Equipment Report: Weyless MG-1 pedals



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Monique Y. Herm

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So, for anyone who's interested ...

Thanks to UPS's wonderful tracking system, I knew that my pedals were due to arrive today and
already had a ride set up -- a very, very easy dirt road loop called Eagle, just past the
Boulder Res.

My dearly beloved, Eric, had assured me that pedal transplants are easy as pie, so the plan was to
meet at home, swap pedals, and meet up with friends at Eagle.

We both get home and get down to business (the bike, silly! what did you think I meant??). First
discovery is that Eric can't find his pedal wrench. He is visibly distressed at this, but bravely
soldiers on, establishing through trial and error that the sizing in question is metric, etc., etc.
He finally finds the proper wrench ... and ...

Nothing. Can't get the stupid thing to budge.

He proceeds to find various heavy objects with which to attempt to exert leverage, to no avail. I
try to refrain from saying anything critical, but somehow a ventriliquist makes something to the
effect of, "Why don't you ever schedule enough time to leave room when things go wrong?" come out
of my mouth.

Yeah. It's a good start to a ride.

We contact our friends, who assure us that they can find and bring their pedal wrench. All right.
Off we go. There's a conspicuous lack of conversation in the car, but eventually, we both loosen up
a bit, and we're back on speaking terms before we get to the parking lot.

Our friends arrive and get out the toolkit. Funny thing -- the size we need isn't in there. After a
few moments in which it looks like I might try to find a bike shop while everyone else actually gets
to ride, the wrench is found somewhere in their pickup. The pedals continue to put up a fight, but
eventually we convince them to let go. After that, of course, putting on the new pedals is a breeze.

Oh, right, this was supposed to be about those new pedals, not the old ones. Here we go.

First of all, "replaceable traction pins" is SuperGo-ese for "really sharp screw tips." That being
said, they certainly do provide traction -- much more than I was expecting. I had to lift my feet
off the pedals to touch ground -- there's far too much grip there to simply slide off.

While I'm talking about the interface between shoe and pedal -- I went ahead and used my shimano
shoes with SPD cleats still in place. I might have heard a clank once or twice while putting my foot
on the pedal, but never had any cleat-related traction issues. So I no longer have my planned excuse
to buy light-weight hiking shoes. Bummer.

Effort level -- as some of you may recall, I am a newbie switching from clipless to platform because
I simply wasn't clipping in most of the time, totally destroying the clipless advantage. So it came
as a great surprise to me how much I *had* apparently been using the clipless pedals, after all.
Half way through the ride, my thighs were much more tired than they had ever been on this trail. Of
course, this "trail" is a wide dirt road with no really scary parts, so I've been clipping in a
decent bit on it. Perhaps a different story will emerge when I try Rabbit and Betasso this weekend.

Success -- one of the reasons I got these pedals was to stop wasting my energy worrying about
whether or not I should be clipped in while climbing up any given section of the trail. There is one
"optional" steep, a side trail that you take up the hill, then turn around and ride right back down.
I was able to get farther up this hill than I ever have been before, and I attribute this 100% to
the fact that I was able to keep pushing without fearing a fall.

Blood -- toward the end of the ride, I noticed some stickiness at the back of my knee and guessed
that I was bleeding. I was right, of course =P In fact, I had several abrasions along my calf, all,
according to Eric, received while trying to start again half-way up the one steep section.
Strangely enough, my shins escaped pretty much unscathed. I've definitely noticed an apparent habit
I have of pushing the pedals back and forth with my shin and calf -- fine for clipless; bad for
these spiky pedals.

Color -- the pedals are green, as I was warned they would be -- and certainly not silver, as SuperGo
claims, unless you put them in some really bad garage light. But they're not hideously green --
pretty low-key, actually, and hey, your shoes should be on top of your pedals, hiding them most of
the time, anyway! I can't believe that someone actually returned them for the color.

