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.
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