Round Up: Cycling shoes

Cyclescheme, 25.01.2012

On the right bike and right commute, normal street shoes are ideal. They enable you to switch instantly from cycling to walking or vice versa. If you want to ride further or faster, however, dedicated cycling shoes have plenty to recommend them: the stiffer soles transmit power more effectively and more comfortably; your feet won’t slip off the pedals by accident; and your smartest shoes will remain unspattered and unscratched.

Most cycling shoes are aimed at road racing cyclists or mountain bikers – and look it, with an obvious sports shoe aesthetic. Some are more casual and can be worn off the bike too, even in the office if the dress code isn’t too strict. Whether you change shoes at work or keep your bike shoes on all day, mountain bike ones are better than road racing shoes for commuters.

That’s because two-bolt mountain bike shoe cleats are smaller and recessed. As the cleat doesn’t protrude any further than the sole, you can walk normally in them. Road cleats are bigger and sit proud of the sole, so you can only hobble a few steps.

Furthermore, the pedals that mountain bike cleats clip into are double-sided. So when you’re setting off from the traffic lights, you can tread down onto the pedal and ride off straightaway, rather than pedalling one-leggedly while you try to secure your other foot.

Other features that are valuable for commuting include weather protection and subtle reflective detailing. Unless your bike has a chainguard, some way of restraining or shortening the laces to keep them out of the chain is useful too.

Any two-bolt cleats will fit to any two-bolt shoes, so you can use which clipless pedal system you prefer. The cleats come with the pedals not the shoes, although you can buy cleats separately. The most popular systems are Shimano SPD, Time ATAC, and Crank Brothers Eggbeater. In all three, you tread down onto the pedal to open the sprung ‘jaws’ so that they clasp the cleat, and the twist your heel outwards to release it.

Practise engaging and disengaging your shoes from the pedals before heading out into traffic. Many pedals have a screw that adjusts the spring tension; slackening this off allows easier pedal release. Even better, Shimano offer ‘multi-release’ cleats, identifiable by a big letter ‘M’ on the bottom of the cleat. With this, you can pull your foot upwards hard and still exit the pedal, so you’re less likely to end up lying on the floor still attached to your bike.

Both Time and Crank Brothers pedals allow a greater range of foot movement while the cleat is connected to the pedal – known as float. Plenty of riders, and especially those with any knee problems, prefer this.