Shoes & Pedals for Commuting...

[Peter10]

My first road bike should be with me soon (pedal free) and I am a little lost on what pedals/shoes I should get. I ride mountain bikes pretty much everyday, all day for work, but not any serious distance or speed, just to do... work stuff, so I wear my work boots.

I have seen a few discussions on shoes but nothing that answers my question (sorry if it is out there), I just finished work (2am or so) so may have missed it.

What shoes/pedals are recommended for commuting. I see a lot of people using cleats/clips but my main concern is, what are they like for stop/start traffic & emergency stops? I have never used them before, so I don't really know how easy they are to get your foot unclipped quickly. Money isn't a major issue, as I want to be comfortable (obviously not silly money). So what is recommended shoe & pedal wise.

Oh, just to add, I do plan on using the bike for training also so if that is something to consider.

Thanks all, time for some food before bed!

Pete

 

[Lozatron]

My tuppence - spd pedals an some mountain bike shoes that do up with velcro.

You *will* come off so practice before doing a commute....

After not cycling for a decade or two I started commuting by bike 2 years ago and apart from waterproof socks clip in pedals are the single thing that have brought me the most happiness...

 

[BenM]

What shoes/pedals are recommended for commuting.

I would go for double sided pedals - I have Shimano M324s but there are other similar models available e.g. M545 - because you can then use work boots or clip in shoes with them.
For shoes I use Shimano MT-75s (model number possibly wrong - had to drive in today so can't look) for the shoes for no reason other than the LBS had them and they fitted.

B.

 

[xroads]

I would recommend Shimano SPD-M520's, they are double sided and easy to clip in/out of (£20 at wiggle).
You can also use these with shoes that have recessed cleats such as Specialised Sonomas.
As the cleats are recessed, you can walk around easily.

 

[gaz]

I like the road style cleat and pedal. Shimano for me due to the larger contact area.
People complain that they are hard to walk in and it's not easy to clip in. 9/10 I'm clipped in and gone before guys with mtb style have even got their foot on the pedal.

 

[BentMikey]

Yeah, I'm with road pedals too. Look Keos here, they have a grippy cleat that doesn't clack loudly. I don't need to do very much walking, and I rarely unclip at traffic lights, so road cleats are best for me. SPDs on the fixed wheel, mind.

 

[DrSquirrel]

Road cleats - single sided isn't that bad, you'll get used to it and the more start/stop you do the more practice you will have try not to think about it so much and it will become second nature.

I don't personally find mine hard to walk in.


Though I wouldn't discount recessed mtb cleats with double sided pedals if you want to walk around a lot (like shopping etc). The only thing that stops me shopping in road cleats is being looked at

 

[gaz]

The only issue I have with my shoes and cleats is walking down stairs. But that's just down to large feet.

 

[MacB]

Buy some BMX style platform pedals and get some trainers with plenty of grip, the Five-Ten line have very grippy soles. That'll cover your more serious riding and, the rest of the time, just wear whatever you feel like.

Obviously this means that you'll miss out on the joys of falling over, having to ride in certain shoes, walking funny, spending more money, possibly suffering knee and foot pain trying to get cleats set up correctly. Even when set up right you still may experience issues over extended rides due to lack of freedom of movement.

On the plus side you'll be so much faster and cycling will be so much easier with clipless......though strangely these improvements are rather hard to quantify....funny that.

 

[DrSquirrel]

Not everyone that rides clipless assumes they are faster or more efficient etc. I don't give a toss, they're easy to use, ive not fallen over, I wear "certain shoes" when cycling without cleats anyway, I don't walk funny, and I hardly spent more money either, and neither do I have knee issues as it's not hard to setup cleats.

If anything - the reason why I use it is to stop me moving my feet around on the pedals as I "fidget" a lot.

The only issue I have with my shoes and cleats is walking down stairs. But that's just down to large feet.

I know this - I climbed a ladder the other day in them and it was sketchy to say the least.

Don't worry, I wore a HV vest which protects me.

 

[gaz]

I know this - I climbed a ladder the other day in them and it was sketchy to say the least.

Don't worry, I wore a HV vest which protects me.

But what about lights? White at the front and red at the rear

 

[DrSquirrel]

But what about lights? White at the front and red at the rear

I have white front/red rear on the helmet at all times

 

[gaz]

I have white front/red rear on the helmet at all times

but where was your helmet when you where up the ladder?

 

[DrSquirrel]

On the floor

Neither was the ladder tied, or did anyone hold the bottom.

I must be deaded right now then

 

[BentMikey]

Large feet, is that a euphemism Gaz?