Pedals?

[Irishrebel]

Well,

my Schwinn Fastback Compact arrived, in mint condition from an eBay seller, only 4 months old, but you'd swear it hadn't touched tarmac. Boy, it is light and fast - half the weight of my son's good Trek MTB, and SO much more streamlined, but harder on the posterior, of course! I just knew I'd be saddlesore from the start, so tender is my rear now.

Sold without pedals, so I've been searching for a nice pair while utilising the plastic ones from my old Viking MTB. I don't want cheap rubbish (I've found a few in chain stores that feel like they have sand in the bearings!) nor do I want to be ripped off by a fancy name when I can spend less and get as good. If I can get a pair with a nice electric blue colour to complement the bike, great bonus.

SO: for a road bike, do I really need ultra-light alloy? My bike is about 8kgs but would heavy pedals affect the feel or performance that much?

What brands or models would you recommend? Which ones last? What sort of price would I need to pay for something reasonable? There are Wellco C006 available on eBay for about £25 all in (very light at 208g/ pair), which is probably as much as I'd like to spend.

I'm not keen on any of these clips or toe-loops - terrified I might not get my foot off quick enough in an emergency. Do I really need pins for secure foothold, or just alloys with some teeth?

Any advice appreciated.

 

[Nick1979]

Sorry to disagree, but I think riding a 8kg road bike without a pair of proper clipless pedals is a total waste. The weight of the pedals doesn't matter that much, but the difference between flat and clipless pedals is HUGE!!!

Don't worry, modern clipless pedals are very easy to get out of (sometimes a bit harder to get into for the road models but it's just a matter of being used to it).

Check the forum for dozens of thread on "which clipless pedals/shoes to buy"!!

 

[swee'pea99]

'Total waste' is perhaps a tad OTT...but certainly you lose a lot of the potential benefit by not having proper pedals with cleats. Don't be terrified! They're easy. You'll only fall off once or twice, and it doesn't hurt at all! And the payoff in terms of the ride experience is *really* worth it. Put it this way: I have never heard of someone who's tried it ever going back. Ever. (Of course you'll need some proper shoes too...but if you know your ebay, and you're prepared to be patient, you can pick some up for a song. Look for crappy pictures - they put people off.) I use brand new Cannondale SPD compact pedals (£4 incl p&p) and 'worn half a dozen times' Shimano shoes (£14 incl p&p). Under twenty squids to enhance you expensive bike's performance by, I'd say, at least 20-25%. That's value for money!

 

[zimzum42]

get clipless pedals. after a short time you'll wonder why anyone ever rides with flat pedals

 

[Nick1979]

Sorry didn't want to sound harsh. For a commuter, hybrid or tourer I would have said that clipless is a "very useful addition", but for a true racer I think they should be mandatory :-)

swee'pea99 is right, the first 2 or 3 rides would be awkward but after that the ride will be so much more pleasant and efficient!

You have to choose between MTB systems (mainly SPD: easy to get in and out, shoes you can walk with, ideal for commuting) and road systems (Look, Time, Speedplay.... more efficient but harder to get in and the shoes are difficult to walk in).

 

[4F]

I went clipless last year and have to say I wish I had done years ago. I went for these http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/Cycle/7/Shimano_PD-M540_Pedals/5360008791/ which are a MTB system however the cleats are recessed into the shoes so you can walk easily in them as well.

Very easy to unclip in and out of and it comes as second nature.

Congrats on getting your bike by the way. I remember how hard you were searching for one your side of the Irish sea.

 

[HLaB]

Go clipless you wont regret it. I opted for M424's at first as I had the option for normal shoes if it didn't work, it did. I switched them on my commuter and then put A520 touring pedals on my good bike at the time, now my winter/ training bike. I've since got a dropped bar road bike and put SPD-SL pedals on it. Apart from the lack of efficiency of plain pedals I found they could be a pain in the rain, when my foot would sometimes slip and the teeth of one of the pedals would whack my shins sometimes drawing blood.
Depending what use I find the pedals I have ideal: the M424's for commuting (but wouldn't look good on a road bike), the touring pedals if you aim to get off the bike/ walk a bit (IMO they look good on a road bike) or the SPD-SL for maximum efficiency cycling/ not walking. My personal favourites are the A520 touring pedals.

