the feet connection...

[mrgolf]

Hey. Looking for advice on shoes and cleats. Have been running RO86's with 105 pedals for the past 18 months, and am happy with the combo, but I am also aware of the flex in the soles of the shoes and the finicky nature of clipping in with one sided pedals having mainly ridden MTB pedals previously...

I am looking for advice on new shoes: whats good and what to look out for. What do I need in a shoe, and what do I look out for. A lot of my kms are commute and training kms, but I have recently started racing and plan on doing at least a couple of road races per month.

I am also looking at speedplays, as they seem to be fairly light and, as a bonus, are double sided. How are they to get in and out of? How much float do they allow? How durable are the cleats? How easy is it to walk in the cleats? Is there a downside to Speedplays?

Any experience and/or advice appreciated.

[stang1]

Speed plays do require maintenance, and float setting might be optional, my friend liked his.

Upgraded my Look Keo Carbon to the Ti with 16nm carbon plate, loved it.

[Richard.L]

Float is 15 degrees which is fully adjustable
I had shimano 105's previously and i use to unclip my foot/heel inwards to the bike. Unclipping from my speedplays (only got them 2 weeks ago) was quite easy despite needing to learn how to unclip outwards.

I found it hard to unclip at the start and ended up ripping the cleat straight off the shoe curve adapter which was my own fault. So you must clip in flat and unclip flat footed

Not too awkward to walk in but a bit more slippery to walk in. Another note is that it is noticeably louder and you will sound like a tap dancer.

Speedplays are much more comfortable for me as i use to get a lot of pain in the foot along the axle of the shimano pedals (my pedal technique probably to blame)

There are a few topics on speedplay pedals in Buing a bike/parts

[toppity]

I have Keywin Pedals. I don't think I'd change now as they suit my needs perfectly. Very light, low height, float or no float, almost impossible to pull out of.... especially with track adaptors. Available for a decent price from overseas as well.

[notwal]

I have Keywin Pedals. I don't think I'd change now as they suit my needs perfectly. Very light, low height, float or no float, almost impossible to pull out of.... especially with track adaptors. Available for a decent price from overseas as well.

Have you ever ridden the Keywins in running shoes? I ask because I'm considering a pair of those and I like to ride in toe clips & straps with runners at the mo. Its comfy and convenient.

[toppity]

I have Keywin Pedals. I don't think I'd change now as they suit my needs perfectly. Very light, low height, float or no float, almost impossible to pull out of.... especially with track adaptors. Available for a decent price from overseas as well.

Have you ever ridden the Keywins in running shoes? I ask because I'm considering a pair of those and I like to ride in toe clips & straps with runners at the mo. Its comfy and convenient.

Not running shoes, but work boots after a race. Not too bad actually. The platform on the keywin pedal is a little better than the Look style for this but still not as good as a flat pedal of course.

[Wayfarer]

Mate, if our ancestors survived two world wars and the 80's i'm sure you can keep the same pedals and learn to efficiently clip in with one side of the pedal Perhaps you've noticed the bulky bit at the back always sinks down due to gravity when you're not clipped in, making it easier than stomping your foot down where you think your cleat should go, like you do with mtb shoes?

As everyone's been sugarcoatingly trying to imply, Speedplay's kinda suck, and you're better off sticking with a no bull brand, especially since you've already got those pedals. Few sessions worth of practice, and you'll see it's really simple to use, easier than mtb and speedplays. Sure speedplays are slightly lighter, but everything else about them made me convert back to shimano.

New shoes? Just remember black shoes look silly with white socks, but you wouldnt use any other colour sock for cycling, so get a white colour.. and make sure they fit well. No point in buying some fancy Italian brand if they make your toes pointy.

[mrgolf]

Errr... survive the 80's? What was there to survive? Good time to be alive from my experience.

I appreciate your input based on your experience, buuuuttt.... where did anyone even slightly imply speedplays kinda suck? Seems there were two references that were positive and the rest were a discussion about an entirely different pedal system... Also, where did I imply that I was having trouble with shimano pedals? I am not having a go, I am just slightly bemused by your post.

This, however, is the most useful bit of your post: "easier than stomping your foot down where you think your cleat should go", which I assume is a reference to the action of clipping in to Speedplays?

I also appreciate the advice on colour and socks. Thats gold right there... Thanks, though. (I am not being sarcastic.)

[twizzle]

The only issue with Speedplays is that the mounting screws on the shoes have a tendency to come loose, and if you tighten those screws as recommended by speedplay the cleat will move on the shoe unless it's set up at the end of the lateral adjustment slots. The cleat's are durable as long as you use "coffee covers" when walking and you learn not to push off with a foot when taking off from a stop. There is also an optional stainless shim that fits between the cleat and the base plate which you need to get as well to stop the base plate being worn away over time. I buy my spares from ExcelSports in the US.