Overall -- having ridden a grand total of maybe 3 miles on them, I have absolutely no real basis on
which to rate these pedals, but I'll do it anyway. They were grippy and they gave me the confidence
to go farther on a steep than I ever had before. Sure, they made me work harder, but hey, I need the
exercise. And sure, they tore up my calf a bit, but I'm pretty used to my bike beating me up -- I
have what amount to permanent chainring-tattoo scabs on my right ankle. As I bought them expressly
so that I could get up scary things without fretting too much, and they seem to be following through
on their end of the bargain, I give them two thumbs up.

Oh, and I'm working on my wheelie now, in preparation for learning to bunny hop on these things.
Little by little ... And when it comes to my wheelie, I do mean "little."

On the clipless vs. flat pedal thing -- I have a feeling I will eventually go back to clipless,
especially with the availability of that nifty multi-release cleat Zilla pointed out to me. In the
meantime, though, I think that having flat pedals will allow me to practice things like slow-motion
balance, riding up curbs, etc. with far greater success, because I won't be afraid of being stuck
to my bike.

--
monique

My pointless ramblings: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/phorum/index.php?f=6
 
On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 04:59:39 -0000, "Monique Y. Herman" <[email protected]> wrote:

>So, for anyone who's interested ...
>

(Snip well written E.R)

Well I wasn't, but I'm glad I read it anyway. Excellent report!

> In the meantime, though, I think that having flat pedals will allow me to practice things like
> slow-motion balance, riding up curbs, etc. with far greater success, because I won't be afraid of
> being stuck to my bike.

Sounds like you made the right choice for you. And that's the bottom line.

Dave (again, Excellent report!)
 
Monique Y. Herman wrote:

> So, for anyone who's interested ...
...
> Nothing. Can't get the stupid thing to budge.

I hope that you greased the threads of the new ones really well so that doesn't happen when you go
to replace these! :)

> First of all, "replaceable traction pins" is SuperGo-ese for "really sharp screw tips." That being
> said, they certainly do provide traction -- much more than I was expecting. I had to lift my feet
> off the pedals to touch ground -- there's far too much grip there to simply slide off.
...
> Blood -- toward the end of the ride, I noticed some stickiness at the back of my knee and guessed
> that I was bleeding. I was right, of course =P In fact, I had several abrasions along my calf,
> all, according to Eric, received while trying to start again half-way up the one steep section.
> Strangely enough, my shins escaped pretty much unscathed. I've definitely noticed an apparent
> habit I have of pushing the pedals back and forth with my shin and calf -- fine for clipless; bad
> for these spiky pedals.

I was looking at a similar pedal and those "traction enhancers" really worried me -- at first, I
thought that it might be a joke! I saw myself ripping my shin or leg good at some point when I fell.
They worried me far more than not being able to unclip.

> On the clipless vs. flat pedal thing -- I have a feeling I will eventually go back to clipless,
> especially with the availability of that nifty multi-release cleat Zilla pointed out to me. In the
> meantime, though, I think that having flat pedals will allow me to practice things like
> slow-motion balance, riding up curbs, etc. with far greater success, because I won't be afraid of
> being stuck to my bike.

The only time that I unclipped late was when I was going over a slippery log at a strange angle in
a tight space and couldn't twist because of my angle with the bike. It was uncomfortable, but not
a problem.

David
 
"Monique Y. Herman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> So, for anyone who's interested ... monique
>

Glad you have found the flatties to be fun and useful. I'm surprised that you had good results with
SPD-type shoes though, I would definitely go for some alternatives if you're going to learn hops and
stuff. You'll soon get used to that familiar feeling of smacking a pedal into your calf / shin,
after a while you begin to develop work-hardended shins.

Steve.
 