 

[Irishrebel]

Well, that was overwhelming!

Since it's unanimous, I'll give in and go clipless.

I'll maybe not say 'thanks' just yet - if I fall off and get hurt I'll remember who to blame.

Took your advice and looked up some 'starter' ideas. I was tempted to try the M324 combination pedals, one side for cleats, one side flats, especially as a review said "Ideal for those who aren't sure about going clipless", but then thought that having to flip them over each time, whichever shoe was on, might be awkward.

What seems better for me is the PD-M520 (plenty on eBay cheap) with the PD22 flat inserts, which means I can stick on the flats for 'nipping down the shop' and until I get a cheap pair of shoes and/or get used to them. There are 2 complete sets on eBay ending today so I should get them for around £15, I reckon.

There's also a pair of used shoes (my size) with SPDs but no bids and seller willing to separate them, so I'll make him an offer on the shoes - who knows? I might be completely clipless in a few days!

 

[domtyler]

Go for road bike style clipless pedals, the Shimano 105 ones are very good. The platforms are big enough that you can ride comfortably in trainers if you are just nipping to the shop. When combined with decent shoes the advantage over anything else in terms of power transfer is massively significant.

 

[4F]

Nice, you know it makes sense

 

[Irishrebel]

Congrats on getting your bike by the way. I remember how hard you were searching for one your side of the Irish sea.

Thanks. It was one of those moments, when it just seems right. We once saw a £9000 caravan on eBay and bid on it, despite being 500 miles away - just knew it was good and what we wanted.

Same with the bike. I was online when the Schwinn was posted, and immediately I just felt a warm feeling about it. There's a funny story about how I managed to persuade my wife to up the budget on the "Which road bike?" thread.

However: she's not so happy now with the extra cost of pedals and sundry AND my left STI broke after the first hour. My local said it was a faulty ratchet and would need replacing. Previous owner has been very helpful, so I'm contacting the retailer to ask for a new shifter under the warranty, but I'll still need to pay my local to get it fitted properly, unless the retailer is one of the really good ones who'll cover that cost too! Awkward when you live in the boondocks.

 

[jay clock]

Took your advice and looked up some 'starter' ideas. I was tempted to try the M324 combination pedals, one side for cleats, one side flats, especially as a review said "Ideal for those who aren't sure about going clipless", but then thought that having to flip them over each time, whichever shoe was on, might be awkward.

I have the M324 on 3 bikes, plus M520 on 2 others. The 324;s are great. They are slightly weighted so that that they fall with the clip in part upwards. It becomes second nature very fast to flip them round and clip in or not as the case may be. I even have them on my folder

 

[Irishrebel]

Thanks, I had the M324 in mind if I couldn't get something cheaper, but I just got brand new M520s WITH the supplementary flats to fit to them if needed for £14.50 incl. delivery!! I think it was the photos with the flats that put other bidders off, because any other M520s have gone for more.

I'm pleased.

But I have to wait to get my Tiagra shifter replaced in the post and re-fitted, before I can get out again.

Patience is a virtue. Recently I think I've had it in spadeloads!

 

[Perry]

After reading all the advice everyone has given you I'm embarrassed to have the SPD shoes and pedals but still not using them for fear of falling off and making an arse of myself.

 

[Irishrebel]

After reading all the advice everyone has given you I'm embarrassed to have the SPD shoes and pedals but still not using them for fear of falling off and making an arse of myself.

The fear is very real for me too, so I'm keeping the flat inserts on until I get confident. Maybe have one shoe clipped in and one not, just in case.

And milk floats are just too sly; you can't hear them coming: silent but deadly!