Hello all,
Before I found out about this forum, I was pretty much only searching on Amazon for all things bargain bicycle. After 20+ years away from the sport, when I started riding again this past March, I needed to replace my Shimano shoes that had deteriorated in the back of my closet. I didn't want to spend a ton of money as I'm riding a vintage bike, I just wanted to be comfortable clipped in to my Shimano SPD 737 pedals.
I took a gamble on the Venzo shoes with included pedals. I can't speak for the pedals as I have not used them enough to give feedback, but the shoes have seen heavy use since the end of March. I ride almost daily between 15 - 20 miles each ride, quite often hitting water, mud, some tarmac etc... These shoes have continued to hold up very nicely. Granted they are not the same as my old Shimano shoes which I paid 4 times the price 25 years ago, but they are definitely doing a very good job of serving me in my abuse on them, and they are comfortable while being snug. The soles are not as stiff as a high end racing shoe, but they are stiffer than most of the 'Vans Style' SPD shoes. Actually not to bad to walk in either. When they get all nasty, I take some Oxyclean and a brush, put them in the sink, scrub-a-dub for a couple of minutes, rinse and let drip dry. Really brings back the color. :-)
I know that one of the reasons this site exists is for fellow riders to share info on products they feel are reasonable/quality at lower price points. I just wanted to put this one out here for anyone looking for shoes under $70.00 (pedals included). It's a great package for anyone wanting to try SPD without sinking $400+ into pedals and shoes.
Below are the shoes I purchased. Please note the sizing is off. Just read through the reviews if you need help with sizing.
I am a US 10.5-11 and I ordered a 44.5 which fit perfectly.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00PJGWS4G/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1TJ
