This is my third season of road cycling. I ride about 3,500 miles each year and now am searching for some serious road shoes and pedals. Since the beginning of my riding (about three years ago now) I have used the Shimano SPD pedals with SIDI (mega -- wide foot) mountain bike shoes. I'll continue using these on a commuter bike I just purchased, but am looking for something that will give me a better connection with my road bike.

I have been looking at the new Shimano Dura Ace 7800 pedals. Does anyone have any experience with these? Will I notice a difference between my connection with the bike (i.e., more efficient) with something like a DA 7800 set up versus SPD? Any recommendations on new shoes or other pedal setup? Is there any advantage to going with a custom bike shoe maker. (I won't say money is no object, but I am willing to pay for things that will work well and are durable -- plus my feet are wide enough to almost need a mega size but won't fit into a regular width shoe.)

What type of riding do I do? Road biking, but not competitive. I live in Colorado Springs, ride anywhere between 80-150 miles a week. Hills/climbs abound around where I live. A 15 mile ride can give me ~1800 feet in climbing without looking for it. A typical ride has flats and hills. I do three or four major rides a year with hills/climbs (events like Ride the Rockies, The Copper Triangle, haven't done The Triple Bypass yet but it looks interesting). Bike is a Trek Pilot.

Thanks!

You should get lots of input on this topic from those with a lot more experience than I. I did some research about 2 years ago when I was getting back into road cycling. There is definitely an advantage to being clipped in the pedals as far as efficiency goes, and having just upgraded my riding shoes I'll also say the difference in both weight and stiffness is definitely noticeable, even for this amatuer.
Doing the research, the two topics that came up often were 'float' and shoe stiffness. Float is the amount of rotation allowed by your cleats after you're clipped in. If you have old knee injuries like me then more float is better. It also allows for some movement when standing or shifting body position on the bike. The only disadvantage that I've heard of is it can be slightly more difficult to unclip, though I've never had that problem. A few guys in our group prefer little to no float, others prefer it. You choose. I use Time Impact pedals and love them. They are a large platform pedal with adjustments for foot angle and float, are relatively light weight and the cleats are very durable. Several in the group run the DA pedals and love them. They say the float is less than the Time pedals, but it's not an issue for them.
I've just bought myself a pair of Specialized S-Works shoes and love those too. Light weight and very comfortable, with the ratcheting cable instead of strap enclosure. They have a contoured footbed for better load spreading, which I thought was gimmicky at first but have to admit is more comfortable than my old shoes without them. Carbon fiber sole for stiffness, which is very noticeable. The stifness index is 10, which is the highest available, so be sure to check that when you're shopping around.
This stuff was spendy and took awhile for me to justify, but it's been money well spent.

Will I notice a difference between my connection with the bike (i.e., more efficient) with something like a DA 7800 set up versus SPD? Any recommendations on new shoes or other pedal setup? Is there any advantage to going with a custom bike shoe maker.

Pedals are a bit like saddles and handlebars - fairly personal choices and what makes one person happy may not do the same for others. You should notice a significant improvement with something like the DA pedal, though it won't likely make you noticeably faster. Campy ProFit is another option for a low stack height, light weight, extremely durable, easy entry/exit pedal with a good false-release prevention design. Look pedals are lower in quality, but many are very happy with them. Speedplay pedals are a popular design, though some don't like the amount of free float. And of course there is Time, Keywin, BeBop, etc. all of which have their fans.

Shoes are also very personal. Whether you need customs is something that you should find out by talking to an experienced bike shop or a custom shoe maker. If your current shoes fit and don't cause pain, then it's less likely that you will experience a revelation by going custom. Then again, it's hard to know what you're missing until you try it (maybe nothing, maybe a lot). All this from someone who has ridden at least a dozen different brands/models of shoes and doesn't find much difference between them :)

Shimano 151's are also made in wide sizes. IMO/IME they're excellent shoes. I just bought a new pair because I didn't like the Sidi Genius Megas I've been using for the past couple of years.

I'm 220lbs, ride similar mileage to you (but less veticle here in Michigan), and am very happy with the two sets of Look Keo Carbon's (CroMo spindles) I have on two road bikes. I favor the Specialized shoes--any model with relatively stiff (pref. carbon) soles and the "body geometry" features should serve you well. Roomy toe box is nice. Mine cost approx. $150.

You'll notice a better connection with the bike, faster pedaling (lighter shoes/pedals/clips), and more efficient power transfer (stiffer soles). Perhaps the biggest improvement, however, is for your longer rides. Road pedals have a wider platform and so spread the pressure out over more of your foot, leading to less pain/fatigue in centuries and other long rides.

Definitily worth the upgrade. Shoes that fit you are more important than which pedal system you choose.

