Advice needed - pedals

phatspider

Hi

New Tricross Comp turns up in the morning

So need some pedal advice and advice on size of frame - see last post in thread

i will be using bike for travelling to work - just a boring 3 mile ride - and i wont want to use proper shoes/clips for that. But I will also be doing longer training rides as i'm hoping to do a triathlon next yr so will want clips

So do i get two sets of pedals and switch them when need to (bit of a hassle)

Or can someone recommend a good compromise of a pair of pedals which can be used with clip in shoes and normal trainers?

Happy to spend enough to get the the right set - obviously no point having a £6.99 set of pedals on a £1200 bike!

iga

Shimano A530 is SPD one side, road orientated platform the other. They also do the M324 but this is more of the bear trap cage style on one side. Having said that, if you only need to change the pedals over for an event it isn't much hassle, but what about training rides etc? I'd be tempted to get dual side SPDs and a pair of trainer style SPD shoes, or keep a spare pair of shoes at work.

Rich Hcp

iga wrote:

I'd be tempted to get dual side SPDs and a pair of trainer style SPD shoes, or keep a spare pair of shoes at work.

That's what I'd do.

You don't need the hassle of changing them all the time.

What if the weatther suddenly chenges for the better?

phatspider

forgive my ignorance but what do you mean by dual sided spds? Like the a530s you mean?

phatspider

What about the Shimano M545s?

gkerr4

why don't you want to use clipless pedals and cleats for commuting? - they are as necessary there as training rides imo.

phatspider

I dont know - i'm a total newbie so any advice gratefully received

I think im gonna go with the A530s

Never ridden cleats so am a little scared of them! Hence like the idea of the a530s plus if i just wanna cylce to the shops or sometihng in my flip flops i can!

gkerr4

oh i see - i was a bit wary of clipless too to be honest - SPD-SL were my first intro set - I;ve since used SPD and Time RXS too

they are easy to get used to though - I now have Time RXS on my road bikes and shimano SPD on my fixed gear and MTB - all systems are good - secure but easy to get out of when you want to.

The A530's look good too

FSR_XC

Something like this?


OK, it is MTB orientated, but you can use trainers or proper shoes on either side.


Don't know if you'll be able to ride in trainers with these?



Or you coul try these:

acorn_user

How about MKS MM Cube Clipless Quick Release Pedals? You could then buy the AR-2 version for normal shoe commuting.
Alternatively, you could buy some bike shoes that would be suitable for work. Marresi make some swanky ones in brown leather.
http://www.marresi.com/eng/HOME.html

phatspider

Grrr - bikes here and now i'm in two minds as to whether the size is right

I'm 5"11' and 14 st (on a good day!) so I was recommended the 56cm. But when i stand over the bike the top tube has hardly any clearance. I popped in to my LBS to buy some bits and queried it and he got me on the 56cm one in the shop and said was definitely too big. However he also said it was a 2009 model (which doesnt exist yet) so I'm not sure how much I trust him.

Acording to the Specialized Tricross sizing chart (which I realise is only a guide) the 54cm is good for pepole from 5"6 to 5"9 so clearly i'm a good 2 inches on top of the highest height range.

HELP!??!

P.S. Went for the A530s - they look pretty neat

biondino

Unless you've got really short legs or the sizings are way off, 56cm sounds perfect for your height. What's your inside leg? If it's say 31" or less then it's possible the bike *might* be too big for you, but even then you'll have good reach so you can probably just get by with a relatively low saddle.

phatspider

Its 31 for trousers, so prob say 32 to the floor

Maybe its just im not use to this sort of bike - i've come from 19" mtbs so clearly stand over wise there was a hell of a lot more clearance

Im worried the 54cm will be a bit cramped - so i'm erring on the side of keeping this and ignoring what the LBS said!

phatspider

Any one else offer any advice? I don't want to go through the hassle of switching the 56 to the 54 and find its actually too small!

boyse7en

I'd stick with the 56cm. If you are 5'11" with (relatively) short legs then you will have a long back. The 54cm Tricross I tried was too short in reach for me, and I'm only 5'10"

phatspider

Wise words

Manual says I should have a couple of inches clearance when stood over top bar - i have porbbaly half an inch at most!

100%

Manual says I should have a couple of inches clearance when stood over top bar - i have porbbaly half an inch at most!

Ah, but are you standing over the bike in your cycling gear? I.e. your new cycling shoes + cleats?

Cheers,
Steve