New to road biking

Blake1775
Blake1775 Posts: 2
edited May 2011 in Commuting chat
Hi everyone!

Just wanted some thoughts and opinions. I'm new to road biking and I bought the Felt Z6 as my starter bike. Just curious if this was a smart purchase? Also, I'm trying to decide which clipless pedals to buy..any thoughts?

Comments

  • mudcow007
    mudcow007 Posts: 3,861
    welcome aboard
    Keeping it classy since '83
  • cloggsy
    cloggsy Posts: 243
    I'm a fellow noob (6 weeks)

    I put Shimano PD R540 on my bike - Great SPD SL pedals IMHO...

    If you buy 'em from HighOnBikes on eBay, you can get the pedals and the cleats for £27.95 with free postage!
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    Blake1775 wrote:
    Hi everyone!

    Just wanted some thoughts and opinions. I'm new to road biking and I bought the Felt Z6 as my starter bike. Just curious if this was a smart purchase? Also, I'm trying to decide which clipless pedals to buy..any thoughts?

    If you're using it for commuting, SPDs are hard to beat for value, ease-of-use and robustness. I use M520 pedals on all my bikes. Tried Look Keos (similar to SPD-SLs) and, whilst I'm sure they're great for long rides & they are lighter, they were less easy to clip into and the cleats, being plastic, lasted no time at all.

    Think about what shoes you are going to wear - that will help you decide as not all shoes can take all cleats. If you need to walk much, you might want MTB-style shoes - in which case the SPD-type cleat is the only one that will fit. Some other road shoes will only take a 3-hole cleat (SLs or Keos etc) though adaptors are available. Shimano's road will take either.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • BelgianBeerGeek
    BelgianBeerGeek Posts: 5,226
    Look Keos are good. I have had a set of cleats for over 2 years now, so they are durable. Depends whether you need to walk in your shoes, if you commute in them and need to clip in/unclip a lot etc. Proper road shoes are light and stiff for efficiency, the pedal choice is yours. Don't be put off by people saying that MTB clips & pedals are "easier", its mainly down to practice.
    Ecrasez l’infame
  • unixnerd
    unixnerd Posts: 2,864
    SPDs are hard to beat for value, ease-of-use and robustness. I use M520 pedals on all my bikes.

    +1
    http://www.strathspey.co.uk - Quality Binoculars at a Sensible Price.
    Specialized Roubaix SL3 Expert 2012, Cannondale CAAD5,
    Marin Mount Vision (1997), Edinburgh Country tourer, 3 cats!
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    BelgianBeerGeek wrote:
    Look Keos are good. I have had a set of cleats for over 2 years now, so they are durable. Depends whether you need to walk in your shoes, if you commute in them and need to clip in/unclip a lot etc. Proper road shoes are light and stiff for efficiency, the pedal choice is yours. Don't be put off by people saying that MTB clips & pedals are "easier", its mainly down to practice.

    Read the Wiggle reviews about Look cleats and then make your own mind up...

    M520 SPD pedals are double-sided - that's already one advantage they have. They're also cheap as chips.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • asprilla
    asprilla Posts: 8,440
    Commuting in Keos I got through a set of cleats every 6 weeks.
    Mud - Genesis Vapour CCX
    Race - Fuji Norcom Straight
    Sun - Cervelo R3
    Winter / Commute - Dolan ADX
  • CRAIGO5000
    CRAIGO5000 Posts: 697
    I too use M520's. They were my first proper pedal and I adore them. They're a work of art for under £20 with cleats!
    Ribble Stealth/SRAM Force
    2007 Specialized Allez (Double) FCN - 3
  • navt
    navt Posts: 374
    A520 single sided SPDs + DHB R1s with floats. Never had a problem with single sided.

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