First attempt with SPD's today in 30 mins
weeksy59
Posts: 2,606
Well borrowed a pair of shoes off a mate and am finally getting round to going out on SPD's. Bought the pedals about a year ago, but never got round to making the jump.
Local trails and simple routes today to try and get used to it.
How many times will i fall off then you rekon ?
Local trails and simple routes today to try and get used to it.
How many times will i fall off then you rekon ?
Salsa Spearfish 29er
http://superdukeforum.forumatic.com/index.php
http://superdukeforum.forumatic.com/index.php
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Comments
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None, it's when you think you're used to them you fall off! When you're thinking about it you won't. If they're a mates pair of shoes go easy, the cleats may not be right for you and you'll do your knees in
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At least twice. At first you'll be paranoid and go gingerly, always making sure you can clip out.
After about two or three rides it becomes easier.
Its not falling off, its just lazilly rolling to the left or right onto the floor
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You've probably already left but make sure you've adjusted the tension to an easy release. Made that error once and couldn't get my foot out resulting in a tumble, from a stationary position, with my big chain ring slicing my calf muscle. I needed several stitches. Muppet!Many happy trails!0
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well only did 30 mins as i didn't want to get his feet all sweaty, so 2 major uphills and 1 major downhill, total of about 4 miles...
Can't say i noticed a differnece in power and performance and pedaling speed etc.
I did notice i have a tendancy to turn my left heel in slightly when in SPD's.
Getting feet out was easy enough. They were set nicely for that.
Getting them IN though was ridiculous.. spent about 4 mins outside the house trying to get the left one in before setting off.
Not sure what to make of it all in all... they were fine... they were OK... but... well.. not sure they really gave me anything the flat V12's don't.Salsa Spearfish 29er
http://superdukeforum.forumatic.com/index.php0 -
You'll need a while before the pedaling technique improves but it will, try to think of edaling in circles rather than just all on the downstroke, hard to explain really but it does make a difference0
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I've been riding on spuds for a while now and I've not fallen off once! At least, not through not being able to unclip0
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What Yee said... And i veiw SPD like some people veiw sus.. it's cheat and stops you developing better technique. horrible things hehe0
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well the V12's are back in and i've saved myself £60
Anyone want a pair of SPD's Salsa Spearfish 29er
http://superdukeforum.forumatic.com/index.php0 -
weeksy59 wrote:well the V12's are back in and i've saved myself £60
Anyone want a pair of SPD's
I'd still suggest you try a few rides with them, as it does take a while to get the hang of them. You might find that you get on with them. I didn't, but they "work" for a lot of people0 -
Can't think of any reason why i would mate to be honest. I'm quite impulsive in many ways and decisions are made quickly and decisivly.
I'll offer them as freebies to anyone reading this who's not made the jump yet and wants to give them a whirl.
They're Shimano something or others and have had what looks to be a reasonably hard life, but spin perfectly and bearings seem good.Salsa Spearfish 29er
http://superdukeforum.forumatic.com/index.php0 -
If you're selling them I'm looking for a pair mate, not entirely sure that I want to go from flats but have heard many rave about them, give us a PM if you're wanting to sell them 0
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Cferg wrote:If you're selling them I'm looking for a pair mate, not entirely sure that I want to go from flats but have heard many rave about them, give us a PM if you're wanting to sell them
No charge mate. drop me a PM with your addy and i'll lob them in the post... only condition is, if you don't keep them, do the same for the next person Salsa Spearfish 29er
http://superdukeforum.forumatic.com/index.php0 -
Cferg wrote:If you're selling them I'm looking for a pair mate, not entirely sure that I want to go from flats but have heard many rave about them, give us a PM if you're wanting to sell them
Posted as a freebie mate Salsa Spearfish 29er
http://superdukeforum.forumatic.com/index.php0 -
That's very generous! I'd probably have given them a bit more of a try first but fair play to you0
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I noticed better control on bumpy downhills before I noticed anything else. Actually, the first bumpy downhill I noticed I was terrified because I was stuck to the bike, but then it improved. After a while the pedalling technique caught up- now I just find flats less efficient.Rock Lobster 853, Trek 1200 and a very old, tired and loved Apollo Javelin.0
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weeksy59 wrote:Can't say i noticed a differnece in power and performance and pedaling speed etc.
