Pedal Advice

[71notout]

Looking for some help folks.

Recently bought myself a Ridgeback Velocity for cycling into work and general fitness.

Have done 250 miles on it now and one of the things I am looking to upgrade is my footwear/pedal combination.

My old Adidas Superstar trainers are suffering and the toe straps can be a nuisance now and then.

What are the options? What is the difference between SPD and clipless?

How difficult is it to remove your foot if you need to stop at traffic lights, etc?

I am looking to spend around £50 on pedals and probably the same ballpark, maybe slightly more on shoes that I can also walk a short distance in once I get to work.

Any recommendations? Happy to go cheaper if possible (aren't we all!).

I am sure I have seen double purpose pedals that have some kind of clip on one side and a plain pedal on the reverse - anyone use these?

Any info is greatly appreciated.

Cheers,
Steven

[Master Mischief]

Steven,

SPDs are a brand of clipless pedals. It stands for Shimano Pedling Dynamics. The design varies from brand to brand but the principle is the same.

Initially you will fall off a lot because you stop the think about how to twist your foot.

After 86 embarrassing stacks you realise not to twist your foot, just step sideways and your foot will pivot (twist) on the pedal and release.

Basic SPDs are pretty good and will not break your budget. You can adjust the retention force by turning a bolt as you get more confident and they last forever.

The reversible pedals are very good but you need to be able to roll the pedal with your foot to access either side.

Shoe wise, just look for which are reduced as they are very sensitive to last year's colours.

Jon

Edited to change salutation.

Edited by Master Mischief on Thursday 2nd July 11:29

[R.P.M]

I first tried SPD's about three years ago, I wasn't sure I would get on with them, so I bought a nearly new pair of spd's ( boggy m520 or something) off ebay for £15 and a nearly new pair of specialized shoes (£25) off ebay.

A few thousand miles later I'm still using the pedals and shoes (although both are knackered!) and I have never ever had an 'Spd' moment. I will never ride flats again.

I use them for everything from DH in the Alps to the Urban Commute.

[Master Mischief]

Steven,

Three pedals for you:

Shimano M520 Pedals

Shimano M424 Pedals

Shimano M324 Pedals

All will be good and last for a long time and all are well within budget.

If you are lucky you may fit into these shoes:

661 Tiburon 2007

Shimano MT20D SPD Shoes

Otherwise just arrange by price on CRC.

Jon

[71notout]

Thanks guys, much appreciated

[WildCards]

Master Mischief said:

Shimano MT20D SPD Shoes

I like those, you almost wouldn't look like a duck when you stopped off at the pub for a pint as you do in most other fancy pants shoes.

[pedantlewis]

I've only ever used SPDs/clipless a few times, I prefer flats for some reason. On the odd occasion I have used them, I found the release mechanism to be pretty intuitive, so didn't have any of those 'oh dear, I appear to be falling off' moments which so many seem to.

If you don't get along with them too well initially, I think you can get multi release cleats which make it even easier to disengage them. Someone else may be able to confirm that though.

[A - W]

If your after SPDs, they are pretty cheap from here and no I dont work for them.

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Shimano-Shimano...

I bought these and put them with some cheap shoes from Lidl.

Been doing a grand job for a few months now and no problems apart from the occasional moment where I forget to unclip.

[John D9395]

Just bought a new bike, and have invested in SPD's for the 1st time.

The pedals from memory were about £60. The reason I chose them was that they were double sided ie 2 x SPD clips / peddle (Shimarno), and also were suitable for riding with standard shoes (although the footprint surrounding the SPD clip isn't the largest, but OK if not going too far).

The shoes look like standard trainers, but with an SPD clip in the bottom. £60 from memory, and quite OK to walk in.

Have had a few 'SPD moments' but nothing broken. Done about 200 miles over the last 3 - 4 weeks, getting the hang of them and feel it to be worth the effort.

[CooperS]

I would go for Time Atac pedals as the are touted (and imo) better on the knee's due to increased float and adjustment. Cost around 60 from CSC or Wiggle

[Steve UK]

CooperS said:

I would go for Time Atac pedals as the are touted (and imo) better on the knee's due to increased float and adjustment. Cost around 60 from CSC or Wiggle

x2

I have the Time z freerides, 2 pairs actually 1 pair are now 6 years old still as good as new albeit the paint has come off.

They are dead simple so nothing to clog up or go wrong, 2 tension settings this is adjusted on which way you put the cleats into your shoe.

I have them on the slackest as I found the tighter setting far too hard to get my shoe out, lots of float so as not to screw with your knees, really easy to clip in/out and will not pop out without you wanting to.

Downsides are they are a little heavier then some other spd's but you will never break them.

They have a platform which you can use normal shoes on to pedal but would not recommend it as there not grippy enough. Ok for a casual ride though.

I love all the shimano stuff but these in my opinion are much better than shimano spd.

edit: using them with shimano am50 shoes, you need a size bigger than normal for shimano shoes as they do come up small. The am50's are not w-proof but give great protection whilst being comfy

Edited by Steve UK on Thursday 2nd July 14:38

[longblackcoat]

Whilst we all have our particular preferences for types of clipless pedals - many people use Shimano, others prefer Eggbeaters or Time - the fact remains that 99%+ of serious mountain bikers (cross country ones at least) use clipless pedals. Even my 9 year-old son has now gone for SPD and refuses to use anything else.

Given that you can get a basic SPD for £20 and basic shoes for around £50, it makes sense.

[pdV6]

Master Mischief said:

After 86 embarrassing stacks you realise not to twist your foot, just step sideways and your foot will pivot (twist) on the pedal and release.

To be fair, once is usually enough.

Personally I use Time ATACs 'cos SPDs hurt my (dodgy) knees.

[aberdeeneuan]

I use shimano pedals and mavic shoes on the road bike, but the rules are the same. Basic pedals work well, the only difference between these and the more expensive ones (really) is weight. You'll hear a lot about float, which is the amount of angle you can move your foot in the pedal. More float is useful if you have dodgy knees, but i do and I find shimano perfect, 30 quid for them and you can't go wrong. You can always upgrade later if you feel you need to.

[ratbane]

pdV6 said:

Master Mischief said:

After 86 embarrassing stacks you realise not to twist your foot, just step sideways and your foot will pivot (twist) on the pedal and release.

To be fair, once is usually enough.

Personally I use Time ATACs 'cos SPDs hurt my (dodgy) knees.

I remember having the same probs when I first used clips. I fell off more with them than with SPuDs

[pdV6]

Master Mischief said:

Three pedals for you:

You're either doing something wrong or have a really odd-looking bike!

[HDM]

CooperS said:

I would go for Time Atac pedals as the are touted (and imo) better on the knee's due to increased float and adjustment. Cost around 60 from CSC or Wiggle

Another vote for Time Atacs, I started using them on my road bike when riding in Manhattan, as they are very easy to get out of, and even more importantly, when you have an impatient yellow cab behind you, easy to get into! As others have mentioned, there are minimal moving parts, the release angle (amount of twist required to disengage) is determined by how you install cleats. Another benefit, the small cleat on the bottom of the shoe makes walking in cycling shoes much more comfortable.

[Rolls]

Times for me too!
Handy that all of the guys I ride with use Times, so swapping bikes is easier too!