Pedal questions not covered in the faq!

[tsddave]

I found the thread here on pedals to be very informative and rich in information but I still have questions!


I am planning on buy a Cannondale caad 8 today, my thanks go out to all those who responded to my questions here on making that choice.
The bike is being supplied without pedals.


I have decided that I will buy spd pedals but I am abit concerned about those "moments" mentioned especially on a new bike that I havent got used to yet.
I take it that I can use the underside of the pedals to get used to the bike before taking the plunge and buying some spd shoes?
Will the underside be good for the various types of hills and steepness that we have here in Norway?

Also what make of pedals is a good way to go for the future?
I notice a brand called VP and of course Shimano who I understand invented SPD. Are VP pedals any good?
Is it ok to buy the cheaper pedals these 2 make or really is it a false economy because they will wear out fast?
What are the advantages of the more expensive pedals apart from the obvious weight advantage?
I also notice that some pedals are classed as MTB pedals but they look similar to the others...are the fittings different or can these pedals be used on a racing bike also? Is this advisable?

Sorry for all the questions but I want to be sure in what I am buying

My thanks in advance.

 

[PpPete]

VP are pretty cheap - I would avoid.

Personally I prefer double-sided SPD - even on a road bike. (Shimano PD-M520 are fantastic value) but then you have to use shoes with cleats all the time. But there are some single side SPD that you can use the underside with ordinary shoes.

When you want to spend a bit more money you can change to SPD-SL or one of the other purely "road" bike systems. Personally I have never bothered, and stuck with so-called mountain bike SPD

 

[gaz]

I take it that I can use the underside of the pedals to get used to the bike before taking the plunge and buying some spd shoes?
That depends on which pedals you buy, not all pedals have an underside which you can use normal shoes on
Will the underside be good for the various types of hills and steepness that we have here in Norway?
The normal pedal side will usually be very poor and it's probably best not to do much intensive cycling on them

Also what make of pedals is a good way to go for the future?
It depends what you want to do in the future and what you are comfortable with. Most go with an SPD style over an SPD-SL style
I notice a brand called VP and of course Shimano who I understand invented SPD. Are VP pedals any good?
I would use shimano over VP
Is it ok to buy the cheaper pedals these 2 make or really is it a false economy because they will wear out fast?
What are the advantages of the more expensive pedals apart from the obvious weight advantage?
Depends on the pedal, but more often it will be better quality.
I also notice that some pedals are classed as MTB pedals but they look similar to the others...are the fittings different or can these pedals be used on a racing bike also? Is this advisable?
You can use MTB pedals on any bike, they where primarily to be designed off road.

You could have posted this in the FAQ thread

 

[Easytigers]

I agree with the comments above. Go double sided for the SPDs also Shimano M520s are excellent when you start out. In terms of falling off...yup it happens. Go to a field when you first try them then you have a nice soft landing. Also found that repeating the mantra 'unclip, unclip, unclip' whenever slowing down for the first few journeys helped...it's surprising how easy it is to forget!

 

[chillyuk]

Supplied without pedals. They are having a laugh. If a shop tried to sell me a bike without pedals I would tell him where to put said bike. And yes, I do understand the cost cutting excuses, sorry, logic of allowing the purchaser to choose his own pedals.

 

[gaz]

Supplied without pedals. They are having a laugh. If a shop tried to sell me a bike without pedals I would tell him where to put said bike. And yes, I do understand the cost cutting excuses, sorry, logic of allowing the purchaser to choose his own pedals.

What would you prefer? No pedals or crappy pedals?

 

[alci4]

crappy pedals and i can upgrade if i wanna

 

[Dayvo]

tsddave! I'm going to get some of these http://www.bicycles.org.uk/products/shimano/pd-a520-touring-pedals/?gclid=CKzO9JOagasCFcq-zAod21h81w to put on my CAAD 10 105 to use with SPD shoes.

 

[gaz]

crappy pedals and i can upgrade if i wanna

So why not just have no pedals?

The bikes which come with no pedals are generally +£1,000 bikes where riders really are looking to use a clip less system and with such a large variety you might as well sell it without a pedal. No point putting a crappy plastic pedal on it and having a pedal which uses a system i don't is just a pain. You get stuck with a pedal which you can't use, you either have to keep it or sell it on. Both of which I don't really want to do if i don't have to.

 

[Willo]

I started off with SPD pedals on my road bike and still use them 2 years later. I bought some Shimano A530 pedals, which have one flat side for normal riding. They have done the job fine and I have no real problems clipping in with only 1-side except the odd occassion wheb I have to flip the pedal with my foot to get them the right way up. The flat side is okay but being metal they can be a bit slippy. I use a rigid soled SPD shoe which is virtually the same style as a road style shoe but with some minimal tread to recess the cleat and make them walkable, just! However, it's positively dangerous to try and cycle on the flat side in the shoes as they just slip.

As for getting started, after some initial problems I switched to multi-directional SPD cleats which really helped me with no detrimental effect in terms of accidental pulling my foot out.

 

[Theseus]

Also ... If memory serves ... if a bike does not have any pedals, it is not a complete bike and does not need to be equipped with a little ting ting bell.

 

[tsddave]

Thanks for all the replies guys, very cool and much appreciated

The reason the bike didnt have pedals is because it wasnt sold with pedals when it was new (its only 4 months old though) and the seller bought some very expensive top of the range pedals and didnt want to part with them. They are going on his next bike.


So do you guys think I should go for combination pedals for normal shoe one side and spd the other or simply buy some cheap but cheerful normal shoe type 1st before spending the big money on some special spd pedals when I have the cash for them and some shoes?
I hear that during the winter shoes and pedals sell for some bargain prices also.

 

[Dayvo]

Have a read of this for a clearer understanding: http://www.rei.com/expertadvice/articles/bike+pedals.html

 

[tsddave]

Dayvo many thanks for the reply.The pedals your looking at for your caad 10 look pretty awesome! Im just not sure if I want to commit totally to clipless. Part of it is that im running low on cash and I dont want to buy cheap and nasty shoes with what I have left of my budget and part of it is that ive been reading alot on it and I feel I should get to know the bike better before taking the plunge.

The link you just posted gave me some nice extra info ,so thanks again for that.

Perhaps I should just buy some cheap standard pedals for now and in a month or so buy myself some high quality light spd pedals and some really nice shoes.Any further thoughts?

 

[Dayvo]

It probably sounds snobbish, but to have plain platform pedals with trainers on a good road bike is a no-goer!