"mountain" and "road" pedals

[Marian]

amakyonin wrote:

> If you can find them, you should get a pair of the now-discontinued
> Look 4x4s which are original style eggbeaters with a superior needle
> bearing on the inboard side. Barring that, look for the EB SL (or S) or

Now discontinued... really...?

That's one of the interesting things about living in China. It might
take a while for stuff to show up but it takes even longer for stock to
go away again.

I think I know where I can get those. Are the cleats compatible or
would I have to either have different sets of shoes or the same pedals
on all bikes?

-M

 

[Peter Cole]

Artoi wrote:
>
> The associated question now is what are the pros and cons of using road
> shoes with SPD cleats/pedals? One salesman told me that SPD system
> sometimes can crack the sole and they had a number of customers coming
> back with that problem. Is that also BS?
> --

There was at least one problem with a particular model of Shimano shoes.
These were MTB type shoes of an over-the-ankle design. My wife (average
size/weight) had a pair (bought perhaps 10 years ago) and they cracked
under the cleat after perhaps a year or two of use. I Googled (or
whatever then) and found numerous reports f this kind of cracking for
this particular shoe. I was unsuccessful in getting any
refund/replacement from Shimano.

OTOH, my wife, children and I have many pairs of road & off-road shoes
between us, all SPD, many different makes, in all prices and qualities,
with many years and miles, and no similar incidents of sole cracking.

 

[Paul Hobson]

amakyonin wrote:

> I can only speak for the Candies. My biggest problem with them is too
> much friction between the platform and the clip mechanism. The platform
> doesn't spin freely enough against the clip bars (The entire assembly
> spins fine on the spindle). When I ride unclipped, the clip mechanism
> tends to get rotated by the shoe so that it's out of ideal alignment
> with the platform making it harder to clip back in. This is exacerbated
> by the Lake MXZ-300s I'm usually using with these pedals as they are my
> hardest shoes with which to clip in consistently even on the naked EBs
> and despite trimming the soles. This problem isn't a show stopper and I
> still use them for winter because I want the stability of the platform
> when going through snow unclipped. It might not be very frustrating if
> you have no experience with the naked EBs but for those that do, the
> *sometimes* fiddly clip-in is a little annoying. The Quattros and the
> new Smarties may have reduced or no friction against the platfom making
> this a non-issue.

Looking back on the CB website, it actually was the Smarties who had
really caught my eye. Thanks for sharing your experience. That really
helps me out.

\\paul

 

[daytoncapri]

> When I want simplicity, low cost, and the ability to ride with
> non-cycling specific shoes, I will use pedal with Powergrips.

There's considerable discussion to be found on the skeletal effects of
clipless pedals - some of it disconcerting.

1. About 12 bucks for Powergrips is a very modest investment. Looks to
me that this flexible strap might provide some float. I think I'll try
that on my beater bike. Thanks for the tip.

2. The other cleat designs have spooked me after reading about knee
damage in the long-term from misaligned and ill-connected bike shoes.
My knees were hurting in strange places with every stroke when using
SPD-style cleats. These were not typical muscle aches, and I couldn't
persuade myself that my body could take it for the long term. Those
SPDs style cleats are in a box on the shelf now.

3. I have since spent about $100 on Bebops - which features a super big
float. I really love them - I felt the pain in the wallet, rather than
the knees.

 

[SYJ]

Artoi wrote:
---snip---
>
> Do you have a number on that? Maybe the idea of getting a competition
> MTB shoe makes sense for the road... A compromise b/n walkability,
> weight, SPD compatibility and looks.
> --

If you're asking for a number on the mileage on the Shimano MTB shoes,
unfortunately, I do not. However, I used them exclusively for both
road and MTB for about 6 years, back when I was racing (MTB) and
commuting every day. I'd say somewhere around 30k, but that's just a
WAG. The thing that finally did them in was a hike-a-bike section on a
Vegas MTB trail.

If you're asking for a number on the shoe (shimano's designation), I
think it was a SM-210. THey were the old blue & black shoes with
yellow trim and (if I recall correctly), a green nylon midsole.

SYJ

 

[amakyonin]

Marian wrote:
> I think I know where I can get those. Are the cleats compatible or
> would I have to either have different sets of shoes or the same pedals
> on all bikes?
>
> -M

The cleats are the same. The Look design was a licensed copy from the
Crank Brothers and has the exact same body save for the Look logos, a
slightly smaller end cap, and different machining for the needle
bearing (and spindle). The bolts are stainless and use a smaller hex
key (4mm I think).

 

[Matt O'Toole]

On Tue, 17 Oct 2006 18:21:32 -0700, Mark Hickey wrote:

> As I recall, the Ritchey "original" cleat is about 10% shorter than
> the Shimano cleat (which would account for why it works in the Shimano
> pedal reasonably well, but not vice versa). Of course, if you don't
> have a bona fide Shimano cleat to measure against, this is kinda
> pointless, huh?

