Back in the nineties, when I settled in Taiwan, biking for pleasure was just at the beginning, and supply limited.
That time, I settled for a semi tailor fitted mountain bike, fitted with carbon Spinergy wheels and slicks for road use, and had it fitted with the then populair Shimano’s SPD clipless pedals.
Fast forward to today, I am still using the Shimano SPD’s (the small MTB version) on all my bikes, including road bike, and never bothered to look further.
However, looking for new shoes which are SPD compatible seems to limit my choice dramatically, and now I am wondering if it is perhaps not time to dump the SPD’s, and go modern …
So what are you using, and what are your recommendations, knowing that:
I prefer to have same system on all bikes,
I only use my bikes on the road, and bike anything from 20-100km out of Tamsui,
I love the convenient store biking, and bring hardly anything more than water and money, just stopping and shopping when hungry, so hopping around on them a bit,
I have laid face down on a Seven-Eleven floor due to slippery shoes more than once, and want to prevent that in the future,
I have a weak ankle, and ride my SPD’s rather loose, with the larger float, and with dual side release.
I use LOOK on my bike and will also use LOOK on my future bike(s)
If you have SPDs, just stick with them. To prevent falls in the future, buy a set of cleat covers and shove them in the back of your jersey pocket. Very helpful and your cleats will last foreverrrr.
crank bros on everything. egg beaters on some and candys on other bikes.
you can pedal all day on the candys with street shoes and use the egg beaters for the serious road bike and mountain bike that you only ever ride in proper shoes.
the three hole conversion cleats (the cleat is designed for a two hole shoe) have a molded surround that keeps the cleat off the floor and does not slip. plus you can walk a mile or two and not grind down the cleat.
plus they are possibly the lightest pedals out there.
Speedplay Zero with “keep on kovers”. You can do light walking in them without slipping, just don’t go hiking around in the dirt…but you must use the “keep on kovers”. They have a large range of float which is fully adjustable without the need for changing cleats. All of mine have been bomb proof, just need to squirt some grease in them maybe once or twice a year. I have a pair that are over 10 years old. They have two sided entry, which is helpful here in high traffic stressful situations.
Thanks for the reply, food for thoughts … seems a wide variety used … gave me a good opportunity to google on each and every one, and dig into the details.
I am not done yet, but focusing in on new shoes, and either mid-level Shimano or Look pedals.
For Shimano, go with the SPD-SL 550 or better (the 540 model is the cheapest, but I hear isn’t very sturdy/stiff). The price for Shimano road pedals don’t really change or get discounted since they rarely come out with new models.
For LOOK, get the KEO Classic 2 or better (the KEO classic is the cheapest, but also…not sturdy/stiff). The Keo Classic 2 should get a price drop soon since the new Classic 3 just came out not too long ago.
I perhaps was not too clear, but walking is limited to the walk in and out of the convenience store, no other real walking involved other than after a flat …
The slips happened while I had racing shoes with the steel SPD cleats underneath, receipt for disaster.
Some rather racy looking mtb shoes solved that, as the cleats are protracted.
But I can’t find new shoes in the same style, and don’t want to get the bulky ones, hence the considering of going different.
As stated, my preference right now should be the larger support of a the SPD-SL alikes, and I will probably just try it on my road bike.
If I don’t like it, I will return to the small SPD cleats and pedals.
Shimano now has a after market protection plate around the cleat, which also act as a cover for short walks, something they did not have 20 years ago.
Fair enough. If you want to try road shoes/pedals and and not spend too much go for Shimano or Look, they’re about the cheapest I think.
Look are supposed to be easier on weak ankles/knees.
For LOOK, some listings on Ruten will be cheaper than going to the official distributor, Boutique de Velo (單車喜客).
Even if you do not buy from Boutique, I believe they will do repairs on items not bought from them as long as they are within warranty. The last few times I’ve been to Boutique, they always had English speaking staff available.
NOTE: The store located in Dazhi, near the ferris wheel, is closed! The shopping center it’s located in has closed down.
Will go for the 2017 Shimano RP3 shoes in red, NT$.2500 in the shop, so I can try-fit, just to be sure.
He got 41-43-44, but not 42, but ordered without even asking, and it will be there at noon tomorrow, now that is service!
He offers Look Classic 2 for NT$.1500, that’s lower than anything I have seen on Yahoo, Ruten or PChome.
Only black/red seems to be out of stock, but he think he can still find a pair for that price.
Otherwise I will settle for an other color, or for the Shimano’s.
That’s a pretty sweet deal. RP3’s are pretty hard to find in full red!
As for the pedals, as I expected. The classic 2’s came in full black, gray/black and red. Red being the more special color, definitely would be the choice of many wanting to have something different.
That’s a pretty sweet deal. There’s no reason for them to charge the original 2200NT(ish) when the new Keo Classic 3s are out. They are definitely trying to get rid of old inventory at this point.
I plan to go there tomorrow after they confirm they got the shoes in.
Wait a day, and I will give you a copy of their bizz card, and a review if it make sense for you to go their or not.
Talking to me or Typhun ;)?
If to me, I was there last week, but they did not have much of what I was looking for (as I was still making up my mind).
In general, I find searching the internet sites in Taiwan (Yahoo, Ruten, and the likes) easier to get an idea if I do not already know what I specifically want.
Then, just order it and have it delivered, or contact the shop and have a look in person.
In the case of shoes, and after reading people had some sizing problems with the RP3’s, I prefer to try first.
I also feel that most internet pricing is actually higher than the prices you can get in the shop nowadays, a reverse from some years ago.
