Bike pedals and clips advice

[wmak]

Hi

I just purchased a Giant CRX4 and went for my first ride today. there are lot of hills and I went for a ride with my friend who has pedals with clips and for me to keep up i have to pedal twice when he only has to do it once.

I want to upgrade pedals and get cycling shoes. My question is that what makes a good pedal and are they all one size fit all so if i buy it off ebay I can just install it or take it to the bike shop and install it? Any recommendations also?

The 2nd question is that i've heard mountin bike clips on a road bike makes more sense for commuting because you can walk on it. But because they have smaller clips than those chunky road ones, are they less efficient? I can park the bike under my work place so it won't be too much of an issue to get road ones because I can just take off the shoes and get into the lift.

What are the opinion of experienced riders?

Thanks

 

[DNAtsol]

Hi

I want to upgrade pedals and get cycling shoes. My question is that what makes a good pedal and are they all one size fit all so if i buy it off ebay I can just install it or take it to the bike shop and install it? Any recommendations also?


The 2nd question is that i've heard mountin bike clips on a road bike makes more sense for commuting because you can walk on it. But because they have smaller clips than those chunky road ones, are they less efficient? I can park the bike under my work place so it won't be too much of an issue to get road ones because I can just take off the shoes and get into the lift.

I'm not an experienced rider but I have done some reasarch and I decided to go with SPDs. clipless pedals are systems that link your foot to the bike so whether you go with SPDs, eggbeaters or froggers it will not matter what system you use as long as you match. You need SPD clips for SPD pedals. These will work on both MTBs and road bikes. I went with SPDs for several reasons. One they are simple and I am just starting out and by no means consider myself so experieinced as to warrent anything more that a good beginner set and SPDs have been around the longest. and have been very good for both the road riding and single track riding I've been doing. Eggbeaters and froggers tend to be easier to get in an out of (important on those single tracks rides) and have more leeway (float) to your foot position without losing the connection between you and the bike.

The second question really has more to do with the shoes rather than the clip system. Once I am clipped in my feet go no where. The moutain bike shoes have cleats on the soles that are longer than the inset clip so you can do a more normal walk (the soles are still rigid so it's not always comfey). A pure bred road shoe is not going to have a heel or cleats when you get off the bike your toes tend to be higher than your heel and you walk a little funny. It's just less comfortable.

 

[melslur]

Hi
... My question is that what makes a good pedal and are they all one size fit all so if i buy it off ebay I can just install it or take it to the bike shop and install it? ...

Just to be clear, there are two "interfaces" to the pedal, if you will. The first interface is with the crank - yes, they are 99.9% all the same size. The only exception that I know of is a Shimano pedal from the 80's or mabye early 90's. The 99.9% size is 9/16 ", and that will fit in your crank.

The other interface is with your shoe. Yes there are many different systems. If you go with SPD (mountain bike) then you can also use your shoes at the gym on the stationery bikes there. I myself went with Look Keo Classic pedals, since there are cheap, light, have a large interface to distribute the load, and I only pedal on the road.

 

[rparedes]

Hi
The 2nd question is that i've heard mountin bike clips on a road bike makes more sense for commuting because you can walk on it. But because they have smaller clips than those chunky road ones, are they less efficient? I can park the bike under my work place so it won't be too much of an issue to get road ones because I can just take off the shoes and get into the lift.

What are the opinion of experienced riders?

Thanks

I ride SPD road pedals on my road bike and spd mountain pedals on my MTB. Have two pair of shoes: road and sport shoes. The sport shoes have the recessed cleat so I can walk. The road SPD pedals have a larger platform.
Another option are the eggbeater kind (make both MTB and road pedals)

 

[Yojimbo_]

I also have road SPD pedals on my bike, although I think this is a discontinued line. The cleat has a little rubber thing called a pontoon so you can walk on it. I can still get replacement parts on the web.

Note that switching to clipless and cleats will not suddenly make you able to keep up with your fried. It will take some getting used to, after which you'll ultimately find it more comfortable.

