# How to pick clipless pedals on a budget and first time user?



## madflava54 (Jul 1, 2012)

I got into road biking recently. I've done two group rides and different members would constantly tell me to go clipless. I'm considering it seriously despite spending $850 on my bike and exceeding my original budget. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thank you


----------



## madflava54 (Jul 1, 2012)

By the way, I did a ton of reading on these forums and did a few searches about guys who are around my height (5'8.5 - 5'9''). I originally went with a 54cm w/o a proper fit and after getting educated and experiencing pain on my rides and despite the shop not really wanting me to stick w/ the 54, I went w/ a 52cm because it immediately felt right and also felt right on a trainer for 5 minutes. I did a quick 7 mile ride with my wife and felt no discomfort. I want to thank this forum and everyone who contributes. Thank you!


----------



## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

madflava54 said:


> I got into road biking recently. I've done two group rides and different members would constantly tell me to go clipless. I'm considering it seriously despite spending $850 on my bike and exceeding my original budget. Any suggestions will be appreciated. Thank you


Don't go clipless if the only reason for doing so is that someone else is pushing you into it. If your budget is tight right now, take some time to save, get experience on your bike, then when you feel the time is right, jump into the clipless arena. 

The reason I suggest this is because the one place you don't want to scrimp is on the shoes. Good quality and good design are going to cost 'some' (~$120), so unless you find some super deals or closeouts, the shoes and pedals could cost around $200+ in total. 

That's ballparking, but gives you an idea of what you'll need to better your odds of getting comfortable (yet stiff) shoes. 

Also, when you do decide to go for clipless, keep the shoe purchase local, because you'll need to try before you buy. Until then, here's a link to some general info on the styles/ types of clipless pedal systems. 
http://www.caree.org/bike101cliplesspedals.htm

Just read your second post. Glad you ultimately sorted it out and got sizing/ fit right. I've ridden ill fitting bikes, so I know it's no fun.


----------



## madflava54 (Jul 1, 2012)

I had a feeling you were going to reply to my post. A lot of what I read from the buying advice thread were your posts. 

Well, I want to make the switch to clipless because I hear it's advantageous. I think different group members are suggesting it is because as a newbie to road biking, I've been riding in the lead group and holding up well. I guess they had people struggle to keep up in the past or something? I've played sports all my life and still young so I think I have decent conditioning. Now that I got a bike that fits, I would like clipless to help with efficiency. 

So avoid shoes like:
http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1054491_-1___400097

The people reviewing it said it wasn't too bad. 

For pedals, these did not get such bad reviews.
http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1102479_-1___400265

This will cost me $90 before tax with a discount I get plus I would get an additional 10% back in points. Any thoughts?


----------



## AndrwSwitch (May 28, 2009)

Have you tried them on?

Buying shoes is like buying shoes. Go figure. The single most important thing is that they fit. Next, they need to actually deliver you something better than what you've got now. There are a lot of things that I like better about cycling shoes, but if none of them apply to you, at least for the moment, then don't worry about it, at least for the moment.

On a longer ride, people can get pressure sports from the pedals or cramps or tiredness in their feet. Better cycling shoes take care of this.
Someone with weird biomechanics can benefit from fancy insoles and shimming. Better cycling shoes are stiff enough to give a foundation for this stuff, so it's effective.

If your feet feel fine and your knees are tracking fine, the advantages you'll get from cycling shoes are pretty marginal. I keep my commuter set up with flats. While it's rare for me to ride a longer distance, I do on occasion and it's okay. My knee wanders a little when I don't have the right stuff in my shoe, so while I don't necessarily notice a problem during a ride, I often get a little clicking or pain afterwards if I put in a lot of miles on that bike.

The point being, if you don't have a clear reason to go to clipless pedals, I doubt you'll get a lot of benefit from doing it.

FWIW, I'd distrust the Garneau shoes on price. IME, worthwhile cycling shoes cost more than worthwhile running shoes (MSRP, of course, all bets are off when you start hunting deals) and worthwhile running shoes lately cost more than $100. Luckily, cycling shoes can last many years.


