Pedal Poll!

spasypaddy

fair enough, i did do quite a bit of reading when i wanted new pedals and those were the ones i wanted.

But because i never really had a plan to buy a fixie i decided the best option was to get a second set of what i already had (old looks) which would meant that in the morning i could put on one pair of shoes and then decide on which bike when i got to the garage. Now im planning on riding fixie i will be using spuds on it and now regret buying a second set of pedals that arent needed

lost_in_thought

Greg66 wrote:

DDD: Calm yourself. I haven't ridden in well over week, may not be riding again this side of Xmas, and am driving to work through the mass of traffic caused by the State opening of Parliament. It will all be all right though. Breath in, breath out.


LiTs: I've found it. The perfect pedal for you. The one that says "Hey, look at me! I'm a girl, but even so I know my bike kit and I'm gonna scorch your ass like a toasted marshmellow, then spit you out like I've been chewing tobacco for a year."

Try these:

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh it's pink!

Other than that, I am quite liking the idea of the speedplays. I enjoy the simplicity of the pedal, the double-sided-ness of it looks good too, it's one of the bigger things that troube me about the look/spd-l ones - and it's not too hard to get the bits.

As for the colour, I think it's fairly obvious that I'm a girl without resorting to pink accessories to prove it, but I'm sure they make them in black/red/silver/other inoffensive colour...

spasypaddy

yes but the problem with speedplays is that if you need to replace the cleats they cost around £40 where as cleats for the others are an inexpensive £5-£10.

il_principe

spasypaddy wrote:

so what you are trying to say is that the article is bollocks?

It's arse gravy of the highest order. Especially this:

"Time RXS has just the right amount of rotational movement or "float": Not too much, not too little."

What bollox. Float is a personal thing, there is no such thing as "just the right amount". He fails to mention that the speedplay has micro adjustable float - so can be tailored by the user.

il_principe

spasypaddy wrote:

yes but the problem with speedplays is that if you need to replace the cleats they cost around £40 where as cleats for the others are an inexpensive £5-£10.

But the cleats are largely metal and takes ages and ages to wear out (speedplay suggest 5,000 miles), especially if using the coffee shop cleat covers when walking.

toshmund

Look Keo's for my decent bike. Toe clips for the rest. I have enough trouble with toe clips, sometimes with the fixed...Think I would be a serious hazard with cleats!

biondino

The speedplay pedal may be the most plasticky looking thing I've ever seen - how bizarre anyone could think it's prettier than the loves gleaming steel/titanium lines of the eggbeater.

spasypaddy

fair enough, just thought id throw that point out there. Like i say i am on really old looks. I like them but they are old

lost_in_thought

The same dude has this to say about the speedplays...

I agree on the looks Biondino - the pink ones especially look a little bit plasticky. Those are the light-action ones, the Zeroes look better but I'm not 100% sure what the difference is between them!

EDIT: Ahhhhh

speedplay website wrote:

Light Action pedals are intentionally designed for fast and easy disengagement rather than with the higher “resistance to twist” that is typical of pedals used for competitive forms of cycling. Speedplay recommends Zero Pedals for racing, competition or for any rider with an aggressive riding style. The release mode for Zero pedals is designed for maximum security in racing situations. The effort required to twist the foot and disengage from Light Action Pedals is less than with Zero Pedals

jonginge

Clipless pedal designs are 20+ years old*. Hardly bleeding edge stuff. The top models of the major brands are going to be good. RXS or Speedplay? Wouldn't mind either but have been a happy Time user since 1988 so would go RXS when I need to replace/upgrade (still using some Times from the 80's)


* ok speedplay are new entrants but the design learnings are 2 decades old

DonDaddyD

SPD-SL pedals make me look faster than I actually am.

At the lights I've already won the psychological battle.... :shock:

Serious moment.

I have the flatest feet ever. I have no foot arch and in some shoes this leads to impossible cramp and general soreness as I am (literally, arguably) walking on my ankles.

I find that my SPD-SL help because the wide surface area covered by the cleat enables me to walk on 'ball' of my feet or forces me to walk heel toe - like a proper human. That, plus arch support means no more cramps and makes my SPD-SL one of my more comfortable shoes to walk in.

How this helps L-i-T I do not know, just thought I'd throw that out there.

il_principe

biondino wrote:

The speedplay pedal may be the most plasticky looking thing I've ever seen - how bizarre anyone could think it's prettier than the loves gleaming steel/titanium lines of the eggbeater.

Well you've got the cheaper Light Action:



And the more expensive race orientated Zero:



The titanium ones are £100 more and : 56 grams lighter.

