2011: Beginner's Clipless pedals for road bike.

[willocrew]

Hello. I am in the market for suitable clipless pedals for a first timer (me). I am mainly looking for something that is user friendly and was wondering if there are any such pedals on the 2011/2012 catalogues. Could u folks suggest some good brands and models?

 

[alienator]

Look, Time, Speedplay, Shimano, Exustar, Xpedo, and pretty much any brand out there. There are few bad pedals around, and about the only company that doesn't have solid pedals, at least judging from samples of published opinions, are Wellgo pedals, specifically their Look compatible pedals.

Go to your LBS and try some of the pedals they have.

 

[tafi]

Look Keo and Shimano SPD-SL are widely considered user-friendly and low maintenance and they are the most popular by some margin

 

[supersix 105]

forte brand by performance cheap make sure look for discounts/img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif

 

[grandamn]

Ahh young Jedi, not that I'm such a pro, I just finished my first season and put about 1,200 miles on my bike. I was confused as all hell when looking for shoes and pedals. I purchased the shoes and pedals together from here

http://www.bikebling.com/Shimano-SH-R087-Road-Bike-Shoes-Pedal-Deal-p/shimano-sh-r087-r540-promo.htm

I used a coupon I found online and I think I paid $130 shipped. I have no complaints but I was unaware of some factors. I was getting "hot foot" a lot when riding around in my new shoes. This was a swelling and numbness in my right foot. I looked around online and several people told me my foot might need to be amputated. I then found this article and after wiggling my toes every couple of minutes I have not experienced it since.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/388489-numb-feet-and-bicycling/


a bit of advice. Make sure they are properly positioned

http://www.jimlangley.net/crank/cleats.html
after my first century I jacked my knee up from being misaligned and installing these like a bull in a china store.

One major piece of advice.
ALWAYS DISCONNECT BOTH SHOES WHEN STOPPED.
I've gotten extremely used to my SPD shoes and now when I'm stopped I only unclip one of them. At the beginning I would stand on one foot with the other clipped in and then turn around to see if a car was coming and boom. I fell multiple times and got pretty banged up. I even once hit my helmet into a ladies window. You may say "obviously I'm not going to lean the wrong way and throw of my balance" but every time I did it it was just a natural reaction to my surroundings. I then would unclip both every time and I haven't fell since.

I also was reading a lot about socks. Many people say that their cotton socks are perfectly fine and that is what I used for 3 months. I then shopped around and found the most affordable socks here
http://www.bikewagon.com/Clothing-Shoes-Helmets/Socks/Shorts/Bikewagon-Cycling-Socks-p9412843.html
Whoever wrote that cotton socks are fine I'm assuming have never worn cycling socks. With the holes in the shoes and wearing these socks my feet breath and feel great throughout the ride. This might have even helped with the swelling issue mentioned earlier.

I hope this information helps you. I am just trying to repeat the courtesy that was given to me on this forum.


P.S. I'm a very frugal cyclist

 

[willocrew]

Hi grandamn. Thanks for your reply. The health info you shared is even more important than finding the cheapest deal. Thanks for the headsup.

 

[maydog]

I have had good luck with several styles of wellgo pedals. I currently use a wellgo SPD style pedal and a Look ARC style pedal. Both are on the cheap end of the spectrum, but not the absolute cheapest. Many wellgo pedals appear identical to name brand units.

The SPD pedal is dual sided, allowing the use of regular shoes. However, I rarely ride without clipping in. The SPD cleat can be recessed in normal-ish looking shoes which is good for walking around. The cleat itself is steel and wears very well over time.

The Look style pedal has a much larger cleat to pedal interface. My feet feel a bit more secured to the pedal in these. One downside is that the cleat wears faster as it is made of plastic. I keep an eye on the cleat condition as failures can be catastrophic. I go through at least one set in a season.

 

[davereo]

Originally Posted by alienator .

Look, Time, Speedplay, Shimano, Exustar, Xpedo, and pretty much any brand out there. There are few bad pedals around, and about the only company that doesn't have solid pedals, at least judging from samples of published opinions, are Wellgo pedals, specifically their Look compatible pedals.

Go to your LBS and try some of the pedals they have.

By far the worst pedal I ever owned was a pair of Wellgo look style pedals I purchased from Supergo ten years or so ago. Those pedals had the death grip what a nightmare trying to get out of them.

