pedal qusetion

i am new into the biking world.Of course i used to ride bikes all the time,and worked on a few too....but haven't really gotten into them again until now.Im planning on buying one pretty soon.I already checked with my LBS and know i need a 56cm.
My question is about the pedals though.Why is it that practally all bikes you see for sale used have no pedals on them? And what are the differences in the pedals you can have nowadays?
Im guessing you dont just have a set of flat pedals and wear your sneakers anymore huh?
Im just curious as to what pedals i should be looking into.Thanks again

mike

I think new bikes don't have pedals because everyone has their own preference, so there is no real point to showing bikes with pedals.

I presume you are talking road bikes....which means clipless pedals. There are many different types and there are people who like / dislike all of them. Go to your LBS and look at a few....or get your search engine crunching away.

Pedals are a matter of personal preference. Buying a new bike with pedals installed would be like buying a car with CDs already in the CD Changer. You might like rock but the CDs might be all country.

The days of jumping on the bike and riding with the old style rubber block pedals or rat traps are long gone. Most people use clipless pedals, which means that they are not using the old system of toe clips and toe straps. Don't get confused it you hear folks talking about clipping in and clipping out of their pedals. The so called clipless pedals still have a cleat that attaches to the bottom of your shoe and clips into the pedal when you start to ride. On most pedals, you twist your foot to unclip when you are slowing down to stop. It takes little getting used to and it can be uncomfortable walking with this cleat on the bottom of your shoe. You also need special shoes, your sneakers won't work.

You can still buy platform pedals or quill pedals if you don't want to mess with clipless pedals right away. A lot of platform and quill pedals will accept toe clips and toe straps if you want to start out that way. I personally use toe clips and toe straps, but I have been using them for 40 years and they are what I am most comfortable with.

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The other posters appear to be lacking essential information.

Actually, lack of pedals has a legal meaning in most jurisdictions! (i.e. in your country, whatever it is, a bike with or without pedals are different legally)

For a bike to be sold with pedals means that the bike is road worthy.

A bike sold without pedals is not road worthy.

So for a shop to sell a bike that would be breaking some law or other, which is most race style bikes actually, they sell them without pedals, and then they'll sell you some, and as a courtesy, fit them.

The laws they're usually breaking are to do with front and rear reflectors, mudguards, tires and breaks.

HTH

My LBS has had this issue taken up with them by the Fair Trading authorities here, and they have successfully argued that 'racing' style bikes are intended for use on closed racing circuits, so they can be sold without pedals +/- reflectors +/- bell, as they do not need to meet the requirements for road laws.

If the end user wishes to use such a bicycle on the road, it is her/her responsibility to ensure that it complies, not the LBS (and they'll happily give them a free bell/reflector).

Not a bad way to get around the laws, I say. Kids bikes that they sell, however, are not negotiable, and have everything prescribed. Its hard to argue that a 5 year old will be racing his bike on a closed circuit.

YMMV, depending on how anal your local authorities are.

n