Re. shoes, I've just gone from Specialized nylon soled shoes to Sidi's with the carbon reinforced nylon (Millenium III), and that is one heck of a difference in terms of stiffness. But the only real way to tell is on the bike. And my next shoes will definitely be carbon soled.

[Wayfarer]

Errr... survive the 80's? What was there to survive? Good time to be alive from my experience.

I appreciate your input based on your experience, buuuuttt.... where did anyone even slightly imply speedplays kinda suck? Seems there were two references that were positive and the rest were a discussion about an entirely different pedal system... Also, where did I imply that I was having trouble with shimano pedals? I am not having a go, I am just slightly bemused by your post.

This, however, is the most useful bit of your post: "easier than stomping your foot down where you think your cleat should go", which I assume is a reference to the action of clipping in to Speedplays?

I also appreciate the advice on colour and socks. Thats gold right there... Thanks, though. (I am not being sarcastic.)

haha!! My bad if i sounded like a drunk rambler... Perhaps a few beers later isn't the best time to get on the net and give advice Survival in the 80's? What, with fluro shirts, silly glasses, and the constant threat of nuclear annihilation? Sometimes i wonder how we got out the other side..

It seems i read more against speedplay than anyone wrote about in this thread. What i really meant was, it seemed like a very expensive system for what you get, and i didn't feel i got what i payed for. All the parts seem slightly more flimsy than their Japanese counterparts.. Although i can relate to the shimano pedals being slightly harder to clip into, coming from a mtb background.

That was a reference to the speedplay pedals; with shimano, you 'slide' your foot forward (as though to scrape gum off your sole) and the 'nose' bit of the cleat will hook onto the 'loop' of the pedal. Then all you need to do is stomp down. When i went back to mtb riding, i had trouble locating where the cleat was, under the shoe. Although i'd previously found mtb shoes easier, when i went back to them, i found them hard to get re-accustomed to. There's no real faults with shimano pedals; they simply work fine. I'm not the type who likes to fiddle and constantly maintain bike gear, so shimano just seemed a better idea for me..

No worries about the advice on socks... haha Sorry again if i sounded like a drunken rambler!

[twizzle]

Survival in the 80's? What, with fluro shirts, silly glasses, and the constant threat of nuclear annihilation? Sometimes i wonder how we got out the other side..

How could you forget "The Mullet"? Thank goodness I wasn't into fashion.


I still prefer 80's music.

[Parker]

I like Look pedals... all of them

Look for a full carbon sole (sp?) or something thats carbon composite, most people don't notice the difference between a carbon composite and just carbon sole.

I like Shimano and i'm using a WR80 and its WSD but its also a carbon composite sole and I've compared it with the more expensive mens Time Ultream RS's, which I wore for a while, and frankly the shimano is better and its actually cheaper.

I've never used shimano pedals and probably never will, if it aint broke don't fix it.

Regarding clipping in, ride more, and it wont be finicky

[biker jk]

I use Speedplays and will have clipped in both pedals before the Shimano users have clipped in one pedal. They do require more maintenance as the cleat contains the binding mechanism and needs to be kept free of dirt, grit, etc. I use the coffee stop covers so walking is easy and they keep the cleats clean.

[mrgolf]

Ah, yes. Champion!

Regarding clipping in, ride more, and it wont be finicky

11,000kms per year isnt enough? It's more that once every couple of weeks you miss. I would prefer not... but tbh, I am just looking for an excuse for Speedplays cos they look awesome. Nothing here has dissuaded me from that course of enquiry yet...

I am also thinking Look pedals. They seem a bit nifty, too. Cheers for the tips on soles...

[Oxford]

http://the80s.com.au/

[Parker]

Ah, yes. Champion!

Regarding clipping in, ride more, and it wont be finicky

11,000kms per year isnt enough? It's more that once every couple of weeks you miss. I would prefer not... but tbh, I am just looking for an excuse for Speedplays cos they look awesome. Nothing here has dissuaded me from that course of enquiry yet...

I am also thinking Look pedals. They seem a bit nifty, too. Cheers for the tips on soles...

11,000km obviously isn't enough if your still having issues...

Why justify your purchases? Why ask the ENTIRE forum? Your just gonna get 50 for and 50 against, you already KNOW your gonna buy them.

Just buy them and be done with it. Madgan from here rides with them, he's fast and awesome, maybe thats a good reason to buy them

[toppity]

edited ....I have to remember......If you can't say something nice, then shut up.