Noob: Various & Sundry Q's about Biking - Page 3 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

04-13-2004, 04:55 PM

On Sun, 11 Apr 2004 04:01:22 GMT, Bop <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote:
>My beater is a Team Fuji road bike, with pretty much old tech: friction
>shifters, clips & straps, etc. These are fine--I'm used to them and they
>still work great. But when I get on the Nashbar site to look for some
>shoes & cleats replacements, I'm kinda shocked not to find any standard
>cleats, but only those for the clipless kinds. Are they there and I just
>need to get some glasses, or has the clipless revolution taken over?

Clipless has indeed taken over.

The cheap Nashbar Special SPDs are pleasant and easy. Comfortable
shoes with treads that recess the cleats make walking and riding
both very pleasant. I like my SPD sandals.

>than that they don't require a cage). Should I stick with my present
>setup, or should I buy a cheap clipless replacement? I see common clipless

You could just use modern bike shoes with clips and straps but no
cleats; or, regular shoes, for that matter. The cheap pedals I
mentioned above are often on sale for $20/pair with cleats.

>types like SPD and SPDR and whatever else. Can someone give me a quick
>rundown on their differences, or point me to a FAQ somewhere?

SPD is actually two standards: bolt pattern for attaching the cleat,
and cleat-pedal compatibility. SPD pedals can use eachothers'
cleats, but many pedals exist with SPD-bolt-pattern-cleats that
won't work in standard SPD pedals. The pedals I mention above are
compatible with standard SPD.

SPD-R and SPD-SL are not at all like SPD; they're "road" clipless
standards. There's also Look, Speedplay, Time and other brands and
standards of all sorts for "road" and "mountain".

The "road" and "mountain" designations are mostly pointless. It all
comes down to personal opinions, but to make hasty generalizations,
"Mountain" clipless pedal systems tend to be best for general
riding, while "road" systems offer advantages for people whose
preferred cleat position or shoe doesn't offer sufficient support,
and for highly competitive racing.

>I used to have a pair of touring shoes which have "ridges" instead of
>cleats, and a steel shank embedded in the sole to keep them stiff. These
>obviously don't work as well as cleated ones, which I also have a pair, but
>they allow me to walk around. I don't want to have to commute with an
>extra pair of shoes, so I'm looking for something like this. But on
>Nashbar and other bike sites, all they have are road & MTB shoes, no
>touring stuff. Any tips on where I can look?

Look for MTB shoes that are acceptably styled. Or, if you're allowed
to wear sandals to work, Shimano and Lake both offer SPD sandals.

The Lake SPD sandals have the same outsole/undersole as the
Shimanos, but a different footbed and upper. They've got a ridge in
front to protect your toes (probably not helpful off-road).
--
Rick "Verbose" Onanian