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
00:07to clip into a pedal. Now this is done using a cleat which attaches to the bottom of the shoe.
00:13Clipped in shoes which confusingly are also referred to as clipless shoes make you engage
00:19more of your muscles throughout the pedal stroke meaning you're a lot more efficient with your
00:23power. While riding with clips in shoes may seem a little daunting at first after your first couple
00:28of rides it's fair to say you're going to feel very comfortable with them and people rarely ever go
00:32back 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
00:45as fast as possible and also be as efficient as possible. You can pay anywhere from £50 all the
00:51way up to £300 plus for a pair of shoes but there are some key differences between them.
00:56Top spec shoes will be incredibly lightweight and will utilise materials such as carbon fibre
01:01so they can have a really stiff sole. They'll also have built-in ventilation to help keep your feet as
01:06cold as possible. While the upper will be pliable it's still going to have very little give and that
01:12is so all of your effort goes into turning those pedals. In terms of how they're secured wired dials have
01:17become really popular in recent years. Now you may have seen these called boa dials however many brands
01:22have their own similar systems which might be called something different. Boa dials are quick,
01:27convenient and you can rarely go wrong with this type of retention system. You'll also find shoes
01:32with laces which despite their old school appearance do still do a really good job at holding your foot
01:36in place. Laces 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 Physique releasing a
01:49range of models at various budgets. When it comes to budget or mid-range shoes they'll often come with
01:55either nylon or composite soles. Now that does mean they sacrifice a little bit on weight and also
02:01stiffness. They may also just be a little bit bulkier and not as sleek than their top end counterparts.
02:07However the real world differences between mid-range and top end shoes are marginal at best
02:12and only performance-minded cyclists are going to be able to notice the difference.
02:16Finally it's worth mentioning that road shoes only tend to have a tiny amount of tread on the soles
02:21and 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 the next
02:30category might be best suited for you. Commuter and touring shoes share many of the same characteristics
02:40as road shoes but with a few key differences which I think are worth mentioning. First up is a different
02:45style of cleats meaning they're normally not compatible with either road shoes or pedals. They do however
02:50use the same two bulk system that you'll find on many mountain bike shoes. The advantage to this is
02:55that the cleat can be recessed into the tread of the shoe meaning it's a lot easier to walk in which
02:59then also means you're not going to damage the cleat. Commuter and touring shoes tend to have a more
03:04subdued look meaning that they blend in with your normal clothes however there are exceptions to this should
03:08you want something a bit more exotic. The first thing to look out for is to make sure that the
03:19bolt pattern on the bottom of your shoes matches that of your cleats and pedals. Now often you'll
03:24find a three-bolt setup which is common to find for Shimano look and time however if you use Speedplay
03:30pedals you might want to look for shoes with a four-bolt system however they are very rare and this is why
03:35Speedplay include an adapter plate in with the pedals if you want to use their system. As I've already
03:40mentioned commuter and cycle touring shoes will usually use a two-box setup so make sure that your
03:45pedals are compatible. It's also worth bearing in mind that shoes rarely come with cleats so do make
03:50sure you buy some however if you are buying pedals then most of the time if not all of the time you're
03:56always going to get cleats in with those pedals. When it comes to sizing it's worth knowing that a size
04:0610 from one brand will rarely be exactly the same as a size 10 from another brand so my best
04:11recommendation here is to just try them on before you commit to buying them. Finally if you have
04:16particularly wide feet there are brands out there that offer wide fit options such as Shimano, Lake and
04:22Sydney. So hopefully you're now a little bit more clued up to the whole world of road cycling shoes.
04:28If you do have any questions drop them below, if you enjoyed the video drop it a like,
04:31subscribe to the channel for more content and I'll see you again very soon.