kate2

I will be buying clipless pedals and shoe this week but it is my first time buying them. I understand that some shoes are only 2 or 3 holes and you can only buy certain pedals...is this correct? Can anyone recommend a good clipless pedal (looking to spend 80 or lower) and a shoe (100 or below).

Thanks!

ptle

I really like Look pedals. They are easy to clip into, and there cleats last a while.

I'm not a big fan of Speedplays, though. They're expensive, and when you factor the cleat weight, they aren't much lighter.

If I could redo it, I think I would get some Crank Brothers Egg Beaters and some road shoes with the two hole pattern. Both the pedal and cleat are very lightweight and cheap. Also you can't beat the four sided entry.

kate2

My LBS suggested the crankbrothers too.. if i go with them do i need to get a shoe that has the two hole pattern?

kate2

Are crankbrothers easy to clip into? And Look?

Phil85207

I would try on a lot of shoes to see which one fits best. For road riding I would look at a carbon sole, and I personally like Speedplay Zeros.
If you are looking at mountain bikeing I can't be of much help, as I have no experience there.
Good luck and remember sometimes it's worth it to spend just a little more for better quality. A long time after you forgot how much you paid for something, you still have to live with the product.

3kmi

Specialized makes really awesome shoes, both road and mountain and are definitely worth looking into. I am a big fan of the Speedplay pedal system though even the base pedals are a tad out of your price range. I would go to your LBS and ask them to guide you through the process as there are many different options for different purposes.

gus6464

My girlfriend and I happened to go shopping for her first shoes and pedals yesterday after riding with platforms for a couple of weeks and she ended up with Look Keo Easy pedals and a pair of Specialized BG Spirita shoes. We spent over an hour today getting her used to the clipless pedals on takeoff and stops and she got used to the Looks very fast. Super easy to clip in and out of. I also have Specialized shoes and I think they make some of the more comfortable bike shoes out there.

JMallez

I've got the Look Keo Classic ($80-115) pedals and Specialized shoes ($80), i believe most Specialized road bike shoes are compatible with most pedals (ask your lbs tho) giving you options if you decide you made the wrong pedal choice...plus Specialized road bike shoes are pretty stylish without breaking the bank ($80 vs $300 because of a little carbon and color --> go cheap with your first pair!)

The specialized shoes i have are very comfortable, wider than most road shoes, and have a generous toe box, so if you have a normal to wide foot check them out. Look pedals are tricky and in situations where you need to clip in in a hurry (crossing a road, traffic) you may need to practice cycling with one leg...i do recommend them though...i'm not sure what pedals are recommended for ladies but i know they're usually not Looks unless you are a serious biker, i think mainly because spin classes don't use Looks and SPD and other pedals are easier for most cyclists

ptle

Looks are very easy... I used to have the Crank Brothers Quattro, which are similar to Egg Beaters, but have a small platform. The Looks are much easier to clip in and out of. I think this is because you've got a bigger cleat so you can feel around. This is different from spd cleats which are small.

Keep in mind, you can usually adjust the tension of the pedal making it easier to clip out.

The make adapters if you want to run a two hole cleat on your three hole shoes.

Also, I like my Northwave shoes. I think their sizing may run a bit larger, because I normally wear 9s, but I have 8.5s.

ultraman6970

The easiest to clip from what i heard are the Time i-clic, shoes? who knows, shoes depends so much of your budget and tastes. U can find good shoes for 120 bucks up to 600

colombo357

The shoes are more important than the pedals. If your total budget is $180, find a pair of shoes you really like (comfortable) and then use what's left over for the pedals. You can get pedals for as cheap as $40 which are decent quality and work just fine (Performance house brand).

kindablue

No shout outs to Shimano?
Well, I have them and I like them (R540 SPD-SL). There may be a learning curve to clip in but I have no complaints.

I think msrp for these is around 70 usd, but they can be had online for 40ish if you find the right time and sale.

If you never plan on doing competitive riding, I know a lot of recreational riders use mountain bike pedals. They can be cheaper to buy and easier to clip in/out of than road pedals. Most of all its a lot easier to walk with mtb shoes and pedals, or so I have observed.

Link for mtb example: https://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=NP07525

Carbon Unit

First you need to decide if you are going for a mountain or road pedal. Either will work on a road bike. How much walking do you plan on doing while riding? If the answer is a lot, then consider mountain bike pedals.

If you decide to go for road pedals, take a look at Shimano shoes as they tend to have some lower priced options. If you have a Performance Bike near you, they always have stuff on sale.

My preference for pedals is Speedplay. I don't think you can find an easier pedal to clip in and out of than Speedplay's Light Action pedals. They are double sided and you only need to step straight down to clip in.

giantdefy

i currently have crank brothers on my Giant, Look Keos on my Specialized. The crank brothers is by far the easiest pedal to get in and out of. No thinking or looking required, just step on it. No maintenance, doesnt care if theres dirt on the cleat or pedal, just reliable. The downside is if you road ride for hours on end, you may get hot spots on your feet if the shoe is not stiff enough due to the small platform, i dont have this issue with my SIDI mtb shoes I use. The keo's are great with the larger platform, but a pain to get into if you dont catch it right and requires a quick look before you clip in. I use the specialized BG Pro shoes, very stiff, very comfortable and lightweight.

