pedals?

leonbradbury

hi, ive had my road bike for about a month now and im loving it apart from the weather! i think its time to get some pedals and shoes but some people are saying that MTB spd's would be better then road shoes but as far as i can tell the only reason for the spd's is they are esay to walk in, whats best to ride in

Garry H

Performance wise, there's not much to go by. Road cleats are less likely to come unstuck, apparently, but have a bigger platform so are less likely to lead to any pressure problems on the sole of the foot, apparently. Most road systems come with plastic cleats that will wear out in time.

Just base your decision on whether you need to walk in them or not.

willharris10

spd's if you want a shoe you can walk in, otherwise I use Look pedals. I used to be quite happy to ride my bike with trainers or even flip-flops in the summer just pushing on the pedals from above. Not ideal, but worked ok for very short trips down the road. Otherwise my Sidi shoes and Look cleats were the dogs I thought.

cove888

Could I put on flat mtb pedals as well, would they fit just fine?

willharris10

Of course. If you want the best of both worlds, well at least the ability to use a cleat when you want and a normal shoe when you want, then you can get these:

http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-t ... 0000000000

ride_whenever

except they're the worst of both worlds.

TBH mtb stuff is fine as longas you've got decent shoes with a really stiff sole. In terms of performace there is very little between them if you've got good shoes. I'd recommend sidi, my dragon 2 srs vernice are the dogs

bobtbuilder

If you get Look Keo pedals, then the cleats come with cleat covers which you can put on over the cleats if you need to walk in them.

willharris10

Ooh that's good. Just ordered some Look Keo's so that'll make a nice change. My old Looks, didn't have that.

Yes, dual purpose pedals are a compromise. My neighbours in the flat below have the Shimano pedals I listed and love them. Personally I would never change my Looks. They're just too sexy.

cove888

Sorry, I didn't mean dual purpose ones i meant the mtb flat ones like these

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Cate ... goryID=209

Would they fit?

I've a pair of look ones but wan something for going to the shops.

cheers

willharris10

I did the exact same thing and swapped my Looks for a pair of regular pedals for the summer and to make riding in flip-flops easier. Swapped them back three days later. They were great but made the bike look like a pile of crap and when I did want to use my clip ins I couldn't. If I did it again, I'd buy the Shimano's I put the link to, or I'd stick with proper road pedals, but I'd never ever put plain pedals on a racing bike. It's a compromise too far.

cyclingpunk

I have Look Keo 2 Max carbons and they are superb. They do not come with cleat covers.

Prefer them to my Shimano pedals.

bobtbuilder

cyclingpunk wrote:

I have Look Keo 2 Max carbons and they are superb. They do not come with cleat covers.

Prefer them to my Shimano pedals.

Weird - I have Look Keo Carbons on both my bikes, and they came with cleat covers both times. Otherwise, you can purchase a pair here: http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/Look-PEDAL-&-SHOE-CLEATS-SPARES-ACCS-Look-Keo-Cleat-Covers-Pair/LOOKPEDZ210

eh

If you get Look Keo pedals, then the cleats come with cleat covers which you can put on over the cleats if you need to walk in them.

Which is just stupid, why can't Look design a cleat that isn't so darn cr*p. You don't have this problem if you use Time for instance.

cyclingpunk

Maybe the '2' version does not come with them? I bought 2 pairs and neither had them in the box. If any one has bought the '2' version and got them let me know so I can ask the shop for them

softlad

willharris10 wrote:

I did the exact same thing and swapped my Looks for a pair of regular peddles for the summer and to make riding in flip-flops easier. Swapped them back three days later. They were great but made the bike look like a pile of crap and when I did want to use my clip ins I couldn't. If I did it again, I'd buy the Shimano's I put the link to, or I'd stick with proper road peddles, but I'd never ever put plain peddles on a racing bike. It's a compromise too far.

'pedals' fella - not peddles.....sorry, but it was bugging me....

willharris10

Damn, new there was something looking wrong there! Thanks! (Sorry - let me edit it out!)

cal_stewart

mtb pedals on a road bike is the same as jap gears on a italian bike in my book.

rick_chasey

Cal_Stewart wrote:

mtb pedals on a road bike is the same as jap gears on a italian bike in my book.

What, things that losers get themselves worked up over for stupid reasons?

Yeah I agree.

jrduquemin

bobtbuilder wrote:

If you get Look Keo pedals, then the cleats come with cleat covers which you can put on over the cleats if you need to walk in them.

Not entirely true, with both pairs of cleats I purchased, I had to buy the covers separately... you don't get them with the pedals either...

bobtbuilder

jrduquemin wrote:

bobtbuilder wrote:

If you get Look Keo pedals, then the cleats come with cleat covers which you can put on over the cleats if you need to walk in them.

Not entirely true, with both pairs of cleats I purchased, I had to buy the covers separately... you don't get them with the pedals either...

Clearly includes cleat covers: http://www.highonbikes.com/look-keo-carbon-cromo-clipless-road-bike-pedals.html

skyd0g

cove888 wrote:

Sorry, I didn't mean dual purpose ones i meant the mtb flat ones like these

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Cate ... goryID=209

Would they fit?

I've a pair of look ones but wan something for going to the shops.

cheers

Yes they would physically fit & work fine. You'd be blackballed by the fashion police, though... ...and you may find the urge to fit a basket on the handlebars.

It would be a better option to either use toe-clips & straps (with trainers), SPD's (with SPD shoes) or road pedals with a large platform (with trainers) when shopping.

manofsteel

willharris10 wrote:

Damn, new there was something looking wrong there! Thanks! (Sorry - let me edit it out!)

"Knew" mate - not new (sorry, it was bugging me!! )

Philby

Mtb pedals are easier to clip in and out of, and you can use one pair of shoes for both bikes which will save some cash. Also easier to walk in.

Road bike pedals / cleats have a larger contact point and seem firmer and provide better power IMO and less chance of a 'hot spot' on a long ride. But they are harder to get into and you'll need a second pair of shoes.

At the end of the day no-one will give a f*ck whatever you use - use what you can afford and what you feel comfortable in, and ignore the fashion police!

leonbradbury

thanks for all the comments i am going to go for road shoes. and i have seen some cleat covers that go on for walking which looks a very good idea

Garry H

leonbradbury wrote:

thanks for all the comments i am going to go for road shoes. and i have seen some cleat covers that go on for walking which looks a very good idea

If you buy Shimano SPD SL road pedals, you won't need cleat covers, by the way.

Tom_d100

skyd0g wrote:

cove888 wrote:

Sorry, I didn't mean dual purpose ones i meant the mtb flat ones like these

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Cate ... goryID=209

Would they fit?

I've a pair of look ones but wan something for going to the shops.

cheers

Yes they would physically fit & work fine. You'd be blackballed by the fashion police, though... ...and you may find the urge to fit a basket on the handlebars.

It would be a better option to either use toe-clips & straps (with trainers), SPD's (with SPD shoes) or road pedals with a large platform (with trainers) when shopping.

I use flat pedals with Power Grips (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=28933), so God knows what the fashion police make of me!