Mars bar syndrome

[Pete Biggs]

Simon Brooke wrote:

> Shimano SPD (the original, not SPD-R or SPD-SL) is OK except in muddy
> conditions, when the pedals tend to clog up with mud.

That's only happened to me once with SPDs (clogged enough to stop
working) -- happened to be today... but a quick poke with a stick did the
trick. I think they're pretty good at shedding mud. Well, compared to
Looks anyway.

> The pressure
> area is small, and so they're not nearly as comfortable as Look type
> systems for on-road use

Still reasonably comfortable when you're happy with the shoes. Certainly
more comfy than toe clips for me. I did 100 miles today with no foot
trouble, in Shimano MO21 shoes on Shimano M520 pedals -- SPD mechanism on
both sides, no flipping! If you do want SPDs Paul, I recommend this
model. M420 should also be good as it's the lighter version.

(I have Look pedals on my road bike but I've riding my tourer a lot
recently. It's going better and feeling more comfortable than ever).

~PB

 

[Pete Biggs]

Paul Boyd wrote:
> Well, that's done it! For £35, I've just ordered M520 pedals and the
> multi-release cleat set, from St John St Cycles. That gives me the
> cleat nuts, and a choice of which type of cleat to use. The
> multi-release cleats give more options for releasing in a hurry!

Multi-release disengage when you pull sharply upwards, which seems like a
dangerous idea to me.

The so called single-release actually release when foot is rotated in
either direction.

~PB

 

[David Martin]

Pete Biggs wrote:
> Paul Boyd wrote:
> > Well, that's done it! For £35, I've just ordered M520 pedals and the
> > multi-release cleat set, from St John St Cycles. That gives me the
> > cleat nuts, and a choice of which type of cleat to use. The
> > multi-release cleats give more options for releasing in a hurry!
>
> Multi-release disengage when you pull sharply upwards, which seems like a
> dangerous idea to me.

Aren't they just worn single release cleats rebadged ? ;-)

I find the biggest problem with the cleats is small stones getting
lodged in the sole of the shoe.

...d

 

[Mike Causer]

On Mon, 17 Apr 2006 01:16:18 -0700, David Martin wrote:

> I find the biggest problem with the cleats is small stones getting lodged
> in the sole of the shoe.

I find the biggest problem with cleats is stepping in dog-****, not
noticing and then transfering it to the pedal. Ugh!


Mike

 

[Pete Biggs]

Mike Causer wrote:

> I find the biggest problem with cleats is stepping in dog-****, not
> noticing and then transfering it to the pedal. Ugh!

Nasty but at least you don't have to touch anything, unlike after
puncturing after cycling through dog ****. Double ugh!

~PB

 

[Dave Larrington]

In article <4E18283C68%[email protected]>, ([email protected])
wrote:
> On 15 Apr,
> "wafflycat" <w*a*ff£y£cat*@£btco*nn£ect.com> wrote:
>
> >
> > <[email protected]> wrote in message news:4E180FBBA5%[email protected]...
> > > How many times did you fall off whilst acclimatising?
> > >
> >
> > Once.
>
> Is that typical of other converts? I could probably cope with once, as long
> as it is a slow fall.

One more than me I /have/ had a few incidents since wherein I've
not managed to get a foot out in time, but riding a recumbent low enough
to be able to get a hand down on the deck prevented undignified
sprawling in the road. On once occasion I did go down still strapped
into a burning bike - I'd got my right foot out OK, but the bike decided
to go down on its left side. Into cold wet long grass and bushes.

Good one by the .sig generator there V

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
Funsize Mars bars? What could possibly be MORE fun about eating LESS
chocolate?

 

[Alan Braggins]

In article <[email protected]>, Peter Clinch wrote:
>citizen142 wrote:
>
>> I call this the Mars Bar Syndrome - at 62 I can remember when the
>> 'giant' Mars bar was the standard bar, instead of which we now get the
>> ever decreasing bar where eventually the packaging will be heavier
>> than the contents!
>
>Point of order, m'lud, at 39 my memory is rather the opposite, with
>the standard sized bar increasingly sidelined by ever bigger
>versions as time went by.