Not to bothered by the look as they're hidden in the cleats, but they do come in a decent colour range.

greg66_tri_v2.0

jashburnham wrote:

Not to bothered by the look as they're hidden in the cleats, but they do come in a decent colour range.

I'm sorry, but that comment cannot *possibly* go unchallenged.

Jash? "Not bothered by the look"?

:shock: What? This is the man whose kit matches his Pinarello, FFS! :shock:

And he claims that he is not "bothered by the look"?

My gaster is completely flabbered.

BTW LiTs, you're still welcome to try out the Zero Tis. I think they're in black. Reading the article about the RXSs reminded me how many bits there are in the box to mount them. Maybe you could talk sweetly to Jash and get him to mount them. I may have burnt me bridges ... :oops:

chromehoof

DonDaddyD wrote:

SPD-SL

But if I could do it all again, Keo Look pedals, don't know why, they look cool!

I swear by these. Sprint are as fancy as I'll allow myself get though (you can spend a tonne on them if you go the whole hog and get full carbon).

Keo sprint are cheap enough somewhere like probikekit. If you use the same shoes on different bikes, get yourself a few sets. I have 3, and one spare. I'm never goin back!

lost_in_thought

Greg66 wrote:

BTW LiTs, you're still welcome to try out the Zero Tis. I think they're in black. Reading the article about the RXSs reminded me how many bits there are in the box to mount them. Maybe you could talk sweetly to Jash and get him to mount them. I may have burnt me bridges ... :oops:

That's most kind of you!

I'm obtaining a pair of pretty much brand new 'racing bike shoes by someone called dhb' from a friend who goes through hobbies like I go through cheap lager... one advantage of having flipper feet is that his shoes fit me!

So I may well take you up on that offer. I'm sure I'll be able to work out how to mount them... sure-ish... :shock:

DonDaddyD wrote:

How this helps L-i-T I do not know, just thought I'd throw that out there.

Actually it helps me rather a lot, for lo, I am also afflicted with flat feet. Interesting. Thanks for that DDD!

Harry182

I use spd's for the SS commuter as they're easy to engage and you can still pedal unclipped if needed. However, I also wanted something better for the 'serious/weekend' bike.

If money and shoe compatibility had not been issues I probably would have gone for Speedplays for the serious bike. I also considered Keo's but reconsidered due to their reputed tall stack heights.

I ended up with Ultegra Sl's (about £60 from Ribble, if memory serves) as a good cost/performance/(and, yes, I admit)bling-factor compromise and have been very pleased ever since with their solid supportive platform, easy yet positive engagement and IMO good looks.

il_principe

Greg66 wrote:

jashburnham wrote:

Not to bothered by the look as they're hidden in the cleats, but they do come in a decent colour range.

I'm sorry, but that comment cannot *possibly* go unchallenged.

Jash? "Not bothered by the look"?

:shock: What? This is the man whose kit matches his Pinarello, FFS! :shock:

And he claims that he is not "bothered by the look"?

My gaster is completely flabbered.

BTW LiTs, you're still welcome to try out the Zero Tis. I think they're in black. Reading the article about the RXSs reminded me how many bits there are in the box to mount them. Maybe you could talk sweetly to Jash and get him to mount them. I may have burnt me bridges ... :oops:

Well I do have them in Red of course, and personally I love the look of them.

TheKrikkitWars

I use Crank Bros. candy's (in pink, £10 to clear at LBS) which i guess are just eggbeaters + miniature platform

I love the simplicity, and whilst the little platform is just enough to let me have one foot unclipped when the huge descents along my commute make me twitchy, it doesn't get in the way.

Al_38

lost_in_thought wrote:

Actually it helps me rather a lot, for lo, I am also afflicted with flat feet. Interesting. Thanks for that DDD!

If you decide to buy new shoes at some point in the future, I would recommend the specialized body geometry ones. They have quite a high arch and a number of other bits and bobs to support feet better. As someone who also has slightly flat feet, I find them much more comfy than other shoes I have tried: sidi, gaerne shimano etc

il_principe

Al_38 wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Actually it helps me rather a lot, for lo, I am also afflicted with flat feet. Interesting. Thanks for that DDD!