"Monique Y. Herman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> So, for anyone who's interested ...
<snip>
>
> Blood -- toward the end of the ride, I noticed some stickiness at the back of my knee and guessed
> that I was bleeding. I was right, of course =P In fact, I had several abrasions along my calf,
> all, according to Eric, received while trying to start again half-way up the one steep section.
> Strangely enough, my shins escaped pretty much unscathed. I've definitely noticed an apparent
> habit I have of pushing the pedals back and forth with my shin and calf -- fine for clipless; bad
> for these spiky pedals.
>
<snip excellent EqR>

You may want to invest in a pair of shin guards. A friend of mine was showing off in the parking lot
after a DH race and severely 'bear trapped' himself. He basically unzipped his shin from just below
his knee to the top of his ankle to the bone in a couple of places. It took something like 20
stitches to close it up. I drew first blood on my friends brand new trials bike( true bear traps
with two rows of sharp teeth, not pins.) and have a small boney lump just below my right knee as a
reminder, every time I kneel down.

Mike
 
"Michael Dart" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> You may want to invest in a pair of shin guards.

I second this. I've been teaching a girl how to mtb and she's on platforms like Monique is
describing. I got her to pick up some soccer shinguards ($14) at a local sports mega store and she's
no longer scared of the pins in the pedals.

Gary in VA
 
On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 10:47:00 +0100, spademan o---[) * wrote:

> Glad you have found the flatties to be fun and useful. I'm surprised that you had good results
> with SPD-type shoes though, I would definitely go for some alternatives if you're going to learn
> hops and stuff. You'll soon get used to that familiar feeling of smacking a pedal into your calf /
> shin, after a while you begin to develop work-hardended shins.

True. http://www.j-harris.net/bike/misc/shin2.jpg

Enjoy your new pedals, Monique :)

--
a.m-b FAQ: http://www.t-online.de/~jharris/ambfaq.htm

b.bmx FAQ: http://www.t-online.de/~jharris/bmx_faq.htm
 
On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 09:04:03 GMT, David Kunz <[email protected]> penned:
>
> I hope that you greased the threads of the new ones really well so that doesn't happen when you go
> to replace these! :)
>

Umm ... right ...

I asked about lubing the pedals before we got started, and Eric claimed that they were pre-lubed or
something and didn't need help.

Perhaps I'll suggest it to him again after this fiasco and see what he says.

> I was looking at a similar pedal and those "traction enhancers" really worried me -- at first, I
> thought that it might be a joke! I saw myself ripping my shin or leg good at some point when I
> fell. They worried me far more than not being able to unclip.

But how often will you really fall, as opposed to dabbing, when your feet aren't attached to
the pedals?

My scrapes came from trying to start up a steep V-shaped singletrack. It's something I know, from
previous experience, that I would have found even more frustrating in clipless, because the steep +
technical would combine to make me afraid of clipping in -- and trying to get started while trying
*not* to clip in on clipless is just a disaster.

Different strokes ...

> The only time that I unclipped late was when I was going over a slippery log at a strange angle in
> a tight space and couldn't twist because of my angle with the bike. It was uncomfortable, but not
> a problem.

I hope to get to that point, too -- but for now, this is better for me.

--
monique

My pointless ramblings: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/phorum/index.php?f=6
 
On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 04:59:39 -0000, Monique Y. Herman wrote:

> Blood -- toward the end of the ride, I noticed some stickiness at the back of my knee and guessed
> that I was bleeding. I was right, of course =P In fact, I had several abrasions along my calf,
> all, according to Eric, received while trying to start again half-way up the one steep section.
> Strangely enough, my shins escaped pretty much unscathed.

I still have tatoos on the back of my calf from my days before clipless pedals. Seems like the pedal
is usually behind my leg when I stop. I'm sure the clipless pedals hit me there too, but they don't
leave a mark.

--
-BB- To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail address, at least)
 
On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 10:47:00 +0100, spademan o---[) * <[email protected]> penned:
>
> "Monique Y. Herman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> So, for anyone who's interested ... monique
>>
>
> Glad you have found the flatties to be fun and useful. I'm surprised that you had good results
> with SPD-type shoes though, I would definitely go for some alternatives if you're going to learn
> hops and stuff. You'll soon get used to that familiar feeling of smacking a pedal into your calf /
> shin, after a while you begin to develop work-hardended shins.
>
> Steve.