PaulRivers

Yes, the first thing to decide is do you want to be able to walk fairly normally off the bike. If you do, the 2 hole shoes and cleats ("mountain" shoes and cleats) are the way to go for sure. From what you wrote this would be the way to go. The advantages of road shoes are small and the disadvantage that they are a real pita to walk around in off the bike is pretty huge unless you're road racing.

I owned a pair, but I personally don't like the eggbeater pedals. They have a reputation for wearing out and breaking relatively quickly. When I put them on my road bike I ended up with more knee pain after a ride. I went to a fitter thinking the cleat was just adjusted wrong, and he suggested I switch to pretty much anything else - he said he wouldn't mention it if I wasn't having a problem, but the eggbeaters let your foot slide from side to side in the cleat to much (not float on the back of the foot, float on the cleat part of the foot). Said it wasn't a problem for mountain biking, but sometimes was a problem for road biking. All I can say is that I switched to Time Atac -and- followed his suggestions for a pedalling technique and the pain went away.

I really like the Time Atac style pedals myself. I have the Time Z's pedals specifically as I liked the extra platform for very brief jaunts without putting on my bike shoes. I think modern Shimano's seem pretty good to, I know you adjust the release tension on them which is pretty cool. The Time's are better for shedding mud and snow in dirty/winter riding, but that probably isn't a factor for you.

One thing I would add is that at first, I felt like the Crank Brothers pedals were easier to clip out of. After a few rides, that feeling has gone away. I'm not sure if the cleat wore in, or I just got used to it. But now I really, strongly prefer the Time's for one other reason - with the Crank Brothers pedals I was never quite sure if I was clipped in or clipped out. You couldn't tell by feel. When I went to clip out, I would have to throw my foot out extra far to make sure I clipped out. With the Time's, I can tell the exact moment that my foot is no longer clipped into the pedal - I find it really, really preferable.

PaulRivers

Just to be more specific, these are the pedals I like:
https://www.amazon.com/Time-Platform-...4726717&sr=8-1

Here they are at my local shop:
https://www.eriksbikeshop.com/ride/pr...ffset=2&s_id=0

bismillah

If you choose speedplay pedals because they are easier to clip into, you should not be operating a bicycle

bluevelo

I started out with SPD cleats and shoes, and I have LOOK Keos as well, but I've gone back to the SPDs. I've had too many flats and walking in LOOKS is not fun, particularly if you're a bike commuter.

tardman91

I just bought the Shimano R540 pedals ($45 from Performance) and a pair of Specialized road shoes ($89 from LBS) for my first "clipless" experience and am extremely happy with them.

Greg_R

+1 on the Time pedals. Time Aliums are another options that are bombproof. I use Specialized BG shoes because they can tune the inserts to adjust your foot position and alignment.

PaulRivers

If you think that there is any major difference between the road pedal systems, and think that the choice is which you use is super, super important, you should not be giving anyone any sort of advice. :-P

None of them are terribly different in their function. You could probably use and adjust to using any of them and it wouldn't affect your speed whatsoever. If one has something you like about it (double sided, color matches your bike, like the "feel" of the platform, etc) you should go with that one - it's unlikely any of the others are going to offer any improvement of significance.

dalava

Not knowing your priority, it's a bit difficult to recommend. But if comfort and the ability to adjust for float (to reduce knee issues) are important to you, then you definitely need to check out Speedplay Zero and Specialized shoes. I've used Look, Shimano SPD-SL, and Speedplay pedals, and owned many brands of shoes over the years, the Speedplay/Specialized combo is by far the most comfortable.

JacoKierkegaard

Ones you like and ones that fit, respectively.

flatlander_48

This is a classic Your Mileage My Vary situation. I used Crank Bros Quattros for close to 2 years. I'm over 60 and have had arthritis since I was in grade school. Once I adjusted the Quattros to suit the angle of my feet (they tend to point toe out), they were fine. No knee pain and no ankle pain. My rides when I used those pedals were usually 25 to 50 miles. No problems with releasing, although I need to rotate my feet heels inward to release (hard for me to rotate heels out). Obviously it has to be a short distance to release because you can't rotate too far before you hit something.

The only thing that made me stop using the Quattros was that they were discontinued by Crank Bros. I'm now using BeBops. So far, so good. The pedal works, but I wonder about the mating assembly (not a cleat actually as it is inverted like the Speedplays).

Also, 2-hole versus 3-hole shoes...
Shoe vendors and pedal vendors often make adapters to accommodate different cleat arrangements. It usually isn't a problem...

roccobike

+1, I used to ride SPDs because I wanted to use the same type pedal as my MTB. But after having some knee pain, I decided to try LOOKs to gain the float. It worked, pain is gone. They're easy to clip out of, but a little more difficult than the SPDs to clip into.