Clipless Shoes, Pedals and cleets.

3 watchers

RunningRonnie Mar 2016 11:27am, 22 Mar 2016 1,427 posts	0 RunningRonnie Hmm... never heard those terms before.
CStar Mar 2016 11:42am, 22 Mar 2016 5,577 posts	0 CStar There are Shimano SPD cleats which El Bee is referring too, which are generally used for MTB, but are also used widely for road bikes and then Shimano SPD-SL which are the larger 'Road bike' cleats. The two systems are are not interchangeable. You need the right shoes/cleats to match the right pedals. Some shoes will allow you to choose either SPD or SPD-SL cleats on them, but it is not a quick swap out approach. (requires things to be screwed/unscrewed etc.) There also are other systems available from Time, Look and Speedplay to name a few. I started on SPD with my hybrid bike and MTB and then went to SPD SL with my road bike, but as ElBee says, it is all down to personal preference. I would suggest going to your LBS to check them out.
Hills of Death (HOD) Mar 2016 11:53am, 22 Mar 2016 31,961 posts	0 Hills of Death (HOD) I believe Bikes in gyms 'normally' do SPD MTB (small ones like a blakey) The bigger ones that I use SPD SL look more like a flat plug (i have a strange imagination)
Winded Mar 2016 5:37pm, 22 Mar 2016 3,991 posts	0 Winded The pedals you get are really a pedal/shoe combination. The ones in gyms are usually the SPD variety as lots of people have said above. With SPD cleats you have a choice, most shoes have a recess for the cleat, some do not. Touring shoes or MTB/CX shoes will generally be recessed. "Road" ones won't. A recess for the cleat is a major advantage of this kind of cleat system especially in the gym as you won't walk like a penguin or fall over as much. I have different pedal types on different bikes, this is quite inefficient. If I started again I'd probably just go with SPD cleats but get more expensive shoes; they are stiffer and that probably makes more difference to feel/hotspots than how wide the cleat is under your foot. With cheaper shoes I found SPD SL more comfy for long rides, a bit. Naturally this made me buy more expensive SPD SL shoes because I am stupid and the marketing material is so shiny and pretty and look at the nice words on the side.
Jubear Mar 2016 6:21pm, 22 Mar 2016 840 posts	0 Jubear I put MTB SPDs on my Cannondale MTB in 2004, and when I got more into road biking a few years later I stuck with what I knew, felt safe with and - importantly - knew would unclip in a hurry! Have mtb spds on all my bikes and have warped my newbies on the same rack The hot spot comments are interesting as this plays merry chuffing hell with my Morton's Neuroma....
eL Bee! Mar 2016 6:31pm, 22 Mar 2016 20,093 posts	0 eL Bee! A lot of shoes with SPD cleats are a bit flexible - they are primarily designed for folk who walk a lot!! But the racing shoes with decent stiff soles eliminate pressure points/hot spots and are definitely worth investing in if you either have this issue or do lots of miles. They pay for themselves pretty quickly because you don't need to replace the cleats - probably ever! I have the original cleats on my shoes, and have done about 40,000 miles - mostly on the road, but also some MTB across two pairs of shoes
idio Mar 2016 6:35pm, 22 Mar 2016 24,966 posts	0 idio Hot spots can be caused by the shoe sole not being stiff enough. Top road shoe soles are normally made of carbon, road shoes don't have to flex like an MTB shoe where walking can be involved. MTB I use Shimano Road I use Speedplay with carbon soled shoes.
idio Mar 2016 6:36pm, 22 Mar 2016 24,967 posts	0 idio el-bee beat me to it
Jubear Mar 2016 7:02pm, 22 Mar 2016 841 posts	0 Jubear Hmmm... a shopping spree for shoes beckons Follow-up question - are any brands known for having a wide toe-box?
idio Mar 2016 7:19pm, 22 Mar 2016 24,968 posts	0 idio Mavic, Sidi and Shimano do a wide fitting.