SPD pedal advice for town bike



F

foldedpath

Guest
For years I've been using Shimano pedals that are SPD on one side and a
normal cage on the other. This is on a bike used mainly in town, and for
light trail riding. I always thought it was nice to keep the ability to
just hop on the bike with whatever I'm wearing on my feet for a short trip
to the local store (about 10 blocks).

For a longer ride, I'll wear my cleated shoes -- Shimano sandals for
summer, entry-level Shimano road shoes for winter. I'm comfortable with
flipping over to get the right side of the pedal, but it does give me one
more thing to think about, when I'm in heavy traffic and trying to get
across an intersection from a standing start.

The pedals are getting old and rusty, so I'm shopping for a replacement. I
can replace these with the current Shimano version of the same pedal.

Or... should I consider something like the Shimano PD-M424 "ATB" pedal
which has the clip on both sides? It looks like there's a little bit of
platform there that I could ride with normal shoes, for short distances. It
would be nice to not worry about flipping over the pedal to get on the
right side. But without actually getting the pedal under my foot, I don't
know what it would feel like with normal shoes or sandals.

What do y'all think? I'm a total newbie when it comes to pedal choices,
even though I've been riding these one-sided SPD things for a long time. I
just don't pay much attention to stuff like this, until I have to replace
something.

P.S. I also want to be able to wear cleated shoes and sandals that have
enough rubber that I can walk into a store, or my own house, without
tearing up the wood floors. I don't know if that makes a difference here.
My current Shimano shoes and cleats are okay for this.


--
Mike Barrs
 
I don't know much about SPD 424. However, I don't like the feeling of
putting a pair of normal shoes on my platform pedals SPD M545.
"foldedpath" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> For years I've been using Shimano pedals that are SPD on one side and a
> normal cage on the other. This is on a bike used mainly in town, and for
> light trail riding. I always thought it was nice to keep the ability to
> just hop on the bike with whatever I'm wearing on my feet for a short trip
> to the local store (about 10 blocks).
>
> For a longer ride, I'll wear my cleated shoes -- Shimano sandals for
> summer, entry-level Shimano road shoes for winter. I'm comfortable with
> flipping over to get the right side of the pedal, but it does give me one
> more thing to think about, when I'm in heavy traffic and trying to get
> across an intersection from a standing start.
>
> The pedals are getting old and rusty, so I'm shopping for a replacement. I
> can replace these with the current Shimano version of the same pedal.
>
> Or... should I consider something like the Shimano PD-M424 "ATB" pedal
> which has the clip on both sides? It looks like there's a little bit of
> platform there that I could ride with normal shoes, for short distances.

It
> would be nice to not worry about flipping over the pedal to get on the
> right side. But without actually getting the pedal under my foot, I don't
> know what it would feel like with normal shoes or sandals.
>
> What do y'all think? I'm a total newbie when it comes to pedal choices,
> even though I've been riding these one-sided SPD things for a long time. I
> just don't pay much attention to stuff like this, until I have to replace
> something.
>
> P.S. I also want to be able to wear cleated shoes and sandals that have
> enough rubber that I can walk into a store, or my own house, without
> tearing up the wood floors. I don't know if that makes a difference here.
> My current Shimano shoes and cleats are okay for this.
>
>
> --
> Mike Barrs
 
"foldedpath" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> For years I've been using Shimano pedals that are SPD on one side and a
> normal cage on the other. This is on a bike used mainly in town, and for
> light trail riding. I always thought it was nice to keep the ability to
> just hop on the bike with whatever I'm wearing on my feet for a short trip
> to the local store (about 10 blocks).
>
> For a longer ride, I'll wear my cleated shoes -- Shimano sandals for
> summer, entry-level Shimano road shoes for winter. I'm comfortable with
> flipping over to get the right side of the pedal, but it does give me one
> more thing to think about, when I'm in heavy traffic and trying to get
> across an intersection from a standing start.