Why use different shoes? (serious question)

--
monique

My pointless ramblings: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/phorum/index.php?f=6
 
On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 07:06:18 -0400, Michael Dart <[email protected]> penned:

<snip>
>
> You may want to invest in a pair of shin guards. A friend of mine was showing off in the parking
> lot after a DH race and severely 'bear trapped' himself. He basically unzipped his shin from just
> below his knee to the top of his ankle to the bone in a couple of places. It took something like
> 20 stitches to close it up. I drew first blood on my friends brand new trials bike( true bear
> traps with two rows of sharp teeth, not pins.) and have a small boney lump just below my right
> knee as a reminder, every time I kneel down.
>
> Mike

Eek! Don't scare me like that!!

Thus far, my only nicks have been to my calf, and I don't think shin guards will help with that,
unless I wear them backwards ...

But geez ... what was he doing when he managed to get smacked like that? Seems like a non-zero
number of posters here have used flat pedals for a while without mentioning such injuries .... did
they just not want to scare me off, or are they not using spikey things?

--
monique

My pointless ramblings: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/phorum/index.php?f=6
 
On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 12:48:15 GMT, Gary in VA <[email protected]> penned:
>
> "Michael Dart" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>> You may want to invest in a pair of shin guards.
>
> I second this. I've been teaching a girl how to mtb and she's on platforms like Monique is
> describing. I got her to pick up some soccer shinguards ($14) at a local sports mega store and
> she's no longer scared of the pins in the pedals.
>
> Gary in VA
>

I do have some soccer shinguards, but getting scraped by pins doesn't scare me (maybe I'm just too
dumb to be scared). Seems like having those bulky things strapped to my legs would be annoying ...

--
monique

My pointless ramblings: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/phorum/index.php?f=6
 
"Monique Y. Herman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 07:06:18 -0400, Michael Dart <[email protected]>
penned:

> But geez ... what was he doing when he managed to get smacked like that? Seems like a non-zero
> number of posters here have used flat pedals for a while without mentioning such injuries .... did
> they just not want to scare me off, or are they not using spikey things?

For general riding you should not have too much trouble. Flat pedals are used more in the, ahem,
non-standard-xc type of riding and so are bound to attract more injuries. I rarely smack my legs
whilst on an xc ride hence why I don't where shin pads on an xc ride. Just leave the crankflips,
tailwhips and can-cans to times when you are wearing pads and you'll be fine.

Steve.
 
"Monique Y. Herman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 10:47:00 +0100, spademan o---[) *
<[email protected]> penned:
> >
> > Glad you have found the flatties to be fun and useful. I'm surprised
that
> > you had good results with SPD-type shoes though, I would definitely go
for
> > some alternatives if you're going to learn hops and stuff. You'll soon
get
> > used to that familiar feeling of smacking a pedal into your calf / shin, after a while you begin
> > to develop work-hardended shins.
> >
> > Steve.
>
> Why use different shoes? (serious question)

The stiff soles found on spd compatible shoes don't offer the best grip. Different people like
different types of shoe but I imagine riding flats on a shoe with the spd-cleats still attached is
heading for trouble. IMHO the cleat is likely to increase the chances of your foot slipping off
forward on technical sections ==> nice gash in leg. FWIW I prefer shoes with quite a thin sole so
that I can get a feel for the pedal, too thin though and the pedal starts to dig into the sides of
your feet. As always try it for yourself and decide what you like best.

Steve.
 
"Monique Y. Herman" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 12:48:15 GMT, Gary in VA <[email protected]>
penned:
> >
> > "Michael Dart" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> >> You may want to invest in a pair of shin guards.
> >
> > I second this. I've been teaching a girl how to mtb and she's on
platforms
> > like Monique is describing. I got her to pick up some soccer shinguards ($14) at a local sports
> > mega store and she's no longer scared of the
pins in
> > the pedals.
> >
> > Gary in VA
> >
>
> I do have some soccer shinguards, but getting scraped by pins doesn't scare me (maybe I'm just too
> dumb to be scared).

No comment. Like I said 'after a WHILE...'

> Seems like having those bulky things strapped to my legs would be annoying ...

