RetroDork

My new bike is ready for PU @ Performance bike. It's my 1st road bike with an aluminum frame, and decent components. It was the only bike I could find that came with a 105 group and wasn't more than $1000.

Now I need some proper shoes. I guess it's mostly between Shimano and Pearl. I'm basically poking around on Amazon and reading reviews. The bike is a white frame with black accessories, so I'm avoiding bright/neon/florescent type colors.

I also need to pick pedals... I do a lot of rides as part of my workouts ( which can involve running and weights) so I'm debating on getting the "dual" type petals - both platform and clipless- am I ******** for choosing those?

dr_lha

If you're planning on riding in running shoes, just get some platform pedals. I'm biased because I'm not a big fan of these "dual" pedals, which seem like the worst of both worlds to me. I'd rather just swap the pedals out with a wrench if I really wanted to ride without bike shoes.

For SPD-SL road pedals, I think these Shimano PD-R550s are the best for the price:

Amazon.com : Shimano R550 SPD-SL Road Pedals Gray : Bike Pedals : Sports & Outdoors

For MTB style SPD pedals, I'd just go with the cheapest ones, the Shimano PD520s, which work fine (I put thousands of miles on mine):

https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-PD-M52...keywords=pd520

If you shop around you can find those for $25, with cleats, which is a great deal.

For road shoes, I'd recommend not buying online because fit is paramount.

Tim_Iowa

What are your priorities for the shoes & pedals? Good summary in this article: A Beginner?s Guide to Clip-less Pedals. - a Bike Culture article on Cyclorama

Do you want light weight and stiffness? SPD-SL or similar "road" style cleats (aka "3-bolt" designs, also Look, Time) are the lightest systems. But, they protrude from the soles of the shoes making them difficult to walk around in. You can add a rubber cleat cover, but you still walk around like you have hooves.

Do you prefer walkability? SPD or "MTB" style cleats (aka "2-bolt" designs, also Time A-TAC and Crank Brothers) can be recessed into the soles of the shoes, making them much easier to walk around in normally. But, the SPD pedals are a bit heavier.

Personally, I vastly prefer 2-bolt SPD clips over 3-bolt SPD-SL. Personally, I don't see what advantages the 3-bolt designs offer that make up for their terrible off-bike performance.

Pedals:
If you go with a 3-bolt system, all the pedals clip on one side only.

If you go with a 2-bolt system, you can get pedals that have the clip on one side only (PD-A520), clip on both sides (PD-M520), or clip on one side with a platform on the other side for normal shoes (PD-A530 or PD-M324).
There are lots of other models; I just gave examples of the most popular Shimano models.

Platform/clipless combination pedals, like the A530 or M324 are the best of (or worst of) both worlds. You can wear non-cycling shoes from time to time, and still clip in when you want to without changing pedals. But, the platform side will naturally rotate to the bottom, so you'll find yourself looking down and rotating the pedal manually if you want to use that side.
I tried this style of combination pedal first, but now I prefer two-sided pedals.

Shoes:
If you go with a 3-bolt system, all the compatible shoes will be race-style and very stiff. Some folks love that.

If you go with a 2-bolt system, you have more choices. You can get stiff, racy shoes without tread (road) or with tread (MTB).
You can even get not-so-stiff shoes with a sneaker-style tread. My favorite bike shoes are Pearl Izumi X-Alps, which are the most comfortable to walk in. I can wear them to commute, and wear them all day at my job. They're still not as comfortable or as light as normal sneakers, but they're way more comfortable than most cycling shoes.

jtaylor996

I got giro shoes that fit well on sale at performance. You gotta buy shoes where you can try them on.


I bought the ultegra SPD-SL pedals there, also on sale. However, that sale price on the pedals was still like 50% more than the cost from the places in the UK (shipping included), like ribble. Any components you buy should be coming out of the UK, where the retail prices are lower than wholesale prices in the US.

Shimano Clipless SPD SL 6800 Ultegra Carbon Pedals, Pedals, PEDALS ROAD

The R550 pedals are only $42 at ribble.

dr_lha

Yeah, I have a pair of Ultegra pedals I scored from Merlin for <$60. I just gave Amazon links because not everyone is comfortable with buying from the UK. That said, I can't really tell the difference between the Ultegras and the R550s when I'm riding the bike, which is why I recommend them!

Hoonigan

Ive always used Look or Shimano pedals. They've worked well. I just upgraded to some Sidi shoes from performance that I got on close out over 50% off. I really like the stiffness and I don't stop and walk around a lot so off bike performance wasn't as much of a factor.

jaxgtr

Shoes:
for 3 Bolt pedals, I got some of the Bontrager Velocis and have been very happy with them. I knew I had 30 days to test them as I was not really expecting to like them and knew I could return them, but after the first ride with them, they were keepers. Worth considering.
for 2 Bolt, I have Shimano M162's and they are excellent. I think they have the M163 out now.....but again, excellent shoe.

Pedals:
Road: I like Shimano Pedals...
Mountain: I have ridden Time ATAC pedals for the last 8 years. Excellent pedal.

DOS

I' m also in the market for pedals to,replace my well used but very heavy old style Look Delta pedals. I am leaning toward Look Blade, maybe even splurging on the titanium spindle version.

PaulRivers

I'd say the same thing. The primary purpose of clipless pedals is keeping your foot strongly anchored to the pedal when spinning really fast. There's some debate on whether it adds any speed or efficiency, or none, studies have shown either one, but either way it's a very small difference.

I don't like the dual sided pedals either, also seems like the worst of both worlds - you have to look down and flip the pedal for at least one of the sides and the seat is never at quite the right height for at least one of the sides.

I'd suggest VP Components VP-Vice Pedals:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...dp_o_pd_nS_ttl

And Chrome Kurk shoes:
Kursk Bike Sneaker All Black | Urban Bike Sneaker | Chrome Industries

If your workouts involve squats and deadlifts, these shoes are great for both biking and squats and deadlifts. If you're doing running then you might want different shoes. Or some of the "bare" shoes work for both as well - but doing squats and deadlifts in running shoes is generally seen as a bad idea.

If you want clipless, best thing to do is usually to try them on in person in the store. Brand doesn't matter nearly as much as the shoe fitting your foot does. Shimano has a reputation for making slightly wider than normal shoes.

exime

I went with the Shimano SPD-M540 (just a premium version of the M520 they recommended here). I got them for $35 shipped from Merlin cycles an online UK retailer. For your needs I'd also highly recommend a double sided mountain bike pedal. Many roadies use and love them. They are easier to get on and off. Better for commuting and stop lights.

If you're also doing running and stuff I'd recommend getting the Giro Rumble VR shoe. They look like a sneaker and you can walk around with them.