Since you have the platform on the other side, why do you need to be clipped
in in treacherous situations? Just put your foot down and pedal and worry
about clipping in when it's safe?

> The pedals are getting old and rusty, so I'm shopping for a replacement. I
> can replace these with the current Shimano version of the same pedal.
>
> Or... should I consider something like the Shimano PD-M424 "ATB" pedal
> which has the clip on both sides? It looks like there's a little bit of
> platform there that I could ride with normal shoes, for short distances.

It
> would be nice to not worry about flipping over the pedal to get on the
> right side. But without actually getting the pedal under my foot, I don't
> know what it would feel like with normal shoes or sandals.


Not great. The clamp mechanism sticks up above the plane of the pedal, so
these are not comfortable for prolonged street-shoe riding. These are
really downhill pedals, intended to give a rider a big target to aim their
foot at while speeding downhill, and a very temporary platform on which to
rest their foot when flying around corners and down steep hills.

> What do y'all think? I'm a total newbie when it comes to pedal choices,
> even though I've been riding these one-sided SPD things for a long time. I
> just don't pay much attention to stuff like this, until I have to replace
> something.


The real question is - how often do you ride this bike in regular shoes? If
its quite often, then stick with the one-sided pedals. If you rarely ride
with plain shoes, then you'd probably benefit from a normal, non-platform
MTB SPD (i.e., NOT the M424).

>
> P.S. I also want to be able to wear cleated shoes and sandals that have
> enough rubber that I can walk into a store, or my own house, without
> tearing up the wood floors. I don't know if that makes a difference here.
> My current Shimano shoes and cleats are okay for this.
>
>
> --
> Mike Barrs
 
On Tue, 13 Jul 2004 00:48:13 -0000, foldedpath
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Or... should I consider something like the Shimano PD-M424 "ATB" pedal
>which has the clip on both sides? It looks like there's a little bit of


Yes, you should.

>platform there that I could ride with normal shoes, for short distances. It
>would be nice to not worry about flipping over the pedal to get on the
>right side. But without actually getting the pedal under my foot, I don't
>know what it would feel like with normal shoes or sandals.


The platform is sufficient. Some pedals may have the binding
protruding above the platform, however, which may be annoying with
thin/flexible soled shoes.

>P.S. I also want to be able to wear cleated shoes and sandals that have
>enough rubber that I can walk into a store, or my own house, without
>tearing up the wood floors. I don't know if that makes a difference here.
>My current Shimano shoes and cleats are okay for this.


You'll probably want pedals that use the same cleats, if you're
currently using standard SPD cleats (which I think you are). They
are very common cleats.
--
Rick Onanian
 
On 2004-07-13, foldedpath <[email protected]> wrote:
> For years I've been using Shimano pedals that are SPD on one side and a
> normal cage on the other. This is on a bike used mainly in town, and for
> light trail riding. I always thought it was nice to keep the ability to
> just hop on the bike with whatever I'm wearing on my feet for a short trip
> to the local store (about 10 blocks).


You should follow your instinct and replace them with the modern
equivalent, SPD-M324.
http://bike.shimano.com/footwear_pedals/pedals/pd-m324.asp

Greg
--
Gregory S. Sutter "How do I read this file?"
mailto:[email protected] "You uudecode it."
http://zer0.org/~gsutter/ "I I I decode it?"
 
"Kyle.B.H" <[email protected]> wrote in
news:qEHIc.64086$a24.13571@attbi_s03:

> Since you have the platform on the other side, why do you need to be
> clipped in in treacherous situations? Just put your foot down and
> pedal and worry about clipping in when it's safe?


Fair question. I guess the main reason is that my current pedals are
slippery on the SPD side, if I'm wearing standard shoes and don't land on
the right (caged) side of the pedal on takeoff. I do land there most of the
time.

>> Or... should I consider something like the Shimano PD-M424 "ATB"
>> pedal which has the clip on both sides? It looks like there's a
>> little bit of platform there that I could ride with normal shoes, for
>> short distances.

