Time / Look advise

sean mc grath · June 2007

I am just returning to the bike after a lay off for six months with lung problems, so out I go on the bike monday evening done about twenty miles but yesterday and today my knees dont half hurt,
I have been having problems with knee pain this past two years or so,
seen a very good physio who tells me that the problems with my knees is comming from the bottom of my back,
so i went to see an ex professional cyclist who now owns a bike shop to seek his opinion and his advise is to scrap my Look pedals and cleats and swith over to Time pedals and cleats,
Anyone here done similar or indeed use Time pedals and cleats, if so did you find any difference whenever you switch over, are they hard to get in and out off or are the just like the Look system.

Sean

FAIL TO PREPARE, PREPARE TO FAIL!!

il_principe · June 2007

Have you considered Speedplay pedals? The Zero model has 15 degrees of free float so your knees can find their natural position. Also make sure you are stretching enough, lower back problems are often caused by tight hamstrings which can have an adverse affect in other areas.

My Best Bike

gbb · June 2007

One thing spring to mind Sean, and maybe i'm a cynic, but..
I fail to see how the BRAND of pedals can influence sore knees..surely thats the (probably poor )setup of the pedals or cleats, not the brand. Set up ANY brand of pedals/ cleats poorly...and you will probably get sore knees.

It doesnt answer youre long term problem, but i'm sure if i had 6 months off the bike...my knees would suffer too.

That said...if someone can tell me (and you hopefully) that Time pedals are designed better...fair enough....but i'm always suspicious of peoples 'opinions'. Unfortunately..'opinions' are'nt very scientific.[:D]

Chill out, fer Christsakes....

monty_dogcp · June 2007

The free float feel of Time is definitely superior to that of Look - they also have real world durability and affordability unlike Speedplay. I swapped over from Look about 3 years ago following some knee twinges and never looked baCK. Whilst the engagement isn't quite so positive, they're very easy to get on with - they don't squeak either.

WeeDos · June 2007

I too swapped from Look to Time pedals a few years back, not for any medical reason, just because I got fed up with look cleats wearing out so quickly and also being a bit slippery when walking. Time cleats last much longer, you don't slip when walking and are also easier too walk in. I wouldn't change back.

Paul

yenrodcp · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by gbb

One thing spring to mind Sean, and maybe i'm a cynic, but..
I fail to see how the BRAND of pedals can influence sore knees..surely thats the (probably poor )setup of the pedals or cleats, not the brand. Set up ANY brand of pedals/ cleats poorly...and you will probably get sore knees.

It doesnt answer youre long term problem, but i'm sure if i had 6

months off the bike...my knees would suffer too.

That said...if someone can tell me (and you hopefully) that Time pedals are designed better...fair enough....but i'm always suspicious of peoples 'opinions'. Unfortunately..'opinions' are'nt very scientific.[:D]

Chill out, fer Christsakes....
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Ideally yes, practically NO !

The deal with Time stuff is that you get the sideways WITH angular too: no other set-up offers this. Ok you can pres-set the amount of leeway form the crank cleat ration on some etc..but to have free sideways movement is king !

Your foot finds its own place instead of having to guess where it needs to go [;)]

And I'll keep saying this, for long time to come as I see many riders who would seriously benefit from them (TIME) END OF STORY!

[;)] 'tuono nel mio cuore...[:)]

Uzbek · June 2007

I could not agree more with GBB. Having had 6 months off I wonder if you need to do some gym work or other training on thighs/hamstrings etc?

Time may have theoretical advantages but are only going to fix your problem if your current set up is wrong in a way that cannot be fixed by the usual suspects (seat height, cleat position etc). I'd want to know what exactly he thinks is wrong with your current foot position/movement. I'd also systematically tweak these simpler and cheaper set up issues.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If North Yorks Council spent as much on the roads each year as I do on my bike then I could spend less on my bike...

SteveGcp · June 2007

Sorry to buck the trend but I have a history of knee problems. Used to use SPD's on all my bikes but last year decided to try and improve things and fitted Time RXE, one ride and my knees just did not get on with them. I don't think it was the set up but down to the fact they appeared to have sprung resistance on the float albeit minor it was enough for my knees to complain. Swapped to Speedplay and my knees have thanked me ever since. I've no doubt Time are great pedals for many people but not all. That said Sean if you are determined to try the Time you are welcome to mine (with all of 40 miles on them)for 20 quid and I'll throw the postage in [^]

sean mc grath · June 2007

Thanks for your replies, I had my bike set up at a local bike shop using the bikefitting.com method eighteen months, a few adjustments were made to the bike at the time , so i am hopping that the problem is either down to the wrong pedal system for me or poor cleat adjustment,
Am going to try the next few spins using standard platform pedals to see if the pain is reduced or in fact worse.

Sean

FAIL TO PREPARE, PREPARE TO FAIL!!

gbb · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by yenrod

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by gbb

One thing spring to mind Sean, and maybe i'm a cynic, but..
I fail to see how the BRAND of pedals can influence sore knees..surely thats the (probably poor )setup of the pedals or cleats, not the brand. Set up ANY brand of pedals/ cleats poorly...and you will probably get sore knees.

