Feb 10, 2010
I’m Buying Clipless Mountain Bike Pedals And Shoes. Should I Splurge More On The Shoes Or Pedals?
I have limited funds (less than $120) and I would like to buy a set of clippless mountain bike pedals and a pair of the “performance” style shoes. What is more important, nice shoes, or nice pedals? Which should I splurge more on?
I am thinking about the brands nashbar and shimano, and I am wondering whether I should get the cheaper nashbar pedals and the more expensive shoes, or the more expensive pedals and cheaper pedals.
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why would you want to splurge on anything
You are free to buy or not buy anything like or not, at all
Where I live, many/most people who wear clipless have fallen at least once (any brand/performance/style)
Many/most people also have fallen from mountain bike with/without clipless at least once
Many/most people who wear clipless on mountain bike have fallen at least once
Why should you splurge to fall?
If so keen to fall, why not buy saline lotion and cotten wool instead for cleansing the skin abrasions each time you fall?
Shoes! You want the best shoes you can afford — the performance difference between, say, $60 shoes and $100 shoes is pretty big in terms of fit, quality and sole stiffness. Whereas pedal choices within your budget are very similar, except maybe for weight — which you won’t notice, unless you’re racing.
When I first started out, I bought a $150 pair of Sidis and a $20 pair of Wellgo pedals. Worked out great.
Very good question.
I agree 100% with Eli.
Any decent pedal will transfer power to the wheels.
Shoes, however, are a whole different matter.
Get the best fitting pair you can afford because they will reward you with each stroke of the pedal.
Shoes – large sole and a waffle pattern. DC’s or something along those lines.
Pedals – Sealed bearings, with fairly sharp pins.
Shoes – pedals don’t pinch toes, cause blisters, A good cycling shoe is the platform.
Pedal’s just a connection to the crank.
I completely recommend with the other posters who said spend the most on the Shoes… Clipless pedals are priced mostly based on how much they weigh, so you’re really just paying the extra money to save weight off your bike. The shoes, on the other hand, are priced based on much more than that and they come in direct contact with your feet…
Think of it this way, no matter how nice your pedals are, if your shoes are garbage you arent going to be comfortable at all.
Now, all that being said, if your budget is under $120 you arent going to be splurging on anything. Get the most comfortable shoes you can afford and a decent pair of clipless pedals, maybe some crankbros candy’s or something equally cheap but functional.. and just save any cash you have left over.
Once you’ve got your budget up in the $500+ range you can start thinking about where to ’splurge’. To give you an idea, I recently went and bought a pair of Mavic Fury shoes that were $280 and then I have a pair of Crank Bros Acid 3’s pedals that were another $250…. and I’ve actually seen pedals alone that were upwards of $500.
PS- If you dont already know you like riding clipless, spend as little as is possible until you’re sure it’s for you. Truth be told, I absolutley hate riding clipped but I just wont give up on it on my XC bike simply because I’ve spent nearly $600 on the setup. To be honest though, every single ride I reach some point where for one reason or another I find myself cursing my pedals.