Flat Pedals and Shoes/Boots

[MacB]

Following on from my faupax of 'butterfly' bars I felt I should continue to be uncool and seek advice on my new flat pedals and footwear combination. Determined to avoid cages, clips, cleats etc I'm looking at what I can do to maximise comfort and minimise slippage. Pedals - the Shimano MX30 and the WellgoMG1 seem to be lead flat contenders. I was going to get the pedals first and see how grippy they are before selecting footwear. Best reviews seem to go to the Five Ten low or mid 2009 model.

Would appreciate input on the flat pedals above and any others you consider worthy of looking at. Use will be road commuting only....thanks.....Al

by the way I read the article on Rivendell bikes about pedals and have to say I like their thinking, so dedicated racing roadies please don't be offended

 

[gratts]

Have you tried clipless before?

 

[marinyork]

Do what User says and spend the bulk of the money on some shoes that you are super happy with. I'd have thought shoes would be about £30.

 

[MacB]

Have you tried clipless before?

tis a very fair point Gratts, and the answer is no, knowing me I will try them sometime but am not convinced they would be of any benefit for the type of cycling I'm going to be doing in the foreseeable future. But I'm in no way knowledgeable enough to debate this matter in detail, I just wanted to make sure I started out with a decent flat pedal. I'll then move to footwear and, if need be, beyond. I did think this was an interesting read though:-

http://www.rivbike.com/article/clothing/the_shoes_ruse

On a personal level I have found some cycling advice to be a little contradictory. Much is made of giving the upper body a variety of positions to ease potential discomfort on a lengthy ride. However perceived wisdom seems to indicate that the same does not apply to the lower body. Not saying either way is right or wrong just seems a bit strange.

 

[marinyork]

If you want to use flat pedals, use flat pedals. If you want to use toe clips use those. If you want to use clipless use clipless. You can even get flat one side/SPD the other side!

 

[fossyant]

SPD's are the way, honest....fab inventions, suitable for all riding, mud etc...

Go for the one side flat, other side SPD if not convinced.......benefit of both worlds.

 

[snorri]

It might be worth while getting a pedal compatible with clips like this
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI....089948&cguid=98e0c99411e0a0e202815c01ffcf195d

I think we are on a similar train of thought regarding footwear and pedals, but I have found these toe clips handy. They can be used with almost any shoe, and although the straps broke years ago, the toe clip still locates the foot on the pedal and is handy for lifting the pedal to the right position for starting away from traffic lights etc.

 

[marinyork]

How can you tell if they are compatible with the pedal snorri? I might buy some for a mate.

 

[purplepolly]

I felt I should continue to be uncool and seek advice on my new flat pedals and footwear combination.

It may well look uncool but at this time of year it's the people with spds who spend all their time complaining about cold feet. You, however will be able to wear nice cosy thick socks and boots. But don't discount toeclips - I use half toeclips and much prefer them to flat pedals - and the cheapest only cost about a fiver.

 

[MacB]

It may well look uncool but at this time of year it's the people with spds who spend all their time complaining about cold feet. You, however will be able to wear nice cosy thick socks and boots. But don't discount toeclips - I use half toeclips and much prefer them to flat pedals - and the cheapest only cost about a fiver.

thanks, but a little confused, don't toe clips just fit to any flat pedal or do you need toeclip specific pedals? If you've got a link to what you mean that would be great....thanks.....Al

 

[Radius]

How can you tell if they are compatible with the pedal snorri? I might buy some for a mate.

The pedal should have a little mount (or at least a gap) with two holes for screws, holes which will be in the same place on the toe clip.

 

[purplepolly]

either of the ones in Users last post (18:40) will do as well, you would have to unscrew the reflectors on the second pair but you should be able to reattach them with the toeclips

 

[tyred]

On a similar matter, I use plain pedals and ordinary footwear. I did experiment with toe clips on my mountain bike but have found it virtually impossible to get my foot into the thing without ending up falling of the bike. Any advice about getting moving while using toe clips and straps would be very welcome.

 

[Amanda P]

On a similar matter, I use plain pedals and ordinary footwear. I did experiment with toe clips on my mountain bike but have found it virtually impossible to get my foot into the thing without ending up falling of the bike. Any advice about getting moving while using toe clips and straps would be very welcome.

It's a knack I'm afraid.

Firstly, you don't need to have the straps really tight. (You can tighten them when you're super-confident if you like, but for now, keep 'em loose). Make sure you have straps which are thick and stiff - floppy ones make it even harder to get your foot in.

Assuming you like to begin with a right-foot pedal stroke, then put your right foot in to the clip while you're stationary. Move off and pedal the first few strokes with your left foot on the non-toeclip side of the left pedal.

When you're ready, and there are no junctions or imminent hazards to deal with, you need to tap the back edge of the pedal with your left toes to flip it over, and then push your foot in. This is where the stiff strap helps - a floppy one will get caught on your foot and hinder you. A stiff one stays put out of the way.

(Some pedals have a little triangular pip on the back edge to help you flip them over. At one time, you could buy pedal flips to bolt onto pedals that didn't have them).

This left-foot flip takes practice to do, I'm afraid. It probably took me several hundred repititions to learn to get my left foot in first time every time - and now I (mostly) use clipless, so it's a redundant skill! (I very occasionally impress someone by flipping both pedals and inserting both feet at the same time while moving, but, really who cares?)

It can be very difficult to get bullky boots or shoes in to toe clips in an off-road situation - vegetation catches on the toe clip, you're pedalling too fast to slip your foot in on a slope... that's where clipless really does help.

 

[Amanda P]

Oh yes, and really loose, almost sloppy pedal bearings may help.

I have a (mountain) bike with new pedals which are a bit tight and stiff to rotate. They won't flip nicely because the bearing is too stiff. Other pedals which have run in a bit and will spin on the crank easily are much easier to use.

If the toe strap is rubbing on the crank, this can also stop the pedal flipping nicely.

I'm afraid it's rather harder to get your foot into pedals with plastic toe clips than with the old-fashioned chrome or stainless steel ones - the extra weight of a metal toe clip makes the pedal hang at a better angle for making it flip.

It's quite normal to have a little difficulty at first!