Actually the Ritchey cleats I have seem longer, if anything. They're much
harder to get into the pedal, while the Shimano ones slip in
effortlessly. If I get a chance later today, I'll dig my vernier out and
measure them.

Matt O.

 

[Marian]

daytoncapri wrote:
> > When I want simplicity, low cost, and the ability to ride with
> > non-cycling specific shoes, I will use pedal with Powergrips.
>
> There's considerable discussion to be found on the skeletal effects of
> clipless pedals - some of it disconcerting.

Where?

(I'm not asking you for a cite to prove this statement so much so as
curious where I can read some of this information...)

> 1. About 12 bucks for Powergrips is a very modest investment. Looks to
> me that this flexible strap might provide some float. I think I'll try
> that on my beater bike. Thanks for the tip.
>
> 2. The other cleat designs have spooked me after reading about knee
> damage in the long-term from misaligned and ill-connected bike shoes.
> My knees were hurting in strange places with every stroke when using
> SPD-style cleats. These were not typical muscle aches, and I couldn't
> persuade myself that my body could take it for the long term. Those
> SPDs style cleats are in a box on the shelf now.

I had my eggbeaters put on last year's road bike right before the
yearly round the island ride. On the morning of the second day the
mechanic adjusted my cleats and adjusted them a second time later that
evening. I've never had any pain that I could blame on the clipless...
and, in fact, a disconcerting numbness I'd occasionally get in the
little toe of the left foot when I had straps went away completely.

This year the road bike is gone, the eggbeaters are on the new mountain
bike, and the replacement road bike is a beater that deliberately has
platform pedals. Around 70 or 80 kilometers on the platform pedals and
the numbness in the little toe returns, but no problem with the
clipless.

-M

 

[* * Chas]

"Marian" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> daytoncapri wrote:
> > > When I want simplicity, low cost, and the ability to ride with
> > > non-cycling specific shoes, I will use pedal with Powergrips.
> >
> > There's considerable discussion to be found on the skeletal effects
of
> > clipless pedals - some of it disconcerting.
>
> Where?
>
> (I'm not asking you for a cite to prove this statement so much so as
> curious where I can read some of this information...)
>
> > 1. About 12 bucks for Powergrips is a very modest investment. Looks
to
> > me that this flexible strap might provide some float. I think I'll
try
> > that on my beater bike. Thanks for the tip.
> >
> > 2. The other cleat designs have spooked me after reading about knee
> > damage in the long-term from misaligned and ill-connected bike
shoes.
> > My knees were hurting in strange places with every stroke when using
> > SPD-style cleats. These were not typical muscle aches, and I
couldn't
> > persuade myself that my body could take it for the long term. Those
> > SPDs style cleats are in a box on the shelf now.
>
> I had my eggbeaters put on last year's road bike right before the
> yearly round the island ride. On the morning of the second day the
> mechanic adjusted my cleats and adjusted them a second time later that
> evening. I've never had any pain that I could blame on the
clipless...
> and, in fact, a disconcerting numbness I'd occasionally get in the
> little toe of the left foot when I had straps went away completely.
>
> This year the road bike is gone, the eggbeaters are on the new
mountain
> bike, and the replacement road bike is a beater that deliberately has
> platform pedals. Around 70 or 80 kilometers on the platform pedals
and
> the numbness in the little toe returns, but no problem with the
> clipless.
>
> -M
>

There are a number of things that could result in numbness in you toe.

Not in any particular order:

Shoes, a tight fitting shoe could cause pressure on the nerves or
partial loss of circulation that might not show up initially but develop
after riding for a period of time.

Hot Spots, pressure points caused by high spots on the surface of the
pedal that are part of the pedal design. These can cause localized
pressure resulting in discomfort on the bottom of the foot.

Narrow Pedals, a lot of road pedals are only 3" to 3 1/2" wide (75mm to
90mm). The strap can be causing pressure on the side of the foot.

In my situation, I have ultra wide feet 10 1/2 EEEE. Older road pedals
were always uncomfortable. The straps would dig into the sides of my
feet especially when strapped in. I switched to some cheap Lyotard 460
alloy rattrap pedals that were about 4" wide (100mm) and they helped a
little.

In the early 90's I changed all of my bikes to Sakae LowFat MTB pedals.
They are 4 1/2" wide (115mm) and I haven't had much foot discomfort
since then.

MKS Touring Pedals are 4 1/2" wide and somewhat inexpensive at $29.95

http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/pedals.html

Chas.

 

[daytoncapri]

Marian wrote:

> > There's considerable discussion to be found on the skeletal effects of
> > clipless pedals - some of it disconcerting.
>
> Where?
>
> (I'm not asking you for a cite to prove this statement so much so as
> curious where I can read some of this information...)

