00:03Road 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.
00:14Clipped 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 as fast
00:45as
00:45possible and also be as efficient as possible. You can pay anywhere from £50 all the way up to £300
00:52plus for a pair of shoes but there are some key differences between them. Top spec shoes will be
00:57incredibly lightweight and will utilise materials such as carbon fibre so they can have a really
01:03stiff sole. They'll also have built-in ventilation to help keep your feet as cold as possible.
01:08While the upper will be pliable it's still going to have very little give and that is so all of
01:12your
01:13effort goes into turning those pedals. In terms of how they're secured wired dials have become really
01:18popular in recent years. Now you may have seen these called Boa dials however many brands have their
01:23own similar systems which might be called something different. Boa dials are quick, convenient and you
01:28can rarely go wrong with this type of retention system. You'll also find shoes with laces which
01:32despite their old-school appearance do still do a really good job at holding your foot in place.
01:37Laces might take a little bit longer to put on than Boa's however they are really reliable and often
01:43lighter. 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.
02:17Finally 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 their 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
02:59which
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
03:08should you want something a bit more exotic. The first thing to look out for is to make sure that
03:19the bolt pattern on the bottom of your shoes matches that of your cleats and pedals. Now often
03:24you'll find a three bulk setup which is common to find for Shimano look and time however if you use
03:30Speedplay pedals you might want to look for shoes with a four bulk system however they are very rare and
03:35this is why Speedplay include an adapter plate in with the pedals if you want to use their system.
03:40As I've already mentioned commuter and cycle touring shoes will usually use a two-box setup so make
03:45sure that your pedals are compatible. It's also worth bearing in mind that shoes rarely come with cleats
03:50so do make sure you buy some however if you are buying pedals then most of the time if not
03:55all of the
03:55time you're always going to get cleats in with those pedals. When it comes to sizing it's worth knowing
04:05that a size 10 from one brand will rarely be exactly the same as a size 10 from another brand
04:10so 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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