Shoes and pedals advice needed

Hmmzis

I really need some advice regarding some pedals and shoes for racing.

So I've decided that regular MTB SPD pedals do not belong on my race bike anymore and that I'd like something a bit more fancy than the Alid/Lidl shoes I've been racing with the last two years. I've set myself a budget of around the 300 eur marker for a decent pedals and shoes combination.

I've been looking at Time and Look pedal systems and a good bit of shoes but am only marginally closer to a decision. I've sort of discarded the SIDI shoes option since the sizing appears to be strange (small and narrow) and the looks are also not exactly my kind of style. I do like the comfort of the Giro shoes I've tried so far. I've tried also some Bontrager and Specialized shoes in a shop but apart form fits/doesn't fit couldn't tell much between them by just trying them on in a shop.

Regarding the pedals I would like to avoid Shimano since there is nothing on the race bike from that brand and I'd like to keep it that way. Speedplay is crazy expensive and there aren't many shoes that could fit their cleats without an adaptor. That leaves me with Time or Look.

Anyone care to throw in some advice and experience of what sort of pedals and shoes work better/best for racing? Stiffness, comfort, power transfer, durability, issues in a race scenario etc.?

Arequipa

Hi! I have been using Look Keo 2 Max pedals and the grey cleats (allow a bit of movement) for about 5 years; they are great and have got me across the Alps, Pyrenees, numerous sportives and club cycles..
They are light, have a good platform and easy to click in & out..
Only thing is, if you walk off the bike, they are not great and can wear out after a few months..

I'm investing in SPD shoes and pedals for my tour bike as a compromise..

doozerie

I’ll comment on the ones I’m familiar with:

* Look pedals - I’ve not used them in years, since I switched to Speedplay. The ones I used to use are, I think, now referred to as “Look Classic”, or similar wording that mostly just makes me feel old! I liked them a lot, I never had a problem with them and that would make me expect modern Look pedals to be good too. For me they were light enough, reliable, solid, and maintenance free over several years.

* Speedplay pedals - I’m not going to recommend them. I like them for a variety of reasons, not least the low stack height and double-sided entry, but to be perfectly honest I consider them largely a triumph of style over substance. Their design means that regular lubing of the bearings is needed, Speedplay themselves recommend doing so after *every* wet ride - it’s not a big deal, but a pain when compared against many pedals whose bearings are properly protected from the elements and just go and go for years. And even if you do lube them after every ride the bearings will wear out before long anyway (small bearings, quite exposed to the elements) and replacing them is not cheap.

Plus the cleats are expensive to replace, cheapest I’ve seen for them is €40 per set. If you do opt for Speedplay though, then they are sometimes available for as little as £85 for the chromoly (spindle) and £105 for the stainless steel from www.sigmasport.co.uk, but that is plus delivery. That site is the cheapest I’ve seen for them, when they are on offer.

Oh, and you may well be aware of this already but Speedplay cleats are compatible with any shoe that has 3 attachment points, basically any shoe that’ll take a Look (or similar) cleat should take a Speedplay cleat. There are some shoes which have 4 holes and will take the Speedplay metal+yellow cleat directly but those are in the (tiny) minority, most people end up using the black plastic layer/adaptor which basically converts a 3-hole shoe to a 4-hole shoe. That black plastic adaptor comes with every set of Speedplay cleats.

* Specialized shoes - I’ve been using them for years now, they’ve suited my foot shape best from the (few) brands I’ve tried. I have narrow and small feet though - I’ve not found a Sidi size that fits me well, but the Specialized’s do work well. I have a pair of Specialized BG Pro road shoes and a pair of S-works, both dating from 2011. If there is a difference in stiffness I can’t discern it, they are very similar in terms of comfort, but I prefer the dials on the S-works (versus the velcro straps and ratchet on the Pro’s) for adjusting fit during races. Some of that is very subjective of course, but basically for me the two shoes are interchangeable so the Pro’s are arguably better value.

Chips Lovell

I'd go for Look. Aside from not being as common, Time pedals appear a bit more fragile.

colm_gti

I've alternated between shimano spd-sl and look keo, and have notice sweet fa difference. I also alternated between cheap bottom of the range pedals and those keo carbon blade things and noticed fa difference.

I now use r540s on my road and track bikes.

As for shoes, I loved my old bont a2s, but my god, bont riots are pure w4nk!

colm_gti

If it was my money, I'd spend as much as possible on shoes, and get keo classics or something like that.

doozerie

colm_gti wrote: »

If it was my money, I'd spend as much as possible on shoes, and get keo classics or something like that.

Speaking of which, Wiggle are still selling Bont Vaypor for 185euro.

Hmmzis

Thanks lads for the advice. I had a look at the Bont Vaypor and they do look the business and they even my size in stock (that's rare for sale items). If following Colms advice I could even go for the Vaypor+ that has the dial thingies for laces. Would be getting the Look Keo Classics or similar pedals in that case. Would it be worth paying the extra money for the dial thingies or is it more of a marketing thing?

Ryder

Arequipa wrote: »

Hi! I have been using Look Keo 2 Max pedals and the grey cleats (allow a bit of movement) for about 5 years; they are great and have got me across the Alps, Pyrenees, numerous sportives and club cycles..
They are light, have a good platform and easy to click in & out..
Only thing is, if you walk off the bike, they are not great and can wear out after a few months..

I'm investing in SPD shoes and pedals for my tour bike as a compromise..

Just on the walking issue. ......you can get rubber caps for them. Walk 500m each day to and from the bike park and have no issues with cleat wear.

Also agree with the other poster about getting the cheapest possible pedals and good shoes. Absolutely no difference between my cheap and expensive look pedals other than marginal weight

Hmmzis

In the end I ended up ordering the Bont Vaypor shoes and Look Keo Classic pedals. Can't wait to get my hands on them and trying them out.

Hmmzis

Just an update on this. Got the shoes this morning and jeez' are they a poor fit for my feet. While the measurements added up nicely and even the wiggle advisor recommended the size I got (42) it was very painful to just put them on let alone trying to do anything with them. The big toes were the only toes that were comfy in the shoes the others got sqashed and the big strap with the ratchet was a bit too small as well, could barely get the first click on it to engage.

Well, at least it's one more brand crossed off the list. The search continues.