It doesnt answer youre long term problem, but i'm sure if i had 6

months off the bike...my knees would suffer too.

That said...if someone can tell me (and you hopefully) that Time pedals are designed better...fair enough....but i'm always suspicious of peoples 'opinions'. Unfortunately..'opinions' are'nt very scientific.[:D]

Chill out, fer Christsakes....
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Ideally yes, practically NO !

The deal with Time stuff is that you get the sideways WITH angular too: no other set-up offers this. Ok you can pres-set the amount of leeway form the crank cleat ration on some etc..but to have free sideways movement is king !

Your foot finds its own place instead of having to guess where it needs to go [;)]

And I'll keep saying this, for long time to come as I see many riders who would seriously benefit from them (TIME) END OF STORY!

[;)] 'tuono nel mio cuore...[:)]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Sounds reasonable to me, so i bow to your superior knowledge then Yenrod [8D]. I am always open to genuine knowledge....rather than 'opinion'.
I may try Time pedals next...but then, why bother in my case...i have no problem with Looks.

Chill out, fer Christsakes....

yenrodcp · June 2007

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by gbb

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by yenrod

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by gbb

One thing spring to mind Sean, and maybe i'm a cynic, but..
I fail to see how the BRAND of pedals can influence sore knees..surely thats the (probably poor )setup of the pedals or cleats, not the brand. Set up ANY brand of pedals/ cleats poorly...and you will probably get sore knees.

It doesnt answer youre long term problem, but i'm sure if i had 6

months off the bike...my knees would suffer too.

That said...if someone can tell me (and you hopefully) that Time pedals are designed better...fair enough....but i'm always suspicious of peoples 'opinions'. Unfortunately..'opinions' are'nt very scientific.[:D]

Chill out, fer Christsakes....
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Ideally yes, practically NO !

The deal with Time stuff is that you get the sideways WITH angular too: no other set-up offers this. Ok you can pres-set the amount of leeway form the crank cleat ration on some etc..but to have free sideways movement is king !

Your foot finds its own place instead of having to guess where it needs to go [;)]

And I'll keep saying this, for long time to come as I see many riders who would seriously benefit from them (TIME) END OF STORY!

[;)] 'tuono nel mio cuore...[:)]
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Sounds reasonable to me, so i bow to your superior knowledge then Yenrod [8D]. I am always open to genuine knowledge....rather than 'opinion'.
I may try Time pedals next...but then, why bother in my case...i have no problem with Looks.

Chill out, fer Christsakes....
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

GBB - When you walk down road - just imagine you couldn't move your feet sideways...

Ok its a bit far fetched or pedantic but sideways and angular makes a hell of lot of sense to me.

Funny thing is if I recall correctly J.Beyl designed both pedal systems.

http://www.bikesportmichigan.com/featur ... dals.shtml

I've rode spd pedals and I knew that the foot was pretty regid on that platform.

A long time back a friend had these:

http://www.bikepro.com/arch_products/pe ... pe_mag.jpg

They had a platform described by my mate as an: aircraft carrier [:D]

He ended up on looks.

I ended up doing a deal with him for them.

As much as where your saddle is on the bike + crank length + handle height + reach + width etc...

The pedals are the icing on the cake and it simply makes a whole lot of sense to have free movement in this area.

[;)] 'tuono nel mio cuore...[:)]

sean mc grath · June 2007

Update, went out yesterday without clipless pedals for the first time in four years done just over forty miles with standard platform pedals and a pair of leather trainers, yesterday and today no pain.
So what does this tell me do i need a pedal system with loads of float Like Time or speedplay or do i need no float like the Look system with black cleats.

Sean

FAIL TO PREPARE, PREPARE TO FAIL!!

simmers · June 2007

Plenty of float in Looks for most folks, although Time offers lateral float I understand. It may be that your ride on platform pedals just allowed your feet to naturally move in to their preferred pedalling position (eg fore/aft, angle, in/out, plus any twisting throughout the stroke). Have you set up your existing pedals to duplicate exactly this position?

It could be that you have other unidentified positional requirements, such as unequal length legs (shim cleats), feet flat or angled out (angled shims), more shoe support needed (custom footbed), lack of flexibility/strength in certain muscles/tendons (stretching/strengthening programme). All this is best investigated by specialists though, could give difficulties if attempted at home without proper guidance. Cyclefit's fitting service covers this, but is expensive, so try out the free stuff like re-examining current position first.

EDIT: Just re-read original post - the physio says the knee pain originates in the lower back - how is changing the pedals going to address this? Are your hips rocking? (Saddle too high). Weak back/core muscles not supporting pedal stroke? (Pilates/yoga). Bars too low?

edeverett · June 2007

Crank Brothers pedals are worth consideration if you need lots of float. My egg beaters have given me trouble free pedalling for the last 18 months, but I'm now wondering if they have too much movement for me. I'd highly recommend them if you need something a bit looser.

Ed.

Need web design? : http://edeverett.co.uk

Time / Look advise

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