Not sure what to make of it all in all... they were fine... they were OK... but... well.. not sure they really gave me anything the flat V12's don't.
You wont notice any difference as you will need to develop a different peddling technique, it takes months of using them before you develop new muscle groups , only then will you see the benefits of using them.
30 min ride ? you might as well left them on the sideboard and have taken the dog for a walk.0 -
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I think it's fairly obvious they're going to be more efficient. Becauseyou can push down and also pull up with them. You can't do that with flats. Bit of a no brainer on that one really. It's whether you care about efficiency. I know I don't!0
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I've just realised why this comes up over and over again. Modern flats and shoes, and SPDs are pretty much as good as each other. Different, but equal.
But those of us who switched to SPDs in the Bronze Age (I had one of the first semi-proto sets from Shimano to come to the UK) swear by them because they were hugely, vastly better than the alternatives at the time, which were lousy flats with no steel studs; cage pedals with clips and straps; or bear traps which shredded your shins if you slipped off them.
You kids today don't know you're born with the vast array of great choices you have - in my day we had 737 pedals, M-100 shoes and that was it. And we were grateful!
I really don't buy talk of efficiency though - you adapt to what you use and get 'efficient' using it. And talk of 'better technique' is just snotty wibble that means "My preference is better and you're a n3wB".John Stevenson0 -
Not that I have ever tried these SPD things but I can't see any arguement as to why they're not more efficient. Studs on flats or not you can't pull the pedal up with them so it's fairly obvious they're more efficient I think it comes down to more whether you care about efficiency. I might do when I'm 50 but at 25 I don't0
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Sport scientists have measured the way people pedal and found that they don't in fact pull up - even the very best, fastest racers put downforce on the pedal right through the stroke - it's just very light on the upstroke.
So talk of pulling up is irrelevant because people don't do that.John Stevenson0 -
Do they not? I can accept that. Like I say I have no idea I was just assuming they did. Was the only way I could see that they'd get any benefit in the efficiency department. If they don't then.... well who knows, 'coz can't see where else they'd get their efficiency from.
Anywhere where I can see these sports scientists papers. Being a scientist myself I get off on analysing scientific papers so I wouldn't mind a read?0 -
Studies into pedalling forces are cited in Bicycling Science by David Gordon Wilson.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bicycling-Scien ... 0262731541
The only other source of efficiency gain I can think of is that SPDs are typically used with stiffer shoes so you avoid losses there. But that's going to be tiny.
They're basically just a good way of keeping your feet on the pedals. And so are flats and sticky shoes. It's a matter of taste what you feel most comfortable with.John Stevenson0 -
That books over ten years old so I'll pass on that one for any citations, especially when I'd have to pay £15 for the book!
I'll search the journals and see what they bring up. Doubt there'll be much as I'm guessing any difference are going to be marginal at best and just one of them things that crops up when things are over-thought. A common occurrence in sport. I could go on but it'll only make me angry! lol
Each to their own is my conclusion on this one.0 -
Anyone with any interest at all in the science and engineering of bikes should own a copy of Wilson's book. It's far from perfect - there's far too much about recumbents in it - but it's great for arming yourself to see through over-thought arguments and marketing bollocks.John Stevenson0
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Well I must be missing something here re: pulling up on the pedals.
I pull up on the pedals and have spent time on every ride learning how to do it. At this stage I can't do it or pedal in circles for long. Muscles aren't used to it.
When I do consciously pull up on the pedals it helps me shift to a higher gear when I'm on flat ground or a slight rise.
It helps me get up hard to do sections and has saved me a number of times from having an "off" on a difficult step up.
It's helped me lift the rear of the bike over hard bits as well.
With the control I have over the pedalling now there's no way I'd go back to flats.0 -
I haven't made the jump for Offroad, I use SPDs for track though, but that is pretty predictable!0
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