I've never used cycling shoes (been riding for 25 years plus mainly mtb but the last 2 years road bike always used toe clips) looking to take the plunge with shoes but don't know where to start, any advice would be great fully acepted.

This looks a good place to start.

For mtb I love my time atac's. So easy to clip in even when muddy. Unclipping easy too. When I started I filled down the cleats until I got confidence in being clipped in. Now feel uncomfortable if not clipped in.

Crank brothers egg beaters look interesting but not tried them.

My suggestion would be these http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-m530-mtb-spd-trail-pedals/. If you're new to clipless and/or you're lacking confidence on a section you can just clip out and step on them. This is a great price for them too, particularly as they include the cleats.

This is useful if just starting: http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/fitness/bike-fit/pedal-system-best-133105

Good advice. Maybe SPD would be more sensible than SPD-SL for a first pair of cleats, it is much easier to walk around in the MTB type shoes.

Can you post a link to this bundle?

Click "get deal" and then the bundle is on the right of the page.

If on mobile scroll down until you see bundle deal and then select add to basket

Agreed, I had the 530s on my hard rock and I've recently moved them across to my Arkose 2. I wouldn't recommend a long ride without having cleats on your shoes but it's certainly doable in an emergency (I was out around Glentress for the first time and didn't feel as confident clipped in, so just chucked a pair of trainers on).

Cheers for this!

Ordered - good deal.
Do you need to order cleats separately or are they supplied?

I'm still not convinced anyone needs these unless they are a serious athlete, they don't seem to make me cycle any faster and not being able to move your feet position on pedals at different points on your ride can make for uncomfortable cycling. Yes they can give you a bit more oomph when sprinting but overall I can't see the point of clipping in. If you do though, it's worth getting the pedals which are normal on one side (shimano m324s are one type I think), so you can at least use your bike to pop down the shops without having to put special shoes on!

Just be prepared to fall over a few times when you come to a stop when you forget you are clipped in, or do a beetle impression as my daughter says :smiley: highly recommended

I'm a big fan of clipping in to pedals. It just makes the whole process more fluent and fluid. These pedals are decent for starting out with (I have about 4 sets of them and these were my first ever set of clipped in pedals). That said I still use flats for technical riding so just swap between them.

If you were to buy Shimano cleats you can pay £5-10, these pedals are usually £15-25 depending on where you look. No idea how good the shoes are but as a deal for the pedals, cleats and shoes it all looks good.

You don't need to think about feet position, or focus keeping your foot on the pedal. It can relieve muscle aches by using upstrokes if parts of your legs get tired. You just attach and focus on everything else. Obviously take care when stopping :smiley:

It's not so much a question of need, I know many riders who use clipless because they prefer the feel of them which ultimately improves the riding. The pull on upstroke benefit is commonly repeated but it's not true, you can get a longer pedal cycle on clipless but cyclists don't pull up on the pedals and if they did, it's actually less efficient. Similarly the performance benefits of clipless systems are usually massively overstated, I was getting told I'd be over 30% faster on clipless compared to flats but the actual gains are much smaller. I do see the benefits off road when going on rough terrain as there's no risk of a slip but that risk can be reduced with a decent shoe/pedal and being attached to the bike in unpredictable riding brings its own risks.

I this is a great package for people who want to try out clipless pedals but for those getting on well with flats, don't feel you have to change. I regret being pushed into clipless pedals (and wasting a lot of money on the system) and more so not changing back to flats sooner, even now I still get told I should change to clipless pedals so I can go much faster or better yet, people being shocked at events I could do a decent pace on flats.

John

Bought the bundle. Great price!

Great deal and still active. Just bought the package - thanks OP.

bought to try. just getting back into cycling and not believing the hype about clipless but at this price, I'd be daft not to try em. £2 extra for black or silver. White as priced above.