The Look Keo Easy pedals have been one of the best pedals for the buck IMO. They live up to their name easy in and out. They are pretensioned so there is no need to adjust them. They can be found for around 80.00.

 

[willocrew]

Ive been eyeing the look keo classics and the time rsx first road bike pedals (first meaning beginners?). Both seem reasonably priced although the shimano models in general seem even cheaper. Any thoughts on those three? Also, I've ben looking for shoes and IMO the adidas adistar road shoes are the nicest looking but too bad they have been discontinued. Dam. And the 2012 mavics are completely sold out?

 

[Froze]

Regardless if your first time rider or not, all pedals work virtually the same, some are little stiffer then others, obviously they all look different. This is strictly a personal opinion and not saying that anyone else's opinion is wrong or mine is right, just different. These pedals were my first foray into the world of clipless design, I'm old school and have lots of old school bikes all with cleats and straps, so I did a bunch of research when I got a 07 Mercian Vincitore and thought I would try clipless pedals. I like them. Do I prefer them? ehh, half dozen of one, half a dozen of another, it really doesn't matter to me, I'm so use to riding with clips and straps for the last 40+ years it's no big deal to ride with them, but clipless is cool too.

I decided on SpeedPlays after much research and I like them, and what follows is why I preferred them over others. I put a set of SpeedPlay Frogs on my road bike...I know their for MTB's, but this was for a touring bike and wanted a recessed cleat on the shoe so I could walk in the same shoes without putting a cover over the cleat and feeling that cleat bump as I walk, it makes my riding more versatile. Their not bad priced, the CroMoly pedals start at around $105 which is all you would need, I got the stainless because I didn't want them to rust prematurely and those are around at $135. Their overall probably the lightest pedal on the market; they offer dual sided entry so your not fumbling with the pedal to get one side up so you can hook in; they offer relaxed float so your foot will naturally find the most comfortable angle and your knees aren't as stressed, they call it non-centering free float; they got the lowest stack height of any pedal which is supposedly to give you a tad better power transfer, not sure how that works in the real world though! they also have the best cornering clearance, which isn't an issue on a touring bike anyway, but normal road bikes it could be; and the non Frog versions some have different colors so if your into matching your bike you might find a color to do that with.

The lowest cost non MTB pedal SpeedPlay is the the X/5, these cost $115. Keep in mind too that if you buy another bike and sell your current one you can transfer the pedals to the new bike and put some other cheaper pedals on the old bike.

And best of all...drum roll please...THEIR MADE IN THE USA!!! Oh my God, will miracles ever cease?

 

[davereo]

Originally Posted by Froze .




And best of all...drum roll please...THEIR MADE IN THE USA!!! Oh my God, will miracles ever cease?

Rata tat tat tat tat /img/vbsmilies/smilies/icon14.gif

 

[alienator]

The last two pedal types I've used have been Speedplay X/2 pedals and Look Keo Carbons (not so much carbon, but it sounds catchy, doesn't it? /img/vbsmilies/smilies/wink.gif). The Speedplays had great float, but ultimately I just couldn't live with the durability issues I was having. Despite using cafe covers religiously with the Speedplays, I noticed with two different pairs that as the bodies wore, a rocking motion would be apparent between cleat/shoe and pedal. That motion gave a feeling of instability and wasn't confidence inspiring. Also, I broke a spring in two different cleats despite frequent meticulous cleaning and lubing of the cleats. After the second spring broke, I bought the Look Keos.

Lateral float in the Keos does not cover as large an angle but it feels as free as that of the Speedplays. The cleats when engaged with the pedals feels more stable over time as the cleat wears. Keo cleats are less expensive, and I don't find the wear rate excessive.

Of course, the way the pedals engage the cleat is different between the two brands, and the Speedplay can be engaged from both sides. Frankly, I think it matters little as both types easily engage.

In the end, it really comes down to personal preference. You'll find many people who instead prefer Time pedals, Kewins, Bebops, Shimano SPDs and SPD-SLs. There are even a few whack jobs who think Aerolites are the best thing since being gagged by Marisa Tomei with a pair of her gently worn but still moist panties.

 

[Froze]

I haven't had any problems with my Speedplays but maybe the Frogs are built more rugged for off road use?