (They occasionally have sales or 15%, 17% or even 20% off (20% happens right after Thanksgiving), but you may not want to wait.)
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Just to add --
Another option if you'll be switching between clipless and conventional pedals frequently is quick-release pedals, though sadly MKS is the only manufacturer that makes good ones. Back before my household moved downtown and downsized to one bike per person (*sniff*) I was thinking hard about switching to MKS, to be able to have just two pairs of pedals (one clipless and one platform) and switch them between my bikes at-will. Also, taking the pedals with you when locking your bike outside (bagged -- the quick-release end tends to be greasy) makes it that much harder for someone to just ride off after breaking the lock. :)
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" Is there any drawback to using mountain bike shoes & pedals on a road bike?"
Yes, there is one. MTB shoes and some pedals tend to be significantly heavier than road shoes and pedals. For short rides that doesn't make much difference but the extra rotating weight affects me on long road rides. Lightweight road shoes are worth the extra expense.
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