To cleat or...

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Morning all,

I am planning to get my first pair of proper cycling shoes, current favourites are the Shimano 076's, as on my longer rides normal trainers aren't cutting it.

I have a couple of question which I hope someone can help me with:

1/ Will these be OK on flat pedals?
2/ Should i go the whole hog and get some spd pedals? My commute is quite short, but I do some moderately long rides at weekends (20-50 miles)
3/ Are cleats practical for short stop and start journeys? Are they easy to get in and out of? Am I likely to topple over after an emergency stop???

Thanks in advance.
 

toekneep

Senior Member
Location
Lancashire
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes. Yes. Yes. :biggrin:

On a more serious note, I would strongly recommend you go for the SPD pedals as well. I started out with the single sided ones thinking I would like the option of not wearing cycling shoes all the time but quickly realised the benefits of being clipped in meant I never used anything but cycling shoes.
 

HaloJ

Rabid cycle nut
Location
Watford
Yup, I must agree toekneep and whilst I've had some comedy moments falling clipped in it doesn't take long before you get the message and automatically unclip.

I started out with Shimano A540s. I rather nice single sided pedal and was quite handy in traffic. I now just use fully clipped Shimano M520s.

If you go for SPD rather than SPD SL you should be able to get a cycling shoe that is more normal to walk in when off the bike.
 

mark i

Well-Known Member
I use SPDs for my commute. On the way in I do 6 miles and let the train take (some of) the strain. On the way home I do 15 miles. When you first start it will be a royal pain getting the shoes on the pedals quickly, but that will soon ease. You will also forget to unclip once and make a comedy fall sideways at zero speed (I did it at a set of traffic lights on the Bristol road in Edgbaston for full embarassment!) Now that I am used to them it makes life much simpler. I even have SPDs on my brompton for the occasions that I use that!
 

BenM

Veteran
Location
Guildford
Double sided pedals (I have M324s) mean that you can just jump on the bike to nip down to the shops for beers or whatever without changing your shoes... however I do like riding the Orca with SPD shoes mainly because my feet don't fall off the pedals at speed.

B.
 

MacB

Lover of things that come in 3's
get decent flat pedals, BMX style platforms are good, and some trainers with grippy soles, like the FiveTen Impact. Great for any distance and allows you to still hop on your bike in any footwear. The only learning curve is that, with these soles, you can't slide your foot around as easily on the pedal.

Sadly you'll miss out on being able to tell your own 'hilarious falling off stories'. You'll not get to walk like a duck, unless you do anyway, or click while you walk. You'll also not be able to proclaim a night and day difference re your riding pre/post clip in pedals. Though when questioned on the detail you'd of had to get all vague until you finally admitted that, no, you weren't actually any faster. You also forgo the huge pleasure of being able to contribute to the shoe/pedal combo industry. You may also miss out on certain knee and leg pains while trying to get your cleats in the right position. Even when you do achieve this the pain might return on longer rides due to an inability to move your feet about.

Just a little alternate view for you:evil:
 

scouserinlondon

Senior Member
toekneep said:
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes. Yes. Yes. :rolleyes:

On a more serious note, I would strongly recommend you go for the SPD pedals as well. I started out with the single sided ones thinking I would like the option of not wearing cycling shoes all the time but quickly realised the benefits of being clipped in meant I never used anything but cycling shoes.

I have the two sided pedal option and for about three months stuck with SPD shoes and thought I hated it. But whenever I'm in normal trainers I realise just how much I've become used to being clipped in and how much I prefer it.
 

potsy

Rambler
Location
My Armchair
Ignore Old Man MacB and go for it,I have some Shimano Mo76 which I can walk in just fine(not duck like in anyway) they look good on or off the bike and it's very easy to clip in/out with just a small amount of practice.
Would hate to go back to flat pedals now.
 

Fnaar

Smutmaster General
Location
Thumberland
Had SPDs on commuter (actually an old MTB with semi-slicks) and on roadie for about 4 yrs now... changed my cycling habits forever... would hate to go back to flats, have ridden a couple of bikes with flats on hols, and didn't like it!
 

potsy

Rambler
Location
My Armchair
wheres me jumper said:
Thanks for the views all. Looks like a majority in favour of cleats.

Now, do I want to go down the lycra shorts road...
Now that topic I will leave to others to help:biggrin: Although it depends which one of these you most closely resemble IMO-
View attachment 6390
attachment.php
 

redjedi

Über Member
Location
Brentford
Go for the MTB version of the 076 ie the M076 not the R076.

Use SPD pedals and go for it, you won't look back unless you MacB :sad:

Lycra is always good, even if you start by using baggies over the top.

And we don't all have clipless moments :biggrin:
 
Top Bottom