new shoes

[europa]

The Shimano M520 has clips on both sides, as opposed to the M324 which is clips on one side and standard pedal on the other.

I started off with the M324's then ditched them for the M520's so I don't have to try and flip the pedal over to clip in. The M520's can also be found for about half to two-thirds the price of the M324's - so get the M520's unless you really like being able to ride in normal shoes.

Re tinstaafl and pulling straight out - I think you will find you have multi release mode cleats instead of the single release mode cleats. The M324's come with multi-release as standard, the M520's come with single release mode.

Be aware that the M520 pedals have the clip raised and so they are difficult to use with normal shoes. Worse still, there are at least two different pedals with the same name - I've been looking at the things thinking they'd be an advantage. Basically, probably not with what I've seen but it's worth including them in your searches (remember, we seem to have less choice here in Adelaide than Sydney and Melbourne shops).

I wasn't aware of the multi release mode business. That'd explain some of my emergency clip outs and if so, it makes clips with those a definite 'must' over those that don't for normal riding.

Richard

[MJF]

Be aware that the M520 pedals have the clip raised and so they are difficult to use with normal shoes.

Difficult? I would say "impossible".

(remember, we seem to have less choice here in Adelaide than Sydney and Melbourne shops).

Yep - but I'm in Canberra. You can guess what sort of range we have here.

I wasn't aware of the multi release mode business. That'd explain some of my emergency clip outs and if so, it makes clips with those a definite 'must' over those that don't for normal riding.

Depends - with multi-release I kept on unclipping one foot all of the time (must be my dodgy ankle moving around). As they release when you pull up, makes them less useful for those occasions when maximum effort is necessary (eg. avoiding collision). The LBS recommended the single-mode over the multi-mode, but I did give the multi-mode a go first.

Michael.

[dan_the_man]

i hate the pedals adjusted. very easy to click out of now

can someone tell me the benefits of using these shoes

[europa]

Cycling shoes, be they clipless, toe clip or otherwise, have a stiffened sole - many modern shoes have a carbon fibre sole, in the old days, they'd put a steel shank in there. The idea is to support your foot because pedalling puts all the effort into one place on your foot. The result is increased efficiency and decreased tiredness in the foot.

Then there are the arguments about the shoe being cut and built to handle the weird requirements of pedalling.

Richard

[dan_the_man]

why thank you sir

[commi]

When you go bike shoe/pedal shopping, I don't spose shops actually put you on a trainer and give you a go at clipping in and out and having a spin just to see if you like it?

I won't get mine for a few weeks, but if shops do it then I will go to a few shops to test shoes out. Some shops only have 1 or 2 choices (in MTB/comfort/casual style shoes) while others have 6 or more.