>
> Not great. The clamp mechanism sticks up above the plane of the
> pedal, so these are not comfortable for prolonged street-shoe riding.
> These are really downhill pedals, intended to give a rider a big
> target to aim their foot at while speeding downhill, and a very
> temporary platform on which to rest their foot when flying around
> corners and down steep hills.


Okay, that's what I was wondering about.

> The real question is - how often do you ride this bike in regular
> shoes? If its quite often, then stick with the one-sided pedals. If
> you rarely ride with plain shoes, then you'd probably benefit from a
> normal, non-platform MTB SPD (i.e., NOT the M424).


Yeah, well... that's the problem when you try to use one bike for
everything. Thanks for the feedback!

--
Mike Barrs
 
Rick Onanian <[email protected]> wrote in
news:p[email protected]:

> The platform is sufficient. Some pedals may have the binding
> protruding above the platform, however, which may be annoying with
> thin/flexible soled shoes.


What I'm wearing now is pretty stiff, but I'll check that.

>>P.S. I also want to be able to wear cleated shoes and sandals that
>>have enough rubber that I can walk into a store, or my own house,
>>without tearing up the wood floors. I don't know if that makes a
>>difference here. My current Shimano shoes and cleats are okay for
>>this.

>
> You'll probably want pedals that use the same cleats, if you're
> currently using standard SPD cleats (which I think you are). They
> are very common cleats.


Thanks, Rick!

--
Mike Barrs
 
On Tue, 13 Jul 2004 03:34:49 -0000, foldedpath
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Gregory Sutter <[email protected]> wrote in
>news:[email protected]:
>
>> You should follow your instinct and replace them with the modern
>> equivalent, SPD-M324.
>> http://bike.shimano.com/footwear_pedals/pedals/pd-m324.asp

>
>I'm leaning in that direction... thanks!


Hi, the 324s get my vote too.

As another poster said, you don't have to clip in, in dangerous
situations.

I have a set of 324s on my backup bike, they are the clipless that I
learned on.

If you go to a pedal that clips on both sides, it will never be
optimal for riding with your nonbiking shoes.

You didn't mention the model that you have, but the fact that they are
rusty, makes me think that they are at least two or three versions
earlier than the current 324. My guess is that some simple refinements
have made the 324 a better pedal.

Life is Good!
Jeff
 
Nasbar sells a Sneaker Adapter that fits over SPD style pedals and allows
you to wear non-cleated shoes. - $4.95. I've never used them though.
"foldedpath" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Gregory Sutter <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:[email protected]:
>
> > You should follow your instinct and replace them with the modern
> > equivalent, SPD-M324.
> > http://bike.shimano.com/footwear_pedals/pedals/pd-m324.asp

>
> I'm leaning in that direction... thanks!
>
> --
> Mike Barrs
 
"Gregory Sutter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]
> On 2004-07-13, foldedpath <[email protected]> wrote:
>> For years I've been using Shimano pedals that are SPD on one side
>> and a normal cage on the other. This is on a bike used mainly in
>> town, and for light trail riding. I always thought it was nice to
>> keep the ability to just hop on the bike with whatever I'm wearing
>> on my feet for a short trip to the local store (about 10 blocks).

>
> You should follow your instinct and replace them with the modern
> equivalent, SPD-M324.
> http://bike.shimano.com/footwear_pedals/pedals/pd-m324.asp


That uses a multi-release cleat. If I remember correctly, aren't
single-release cleats supposed to be superior?

--

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"Chris R" <[email protected]> wrote in news:tTYIc.91059$OB3.67663
@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:

> Nasbar sells a Sneaker Adapter that fits over SPD style pedals and allows
> you to wear non-cleated shoes. - $4.95. I've never used them though.


Thanks for the heads-up. I noticed that in addition to the house brand
sneaker adapter, they also carry a similar "Deckster" adapter:

http://tinyurl.com/28y62

But it's more expensive. This looks like the kind of thing where I'd want
to buy several extras, because I know I'd misplace or lose a few here and
there, if I'm swapping them on and off the pedals. The Nashbar version
looks good enough.