Here are two places

1. "Bicycle Bliss" by Portia ???
http://www.bicyclingbliss.com/intro.html I started with this book when
the pain began, she's a bicyclist and yoga devotee. (Hey, it works for
me.) I grabbed this in a handful of other books in the public
library. This one most directly spoke to my problem,with a few pages
on clipless pedals. She is opinionated and comes down hard at times on
certain designs and brands. If she posted her views here, the chatter
would be even livelier than it is now. She also suggests "Zinn and the
Art" which covers this topic.

2. Look here in the archives of this bicycle tech group - there's a
lot of chatter - complaints and personal solutions: If you are using
google groups you can use the search function for such terms as "Bebop"
pedals (my brand choice) "knee pain", etc., there's also been some
pedal talk in the recumbent group. When one poster wrote "I love my
Bebops" after using it for an extended period of time, it sealed the
decision for me, and now... I-yiyiyiyiy love my Bebops!

I am no advocate, I wouldn't have pursued this if I had not had
problems with my SPDs

 

[Smokey]

Jim Higson wrote:
> I'm looking to buy some clipless pedals for my mountain and road bikes. I
> don't really want to buy two pairs of shoes or have to keep swapping cleats
> over. I also want pedals that work with "walkable" shoes.
>
> I'm thinking of just putting double-sided "mountain" type SPD pedals on both
> bikes. They appeal because they're cheap and fit the requirements of only
> needing one pair of shoes. Shimano's entry level M520 look OK, and the more
> expensive models seems just to offer weight reduction, which I'm not all
> that bothered about. Plus the double-sided thing sounds like a good idea
> for the road as well as off it for getting in and out quickly at traffic
> lights.
>
> Will they cause any problems on the road bike? Really, I can't really see
> there being all that much difference in the performance of pedals for
> road/mountain use. I mostly do fairly fast riding at weekends, and some
> light touring.
>
> The only alternative I can find of road/mountain pedals that use the same
> cleats is the Crank Bros ones. The egg beaters look very... interesting.
> Maybe I'll try some one day.
>
> On a related note, what makes the egg beaters "XC" pedals and not road
> racing pedals? I'd have thought it'd road racers would take the reduced
> weight version over the MTBers. What makes the nude egg beaters unsuited to
> road cycling?
>
> Thanks for any insight,
> --
> Jim

Another pedal that you might want to consider is the Time A.T.A.C. I
use these on both my mountain bike and my road bike (actually a Lemond
cyclocross bike). They have double-sided entry and I find them easier
to get into than the Shimano or Eggbeater pedals. They are very secure
once clipped in, and I have never had an accidental release. They can
be a little tougher to get out of when new, before the cleats have
broken in. After a few dozen releases, they loosen up. I've also found
them to be very durable, the ones on my mountain bike have been bashed
against logs and rocks many times, getting scratched up but otherwise
no worse for wear. The cleats can be set up for two different release
angles, 14 or 17 degrees, depending on which cleat is mounted on which
shoe. One cleat has a star on it, and for the 14 degree release angle
it goes on the left shoe. They are also very good in muddy conditions,
I've never had a problem getting into or out of them, even in thick MO
mud.

Smokey

 

[[email protected]]

Jim Higson wrote:

> I'm looking to buy some clipless pedals for my mountain and road
> bikes. I don't really want to buy two pairs of shoes or have to
> keep swapping cleats over. I also want pedals that work with
> "walkable" shoes.

> I'm thinking of just putting double-sided "mountain" type SPD pedals
> on both bikes. They appeal because they're cheap and fit the
> requirements of only needing one pair of shoes. Shimano's entry
> level M520 look OK, and the more expensive models seems just to
> offer weight reduction, which I'm not all that bothered about. Plus
> the double-sided thing sounds like a good idea for the road as well
> as off it for getting in and out quickly at traffic lights.

> Will they cause any problems on the road bike? Really, I can't
> really see there being all that much difference in the performance
> of pedals for road/mountain use. I mostly do fairly fast riding at
> weekends, and some light touring.

> The only alternative I can find of road/mountain pedals that use the
> same cleats is the Crank Bros ones. The egg beaters look very...
> interesting. Maybe I'll try some one day.

> On a related note, what makes the egg beaters "XC" pedals and not
> road racing pedals? I'd have thought it'd road racers would take
> the reduced weight version over the MTBers. What makes the nude egg
> beaters unsuited to road cycling?

http://tinyurl.com/ume8m

For a better look at the pedals, click on (PICTOVIEW).

http://tinyurl.com/yxfwd3
http://tinyurl.com/d8l3d

I find the Shimano 540 pedals and SH-TR50 meet your requirements.
These are marketed as triathlete shoes (suitable for running). I
like them for the recessed cleat and rubber soles that allow walking
like a human while not scratching floors.

