clipless shoes

[FLBicyclist]

I am new to touring and have never tried clipless shoes before.
Before I ask the question, I know that I am going to get many different answers and that is ok.....
My question is what are the best shoes and pedals for the money....

I want to be able to get off my bike and walk around town alot and I would like them to be more like tennis shoes. Any help from the more experienced riders would be great.

Thanks
Paul

[noshbygosh]

Get ready for lots of opinions.  I'll offer hopefully what will be the choice with the least amount of disagreement:  Speedplay Frogs for pedals.
Pros:  Simple design, best for the knees, easiest to clip in and out, accommodates shoes/sandals for walking (i.e., recessed clips).
Cons:  Cost, can clip out unexpectedly.

Re shoes, you might want to think about the following:  Do you want shoes for walking when off of the bike (assumed in answer above for pedals)?  Do you want something to use when commuting to work or just for touring?  Do you want to wear shoes or sandals?  How much do you want to pay? FYI, I am in the Speedplay Frogs/sandals camp.

[happyriding]

I am new to touring and have never tried clipless shoes before.
Before I ask the question, I know that I am going to get many different answers and that is ok.....
My question is what are the best shoes and pedals for the money....

In my opinion, the best shoes for the money are the most expensive ones: Sidi's.  I've had a pair of Sidi road shoes for ten years that is still going strong.  Of course, if you don't plan on cycling after your tour, they won't be cost effective. 

I want to be able to get off my bike and walk around town alot and I would like them to be more like tennis shoes. Any help from the more experienced riders would be great.

One thing to think about is: the better the shoe is for cycling, the worse it is for walking around.  A good cycling shoe is pretty stiff, which means walking around in them is not that comfortable.  You definitely want to get a shoe with an SPD like, recessed cleat so that you aren't walking around on the cleat.

You can buy sandles with recessed cleats or tennis shoes with recessed cleats.

Comfort is paramount and for some people soft shoes cause foot problems, and for others stiff shoes cause hot spots.

As for pedals, some pedals have a smaller contact area than others, and for some the small contact area hurts their feet.  For touring, I use the Shimano A530's, shown here:

http://www.rei.com/product/764688/shimano-a530-spd-sport-road-pedals

They have a relatively large contact area, and one side is a clip and the other side is a platform.  If you break a cleat or your foot hurts, it's nice to have the platform side to pedal on.

Personally, I use Sidi Dominator's for touring(hard plastic sole with recessed cleat), and if I plan to do any sight seeing, I take them off and put on my sandals(which are strapped on top of my rear rack).

Have fun on your tour!

[FLBicyclist]

Thanks
I knew I was going to get serveral different answers and as a newbie that is ok, this way I get a different variety of shoes...I think I am set on the pedal, they are Shimano's.. not sure of the model, but they clip on one side and are flat on the other.

The shoes that I was recommended by the local bike store is Pearl Izumi. The bad part is they didn't have any in the store for me to check out. I was also thinking that I wanted a soft pair, until I read the response above...

Help....

[happyriding]

Make sure you have plenty of time to practice riding with clipless pedals.  Apparently, some people fall over! 

[litespeed]

I've had a pair of Shimano shoes with recessed SPD's for about 10 years. They are fine for just going into a convenience store, restaurant, market, etc. but I swap them out for walking shoes for any lengthy walking and as soon as I stop for the day. The biggest problem I have is that my size 13 shoes take up most of my right front pannier.

As for falling over: It is so embarrassing that you learn to whip your heel out right quick.

[happyriding]

<---size 14 here.  That's why I took sandals, but I paid the price in mosquito country. 

[FLBicyclist]

I had also heard of people falling off because of clipless shoes, plus I have size 13's as well that's kinda why I was hoping that I could find a soft shoe that could be used for both biking and walking...sounds to me like I will need to have 2 pairs of shoes though.

On a side note, does anyone know why there is not a route diagonally across the US??

[Tandem4Rider]

Clipless shoes have never caused anyone to fall off a bike - strictly user error.  You wouldn't think clipless would be that much of a curiosity to people unfamiliar to cycling, but they are.  I explain to the curious that you will fall three times. 

