Road bike basics...

[Night Runner]

Evening all,

Due to all the road miles I am doing I'm looking to get a road bike. I currently use a Cube Ltd Race mtb - which I will be keeping.

I have no knowledge about road bike specs/manufacturers outside of Cannondale/Cube/Kona - the standard mtb makers really.

I'm looking to buy second hand and would prefer to spend ~£300.

Can anyone make any recommendations?

Cheers!

[RRS_Staffs]

Something that fits you and isnt nicked would be my suggestions

[RacingPete]

From one mtber to another...

I picked up a very nice Giant Defy 4 for around that price second hand. Very quick frame I have found compared to much more expensive frames. Well worth a look and have no complaints.

Plus keeps you in your mtb knowledge of brand names

[louiebaby]

For Shimano components:

Sora < Tiagra < 105 < Ultegra < Dura Ace

A bit like when buying a cheapish car, condition and fit are more important than brand.

If you go to a bike shop to try some new bikes for fit, and then go looking for a second hand one on ebay, remember who helped you, and reward them with a sale in the future. This is the only way shops with good service continue to stay open.

[Night Runner]

Right,

I got sized up, 58cm - big apparently. I'm hopefully picking up a roadie tomorrow.

I'm also looking to sort some spds out - I have no idea about them.

I'm not after strict roadie shoes & pedals as I may end up putting them on my mountain bike at some point.

Can anyone guide me? Float? pedal/shoe compatibility?

Cheap & forgiving would be good!

Cheers

[louiebaby]

Night Runner said:

I got sized up, 58cm - big apparently.

To paraphrase Mick Dundee, that's not big, this is...

Although I don't have a picture of the 64cm frame Trek I picked up last night.

Picks on the right thread tonight. (Probably.)

[E21_Ross]

i use shimano SPD pedals with some specialized shoes. work absolutely fine. think the pedals retail at about 40quid

[shalmaneser]

Night Runner said:

Right,

I got sized up, 58cm - big apparently. I'm hopefully picking up a roadie tomorrow.

I'm also looking to sort some spds out - I have no idea about them.

I'm not after strict roadie shoes & pedals as I may end up putting them on my mountain bike at some point.

Can anyone guide me? Float? pedal/shoe compatibility?

Cheap & forgiving would be good!

Cheers

Get some M520s and whatever shoe fits best at about £50.

[Night Runner]

Are there any compatability issues with shoes/cleats/pedals?

As you can tell im new to this whole spd malarkey!

[RRS_Staffs]

Pedals and cleats are tied
When you buy pedals they (usually) come with cleats

Shoes are flexible - you should be able to use any, although Im not sure about Shimano shoes, with the caution that road and MTB stuff is not compatable

[Night Runner]

RRS_Staffs said:

Pedals and cleats are tied
When you buy pedals they (usually) come with cleats

Shoes are flexible - you should be able to use any, although Im not sure about Shimano shoes, with the caution that road and MTB stuff is not compatable

Cheers,

I'm planning on getting mtb shoes & pedals (which may make some roadie purists furious).

So as long as the cleats (assuming they come with the pedals) fit the shoes I should be fine?

[shalmaneser]

Night Runner said:

Cheers,

I'm planning on getting mtb shoes & pedals (which may make some roadie purists furious).

So as long as the cleats (assuming they come with the pedals) fit the shoes I should be fine?

yup.

Basically, to avoid confusion MTB shoes go with MTB pedals, whereas road shoes go with road pedals.

[Markp13]

Why mtb pedals and shoes for a road bike?

I ask because I fancy my first set of proper pedals for my caad9 and I really don't know where to start.

[Night Runner]

Markp13 said:

Why mtb pedals and shoes for a road bike?

I ask because I fancy my first set of proper pedals for my caad9 and I really don't know where to start.

They may end up on my mtb - think it'll be less odd to have mtb pedals/shoes with a road bike than the other way round.

[shalmaneser]

Markp13 said:

Why mtb pedals and shoes for a road bike?

I ask because I fancy my first set of proper pedals for my caad9 and I really don't know where to start.

You also can't really walk in road SPDs. MTB SPDs are much more versatile.

[Markp13]

shalmaneser said:

You also can't really walk in road SPDs. MTB SPDs are much more versatile.

I'm not a serious biker by any means but I will cover 25 miles on my caad9 every other day. And I would like to be able to nip into a corner shop without skating all over the place, would mtb pedals and shoes be the best choice here?

And anything to look for when buying, which will most probably be online as the nearest shop is 45 miles away

[Markp13]

shalmaneser said:

You also can't really walk in road SPDs. MTB SPDs are much more versatile.

I'm not a serious biker by any means but I will cover 25 miles on my caad9 every other day. And I would like to be able to nip into a corner shop without skating all over the place, would mtb pedals and shoes be the best choice here?

And anything to look for when buying, which will most probably be online as the nearest shop is 45 miles away

[Markp13]

shalmaneser said:

You also can't really walk in road SPDs. MTB SPDs are much more versatile.

I'm not a serious biker by any means but I will cover 25 miles on my caad9 every other day. And I would like to be able to nip into a corner shop without skating all over the place, would mtb pedals and shoes be the best choice here?

And anything to look for when buying, which will most probably be online as the nearest shop is 45 miles away

[E21_Ross]

so you're serious about not being serious?

SPD's will be fine on a road bike. it's what i'll have on my next road bike, but purely because i already have SPD shoes which i use on my mountain bike. i haven't used road cleats for a good 3-4 years but can remember they're awkward to walk in, whereas SPD's are fine. have used SPD's for quite a while now and in a few different countries and i'm never changing back

to be honest, if you're a casual rider then i doubt you'll notice much difference between the 2 pedal set ups to be honest. if you've never used clip in shoes before, SPDs are probably a little easier. you can start with them really loose so they're easy to clip in and out of (same goes for the roadie pedals too though).

nout wrong with SPD's in my opinion.

edit - these are the pedals i use, and they're fine, have used them on 5+ hour rides on the mountain bike and don't get any aches and pains (other than the usual )

http://www.hargrovescycles.co.uk/products.asp?cate...

Edited by E21_Ross on Sunday 1st May 13:35

[shalmaneser]

Markp13 said:

I'm not a serious biker by any means but I will cover 25 miles on my caad9 every other day. And I would like to be able to nip into a corner shop without skating all over the place, would mtb pedals and shoes be the best choice here?

And anything to look for when buying, which will most probably be online as the nearest shop is 45 miles away

You can walk in SPD-Rs (ie road SPDs), but not far and they are genuinely treacherous if it's wet outside and you're on tiled flooring.

I use SPDs (ie MTB SPDs) because they are that much more versatile and are 95% as good as SPD-Rs.

The M540s above are excellent, although I use M520s on two of my bikes and they're brilliant too, just a bit heavier but a lot cheaper.