----------



## jadenkanan (Jul 10, 2012)

This too is something that I don't really want to use at first when I get my bike for budget reasons. But once I do get into it more and riding more/longer then I will get clipless pedals and shoes.


----------



## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

madflava54 said:


> I had a feeling you were going to reply to my post. A lot of what I read from the buying advice thread were your posts.
> 
> Well, I want to make the switch to clipless because I hear it's advantageous.* I think different group members are suggesting it is because as a newbie to road biking, I've been riding in the lead group and holding up well. I guess they had people struggle to keep up in the past or something? *I've played sports all my life and still young so I think I have decent conditioning. Now that I got a bike that fits, I would like clipless to help with efficiency.
> 
> ...


If you want to go clipless, there's nothing inherently wrong in doing so, but (I think) your perceptions of their effects on performance may be a tad lofty. So again I say, don't go clipless because of what others are saying. Rather, read up on the topic, get feedback from members here (as you're doing) and balance the pros and cons. 

Re: the LG's, Performance pedals and reviewers, I'm unfamiliar with the shoes so cannot comment, but will say that reviews of most any product only demonstrate that one man's candy is another's medicine, so take them with a grain of salt. And FWIW, I'm in the try before you buy camp on cycling shoes, so my advice is to stay local.

Another reason to stay local is for assistance with cleat set up, which being an integral part of bike fit, is important to get right. If you get it wrong, on that first group ride you may find yourself wishing for those old platforms. 

Since the Performance pedals are LOOK (cleat) compatible, it's likely they have a fairly large base - a key component in preventing hot spots. So they're probably a fine choice. However, they'll require road shoes, so if walking any distance is a prerequisite, you'll want to stay with SPD compatible shoes and pedals. I'll refer you to the link I provided earlier for more info on that topic.


----------



## Camilo (Jun 23, 2007)

Decide if you want to go with a walkable shoe (AKA Mountain bike shoe or touring shoe) and corresponding cleat and pedal, or a dedicated road shoe and corresponding cleat and pedal. 

My guess is that your roadie friends will insist you get "real" road shoes and pedals. I am of the camp, currently using both, that there is very, very little real advantage to the "road bike" shoe and pedal compared to the mountain bike shoe and pedal for even a very serious cyclist. Many of the people I ride with use MTB shoes and pedals and most if not all are fast as anyone in the recreational groups we ride with. There are howwever real practical advantages to the walkable/mountain bike shoe and pedal. You will not suffer any real performance detriment in my opinion.

But there's nothing actually "wrong" with road shoes and pedals if that's what you want. Just wanting them is a good enough reason (which is why I bought some a few years ago after many, many years riding MTB shoes and pedals on my road bike.. I still use them on my commuter which is nothing more than a different type of road bike).

Then, simply shop *locally*, try on shoes and buy the best quality, lightest weight you can afford, that fits YOUR foot. Don't buy mail order unless you know the exact model and size you're looking for. I'm speaking from experience. You can skimp somewhat on cost as many times the more expensive shoes will fit and perform as well as cheaper ones, the only difference being that the expensive ones are an ounce or two lighter. But get the best ones you can comfortably afford, so long as they fit well.

As for pedals, that's where you can save money in my opinion. My experience is that the cheaper/generic/house brand pedals work every bit as good as the name brands - this goes either for the MTB type or the Road type. They are often as light as all but the absolute most expensive name brands, and even then it's usually only a matter of an ounce or two.

I've used Shimano, Time, Speed play and inexpensive, generic Nashbar, Performance and Wellgo pedals. The cheap ones work just fine. You might sacrifice some longevity (although I haven't seen it), but they are the place to save money rather than shoes when you're just starting out. And, it's fine to go with mail order on that. If you buy shoes locally, they'll usually help you install the cleats to your pedals but installing pedals and cleats is not rocket science and I'm optimistic you can do it yourself.

I agree that clipless pedals can be oversold. I love them and loved them the first time I used them after riding in sneakers and pedal cages for 20 years. But they're not essential and won't make a night and day difference in actual performance. I won't discourage you like others had, but don't disagree with them either. Go ahead and get them, but put thought, effort and money into the shoes, then cheap out on the pedals themselves if you have to.


----------

