Upgrading to proper Road Shoes

[Jezston]

Bit of an open question this!

I've been riding with crank bros pedals for a couple of years or so now since going clipless - for urban commuting they suit well as they offer the benefit of clipless but are dead easy to get in and out of.

Anyhoo, friends have been gradually trying to convince me to get proper road shoes for proper road riding, and that having mountain bike eggbeaters on my fancy alu/carbon Dolan is just not right.

But I have no idea where to begin. Lots of options, lots of prices.

 

[Zakalwe]

Speedplays are probably as close to your egg beaters as "proper" pedals will be. I wouldn't swap due to peer pressure alone however. Anyhoo, quite a few road shows have options for 2 and 3 hole cleats, so you can get a feel for the shoe itself with you existing pedals, then go on to different pedals if and when you decide to.

 

[accountantpete]

Save up and get some decent gear.

Personally I'd say Look Keo Carbons and S-Works Shoes - but that's £300 gone rather quickly.

 

[Zakalwe]

Might find the toeing in a bit of a faff at first with Look or SL style pedals. I like Look myself, got the cheapest SL pedals on the winter bike and they're no problem either. 30 quid I think they were.

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

...for urban commuting they suit well as they offer the benefit of clipless but are dead easy to get in and out of...

Remind me why you are looking to change a set-up that is time-served and proven to work for you.

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

Speedplays are probably as close to your egg beaters as "proper" pedals will be...

Of all the different road systems, Speedplay must be the least appropriate "...for urban commuting...", not to mention the most expensive.

However, I do agree with you that there is no need to change for appearance's sake (see my comment above).

 

[Zakalwe]

Oh yeah? A double sided, high float, press down entry system is less appropriate than something like a Look Keo for commuting? I'd have to disagree in principle, though all the chuff that can get stuck in the cleat could be bothersome.

 

[palinurus]

Bit of an open question this!

I've been riding with crank bros pedals for a couple of years or so now since going clipless - for urban commuting they suit well as they offer the benefit of clipless but are dead easy to get in and out of.

Anyhoo, friends have been gradually trying to convince me to get proper road shoes for proper road riding, and that having mountain bike eggbeaters on my fancy alu/carbon Dolan is just not right.

But I have no idea where to begin. Lots of options, lots of prices.

Personally I'm thinking of going SPD on my road bikes so I don't need so many pairs of cycling shoes! plus I live in the town centre so all my rides involve a bit of urban riding, for which I prefer SPDs, plus I sometimes use my nice bike for commuting. Proper road shoes, what's that about? Roadie bollocks, I'm a black socks, leather saddle on a carbon bike sort of rider.

But actually the only reason I replied to this thread Jezston is that, thanks to the Foodie, I now know where you got your avatar from.

 

[HLaB]

I use SPD's on my roadie and dont think they put me at a disadvantage to any of the folk I ride with but on a faster ride I wear lighter stiffer bg mtb sport shoes and use touring pedals (A520s) with a cage. I would change pedals you are happy with due to peer pressure and if you feel you are at a slight disadvantage performance wise try stiffer lighter mtb shoes.

 

[tigger]

I use SPDs and (whatever the Shimano road one is). For a mortal like me I'm not convinced the power transfer on the road pedals is that much more superior. If you like the ease of entry and double sidedness then why change? Where you may gain a performance advantage is on a quality pair of shoes with a good stiff sole?

Edit: I should really read the posts above! What HLaB said basically!

 

[Jezston]

I think there may be a little confusion here - to clarify, I'll be keeping the eggbeaters for the commuter as they suit it well, but I am thinking of getting road pedals and shoes for the weekend bike.

Friends have extolled the virtues of fancy roadie clipless (i.e. look keo, spd-sl etc) as they claim the reduced float, stiffer base and greater surface contact is better for more serious riding, and I can kind of see where that comes from. But is that perhaps nonsense?

Another reason is I'd like to have a go on the velodrome, and I'm not sure eggbeaters are allowed.

Currently thinking of going SPD-SL as Evans have a special offer on the 105 pedals - from looking at them, I cant tell much difference between them and Looks.

I'm also not prepared to drop £300 on all this! I have no plans to enter any races!

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

...Another reason is I'd like to have a go on the velodrome...

In which case you'd be best off asking what is acceptable on the track: highly unlikely that what your pals tell you looks good on the road will pass muster on the boards.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Another reason is I'd like to have a go on the velodrome!

Don't about the velodrome you'll attend, but Manchester velodrome use Look Delta Red cleats like these,

I've just bought a pair for £9.49 off fleabay, as they will have paid for themselves versus shoe hire after the two sessions I already have booked, but, I then sheared a cleat retention thread in my shoes while fitting the buggers, so back to square one until I get some new shoes

 

[tigger]

I've got the 105 SPD SL. Very happy with them. They have a wider base than the entry level Shimano one, so yes if you are sold in on roads then I'd say they've done me well. But I wouldn't skimp on the shoe

 

[Scilly Suffolk]

^
£9.49 + new shoes + two sessions (or shoe hire for two sessions) = wtf