first time buying cycling shoes

lots of personal preference here...

but i like Sidi and Specialized shoes...i prefer Sidi. as for pedals...Look Keo are very popular. Sidi and Look were my first shoes/pedals. they work just fine!

good luck!

Shoes, highly personalized as far as preference. Find a brand that fits well, and can use different cleat systems.

For cleats, I like the Look system, especially for n00bs, as you can adjust the amount of tension it takes to pop the cleat in and out. When you are just learning, it's a little peace of mind knowing you don't have to torque your leg completely sideways to get out of them.

And you WILL fall at a dead stop. It's inevitable.

John

IMO you'll want to spend as much as you can afford on shoes and try to buy the cheapest reliable pedals you can get. The shoes are what actually touch your feet. Construction, design and fit go a long way in terms of comfort. With pedals, the extra money you pay is for weight. Bicycle weight is highly overrated anyway.

Probably the hardest decision you'll have is the type of pedal/cleat system you'll want to use. They all have their advantages and disadvantages.


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You may also want to consider if these are for everyday riding or triathlon or both. One point with tris is that you come out of the water wet. Unless you want to take a few minutes drying off and putting on socks, a tri shoe is the way to go. I have Sidi T1s (they have T2 now) and they are awesome. Can wear barefoot, wet, etc and very comfortable. Even for riding to work, I use them. They are a little pricey (~$200), but very comfortable and very practical for triathlon use.

Tri shoes usually velcro with one or two straps and have a loop on the back of the heel to make transitions easier.

Fit is key to shoes and we all have different shape feet so what works for one of us may not for another. Lots of big bike shops have last year models of bike shoes much cheaper. I'd go to big bike store that sells tri stuff and see what fits best.

I like Shimano pedals. Probikekit.com sells pedals inexpensively once you decide which type you want. Probably for first pair you will want to buy shoes/pedals local so they can help you with cleat position and help you get started with clipless.

Road shoes tend to have more straps that don't have velcro and take more time to put on. Probably impossible for most of us to take feet out of shoes while riding and jump off our bike for quick transition from biking to running into transition. Something that you may want to do in the future and by far easier with tri shoes.

Depending on how much you spend, they have shoes that you heat the inside and vacuum fit them to your foot. IIRC, they weren't too much more than the regular higher end shoes, maybe $250 or so?

John

I've seen those on sale less than $200 this spring as I'm guessing they didn't sell as well as expected.

I want to try a pair of these as my road shoe...once my Sidi's wear out (probably never), I may give these a shot! Ahhh...so blingy...

http://bont.com/cycling/pictures/pictures.htm

Edited by slowpoke77 2009-05-14 5:43 PM