They are, and bl**dy hot as well. I would not consider wearing pads for an 'XC style' ride.

Steve
 
"Monique Y. Herman" wrote:
>
> On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 07:06:18 -0400, Michael Dart <[email protected]> penned:
>
> <snip>
> >
> > You may want to invest in a pair of shin guards. A friend of mine was showing off in the parking
> > lot after a DH race and severely 'bear trapped' himself. He basically unzipped his shin from
> > just below his knee to the top of his ankle to the bone in a couple of places. It took something
> > like 20 stitches to close it up. I drew first blood on my friends brand new trials bike( true
> > bear traps with two rows of sharp teeth, not pins.) and have a small boney lump just below my
> > right knee as a reminder, every time I kneel down.
> >
> > Mike
>
> Eek! Don't scare me like that!!
>

Be scared. I put some caged pedals on my bike to practice some trials moves. I would always wear
the shin guards while practicing but started leaving them off for XC rides. One day I went out to
practice bunny hops and forgot the pads (thanks to my habit of riding without). I have several
nasty scars to remind me now. Since then the guards have even saved me a few times on XC rides.
If you plan to get any air while riding wear them. The heat factor is worth it unless you like
cheap tattoos.
 
On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 16:40:39 +0100, spademan o---[) * <[email protected]> penned:
>
> For general riding you should not have too much trouble. Flat pedals are used more in the, ahem,
> non-standard-xc type of riding and so are bound to attract more injuries. I rarely smack my legs
> whilst on an xc ride hence why I don't where shin pads on an xc ride. Just leave the crankflips,
> tailwhips and can-cans to times when you are wearing pads and you'll be fine.
>

Okay, now you have to explain to me what crankflips, tailwhips and can-cans *are* -- or
provide a link!

--
monique

My pointless ramblings: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/phorum/index.php?f=6
 
On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 16:15:49 +0000, Monique Y. Herman wrote:

>> For general riding you should not have too much trouble. Flat pedals are used more in the, ahem,
>> non-standard-xc type of riding and so are bound to attract more injuries. I rarely smack my legs
>> whilst on an xc ride hence why I don't where shin pads on an xc ride. Just leave the crankflips,
>> tailwhips and can-cans to times when you are wearing pads and you'll be fine.
>>
>
> Okay, now you have to explain to me what crankflips, tailwhips and can-cans *are* -- or
> provide a link!

BMX tricks.

Crankflip (2nd part of the vid, where he kicks the cranks 360 deg whilst jumping the stairs):
http://www.angelfire.com/zine2/perspectivesvideos/clips/bstech_180_3_kflip5.wmv

Can-can: http://www.dinamite.com/bmx/gallery/sanjose/avi/nofootedcancan.avi

Tailwhip: http://www.freedombmx.de/bilder/newspics/taj.mov

--
a.m-b FAQ: http://www.t-online.de/~jharris/ambfaq.htm

b.bmx FAQ: http://www.t-online.de/~jharris/bmx_faq.htm
 
On Fri, 12 Sep 2003 18:31:22 +0200, bomba <[email protected]> penned:
>
> BMX tricks.
>
> Crankflip (2nd part of the vid, where he kicks the cranks 360 deg whilst jumping the stairs):
> http://www.angelfire.com/zine2/perspectivesvideos/clips/bstech_180_3_kflip5.wmv
>
> Can-can: http://www.dinamite.com/bmx/gallery/sanjose/avi/nofootedcancan.avi
>
> Tailwhip: http://www.freedombmx.de/bilder/newspics/taj.mov
>

I'll have to check them out when I get home (fascist company policies!)

--
monique

My pointless ramblings: http://www.bounceswoosh.org/phorum/index.php?f=6
 
Monique Y. Herman said...

> I asked about lubing the pedals before we got started, and Eric claimed that they were pre-lubed
> or something and didn't need help.
>
> Perhaps I'll suggest it to him again after this fiasco and see what he says.

He means lubing the threads where the pedals screw into the crank arms.
 
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