I ride a similar distance in similar territory. I also have really wide feet, and do the occasionaly slow-but-really-long (>150mi) ride.

I've been using Specialized carbon shoes for the past two years, and found them both comfortable and durable.

I started with Shimano SPD mountain bike pedals, and gave them up because of hotspots on long rides. Step two was Look A-5.1s, which clipped nicely and didn't give hotspots, but were heavy and hard to clip out of (risk of 0mph crash on really steep hills).

I've settled on Time RXS carbon pedals, and have a set on each of my bikes and probably 7,000 miles on them. They are light and durable, give enough float to be comfortable, and clip in and out really easily. The cleats aren't that durable (my only complaint) but "walk" off-bike really well.

Pedals are a personal thing (as others have noted), but tho' I have no relation to Time (the company), I've never been in a position *not* to be able to recommend Time (the pedal).

I also have wide feet. I train and race on shimano 151 wide shoes and shimano ultegra pedals. Very happy with both. Previously I rode specialized comp road shoes while the fit was wide enough a carbon fibre soled shoe was a big upgrade. The previous pedals I had where look"s. They all started to squeek or the bearing wore out within 2000 k or so. The shimano pedals I have over 10,000 k on and no problems. I ride in rain, salt etc. I am very impressed with them. Just couldn"t justify durace for the cost and very little weight saving. Just my experiences with pedals and shoes.

Shimano 151's are also made in wide sizes. IMO/IME they're excellent shoes. I just bought a new pair because I didn't like the Sidi Genius Megas I've been using for the past couple of years.
Was it the fit or function of the Sidi's that made you switch?

The Look PP396 is a cheap pedal with adjustable float and a large platform. These were considered state of the art just a few years ago, before the Keo.

Ital-tecno.com has them on eBay where they sell for around $70.

I've settled on Time RXS carbon pedals, and have a set on each of my bikes and probably 7,000 miles on them. They are light and durable, give enough float to be comfortable, and clip in and out really easily. The cleats aren't that durable (my only complaint) but "walk" off-bike really well.


+1 i'm buying another set with TI spindle for my second bike i'm building.

I like Shimano road pedals, and I don't think you can go wrong with them. The PD-7800 you mentioned is a great pedal, but I would wait for the PD-7810. Where the 7800 has a plastic cover, the 7810 is metal so it's more durable. It also has a wider platform, and is a little lighter as well.

+1 for Time and Specialized

I have Time RXS Carbon and really like them. I find the pedals to be incredibly durable and issue free. The cleats are durable and have a nice stable platform, by far the easiest cleat that I have ever walked in.

Based on what you said, take a look at Specialized shoes. I have a pair with straps and just recently got the top of line with the ratchet lace system. I really like both of them. I oscillate between a D and E width shoe. The Specialized (especially the strap model) has a big toe box and runs a bit wide (certainly much wider than the regular width Sidi). You may be able to use a regular width in the Specialized without having to go for a mega width shoe.

I think the biggest thing you will notice when switching from mountain bike shoes and pedals to road bike shoes and pedals is off the bike.

All of the big name pedal manufacturers make a good line of road pedals. My personal preference is Time and one of the big reasons for prefering time is their cleat. The cleat has rubber/plastic bumpers that make it MUCH easier to walk in road shoes off the bike. Road shoes/cleats can be like walking on an ice skating rink. Some manufacturers offer cleat covers that make walking secure but I don't like to have another item to remember to take along, fish out, put on, take off, put back, whenever I stop at a convenience store to take a whiz or buy a banana. Time cleats make for pretty secure walking. That, combined with their durability, float, ease of entry and exit and secure hold make them a winner in my book.

As far as shoes, that's another story. It's like a saddle, no two people have the same foot or butt. It's a very individual thing where fit is the most important issue. Regardless of how they look or work, if your feet ache because the shoe doesn't fit nothing else matters. You just have to try a bunch until you find one that makes you go ahhhhhhhhh.

SPD-SL cleats have little rubber feet on the corners of the cleat, which makes for reasonably good walking ability for a race shoe/cleat. I wouldn't want to take a hike in them but I can walk around stops at centuries or even clamber over landslides in them.

Compared to SPD cleats you should notice a more solid connection to the pedal (depends on what pedals you have- some cheap SPD MTB pedals have a lot of slop, while good ones don't). They'll also be more comfortable on long rides, assuming the shoes fit well.

But the SPD cleats are nothing like Time cleats. They've (Time) got some meaty bumpers and it's not really part of the cleat, it's separate and can be replaced. I don't do a ton of walking with road shoes but I've used them for at least three seasons and the bumpers have plenty of life in them and they're very secure to walk in.

The brass cleat is separate from the black rubber/plastic part. Both can be replaced separately. The picture is pretty close to actual size.