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 you
00:06to clip into a pedal. Now this is done using a cleat which attaches to the bottom of the shoe.
00:12Clipped in shoes which confusingly are also referred to as clipless shoes make you engage
00:18more of your muscles throughout the pedal stroke meaning you're a lot more efficient with your
00:22power. While riding with clips in shoes may seem a little daunting at first after your first couple
00:27of rides it's fair to say you're going to feel very comfortable with them and people rarely ever go
00:31back to riding flats. Now you know a little bit more about road cycling shoes I'm going to talk
00:36you through the different types that are out there. Road shoes are for those who want to ride as fast
00:44as possible and also be as efficient as possible. You can pay anywhere from £50 all the way up to
00:50£300 plus for a pair of shoes but there are some key differences between them. Top spec shoes will
00:56be incredibly lightweight 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 cold as possible.
01:06While their upper will be pliable it's still going to have very little give and that is so all of your
01:12effort goes into turning those pedals. In terms of how they're secured wired dials have become really
01:17popular in recent years. Now you may have seen these called boa dials however many brands have their own
01:22similar systems which might be called something different. Boa dials are quick convenient and you
01:27can rarely go wrong with this type of retention system. You'll also find shoes with laces which
01:32despite their old-schooled appearance do still do a really good job at holding your foot in place.
01:36Laces might take a little bit longer to put on than boas however they are really reliable and
01:42often lighter. Finally straps and velcro have been making a comeback in recent years with
01:47physique releasing a range of models at various budgets. When it comes to budget or mid-range shoes
01:53they'll often come with either nylon or composite soles. Now that does mean they sacrifice a little
01:59bit on weight and also stiffness. They may also just be a little bit bulkier and not as sleek than
02:05their top-end counterparts. However the real-world differences between mid-range and top-end shoes
02:10are marginal at best and only performance-minded cyclists are going to be able to notice the difference.
02:15Finally it's worth mentioning that road shoes only tend to have a tiny amount of tread on the soles
02:20and that usually boils down to a couple of bits of rubber underneath the heel. As you'd expect this
02:25does make them tricky to walk in so if you're planning on commuting or cycle touring then their
02:29next category might be best suited for you. Commuter and touring shoes share many of the same
02:39characteristics as road shoes but with a few key differences which I think are worth mentioning.
02:43First up is a different style of cleats meaning they're normally not compatible with either road, shoes or
02:48pedals. They do however use the same two bulk system that you'll find on many mountain bike shoes.
02:53The advantage to this is that the cleat can be recessed into the tread of the shoe meaning it's a lot easier to
02:58walk in which then also means you're not going to damage the cleat. Commuter and touring shoes tend to have a more
03:03subdued look meaning that they blend in with your normal clothes however there are exceptions to this should you want something a bit more exotic.
03:09The first thing to look out for is to make sure that the bulk pattern on the bottom of your shoes
03:20matches that of your cleats and pedals. Now often you'll find a three bulk setup which is common to
03:25find for Shimano, Look and Time. However if you use Speedplay pedals you might want to look for shoes with
03:31a four bulk system however they are very rare and this is why Speedplay include an adapter plate in
03:37with the pedals if you want to use their system. As I've already mentioned commuter and cycle touring
03:42shoes will usually use a two bulk setup so make sure that your pedals are compatible. It's also worth
03:47bearing in mind that shoes rarely come with cleats so do make sure you buy some however if you are buying
03:52pedals then most of the time if not all of the time you're always going to get cleats in with those
03:56pedals. When it comes to sizing it's worth knowing that a size 10 from one brand will rarely be exactly
04:07the same as a size 10 from another brand so my best recommendation here is to just try them on before
04:13you commit to buying them. Finally if you have particularly wide feet there are brands out there
04:18that offer wide fit options such as Shimano, Lake and Sidi. So hopefully you're now a little bit
04:24more clued up to the whole world of road cycling shoes. If you do have any questions drop them below,
04:29if you enjoyed the video drop it a like, subscribe to the channel for more content and I'll see you again very soon.