 

[azdroptop]

Pedals are all personel preference. If you are going to have to walk any distance in the shoes go with Mountain bike type pedals. If not use either. It's really about what you like. For me I use speedplays because they offer a great deal of adjustment and float and only ride on the road. I have friends who ride on and off road so they use mountain bike pedals on both bikes with the same shoes.

 

[buckybux]

I am an experienced rider. I ride about 5000 miles a year as a roadie, and have been commuting to work on a bike for 20 years.

I have gone with the Crank Bros Candy C's (eggbeater type). This is a mountain bike type. Unless you are a racer (my road style I define at advanced recreational, no racing, but I do ride hard), the advantage with road pedals is minimal. I can use the same shoe/pedal in the commuter and the road bike.

I like the Candy C, because is easier to enter, and it releases in all directions. Not sure if the SPD does or not, but from looking at it, it appears to release only with side motions.

As for the shoes, definately go with the mountain style, especially if you have to climb stairs or ride in an elevator. I am also afraid that the clip will catch when going in and out of the elevator.

Also, if you have a nice bike, be careful about locking it outside. If you do lock it outside, make sure it is in a place that has good visiblity and that has constant people in the area. On my road bike, about $3000 US, I take it inside and leave it in my office. Often time employers will work with you on the bike if you ask them. My previous employer used to let me leave it in a storage room.

 

[dabac]

..I went for a ride with my friend who has pedals with clips and for me to keep up i have to pedal twice when he only has to do it once.

That has much more to do with gearing than with type of pedal. Do note that there's nothing particularly good about keeping the number of pedal strokes down. Do a search about suitable cycling cadence and read a bit.

..I want to upgrade pedals and get cycling shoes.

That is still a good idea if you feel that you have the money. You are likely to gain in both comfort, performance and safety once you've gotten used to the connect/disconnect thing.

..My question is that what makes a good pedal

Depends on your preferences. Quality-wise they're "all" pretty good these days, even the fairly cheap ones. Some offer more "float"(i.e.allows the foot to rotate w/o disconnecting), which can be critical if your knees are picky. Some, like the eggbeaters, will perform well in mud/snow that would clog other pedals. Shimanos are good because they're everywhere.

..I..are they all one size fit all so if i buy it off ebay I can just install it or take it to the bike shop and install it?

There ARE two dimensions available, but one is so much more common that it is almost a moot point Think PC/Mac, only more so.

..Any recommendations also?

I started out with Shimano, and switched to Eggbeaters. Ease of engagement is great, retaining ability is consistent, and I have yet to find the snow/mud that will clog them up. They haven't got much of a platform though, so it took quite a few miles to get used to the wobbly feel sideways.
Recently I've bought a pair of Crank Brothers Candy, and I actually prefer those over the eggbeaters on my commuter bike. The presence of a platform makes it easier to power my way through an intersection if I fail to connect cleanly on takeoff.

.. i've heard mountin bike clips on a road bike makes more sense for commuting because you can walk on it.

That's right. The MTB line of equipment will have the cleat recessed into the sole, which leaves you with a certain amount of sole tread to walk on. A MTB shoe can look quite "normal" too, if you don't want to draw attention to yourself. A road cleat is bigger, and a road shoe may well have little to no sole tread at all for weight and arerodynamic reasons.

... But because they have smaller clips than those chunky road ones, are they less efficient?

Well, the road cleat spreads the attachment to the sole wider apart than for the MTB counterpart, and maybe there's a little more materials overlap in the actual mechanical interface. But before any of that can translate into efficiency losses the rider has to exert enough force for things to start to flex and slide and there simply aren't that many of us who spend enough time (if any!) in that range of output power to make it a real concern.

.. I can park the bike under my work place so it won't be too much of an issue to get road ones because I can just take off the shoes and get into the lift.

Removing the shoes and walking barefoot in a public place is something I wouldn't like to do, even for a short distance. Switching to "civilian" shoes only for a lift ride also seems improbable. And once you start riding regularly you're likely to find all sorts of situations when being able to walk around a bit is quite useful.
Besides, you only need one step to slip and fall...

 

[wmak]

thankyou for that it makes a lot more sense now. I'm thinking of going with Shimano SPD (not the SL) they seem to be popular and has recessed clets. Happy to take opinions but. thanks for all your help though