Are all clipless shoes and pedals designed the same way?

Question

I want to get the pedals and shoes separately,not a combo, so are all clipless shoes designed to fit all clipless pedals? Pedals are Crank Bros. Smarty and the shoes are 661 filter

Answer 1

Well, not ALL shoes will fit ALL pedals, but most of them are pretty compatible.  The shoe generally will not come with a cleat, but the pedals will have the cleats.  The cleats will hook into the bottom of your shoe and depending on the brand of shoe, it may or not fit the attachment bolt pattern.

To my knowledge, most pedals use the LOOK 3-hole bolt pattern including LOOK, speedplay, and crank brothers (egg beaters).  Shimano SPD's and maybe SPD-SL's use a different 2-hole bolt pattern.  Look at the bottom of the shoe to see the bolt pattern and make sure it matches that of the pedal's cleat.  Often the box on the shoe will tell you what types of pedals it is compatible with.

Doing a quick google search seems to confirm that combination should work.

Answer 2

they aren't all the same. however, the cleats come with the pedals, not the shoes. you s***w the cleat to your shoes. generally, cleats and shoes are compatible, with some obscure exceptions..