# First pair of bike shoes



## Buzzy5055 (Aug 12, 2009)

New to cycling and have never owned a pair of cycling shoes. I am assuming that having comfortable feet is an obvious asset. Any suggestions on brands, what to look for, how much money I should plan on spending, etc. Any and all advice is appreciated. Thanks!


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## ROAD&DIRT (Mar 27, 2009)

Try as many on as you can, also ask the bike shop if its possible to test ride them. Shoes are very personable and they all fit very different from each other


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## Hank Stamper (Sep 9, 2009)

You need to choose a particular type of pedal first (sorry if you already knew that).
Then worry about the shoes.

I'm kind of guessing you think 'cycling shoes' are just a type of shoe to be used with regular platform pedals? Maybe there is but that's probably not what would serve you best.

Do you have pedals (that require cycling shoes)?


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## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

Hank Stamper said:


> You need to choose a particular type of pedal first (sorry if you already knew that).
> Then worry about the shoes.
> 
> I'm kind of guessing you think 'cycling shoes' are just a type of shoe to be used with regular platform pedals? Maybe there is but that's probably not what would serve you best.
> ...



More questions:

-what kind of riding do you do? Long distances? commuting? 

-do you want shoes that are okay for walking a bit, or will you be mainly doing longer rides where you stay on the bike and walk very little? Dedicated road bike shoes with very stiff soles, especially if you have some types of pedals with large cleats, are not too good for walking. 

On the other hand, some pedals use a small cleat, which can be recessed into the sole of a mtn bike shoe, resulting in a shoe that's pretty walkable.

If you already have pedals, or have settled on a style, that will have some influence on shoe choice. If not, you sort of pick them together based on these criteria.


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## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

I like Northwaves. They make a nice shoe.


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## TallBikeMike (Apr 6, 2010)

So I just got a pair of Sidi Dominators, what's a good pedal for my Trek Pilot? I'm using Bike for 25 mile commute and would like something that I can use with "street" shoes for jaunts to grocery market too. Hijack off


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## hrumpole (Jun 17, 2008)

TallBikeMike said:


> So I just got a pair of Sidi Dominators, what's a good pedal for my Trek Pilot? I'm using Bike for 25 mile commute and would like something that I can use with "street" shoes for jaunts to grocery market too. Hijack off


The shimano spds are good and cheap. I've read good things about speedplays but never used them.


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## weltyed (Feb 6, 2004)

figure out if you are going with pedals that require 3hole cleats or 2hole cleats.
try on several types of shoes.

i have a few pair. sidi(road), diadora (ergoplus mtn), and shimano(r80). the diadora feel fast, the sidis feel like slippers, and the shimano dont feel at all. i like the shimano the best. but thats me. i have only had one pair of shoes i hated. and boy, did i hate those things.

tallmikebike: you can always get "rodeo/campus" pedals. they have a flat on one side and the clipless mech on the other. there are cheapo ones and there are shimano ones.
http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_175402_-1_201497_10000_200410

somepeople just use crank brothers candy pedals.

i use eggbeater and dont give a crap what people say about my shoes. or i wear my lake sandals (the room gasps).


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## black_box (Jun 7, 2008)

weltyed said:


> tallmikebike: you can always get "rodeo/campus" pedals. they have a flat on one side and the clipless mech on the other. there are cheapo ones and there are shimano ones.
> http://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Product_10053_10052_175402_-1_201497_10000_200410


I bought the performancebike version of this, the forte campus, as my entry to clipless pedals. They work... but not that well. The SPD mechanism didn't seem to have any float and the platform side (which I recently attempted to use on my new mountain bike) did not work that well either, aside from casual pedaling. I went to eggbeaters shortly after using these pedals and they're much easier to get in and out of while allowing enough float for comfort. Also, it can be a pain to find the right side... putting your street shoe on the SPD side doesn't work well, and vice versa.


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## MattGent (May 22, 2009)

Bought my first pair a few months ago. This was one item where I was definitely not going to buy online, and I tried on maybe 20 pairs at local bike shops.

I have a narrow heel, and an average to wide forefoot.

-Shimanos were too narrow in the toe box
-Liked the Northwave a lot but too wide in the heel. They do come in half-sizes but special order at the shop I went to
-Bought Specialized as they fit me the best. Wide toe box, good fit on heel. They also offer replacement insoles to tweak the fit.

Took me a while to find the right position for the cleat. I still occasionally get a numb big toe on the left foot but I'm working around that now. I bought ones with two velcro and one ratchet, and after riding a bit probably would have been fine with 3 velcro straps. I'm wearing them looser than I'd like to fight the numbness.

Coming from a soccer background, and used to buying $150-200 cleats for that sport every year, you don't get nearly the value in a cycling shoe. The $120 Specialized cycling shoe feels like a $40 soccer cleat. I tried on some really sweet $400 pairs that were just out of the budget.


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## Jen_I_Am (Mar 30, 2010)

*I liked these....*

I bought a pair of plain old Bontrager Race with the velcro closures and two-hole design. There are many reasons I chose them, but here are the top few.

-they have a recessed cleat, so you can walk about in them reasonably well

-the soles are rubber, rather shoe-like. That's nice for traction for a newb. Kinda nice to stop with confidence. Also nice for running errands without shoe changes.

-the Shimano mountain bike pedals I got for my road bike are very newb friendly. There is no wrong way to clip in, as the clips are on both sides of the pedals. When learning to clip in and out, it's one less thing to worry about.

-the Bontrager Race shoes have eSoles

-they look nice and are comfy. Nice stiff soles.

-they run true to size. I wear a 40 which is an 8.5 us (women's)

-the price is right (about $100)

-I love them for short trips, long rides, and mild gnar. Good all- purpose shoe. I will not use them for tri's or races.

-for those of us who have both mountain and road bikes, they work well for both without looking goofy

I have a high arch and wide forefoot.

These are my opinions. I can say i did look at a number of shoes before deciding on these.


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## bahueh (May 11, 2004)

whatever you chose, just be sure to unclip before you stop completely...


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