Cross shoes?

[grant]

I'm looking to get in to cross this season and have a question about shoes. Have any of you guys found some shoe/cleat combo that rises above the rest?

[mvi]

For me eggbeaters beat them all. Forget about the platform, you don't need it. Bearings wear quick, but are easy to replace. The cheapest eggs work as well as the most expensive, but don't last. Mud clearance is rarely an issue in the south. Euro pro's are mostly on XTR pedals with new XT being similar.
Shoes: a rubber sole is nice however the UCI rules have taken a lot of barriers and steps out of most regional races as well. Sidi dominators are nice but expensive, and have a hard plastic slippery sole,
MTB pro's and some elite guys are known to take road shoes and glue some MTB -tire profile under them. Most important is that you practice : click in-click out- repeat 500 times . You can do it when you ride on the road coasting, or in the kitchen for that matter. Finding your pedal on the first beat is huge.
Check roadbike review.com cyclocross boards.
The fun thing about cross is that you can try anything; I've used cheap- cracked ebay ZIP wheels with succes in cross. Would not ride them on the road for my life , but the worse that happens in cross is that you fall on the grass and grab your spare bike.

[Josh Whitmore]

For pedals I think it mostly comes down to personal preference or what you are used to using. The egg beaters have the best mud clearance (rarely needed) but I find have a less positive click when dis-engaging. In that way I prefer Shimano SPD pedals which are very positive in/out. The shimano pedals have bearings that last the longest as well. But lots of people swear by egg beaters, Time attack, or others.

Shoes, most important to find an MTB shoe that fits well. Different brands fit differently. Some have more narrow toe box, heel box, etc. So you just have to try a bunch on to figure out what fits YOUR foot the best.

I agree with MVI though that it really doesn't matter for cross. Just use anything, have fun, and don't worry too much about it.

[grant]

Thanks for the help. Got it all taken care of.