Thanks to everyone for the advice! I'll probably just get the one sided PD-
M324 pedals, but I'm saving this info about the clip-in platforms in case I
switch over later to double-sided pedals. And yes, the rusty ones I have
now are a little over 10 years old, so I'm sure the current ones probably
work a little better.

--
Mike Barrs
 
"DRS" <[email protected]> wrote in news:cd1paa$fpl$1
@lust.ihug.co.nz:

> "Gregory Sutter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]
>>
>> You should follow your instinct and replace them with the modern
>> equivalent, SPD-M324.
>> http://bike.shimano.com/footwear_pedals/pedals/pd-m324.asp

>
> That uses a multi-release cleat. If I remember correctly, aren't
> single-release cleats supposed to be superior?


The reason I went with multi-release when I got my first clip-in pedals
years ago, is that I have bad knees (kneecap tracking problems, including
kneecap dislocation if I'm not careful). I can't afford to have my knee
torqued if my leg is going one way, and the bike is going another way in an
accident. As I understand it, multi-release is better for unexpected,
violent release from the pedal in an accident. It also gives me more
options for disengaging on the "safe" side of my knee twisting range.

I'm not sure what the advantages of single-release are.

--
Mike Barrs
 
On Wed, 14 Jul 2004 08:56:11 +1000, "DRS"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>"Gregory Sutter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]
>> On 2004-07-13, foldedpath <[email protected]> wrote:
>>> For years I've been using Shimano pedals that are SPD on one side
>>> and a normal cage on the other. This is on a bike used mainly in
>>> town, and for light trail riding. I always thought it was nice to
>>> keep the ability to just hop on the bike with whatever I'm wearing
>>> on my feet for a short trip to the local store (about 10 blocks).

>>
>> You should follow your instinct and replace them with the modern
>> equivalent, SPD-M324.
>> http://bike.shimano.com/footwear_pedals/pedals/pd-m324.asp

>
>That uses a multi-release cleat. If I remember correctly, aren't
>single-release cleats supposed to be superior?


Hi, they come with multi-release 55 cleat, but you can use the 51 with
them. The 324s are marketed as a beginners clipless pedal and that is
why I think they use the 55 cleats. I have never had a problem with
them, but I believe a very strong rider might. Odds are, he can use
his current cleats, when he gets new pedals, if he stays with Shimano
SPDs.

Life is Good!
Jeff
 
"foldedpath" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]
> "Chris R" <[email protected]> wrote in
> news:tTYIc.91059$OB3.67663 @bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net:
>
>> Nasbar sells a Sneaker Adapter that fits over SPD style pedals and
>> allows you to wear non-cleated shoes. - $4.95. I've never used
>> them though.

>
> Thanks for the heads-up. I noticed that in addition to the house brand
> sneaker adapter, they also carry a similar "Deckster" adapter:
>
> http://tinyurl.com/28y62
>
> But it's more expensive. This looks like the kind of thing where I'd
> want to buy several extras, because I know I'd misplace or lose a few
> here and there, if I'm swapping them on and off the pedals. The
> Nashbar version looks good enough.


Does anyone know of this type of adapter on which you could mount a standard
set of plastic toe-clips? Yes, I want the best of both worlds.

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On Wed, 14 Jul 2004 09:56:32 +1000, DRS wrote:

> Does anyone know of this type of adapter on which you could mount a standard
> set of plastic toe-clips? Yes, I want the best of both worlds.


Toe clips for SPD and Look respectively.

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=347&subcategory_ID=5245
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=346&subcategory_ID=5245

I have a pair of the former. I've used them once or twice and they
worked fine. They mostly just sit on my shelf at work, as I've come
to prefer the ability to clip/unclip easily. I use walkable "touring"
style shoes most of the time.

