Buying cycling specific shoes can represent the first step of commitment to taking cycling seriously, however it's important that you know the differences between them and then knowing what type of cycling shoe is going to be best for you and your riding.
Riding clipless pedals will make you 30% more efficient with your power so its absolutely a worthwhile change to make. Of the main pedal brands, you have Shimano, Look and Speedplay. Each of these brands has their own shape of cleat and you'll need to ensure the pedals use the same system. Often if you're buying pedals at the same time as buying shoes, the pedals will come with the correct cleats.
Riding clipless pedals will make you 30% more efficient with your power so its absolutely a worthwhile change to make. Of the main pedal brands, you have Shimano, Look and Speedplay. Each of these brands has their own shape of cleat and you'll need to ensure the pedals use the same system. Often if you're buying pedals at the same time as buying shoes, the pedals will come with the correct cleats.
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00:00Road cycling shoes come in all different shapes and sizes but nearly all of them will allow
00:07you to clip into a pedal. Now, this is done using a cleat, which attaches to the bottom
00:13of the shoe. Clipped in shoes, which confusingly are also referred to as clipless shoes, make
00:18you engage more of your muscles throughout the pedal stroke, meaning you're a lot more
00:22efficient with your power. While riding with clipped in shoes may seem a little daunting
00:26at first, after your first couple of rides, it's fair to say you're going to feel very
00:30comfortable with them and people rarely ever go back to riding flats. Now you know a little
00:34bit more about road cycling shoes, I'm going to talk you through the different types that
00:37are out there. Road shoes are for those who want to ride as fast as possible and also
00:47be as efficient as possible. You can pay anywhere from £50 all the way up to £300 plus for
00:53a pair of shoes, but there are some key differences between them. Top spec shoes will be incredibly
00:57lightweight and will utilise materials such as carbon fibre so they can have a really
01:02stiff sole. They'll also have built-in ventilation to help keep your feet as cool as possible.
01:08While their upper will be pliable, it's still going to have very little give and that is
01:12so all of your effort goes into turning those pedals. In terms of how they're secured, wire
01:17dials have become really popular in recent years. Now you may have seen these called
01:20boa dials, however many brands have their own similar systems which might be called
01:25something different. Boa dials are quick, convenient and you can rarely go wrong with
01:29this type of retention system. You'll also find shoes with laces which, despite their
01:33old-school appearance, do still do a really good job at holding your foot in place. Laces
01:37might take a little bit longer to put on than boas, however they are really reliable and
01:43often lighter. Finally, straps and velcro have been making a comeback in recent years
01:48with Fizik releasing a range of models at various budgets. When it comes to budget or
01:53mid-range shoes, they'll often come with either nylon or composite soles. Now, that does mean
01:58they sacrifice a little bit on weight and also stiffness. They may also just be a little
02:03bit bulkier and not as sleek than their top-end counterparts. However, the real-world differences
02:09between mid-range and top-end shoes are marginal at best and only performance-minded cyclists
02:14are going to be able to notice the difference. Finally, it's worth mentioning that road shoes
02:19only tend to have a tiny amount of tread on the soles and that usually boils down to a
02:22couple of bits of rubber underneath the heel. As you'd expect, this does make them tricky
02:26to walk in, so if you're planning on commuting or cycle touring, then the next category might
02:31be best suited for you.
02:38Commuter and touring shoes share many of the same characteristics as road shoes but with
02:42a few key differences which I think are worth mentioning. First up, it's a different style
02:45of cleat, meaning they're normally not compatible with either road shoes or pedals. They do
02:50however use the same two-bulk system that you'll find on many mountain bike shoes.
02:54The advantage to this is that the cleat can be recessed into the tread of the shoe, meaning
02:58it's a lot easier to walk in, which then also means you're not going to damage the cleat.
03:03Commuter and touring shoes tend to have a more subdued look, meaning that they blend
03:05in with your normal clothes. However, there are exceptions to this should you want something
03:09a bit more exotic.
03:13The first thing to look out for is to make sure that the bulk pattern on the bottom of
03:20your shoes matches that of your cleats and pedals. Often you'll find a three-bulk setup
03:26which is common to find for Shimano, Look and Time. However, if you use Speedplay pedals,
03:31you might want to look for shoes with a four-bulk system. However, they are very rare and this
03:35is why Speedplay include an adapter plate in with the pedals if you want to use their
03:40system.
03:41As mentioned, commuter and cycle touring shoes will usually use a two-bulk setup, so make
03:45sure that your pedals are compatible. It's also worth bearing in mind that shoes rarely
03:49come with cleats, so do make sure you buy some. However, if you are buying pedals, then
03:54most of the time, if not all of the time, you're always going to get cleats in with
03:57those pedals.
04:04When it comes to sizing, it's worth knowing that a size 10 from one brand will rarely
04:08be exactly the same as a size 10 from another brand, so my best recommendation here is to
04:13just try them on before you commit to buying them. Finally, if you have particularly wide
04:17feet, there are brands out there that offer wide fit options such as Shimano, Lake and
04:22Sidi.
04:23So, hopefully you're now a little bit more clued up to the whole world of road cycling
04:27shoes. If you do have any questions, drop them below. If you enjoyed the video, drop
04:31it a like, subscribe to the channel for more content and I'll see you again very soon.