It's a bit of both, I think. The bars slowly shrank to keep the price the
same, until they introduced a larger "giant" size. That then shrank until
it becomes standard (at the same "giant" price) while the original standard
was dropped, and a new "giant" size was introduced at a yet higher price.

Compare with cars which grow, for example a VW Golf being so much larger
than the original that the Polo grew to original Golf size, creating a new
niche for the Lupo to fill at the bottom. I gather similar things happen
in biology.

I can imagine a similar trend happening with mountain bikes with what is
nominally the same model getting longer and longer travel suspension until
a new range slots in where the old one was a few years back, but I don't
actually know if bike naming schemes work that way, I'm just desperately
trying to bring bikes in.

 

[Alan Braggins]

Mike Causer wrote:
>On Sat, 15 Apr 2006 11:28:14 +0100, Nick Kew wrote:
>
>
>> Are they available in a comfy form (like a trainer)?
>
>Yes.
>
>> Not unless I can, at the very least, walk comfortably in it.
>
>Yes, no problem. The shoes you need are sold as "MTB", rather than
>"road". The sole is more flexible, the cleats are recessed into a
>moderately chunky tread, and there's a small heel.

Still not as flexible as a trainer though. But then if you want a flexible
soled shoe and don't care greatly about efficiency you don't need clips
either, which is just as convenient as clipless. (At least on an upright -
a recumbent, especially a tadpole trike, is another matter.)

I now keep an extra pair of shoes at work and generally change if
I have worn SPD shoes in, though wearing the cycling shoes all day
wasn't actually a problem (I've walked all day in boots that were
stiffer). (If I'm just coming in a few miles from the Park and Ride
instead of the whole way I wear normal shoes anyway.)

 

[Alan Holmes]

"Pinky" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
>
> "Tony Raven" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Pinky wrote:
>>>
>>> On my new bike I have had half and half pedals installed. I just think
>>> on my long touring holidays it will be nice to get out of bike shoes at
>>> the end of a day and be able to pootle around in flip flops/trainers or
>>> whatever.
>>>
>>
>> Shimano SPD sandals are what you need. I live in mine when I'm touring.
>>
>> --
>> Tony
>>
>> "The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
>> right."
>> - Lord Hailsham
>
> You see that you are not always right!
>
> You see there are problems in being older and my body is subject to
> various drawbacks caused by medical conditions and by some of the
> medications I take as well.
>
> I am a type 2 diabetic which is controlled by diet only but I am aware
> that it is a degenerative disease and one of the effects is a circulation
> problem with extremities. Now I have no problem with my feet at the
> moment, but I do take care of them. Also I take one aspirin every day as
> an aid to blood pressure (to "thin" the blood). One of its side effects is
> to reduce the speed of clotting of my blood such that any minor cut or
> scratch bleeds quite enough to lay a small trail of blood on the surface
> of my skin and it is disfiguring to my pride rather than detrimental to my
> health.
>
> So I avoid wearing sandals when cycling seriously for obvious reasons --
> much as I would enjoy the freedom involved. It has other drawbacks -- I
> wear 2 pairs of socks every day - the 2nd after showering for evening!

Do you shower with the first pair still on your feet?

Alan

 

[Alan Holmes]

"Keith Willoughby" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> <[email protected]> writes:
>
>> I could be convinced, but I don't ke falling off.
>
> Just as a data-point, I've never fallen off since I got clipless
> pedals.

I fell of a short while back whilst trying to turn a very sharp corner to go
onto a track, as I had just had an operation on my knee I couldn't get up,
fortunately a lady who was passing in a car turned out to be a nurse and she
helped me to get up!

Alan

>
> --
> Keith Willoughby http://flat222.org/keith/
> "You are the real un-Americans and you should be ashamed of yourselves."
> - Paul Robeson to the HUAC