-alan


--
Alan Hoyle - [email protected] - http://www.alanhoyle.com/
"I don't want the world, I just want your half." -TMBG
Get Horizontal, Play Ultimate.
 
"Alan Hoyle" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]

[...]

> Toe clips for SPD and Look respectively.
>
>

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=347&subcategory_ID=5245
>

http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=346&subcategory_ID=5245
>
> I have a pair of the former. I've used them once or twice and they
> worked fine. They mostly just sit on my shelf at work, as I've come
> to prefer the ability to clip/unclip easily. I use walkable "touring"
> style shoes most of the time.


Ah, most excellent. Do you find you need to adjust your saddle height to
compensate?

--

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Q: What is the most annoying thing on Usenet?
 
On Wed, 14 Jul 2004 22:18:31 +1000, DRS wrote:
> "Alan Hoyle" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]


> [...]


>> Toe clips for SPD and Look respectively.
>>
>>

> http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=347&subcategory_ID=5245
>>

> http://www.performancebike.com/shop/profile.cfm?SKU=346&subcategory_ID=5245
>>
>> I have a pair of the former. I've used them once or twice and they
>> worked fine. They mostly just sit on my shelf at work, as I've come
>> to prefer the ability to clip/unclip easily. I use walkable "touring"
>> style shoes most of the time.


> Ah, most excellent. Do you find you need to adjust your saddle height to
> compensate?


I suppose the height should be marginally adjusted, but I've never
bothered. The furthest I've ridden while using them is about 2 miles,
so I haven't been concerned with making sure the fit is perfect....

-alan

--
Alan Hoyle - [email protected] - http://www.alanhoyle.com/
"I don't want the world, I just want your half." -TMBG
Get Horizontal, Play Ultimate.
 
--On Tuesday, July 13, 2004 12:48 AM +0000 foldedpath
<[email protected]> wrote:

> For years I've been using Shimano pedals that are SPD on one side and a
> normal cage on the other. This is on a bike used mainly in town, and for
> light trail riding. I always thought it was nice to keep the ability to
> just hop on the bike with whatever I'm wearing on my feet for a short
> trip to the local store (about 10 blocks).
>
> For a longer ride, I'll wear my cleated shoes -- Shimano sandals for
> summer, entry-level Shimano road shoes for winter. I'm comfortable with
> flipping over to get the right side of the pedal, but it does give me one
> more thing to think about, when I'm in heavy traffic and trying to get
> across an intersection from a standing start.
>
> The pedals are getting old and rusty, so I'm shopping for a replacement.
> I can replace these with the current Shimano version of the same pedal.
>
> Or... should I consider something like the Shimano PD-M424 "ATB" pedal
> which has the clip on both sides? It looks like there's a little bit of
> platform there that I could ride with normal shoes, for short distances.
> It would be nice to not worry about flipping over the pedal to get on
> the right side. But without actually getting the pedal under my foot, I
> don't know what it would feel like with normal shoes or sandals.
>
> What do y'all think? I'm a total newbie when it comes to pedal choices,
> even though I've been riding these one-sided SPD things for a long time.
> I just don't pay much attention to stuff like this, until I have to
> replace something.
>
> P.S. I also want to be able to wear cleated shoes and sandals that have
> enough rubber that I can walk into a store, or my own house, without
> tearing up the wood floors. I don't know if that makes a difference here.
> My current Shimano shoes and cleats are okay for this.
>
>
> --
> Mike Barrs


If you're willing to fork the cash (almost $100, but about 2/3 that on
ebay), I love my Crank Bros. Mallet C for just this purpose. Its also like
a DH/Freeride pedal, but its basically your standard MTB platform with the
Eggbeater in the middle. I'm using them as a "transition" pedal so I can go
to clipless when I'm willing to commit the dough to actual cycling shoes,
but I can still go MTB'ing with my sneakers (actually usually skate/bmx
shoes, which may be better for MTB in a crash) in the meantime.

Mike
Mechanical Engineering 2006, Carnegie Mellon University
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