From Cyclingnews:

# Last year's triathlon-specific models have been replaced with a trio
# of new models, including a top-end women's model. The SH-TR50 and
# SH-TR50W both incorporate new hollow channel carbon fiber soles plus
# new uppers that offer a faster entry and better fit than in previous
# models. The entry-level SH-TR30 offers a similar wide single-strap
# fit but with a more wallet-friendly injection-molded composite
# outsole.

Jobst Brandt

 

[AndyMorris]

[email protected] wrote:
>
> I find the Shimano 540 pedals and SH-TR50 meet your requirements.
> These are marketed as triathlete shoes (suitable for running). I
> like them for the recessed cleat and rubber soles that allow walking
> like a human while not scratching floors.
>

Do you mean Sh-RT50?

I'm not shure I'd like to run far in them.


--
Andy Morris

AndyAtJinkasDotFreeserve.Co.UK

Love this:
Put an end to Outlook Express's messy quotes
http://home.in.tum.de/~jain/software/oe-quotefix/



--
Posted via NewsDemon.com - Premium Uncensored Newsgroup Service
------->>>>>>http://www.NewsDemon.com<<<<<<------
Unlimited Access, Anonymous Accounts, Uncensored Broadband Access

 

[[email protected]]

Andy Morris writes:

>> I find the Shimano 540 pedals and SH-RT50 meet your requirements.
>> These are marketed as triathlete shoes (suitable for running). I
>> like them for the recessed cleat and rubber soles that allow walking
>> like a human while not scratching floors.
>>

> Do you mean SH-RT50?

> I'm not shure I'd like to run far in them.

My spell checker did not find that transposition, but yes, as the web
site shows, you have the correct spelling. As for their usefulness
off the bicycle, I wear them to work all day and on trail rides in the
mountains that require substantial walking up and down hill.

> Love this:

> Put an end to Outlook Express's messy quotes:

http://home.in.tum.de/~jain/software/oe-quotefix/

Got that!

It's too bad MS hasn't picked up on that and put the fix in themselves.

Jobst Brandt

 

[Marian]

* * Chas wrote:
> "Marian" <[email protected]> wrote in message

> > This year the road bike is gone, the eggbeaters are on the new
> mountain
> > bike, and the replacement road bike is a beater that deliberately has
> > platform pedals. Around 70 or 80 kilometers on the platform pedals
> and
> > the numbness in the little toe returns, but no problem with the
> > clipless.
> >
> > -M
> >
>
> There are a number of things that could result in numbness in you toe.
>
> Not in any particular order:
>
> Shoes, a tight fitting shoe could cause pressure on the nerves or
> partial loss of circulation that might not show up initially but develop
> after riding for a period of time.
>
> Hot Spots, pressure points caused by high spots on the surface of the
> pedal that are part of the pedal design. These can cause localized
> pressure resulting in discomfort on the bottom of the foot.
>
> Narrow Pedals, a lot of road pedals are only 3" to 3 1/2" wide (75mm to
> 90mm). The strap can be causing pressure on the side of the foot.

These are _platform_ pedals. No clips, no straps, platform pedals.

The hot spots could be the issue, though it is strange that I've had it
on two different bikes, with different shoes, and different pedals, on
the same foot ...

-M

 

[* * Chas]

"Marian" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> * * Chas wrote:
> > "Marian" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> > > This year the road bike is gone, the eggbeaters are on the new
> > mountain
> > > bike, and the replacement road bike is a beater that deliberately
has
> > > platform pedals. Around 70 or 80 kilometers on the platform
pedals
> > and
> > > the numbness in the little toe returns, but no problem with the
> > > clipless.
> > >
> > > -M
> > >
> >
> > There are a number of things that could result in numbness in you
toe.
> >
> > Not in any particular order:
> >
> > Shoes, a tight fitting shoe could cause pressure on the nerves or
> > partial loss of circulation that might not show up initially but
develop
> > after riding for a period of time.
> >
> > Hot Spots, pressure points caused by high spots on the surface of
the
> > pedal that are part of the pedal design. These can cause localized
> > pressure resulting in discomfort on the bottom of the foot.
> >
> > Narrow Pedals, a lot of road pedals are only 3" to 3 1/2" wide (75mm
to
> > 90mm). The strap can be causing pressure on the side of the foot.
>
> These are _platform_ pedals. No clips, no straps, platform pedals.
>
> The hot spots could be the issue, though it is strange that I've had
it
> on two different bikes, with different shoes, and different pedals, on
> the same foot ...
>
> -M
>

Hmm, I've had some shoes that were normally comfortable but after riding
for a while my little toe/toes or the next toe over would hurt, get numb
or cramp up.

Chas.

Chas.