Road Bike For Commuting

[notaroundfesta]

I have been cycling leisurely for the past 10 years. I have 2 Treks that I love. An almost 10 year old hybrid and 1.2 road bike. The road bike is my first road bike. I love him and used to ride 100+ miles a week with him along beautiful farm roads. However, last year I moved to a city and I don't ride as often because I don't like being clipped in while in traffic and dealing with lights, pedestrians and tons of people. I have been riding my hybrid all the time because I feel better in traffic with it and still ride 30+ miles on it. I am thinking of changing the pedals to platform pedals on my road bike so I can use the road bike for commuting. Right now I am trying to decide if I should just trade in my older hybrid and get a new one. But I really don't want to drop a lot of money on another bike when I have perfectly good road bike. I have done some research on some platform pedals and am thinking about either the MKS Lambda Pedals or the Shimano PD-MX80 Saint Pedals. Anyone have any thoughts on pedals? Also, I was wondering about tires. Do tires with a bit more tread makes sense? Or they even necessary for mostly city driving and some path riding?

 

[Totalarmordestine]

Sure, use whatever pedals you feel most comfortable on. Treaded tires won't help on pavement.

 

[Mengtian]

FWIW my commute bike is Lemond Zuirch (Steel frme, Ultegra group) with 700x28 tires. They handle fine, In case of rain I slow down. I either use SPD-L pedals and road shoes or sometimes I switch to dual sided (flat one side, SPD other)SPD pedals and wear moauntian bike shoes, That way if I need to get off and walk into a store I am good to go.

 

[tarverten]

The mks lambda pedals are fine pedals for commuting. You can use pretty much any bike you are comfortable riding for commuting. I like 700 x 28c-32c tires for commuting.

 

[blastguardgear]

things that i like about riding a road bike in the city is mostly the versatility. i chose a more relaxed geometry and i thought it was pretty perfect for city commuting. i also really like brake levers on the flat part of the drops so i can sit up tall and look around at traffic but have my hands on brakes should i need it. that said, most people don't need or care for it, i see plenty of road bikes out here without them.

as for tires i see a lot of us recommend gatorskins as they are pretty bombproof for the roads here. some go tubeless. some pick a softer tire for an more softer ride and just know they will more likely deal with flats but the comfort is worth it.

i don't know much about pedals but it seems you have lots of recs here ^^

best of luck choosing! it should add some fun to your ride

 

[thepieeatingjay]

I use pedals with platform on one side and clipless on the other because of the very same reasons. When I get into heavy city traffic I unclip and use the platforms. I just replaced my Shimano A530 pedals with a pair of Wellgo WAM-D10's which have a studded platform. I'd highly recommend them.

 

[shadowsupernature]

On mine I just use some not-heavy MTB pedals with strapless toe clips.

It feels counter-productive to put slow rolling tires on a road bike. I use 25-28 tires, inexpensive ones but I avoid the heavy belted or stiff flat-protecting ones and look for tires that at least compromise for a faster ride. Don't care about tread.

 

[Froze]

After more than 40 years of riding with toe clips I commute in the city on a bike that has toe clips and think nothing of it. Having said that doesn't mean I think you should, obviously I'm quite comfortable doing that and you would not be, so find a pedal that you would be comfortable riding in the city with.

Flat pedals for MTB's with pins for added grip, and they don't have to be expensive, for example the Sun Ringle ZUZU pedal is only $45 MSRP for the pair of course, but what I like about these pedals vs other pedals in this price range is that they have replaceable sealed cartridge bearings and they're the most robust of the below $75 category. The cool thing about flat pedals is that you can attach Power Grip straps that will enhance pedaling efficiency without locking into either a strap or clip.

This is the cheapest price I could find on the ZUZU pedal, See: http://www.pricepoint.com/Brand/Sun-Ringle/Sun-Ringle-Zuzu-Pedals.axd

 

[welshdude3]

For tires I use Schwalbe Marathon Plus on all my bikes save one. Forte puncture resistant tubes. Pedals are Shimano PDM520 dual-sided clipless. I'm an spd guy.

For winter Nokia studded tires on my 1 season mtb. Platforms w/Powergrips work best in snow/ice/slush. One can wear boots to pop and plant a foot when necessary. Lower your psi according to conditions.

Btw, I have 5 bikes. A 1x7 3 season mtb is my main 'round town/utility. 2x9 cyclo-cross distance commuter/trainer. A winter specific 1x9 mtb. 34tx12-36t gearing. A touring specific 2x9 and a 48x15 fixed gear conversion. My living situation is urban as well. Mostly ride the 2 mtbs in living car-free. Oh, while I'm not a retro-grouch all my bikes are friction shifting. After years of dealing with fussy indexed systems I decided to simplify everything.