Had a bad day and feel like spending some money to make myself feel better. Lets buy some clippy pedals and shoes while my fiscal sense is still catching up!! YAY!
I want some pedals I can depend upon, beat up and not destroy. I think the ability to change tension might help....particularly as this will be my first time on clips. I'm thinking some cheaper Shimano ones with the plastic cage. Good idea? Better ideas?
Shoes wise, I'd like some big, stupid skate style efforts.....because I can. Looking at Five Ten Hellcats or Shimano AM45, they're about the same price. Anything else to add?
What's the deal with cleats, do they come with shoes/pedals or do I have to buy them separately?
Ta
Andy
Cleats come with pedals.
Have you looked at the 'trail' versions of Shimanos offerings?
Is there better than AM45s about for what you're wanting??
Cleats should come with the pedals, go for M520s, pretty bomb proof. You can go tarty later if you like it.
Plastic cage is the pedal version of a placebo IMO.
Shoes. Not you don't. If you want those just get the flats ones and ride flats. Get MT43s, they will give you better grip for those all important lifesaving dabs of desperation*.
*hardly ever happens, don't worry about it will be fine.
['scuse the tone, sounds like you're having an impulsive day, thought i'd join in 😉 ]
WARNING: don't buy or use multi-release cleats on pain of death :WARNING
I like the cut of your jib!!!
These things are bloody great...
[img] 
[/img]
M-530's. Absolutely bomb proof and will probably outlast you. Metal instead of plastic cage, so miles betterer. My personal preference for daft skate style shoes to go with them are..
[img] 
[/img]
661 filter look nowhere near as orthopedic as Shimano's or five tens
urg i bought these too for i ruddy hare them...cant get on with them at all.....persevered with them for ages.....just hate hate hate them so gone back to flats ...much happier now lol...so now they are just sitting on my shelf saying sell me sell me sell me...lol
http://www.evanscycles.com/products/shimano/m520-spd-pedals-ec005948
I feel like my riding is stagnating a little and I need a change. "Why not try clips?" I thought. Sounds like a perfect idea.
I'm hoping it will help me commit a bit better into corners, as I feel this is my weak point. Like many Peak riders, I can only ride in a straight line.
Those pedals look good Binners, and not too pricey.
I have no reason other than fancy for wanting skate style shoes, that and I'm very aware that my bike will be connected to me via my fragile little ankles and they might offer a little more support.
Agree wi Binners on pedals.
Disagree wi Binners on the shoes, mate o mine says in the wet it's like riding with sponges on his feet.
You have probably already bought your pedals and shoes but I will give my opinion anyway in case other people see the post and have the same questions as you.
-For shoes :
I wouldn't get the 661 filters because they desintegrate (not durable at all) and like patriotpro says they are like sponges on your feet in the wet. They do look cool though...
A mate has some shimano am45 shoes (also used to have some filters which disentegrated as well) and says they are great. This is what I will be getting shortly because they are apparently really comfy and durable. I did also think about the five ten minaars (same shoe as the hellcat) because they are probably quite a lot grippier than the am45's. But do you really need a grippy shoe when you have gone clipless ? Just be a man and try not to unclip too often ! I chose the am45's because the laces are fully protected unlike the 5.10's which is a real pain in my opinion.
The minaars do look cooler than the am45's (which look orthopedic as binners says) but what is most important, cool looks or performance ? (if you can't have both of course)
-for pedals :
I would get some crank brothers (candys, acids or mallets depending on riding. I prefer mallets or acids). They do have their drawbacks; shit bearings, shit seals... But these are the easiest pedals to clip in AND out of, BY FAR. The newer generation of cb pedals have better seals, bearings and stronger axles apparently... (I have some and they do seem to be holding up better than the previous models). It is true that shimano and time pedals are much more durable but also a lot harder to clip in and out of. Don't be fooled by the tension adjustments on the shimano pedals because they still won't ever be as easy to clip in and out of as cb pedals. CB have the simplest and best design in my opinion. They also shed mud a lot better than time and shimano so less issues in the wet.
Just grease your cb bearings and disassemble and service them (about 25 mins to do a pair and super easy !) a few times a year and they will still last a decent amount of time. And anyway you can buy replacement kits (bearings+seals...) for the pair for 13£ on crc (which solves the problem).
I really would recommend going clipless for any kind of riding from xc to dh. It improves your pedalling capacity a lot for going up hill (and downhill of course) but improves your riding on the downs also because it is harder to put a foot out because you have to unclip (which takes slightly more time with any clipless pedal than on flats of course), and those dabs of the foot are very often unnecessary. Your feet do not move at all on the rough descents (even with 5.10's (grippiest flat pedal shoes) and good pedals my feet would still be all over the place in the really rough stuff). Clipless pedals make you commit more on the descents I found so your riding improves a lot.
The only time clipless pedals are a nuisance is in the snow because your cleats are covered in it and your feet are cold so you cannot feel anything. But apart from that only good points !
Eddy
+ 1 for binners pedal suggestion. The metal cage seems to give a little bit of extra support, I really like mine and put them on both my bikes. and they are relatively cheap as well (~ £30)
I used to have some 647 (I think) with the plastic cage and I dont think they gave anything extra in terms of support, and they were more expensive
I have to disagree about CB pedals as I found them a lot harder to locate and have swapped back to Shimano which like most of their stuff just does the job without any thought.
I don't really get skate style shoes on clipless though. Why give yourself all the advantages of being directly connected to your bike then dilute it with by wearing a pair of slippers? I use mid-range Sidi racing shoes for everything with neoprene oversohoes if it's freezing.
Either way, hope you enjoy a whole new level of efficiency.
I wouldn't get the 661 filters because they disintegrate (not durable at all)
I bet they'd outlast a pair of Crank Brothers pedals 😉