cfforum

I'm hoping to hear some advice from some of you ladies, or men who have wives that ride, or just anyone who frankly has an opinion. For Christmas I've purchased a Specialized Ruby for my wife. I need to outfit it with pedals of course, and am wondering if my wife will find a Keo style pedal easier to get in and out of, or an SPD style pedal/shoe easier.

My wife loves to ride, but mostly on the bike trail, and up until now has only ridden on her mountain bike with slicks and toe-strap pedals (it's an old bike ). I'm wondering if she'll find a mountain bike style shoe easier for her to get used to for walking around etc. and mountain bike (SPD) style pedals easier to get in and out of, or do I just force her to take the plunge and get regular road shoes with Keo or Speedplay pedals. Any opinions/advice?

I have Speedplay Light Action pedals and love them!!!

I got them for my birthday with the Sidi mesh shoe.

Since they are dual sided I don't have to spend a lot of time looking down and figuring out which side is up. I can just rest my foot on the top, and they pop right in.

They also have a nice float which is nice in that my knees aren't locked in a straight position.

They clip in a and out really easy.

I just sat on the trainer and spent about 15 min clipping in and clipping out to get them "broken in" and havn't had an issue at all.

Thank you for your response and suggestions.

Mark

Hi Mark,

I LOOOOVE my Ruby -- good choice! Had to swap some parts out to get the fit just right (narrower handlebars and saddle, shorter stem) -- no regrets whatsoever.

As far as pedals/shoes go, I started with dual-sided mountain bike pedals and PI Vagabond mountain bike shoes (as I previously rode a mountain bike - go figure). However, a couple months ago I upgraded to the Shimano Ultegra SPD-SL's and really like the wider base. I sometimes have a bit of trouble getting clipped in quickly as they are one-sided as opposed to two-sided, but other than that I have no complaints. I have the Sidi Genius Loricas - I think they are 2004's? Got them for 60% off since they are "old." The PI's in the smallest size never quite fit (slipped in the heel), but the Sidi's fit great (I hear they run small). Matt at Bicycle Planet was great with suggesting which pedals would work well for me. He didn't pressure me at all and was fine with the fact that I bought the shoes elsewhere (they don't carry Sidis).

Anyway, I know you want to surprise your wife, but perhaps you can get her a gift card and let her try on different shoes. It seems that different brands fit well for different people, ya know?

Good luck in your search, and hopefully your wife will come out and ride with us after she gets her new bike!

Michele, thanks for the info. I know that sizing is very unique, but was curious if you don't mind to your height and frame size. My wife is 5'5" and when she test road them I was surprised that the 48 seemed to fit her best vs. the 51. They actually even started her out on the 55.

There isn't much surprise, because I will be getting her fitted on the bike and making adjustments this week to make sure it is a perfect fit for her (seat, bars, etc.). So she will try on the shoes,etc...ruins the surprise, but I can surprise her with other riding gear.

I was looking mostly at the Specialized womens shoes. I'll have to check out the Sidi's as well.

Mark
markdfellows@yahoo.com

Mark,

I'm 5'2" on a tall day and I ride a 48 Ruby with an 80mm stem (swapped out the stem and handlebars). I had a comprehensive fitting done by Matt at Bicycle Planet -- best $75 I've ever spent. That said, I have heard of 5'5" women fitting the 48 as well. It must be a proportion thing. For my neck issues (compressed disks), everything had to be worked around the top tube.

Let me know if you have any further questions and good luck to you!