First, you're new to them it will happen. 
 
Second, you gained familiarity with them yet still forgot them that one time - difference, this time it was in front of people.
 
Third and last, you are too conscious not to look foolish in front of people, but that vain perpsective causes you to wreck alone - again.  It won't happen after that. 

I switched to clipless in 1996 - fell three times - and have not since. 

You got some great advice already.  You mentioned you are interested in a convertable pedal - clipless one side and flat the other.  I would suggest the "campus pedal" from Performance.  I have those on a bike in my stable and really like them.  They are really inexpensive and work great.  I've had them for years and they have not only held up, but exceeded what I hoped from them.  Just my $.02.

[indyfabz]

I've had a pair of Shimano shoes with recessed SPD's for about 10 years. They are fine for just going into a convenience store, restaurant, market, etc. but I swap them out for walking shoes for any lengthy walking and as soon as I stop for the day.

Me, too.  Just got a new pair of Shimano shoes (MT33L I believe) to replace my old touring/commuter shoes, which were also a pair of Shimanos.  My off-bike shoes are usually some sort of sports sandal.  I also bring 5&10 cent store flip flops for nasty showers

[happyriding]

On a side note, does anyone know why there is not a route diagonally across the US??

There is.  On either diagonal.  You just have to connect routes.  Check out the overview of all the ACA routes here:

http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/RouteNetwork.pdf

Remember the ACA tries to develop good *bicycle* routes.   Just because there is a road does not mean it is cyclist friendly or that it has interesting things to see along the way.  On the other hand, I toured on highway 6 across Nevada(which is not part of any ACA route), and it was absoultely wonderful.  Lonely roads, beautiful scenery, and free camping under millions of stars.

[driftlessregion]

If you have an aggressive cycling style and want to get the most power out of your equipment, shoes that have straps will keep your feet more firmly in the shoe. Shoes with just laces allow for more movement, or slop of your foot in the shoe and thus less power. If your style is more relaxed then this isn't a factor. The problem is that most SPD shoes with straps are "mountain" shoes and have a very large sole compared to the few shoes with laces.

[PeteJack]

One thing I promise: you will fall off at least once when you start using clipless pedals. The paralyzed feelling when you are stationary and can't unclip is long remembered. However I also promise that once you have got the hang of them you will wonder how anybody manages to ride without them.

A couple of things I suggest to new users 1) find a Y or similar that has stationary bikes and get some practice with clipless pedals on one of them. A spinning class is not a bad idea so you can learn to pull up on the backstroke and put a lot more power into your pedaling. A major benefit of clipless. 2) the first time you ride a real bike with them do it on grass. There's nothing worse than keeling over at a set of traffic lights. Believe me I've seen it done.

[johnsondasw]

Clipless shoes have never caused anyone to fall off a bike - strictly user error.  You wouldn't think clipless would be that much of a curiosity to people unfamiliar to cycling, but they are.  I explain to the curious that you will fall three times. 

First, you're new to them it will happen. 
 
Second, you gained familiarity with them yet still forgot them that one time - difference, this time it was in front of people.
 
Third and last, you are too conscious not to look foolish in front of people, but that vain perpsective causes you to wreck alone - again.  It won't happen after that. 

I switched to clipless in 1996 - fell three times - and have not since. 

I fell twice.  There's another reason you may fall, in addition to the ones you gave. Most of us have a favorite foot we take out (right for me, so I can put it on the curb, etc.  Occasionally, after you clip out and are all ready to put the foot down, a gust of wind or a slight unintended lean to the left sends you over that way and that foot is still clipped in.  It's very windy where I live--there are industrial windmills all over my county--so it's something to be aware of.   

[staehpj1]

I think that some spd pedals with the lower end Sidi MTB shoes a re the best value for me.  I think the current model Sidi that I would choose is the Giau.  I like Shimano pedals with SPD on both sides, but some people like a cage on one side and SPD on the other.