Upgrade pedals

[SJB]

I've decided to finely trade in the toe clips for a new set of pedals and i am looking for advice. Any recomendations? How about shoes? I do all my riding on black top, and i ride a hybrid bike. Can i get some decent pedals and shoes for $150.00 or less? Any brand recommendations?

[yakfisher]

Shimano makes some great pedals. If you look around right now I would think that you could get set up for under $150. For your type of bike I would check out the Shimano SPD pedals. There are numerous options, I have a set on my mountain bike that have a foot platform around them. I think they are Shimano M-524. The SPD-SL line from Shimano is geared more toward road bikes and those pedals tend to be a little more expensive as do the shoes. There are a lot of other options out there, I just happen to have shimano on my bikes.

[mmeyer]

I agree with Yakfisher. Go with the Shimano. I just got a set up with PD-A530 pedals that have a nice platform on one side and clips on the other side. That way you can ride with any shoes you want. I paid about $80 for the pedals and bought a pair of Shimano mountain bike shoes for about $80. I would also recommend mountain bike shoes so you can walk around in them. The cleats are recessed so you can walk comfortably. You do give up a little stiffness in the sole but I would think unless you're racing, you won't notice the difference.

[Deitz Dittrich]

Another vote for Shimano, and like the 2 above posted, you should be able to get in at that $150 mark, keep your eyes open now for stuff to go on end of the year sales.

[DinkADunk]

Shimano SPD cleat system is what you want to look for. A number of manufacturers make mountain/touring shoes that support the SPD cleat and there are a couple of pedals that provide a platform on one side / cleat system on the other. A couple that spring to mind are the Shimano PD-M324 and the Forte' Campus. My kids have Forte' Campus pedals on their bikes and it's a decent, inexpensive, start with the cleat systems. Plus the platform is quite good when you're not wearing biking shoes.

[The Darth Baiter]

The shimanos are nice, but personaly i ride an old pair of Time Atac, cant go wrong, accept they are a bit stiffer to get out of but with practice they are byfar my favorite becuse of there simpleness, you can pick up a pair of atacs starting around $100 and they go up from there

[Moonie]

A couple of my buddies have shimano pedals. They make great bike components, so I'm sure you can get happily invested with any of the above mentioned pedals. You'll usually pay more for pedals that are lighter than others.

I ride speedplay pedals myself. I like them as they have a lot of float and you can clip into either side of the pedal. I have specialized carbon road shoes which work very well. I'm told the shoes are the most important part of the equation as they help with your alignment (to help prevent knee injuries etc).

Also... once you get them, I would practice clipping in and out a little b4 riding. get on your bike and steady yourself by holding onto something, clip in and out a few times to get a feel for it. Just remember when you're riding that you're feet are attached so when you're coming to a stop, you don't eat pavement. Good luck with the search! let us know what you end up with and how you like them.