If you decide to buy new shoes at some point in the future, I would recommend the specialized body geometry ones. They have quite a high arch and a number of other bits and bobs to support feet better. As someone who also has slightly flat feet, I find them much more comfy than other shoes I have tried: sidi, gaerne shimano etc

+1 Cannot recommend Spesh shoes highly enough, they are fantastic. If you do have weird feet (like me) then some custom soles are a good idea - as I'm sure you know - foot position effects your knees and even your back. I had custom insoles done at cyclefit a few years back, was pretty cheap but I sense it's more expensive now.

lost_in_thought

jashburnham wrote:

Al_38 wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

Actually it helps me rather a lot, for lo, I am also afflicted with flat feet. Interesting. Thanks for that DDD!

If you decide to buy new shoes at some point in the future, I would recommend the specialized body geometry ones. They have quite a high arch and a number of other bits and bobs to support feet better. As someone who also has slightly flat feet, I find them much more comfy than other shoes I have tried: sidi, gaerne shimano etc

+1 Cannot recommend Spesh shoes highly enough, they are fantastic. If you do have weird feet (like me) then some custom soles are a good idea - as I'm sure you know - foot position effects your knees and even your back. I had custom insoles done at cyclefit a few years back, was pretty cheap but I sense it's more expensive now.

Thanks! My current shoes are Specialised Body Geometry, and they are comfortable. I already have an assortment of orthotic insoles and the like, but unless I'm walking long distances (and It's too cold for my birkenstocks) I don't tend to wear them. Also, not that it's relevant to you so much, wearing heels is a very easy way to correct them - the position of your foot is such that the arch holds itself up!

lost_in_thought

So I picked up the new shoes from my friend's place on the way home, and discovered he'd put his SPDs on them for me - bless.

They're good actually, I like the solid sole - it feels like you're pedalling with the whole shoe rather than just the ball of your foot like my old ones which were pretty bendy.

However, how the frack do you guys walk in those things? Even with the SPDs they're like bloomin' ice skates... I nearly stacked it about 3 times before I got anywhere near the bike! Tiled floors = very dangerous. :shock:

Mind you, the various pedal options listed have coffee-shop covers or grippy bits so they'll be easier than bare-metal SPDs... right?? :?

chaley

Egg beater for me! They made me laugh the first time I saw them so had to have a go, I like the fact that you can move your foot around a fair bit while clipped in to stop your feet getting tired.
Chaley

Jen J

lost_in_thought wrote:

So I picked up the new shoes from my friend's place on the way home, and discovered he'd put his SPDs on them for me - bless.

They're good actually, I like the solid sole - it feels like you're pedalling with the whole shoe rather than just the ball of your foot like my old ones which were pretty bendy.

However, how the frack do you guys walk in those things? Even with the SPDs they're like bloomin' ice skates... I nearly stacked it about 3 times before I got anywhere near the bike! Tiled floors = very dangerous. :shock:

Mind you, the various pedal options listed have coffee-shop covers or grippy bits so they'll be easier than bare-metal SPDs... right?? :?

The coffee shop covers do make a huge difference, although you still walk funny. I do anyway :oops:

Think the next RP ride is on 21st - if you're there, and you haven't bought new pedals by then, you're welcome to try out my shoes and bike with speedplays.

linsen

Jen - I just read this thread in the hope of another "falling off" story - you've let me down

Jen J

linsen wrote:

Jen - I just read this thread in the hope of another "falling off" story - you've let me down

Sorry - I'm using the 'spare' shoes now, and I even tightened the cleat bolts before first going out. However I may possibly, depending on road iciness, attempt Jash's Surrey Hills loop on Saturday - 70 miles incluiding hills should provide ample opportunites for me to fall...

linsen

I'll come meet you for one of those sometime....

iain_j

SPD's + Shimano MT31's. Solid soles, but the cleats are recessed in between treads so you can walk easily (even on tiled floors).

greg66_tri_v2.0

lost_in_thought wrote:

However, how the frack do you guys walk in those things? Even with the SPDs they're like bloomin' ice skates... I nearly stacked it about 3 times before I got anywhere near the bike! Tiled floors = very dangerous. :shock:

Too true. My brief flirtation with Looks was brought to an end by the frictionless ballbearing qualities of the cleats. It will come as no surprise to hear that the podio cleats I use have a rubberised base, so non slip, and therefore awesome (again). It still took a while to get used to walking in them though.

BTW: frack. BSG. Gods! It's Kara Thrace :shock:

attica

Newer Look cleats do now come with rubbery bits in the centre, makes a surprising difference when walking.

Also LiT, Look pedals, and probably Time and SPD sl (which are Look copies anyway) all have a heavier back end, so clipping in is easy because you know which way up the pedal is before you start.

I rarely look down to clip in, that's probably the same for all "one sided" pedals.