Going clipless...

[CK61938]

Me again...Lol.

I changed my pedals the other week to ones with toe clips and straps. But given my big feet and how wide they are, the straps were too small. So I took them and I am just riding with the clips. It does with my movement and I seem to be getting faster (I even raised my seat post by about an inch and got a new gel saddle, not to mention using energy gels of late, so a damn good combo!).

But I do want to move to clipless and a friend of mine is suggesting that I do. Obviously, I don't want to spend too much (would probably want to spend around £60-£70 in total for shoes and pedals).

So, please hit me with your suggestions!

 

[CK61938]

Quite a selection here. Can I ask, being a noob, what does SPD mean and what's the difference between that and an SPD-SL?

 

[CK61938]

SPD is mountain bike/touring type. You can walk in the shoe, with the two sided pedal dead easy to clip in and out. Cleats last a long time. Cleats are small so get a bit of a hotspot on your foot.
SL are road bike type, usually glass fibre sole or carbon, single sided, stiff shoe, very comfy over long distance, but can't walk in shoe, and bit tricky getting in, and can't pedal on your arch of your foot (to keep speed up so don't fall over) whilst you're clipping in. Slippy shoes so easy to slip your foot off the pedal if you don't get it right. Large cleat so very stiff, no flex so comfy over longer rides. Plastic cleat so they don't last as long. Will damage shoes and cleat if you walk a lot in them

I'd start off with SPD.
Some roadies do use SPD.

I prefer those A series SPD over the dual sided SPD. The cage supports your shoe, whilst still being SPD shoe.
On the roadie I use 105 SL pedals but on commuter bike I use those A series SPD.

Really depends on you, what riding you're doing, whether you feel safer with SPD or SL

Very informative, thank you! I think I will go for regular SPD and see how things progress from there.

 

[CK61938]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I will have a shop around. Might go to the likes of Evans or Sports Direct to try on some shoes so I have an idea on what size I need to get (I'm a size 11/12).

 

[CK61938]

Order online - most online places like Wiggle/CRC/Simga etc give you 30/60/90 days to return stuff. I should know - I currently have 4 pairs of shoes in my house seeing which ones I like better!

Can't go far wrong with these for the price - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-r10-road-cycling-shoe/ to start with

That's not a bad idea. I should probably adopt that myself. My girlfriend does it a lot with stuff she buys from Next and other places for clothing and such.

 

[CK61938]

Just bought a set of the R540 for an absolute bargain on eBay! £20! Should arrive at the weekend. Now I just need the shoes!

 

[CK61938]

Got to be taking the mick

https://www.sigmasport.co.uk/item/G...gclid=CIKW69-yxdICFU4z0wodtJcN-A&gclsrc=aw.ds

Only one way to respond to that...

 

[CK61938]

and not the most expensive either

https://www.sigmasport.co.uk/item/Look/Keo-Power-Dual-Mode-Regular-Pedal-System-Power-Meter/EYVM

I really do have no words...NONE!

 

[CK61938]

Anyway, hijacking aside guys. Lol. I have bought the shoes! As recommended by booyaka I had a look at these and they have gotten really good reviews across the board. I have bought a size 12 (hopefully they will fit fine given I am between an 11 and 12). Should arrive Friday. The pedals and cleats will be here by Friday too, I hope. Then I can test them out over the weekend!

 

[CK61938]

You don't need to buy cleats, they come with the pedals.

I know, the cleats do come with the pedals. But I just wanted to mention it.

 

[CK61938]

Order online - most online places like Wiggle/CRC/Simga etc give you 30/60/90 days to return stuff. I should know - I currently have 4 pairs of shoes in my house seeing which ones I like better!

Can't go far wrong with these for the price - http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-r10-road-cycling-shoe/ to start with

Bought the shoes! Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[CK61938]

Shoes arrived today! Tried them on and they fit really well. With socks on, they will have a really snug fit! Just waiting on the pedals now and will test them this weekend!

 

[CK61938]

The pedals with the cleats arrived today! Only slight problem, there was only 5 bolts! The person I bought them from said he had no idea there were only 5 as the person who bought them off him originally must not have included it when they returned it back to him. So far, CRC is the only place I can find that sell the bolts on their own, but I do feel that at £1.99 that is a bit pricey for just one bolt. I don't think it will be too much of a hassle just having one shoe with 2 bolts, cos the cleat is proper secure, but I just want to be sure nothing does happen whilst I am riding.

Does anyone else have any recommendations on where to get spare bolts? Would places like B&Q or Wilko stock such things?

 

[CK61938]

I got some from Amazon last time I needed some

I bought one from CRC along with cleat covers to be able to walk in them without falling over.

 

[CK61938]

You could buy a new pair of cleats too. They come with the bolts right and you'll need them eventually right?

I certainly wouldn't recommend running them with a bolt missing. I've had a cleat go loose before and I couldn't unclip as a result... fortunately I had realised before I tried to clip it out and I wasn't in traffic.

These cleats were effectively brand new. But maybe somewhere down the line, I might buy new ones.

 

[CK61938]

I might just bear that in mind, guys! There is a small bike shop few hundred yards from where I live. Maybe next time I will venture there for such things.

On another note, I went out today with the clipless. Fell over twice but otherwise very good ride. I did a practice ride to work and it took roughly 37mins to get there, so hopefully from tomorrow, I should see more improved times.

If anyone is interested, my Strava profile is https://www.strava.com/athletes/12696341

 

[CK61938]

Yes, but you're never falling in the woods - it's always at a busy set of traffic lights

This is true! Lol. I almost fell over this morning coming into work cos a car was blocking my path. Luckily, there were railings so I managed to grab hold just in time!

 

[CK61938]

Pr0 tip is to un-clip 5-10 seconds in advance of when you *might* need to. Keep your cleat in the pedal though and you can clip back in easily enough.

Also learning not to lean the bike the same way as the foot that remains clipped in is a sure fire way to avoid falling over. Putting pressure on that same leg in a bid to try and stay upright as you begin to fall just speeds the process up

Good points! I definitely have been giving it a go at unclipping a good few seconds before I think I have to stop. Definitely a learning curve but I think I will get the hang of it.

 

[CK61938]

Here's a bit of a noob/silly question...am I right in thinking that I cannot wear normal shoes (trainers) with the SPD-SL pedals on the side where I don't put the cleats in?

 

[CK61938]

You can. It won't have much grip but with trainers you'll likely have far more grip than a slippery carbon/nylon sole!

Not sure why you'd want to - certainly not for more than a few miles. Could get something like this too: https://www.amazon.co.uk/BikeDabs-Pedal-Adapter-Shimano-SPD/dp/B00JQJOJA8

Ah that's good. Thanks for the advice guys! Reason being, I might just use trainers for commuting to work and then use cleats for more longer rides. Might look into those adapters tho. Could do the trick.