new bike, new pedal set up

counterculture

Im new to this forum but not to the site itself, so Hello to you all, and here is my first post.

spent the last couple years on a 05 Gary Fisher Wahoo, first "proper" mountain bike, RockShox Judy's, flat pedals, you know the craic.

anyway, after a bit of deliberation, ive ordered an 09 Specialised Rockhopper Expert, nice bike, very much a step (or 3) up from the old bike, i pick it up next week from the shop, but im shi***ng myself for the cycle home as it comes with Shimano 505 SPD clip clipless pedals and ive never used them, i didnt even pay much attention to them in the shop as i was way excited at the prospect of the bike.

you reckon i should have them throw on a pair of flats for the trip home and then get used to them at my own pace or just get stuck in and have a few tumbles onto the bonnets of a few cars at the lights, it also throws up the problem of shoes, as ive never needed anything other than an old pair of skate shoes, where do i even start?

any help appreciated

supersonic

You cant ride the spd pedals without shoes! So you either must buy some, or get the flats. I'd do the latter: get flats, get used to the bike, then think about SPDs when confident with how the bike handles.

thebluefox

yeh, even if its just to make things easier when you pick the bike up, get some flats sorted to start off with.

batch78

As hilarious as it might be :twisted: take some flats with you for the first ride home, I never had any real problems adjusting to spd's, but it is better if you can spend a little time getting used to the action at home before venturing out.

As for shoes, this time of year you'll probably want something warm and waterproof, ask in the shop, see what he sells, then if any take your fancy maybe you'll get a discount for buying with the bike.

There are skate styles available with spd fittings, or stiffer more efficient, but not wearable off the bike, styles.

adrianb1066

Get my Rockhopper Comp 08 for my birthday on Dec 12th and that comes with the clipless pedals. Going to the shop next week as the guy said he'd put them on my old Scott so that I can get used to them, and any 'incidents' don't hurt my new baby

Poss you could do that before you pick your bike up then only have to weigh out for the shoes (Aldi?) rather than a set of flats first and then shoes when used to the bike, but spose depends on what riding you want to do and if you'd like to go clipless

Obviously I need the shoes but getting a discount on them too, and really looking forward to the upgrade 8)

jayson

Most new bikes that come spuds usually have a plastic flat section plugged into one of them pedal anyways so i would worry bout the ride home too much.

Learning to ride with spuds far outweighs any negatives u may have with them, i for one cant ride a bike without them anymore it just doesnt feel right and my feet are all over the place slipping and sliding off flat pedals.

Surf-Matt

I don't like spds so got the ones that came with mu Stumpy swapped for DMR platforms.

I ride platforms (Wellgo MG1s) with SPD shoes - with no cleats. Get the useful sole stiffness without being "stuck" in the pedals. And makes you bunny hop properly too...

spid

I purchased my first real bike a couple of weeks ago and took the plunge last weekend with a pair of shimano spd's coupled with an el cheapo pair of decathlon shoes.

I didn't bother practising as such, just set off on the local gentle trail. Couldn't believe how good they were and how easy to use. Had numerous opportunities to practise at the regular styals and had no problems whatsoever.

Only a suicidal / deaf / dumb / blind (take your pick) Pug caused me any problems. Fortunately in my blind panic i managed to release my foot.

The difference in power I found was pretty special.

Surf-Matt

I beg to differ having used spds for years, finally given up and moved back to flats (with spd shoes).

supersonic

Best to learn the basics on flats - SPDs can encourage lazy technique, and lazy pedalling. Learn this stuff on flats and you will be a better apd rider.

MrWizard

I've just bought a bike that came with the Shimano 505s, took it out for a quick run the other night and found I was having major problems disconnecting my shoes from the pedals - was having to apply a lot more effort than I would expect. I've since slackened off the tensioners in the pedals and they seem much better - you might want to adjust them a bit before you use them in anger

counterculture

i reckon ill get them to chuck a pair of DMR V8s(cheap yet functional) when i go to pick the bike up, give it a while to get into the bike and then give the SPDst a go, maybe time it right and im sure a pair of Shimano MP66 would make a lovely Christmas pressie.

scoobasteve

I've just put a set of shimano's on my new bike and first time out with them the clipping out was fine but I seemed to struggle to clip into the right one when pushing off, will have a fiddle around with them at the weekend.

Chunkin

I just fitted some Shmiano M520's to my Avalanche 1.0 and use them with some nice and warm MW80 boots. This is my first forray into the realm of cliplessness (OK, I know that's not a word, but it should be!), and so far I've not found it difficult and haven't come off. The pedals came with some reflectors fitted that actually converted them into flats on one side, which is something you could consider when getting used to the bike. I think it would be tricky using SPD's and a new bike together for the first time.

I agree with the comments above about slackening the release tension off on the pedals. I've slackened mine as far as I can which makes them very easy to unclip. It probably means that there's a greater chance of accidentally unclipping, but at this stage of the game I think that's a safer bet than not being able to get the pedal off in a moment of panic.

One other thing. Get yourself a pedal spanner. I had to invest in one as no matter what I did I couldn't get the old pedals off my 2 month old bike without it.

scoobasteve

Just a quick note to point out a typical beginner error which i have made! My last post stated I was having difficulty with the right pedal only - I had set out for my first run with them assuming they'd both be set-up the same out of the box! They were not - the right peda had about double the tension of the other which explains my problems!

cheehee

counterculture wrote:

Im new to this forum but not to the site itself, so Hello to you all, and here is my first post.

spent the last couple years on a 05 Gary Fisher Wahoo, first "proper" mountain bike, RockShox Judy's, flat pedals, you know the craic.

anyway, after a bit of deliberation, ive ordered an 09 Specialised Rockhopper Expert, nice bike, very much a step (or 3) up from the old bike, i pick it up next week from the shop, but im shi***ng myself for the cycle home as it comes with Shimano 505 SPD clip clipless pedals and ive never used them, i didnt even pay much attention to them in the shop as i was way excited at the prospect of the bike.

any help appreciated

Dude we are gonna be Rockhopper Expert/SPD 'virgin' buddies

I'm picking mine up on Wed's and I've never ridden with SPD's.....I've used toe clips and straps for the past 10+ years.

I'm just gonna get SPD'd up and go for it, I suggest you do the same, what could possibly go wrong? :shock:

You'll be reet me duck.....

@ supersonic using toeclips has made my bunnyhopping 'lazy'. I took 'em off t'other day and could I bunny hop? could I f**k :oops:

SPD's will make me lazier, which is good as I'm a lazy git. They may also hide my lack of talent - its a win - win sitaution *

*(until I fall off still clipped in of course )