Cycling Footwear & Pedal System Buying Guide

Being new to the cycling shoe game can be rather overwhelming with new terminology to get your head around and working out what system works best for you.

But that’s what we’re here for! Keep on reading for your comprehensive guide to cycling footwear and pedal systems plus the why and when you might pick different styles.

It is absolutely possible to wear any kind of shoe whilst riding your bike, but with ‘cycling shoes’ we’re talking about shoes that are designed specifically to make your pedal stroke more efficient, the movement more comfortable or to protect your feet from the environment. Apart from flat bottomed mountain bike shoes, ‘cycling shoes’ also refers to a shoe that pairs with a bike pedal system which click together – but note that different systems are not cross-compatible (more on that later). There are a few different styles of pedals and hence different styles of cycling shoe which we’ll run through in this guide.

First, some quick terminology:

Clipless pedals: This is where a lot of confusion lies when you get started with cycling pedal systems as you do ‘clip in’ to a pedal so how can they be clipless? Well, in the early days of bike racing, riders used toe straps called ‘clips’ which were like cages for the front of your feet. It meant that you could generate some extra power on your upstroke as well as your downstroke. In fact, you’ll still see them on gym spinning bikes or some hybrids. Once these cages were taken away and the new cleat systems introduced, they were clip-less. The pedal systems we talk about below are both clipless systems and cleat systems. They are one and the same thing. This is an example of a toe clip:

Two-bolt cleat: A cleat which attaches to your bike shoe using two fixing points.

Three-bolt cleat: A cleat which attaches to your bike shoe using three fixing points.

Four-bolt cleat: At the time of writing there is only one pedal/cleat system which uses four fixing points and that is the Wahoo Speedplay. However, because this is so unusual and to help keep their market broad, Speedplay pedals and cleats come with an adaptor which allows you to attach a Speedplay cleat to a three-bolt compatible shoe. All information in this article related to a three-bolt cleat is also relevant to a four-bolt cleat.

Broadly, cycling shoes can be categorised into two types: on-road cycling shoes and off-road (or mountain bike) cycling shoes.

Fig: A three-bolt cleat with compatible sole

Sole Stiffness: We’ve already mentioned that road shoe soles are so stiff they’re almost unbendable, but it is worth noting that some brands have their own scales of stiffness. For example, Bontrager work on a scale of 1 – 14 but across brands these scales are not directly comparable so on its own it can be meaningless. However, very stiff soles are more likely to be made from lightweight carbon fibre which will make them more expensive and less comfortable on all-day rides and are more appropriate for short and fast races or club rides. A less stiff sole is more likely to be made from nylon or fibre-glass making them more affordable and comfortable. If you’re new to wearing cycling shoes, start somewhere in the middle of any stiffness scale and you’ll start to learn what works for you.

Fastenings: New fastening methods have developed quickly over the last 5-10 years though laces are making a resurgence with their retro look. The negatives with laces are that you can’t adjust while riding and they can loosen slightly under pressure. Velcro fastening or ratchet straps tend to feature on lower end shoes as they’re cost effective, lightweight and stay put. The most popular way of tightening a road shoe now is with the BOA Fit system. This is a circular dial which tightens or loosens lightweight laces which zig zag across the shoe. There can be one or two BOA dials to make micro-adjustments making any shoe fit very specifically to your foot. The BOA dial works by pushing the dial in to engage it, twist it to tighten and pull the dial all the way up to quick release. This shoe uses both a BOA dial and velcro fastenings:

Entry Price Point: An entry level pair of shoes can be around £50 and you’re likely to get Velcro closures and a plastic sole. This balances lightweight fastenings with a slightly heavier sole but will give you a great starting point and taste into riding with a clipless pedal system.

Mid Price Point: Shoes around the price range of £90 – 150 probably give some of the widest choice. The soles might be a carbon composite or nylon material which is lighter weight and stiffer than plastic. You’ll also find Velcro, ratchet, some dials and perhaps some retro lace closures that all give a difference performance and aesthetic.

Higher Price Point: £150+ is the realm of carbon soled, multiple BOA dialled, high quality material and finish shoes likely to be used by the professionals. They’re likely to be some of the lightest shoes available.

