Clipless pedals for a newbie.

I am purchasing my first road bike and am now in the market for clipless pedals. Any suggestions?

 

Depends on what you expect to do with your road bike, your budget and personal preferences. In a nutshell:

• If you just plan on riding for fun, don't expect to contest full on sprints much and want a shoe/cleat combo that's easy to walk in for that apres ride stop in the coffee shop or running errands on your bike then get one of the Shimano SPD pedal systems with a shoe that has either recessed cleats or those little pontoons that give you a walking surface next to the cleat.
• If you plan on riding competively then consider a more secure cleat system for full out sprinting. Looks are a good choice as are Speedplays and many others. I had good luck with Look cleats but switched to Speedplays for their rock solid security. I run SPDs on my mountain and cross bike but gave up on road SPDs after pulling out and nearly going over the bars one too many times while sprinting.

You'll find folks have strong opinions on pedal systems and frankly most of them are awfully good. Just find something that works with the shoes you bought and consider things like the ability to walk in them vs a large platform (good for long rides) and security during max efforts.

Good luck,
Dave

 

If one is considering SPD, then definitely look into Crank Brothers options.

I transitioned from SPD to CB and deeply regret that no one in the first place suggested CB to me. For road application, CB has their Quattro line which shares the identical cleat system as their MTB eggbeater range. Further, SPD is known to pull out for some in a hard sprint but CB won't. At the same time, you can use MTB or road shoes on CB's Quattro.

 

I would recommend Mountain bike shoes and clips for a beginner( easier to walk and such) at least till u get used to them.
You dont say where u are from but in US try nashbar.com or performancebike.com for some decent prices online.

 

I use time pedals, and find them easy to get in and out of. Didn't take alot of time to get used to them either. It's a simple as leaning your bike up against a wall and practicing clipping in and out, for bout 30 minutes. Also try www.probikekit.com if your lookin for products on the net.

 

I have gone with the Time pedals.

 

I started out with the SPD-Rs and really liked them. I just recently switched to speedplays, and I only switched because I have knee issues and needed the broader range of float.
But I would definitaly recommend looking at the SPD-Rs, they are easy to learn with, I also feel that they are good pedals that you can grow with and not need to switch out of.

 

I use Speedplays on my MTB but went to Crank Bros. Quattros on my road bike. I like both pedal systems. The Speedplays feel better to me off-road because of all the float, letting my knees move around as I wrangle the bike around. On the road I wanted less float for sprinting and went with the Crank Bros.

 

I got mine from Nashbar...pretty cheap I admit, but I am also a newbie. They are hard to walk in....I would carry a pair of flip-flops in my frame bag if I thought I would have to walk more than 5 feet!!

 

May be too late for this poster, but I LOVE my new Speedplay X/2 pedals. Easy to get in and out of, plus 23 degrees of float to help your knees stay happy.

 

Speedplay have anew pedal out called the Light Action. This pedal is great for first time users because the spring action is lighter allowing easier entry intot he pedal.

All the other speedplay options are there including doublesided entry which is great for a first time user.