If you’re not into technical trails or you’re stepping up your mountain bike skills game, you might want to venture into the realm of cleated mountain bike shoes. The key thing about these cleats is that they work on a two-bolt system (remember, road bike cleats are three-bolt) and are recessed into the shoe and made of metal. This makes walking much easier and the style of cleat sheds mud much better so you’re not constantly looking for a twig to clean out your shoe. Shimano SPD two-bolt cleats don’t have many big competitors, so more often you’ll hear of a two-bolt cleat system simply referred to as SPD.

Sole Stiffness: Mountain bike shoes won’t be as flexible as a trainer but not as stiff as a road shoe, they sit somewhere in the middle. The sole can be made from rubber or nylon or even carbon fibre at the very high end of the spectrum and this will produce a stiffer sole and not for the everyday rider. You’ll get the grippy lugs on the sole even with a cleat system, but they are more about gripping mud when walking than keeping you on the pedal.

Fastenings: With power transfer to the pedal on the upstroke of less importance, you’re more likely to see shoelaces and Velcro on mountain bike shoes. This can help keep the cost down but also keeps a certain style about these shoes. You will find the BOA Fit systems too but there is generally far more variety on offer.

Here’s the final bit of terminology you need to know.

To release your foot from the pedal, you need to twist your ankle outwards away from the bike. The amount of tension you have to put on this twist is adjustable with a dial on the back of the pedal.

If you Google for SPD-SL or Look cleats (both three-bolt), you’ll notice that they come in different colours. These colours denote the amount of ‘float’ you’ll get.

‘Float’ is simply the degree to which you can move your ankle outwards before you trigger the release mechanism to release your foot. Some people prefer much less float, some people prefer more and with three-bolt cleats you do get this choice by picking a different coloured cleat.

With two-bolt SPD cleats there isn’t a choice for float. They already come with a bit of lateral float but this isn’t adjustable. However, the choice that you DO get with SPD cleats is whether the release trigger is one sided or multi-sided. With ‘SH51’ cleats, the only way to release your foot is to twist your ankle away from the bike. But with ‘SH56’ cleats, you can twist your ankle away from the bike, towards the bike, or indeed upwards to release your foot. They are easier to get out of and may be the choice of mountain bikers to disconnect if the trail gets rocky or you’re about to fall.

This comes down to the style of riding you’re going to be doing! If you’re purely on road and not planning on getting into any muddy situations, then road style three-bolt cleat systems are the best choice. If you think you’re going to be doing a bit of walking, getting into some muddy scenarios or even just on mixed surfaces then perhaps going down the SPD route is worth thinking about. Inevitably, if you get the cycling bug, you’ll no doubt end up with a pair of shoes and pedals with both styles!

To make it easier in the here and now, here are some pros and cons to help you along:

Road Cycling Shoes

Pros:

•  Wide platform gives excellent power transfer capabilities
•  Choice in float for a more comfortable, personalised ride
•  Cleats are lighter as they’re made of plastic
•  There is more fore, aft and side to side adjustment of the placement of the cleat on the shoe

Cons:

•  The cleats wear down quickly – once the coloured corners are non-existent, you need to change them
•  Difficult to walk in road shoes cleats
•  Takes more practice to get quick at clipping in
•  Can be difficult to shed mud which stops the mechanism working

Off Road Cycling Shoes

Pros:

•  Better for walking in
•  Metal cleats take longer to wear down
•  Designed to shed mud
•  Pedals can be single or dual sided for ease of use

Cons:

•  Smaller power transfer contact point can lead to pain in your foot (termed ‘hot foot’)
•  No adjustable float
•  While you can adjust the cleat on the bottom of the shoe fore and aft, there isn’t much side to side adjustment.
•  Generally a bit heavier

So you’ll see that road cycle shoe systems have a very specific job in mind and they do it really well. If you’re a pure roady or you’ve tried SPD cleats and you find you get pain in your foot above the cleat, then a three-bolt road system is for you. However, if you’re after a versatile shoe and pedal which is long lasting then the SPD system is the way to go.