Bike sorted, clipless pedals?

Jackal79

Hi all,

I finally picked my bike up last Thrusday, I ended up buying the Giant Defy 2 and I haven't stayed of it since. I didn't quite realise how different it was going to be after riding a mountain bike for so long. I think I'm getting some decent average speeds out of it over some 20 mile routes I've done (16.5 - 18.5 mph) as well. All in all I'm well happy.
Anyway, I've been reading alot about clipless pedals and I think this is the first thing I should be changing. The question is, which ones would suit a beginner and whats the difference between SPD and SPD-SL?

KnightOfTheLongTights

I got my first proepr road bike (Specialized Allez) a year ago and from the off switched the epdals for the standard Shimano SPDs - which are, I believe, the most widespread choice, and they're perfectly fine. Easy to get in and out of and a significant improvement on toeclips in terms of transfer of power.

You get to the point fairly quickly where the action of clicking in and out comes without thinking.

The SPD-SLs are a bit trickier to get in and out of but offer an even more efficient transfer of power thanks (I think) to the greater surface area of the attachment between shoe and pedal.

If you want to get into racing / TTing then eventually you might want to consider the latter - for the moment I'd say the bog standard SPDs will do the job nicely.

Nairnster

As said, clipless pedals are a great addition, and do actually allow you to get more from your riding. Probably one of the best additions I have ever made to a bike.

How is the Giant? Are the wheels really as heavy as the reviews claim? Mine should be getting delivered tomorrow

Jackal79

@KnightOfTheLongTights - Are we talking about SPD M520's for instance?

@Nairnster - I think its brilliant but as for the wheels they feel light to me, but then again I've got nothing to compare it to other than my mountain bike. I will say this, its definately the best bike I've ever owned.

Nairnster

Re the wheels, according to the review on here, the front weighs 1480g abd the rear 1990g. Bearing in mind you can pick up a set of wheels.that weigh about 1800g for the pair (for about 100 quid) seems potentially a great way of saving a fair bit of weight after the winter.

RoadyForever

I use SPD's on my commute bike and SPD-SL's on my proper road bike. There is a noticeable difference and much prefer using the SPD-SL's, however SPD's are much easier to walk in and clip-in on junctions. Both have there pro's, I recommended a buddy of mine (who is just starting to get the bug), gets SPD's as they are easier to start of with.

Jackal79

@Nairnster - I think I'll look into this next in that case.

gilesjuk

Can't say I noticed the difference between MTB style clipless and road style. Other than walking about and clipping in, which are a pain in road cleats.

It must be shoe dependant if you can really notice the difference.

Nairnster

Agree with that RoadyForever. i used spds (and spd style doublesided) on my mtbs in the past, and its much easier to clip in without having to worry about flipping the pedal around like on spd-sls

having said that, you do get used to it.

i would start with a set of spds untik you get used to the whole clipless thing. Once you are confortable with the act of clipping in and out and having your feet attached to the pedals, move to spd-sls and sell the spd kit to get some.money back possibly.

Wirral_paul

Nairnster wrote:

Re the wheels, according to the review on here, the front weighs 1480g abd the rear 1990g. Bearing in mind you can pick up a set of wheels.that weigh about 1800g for the pair (for about 100 quid) seems potentially a great way of saving a fair bit of weight after the winter.

I think the review weight includes tyres and tubes - probably 300g - 400g per wheel typically. Given the weight difference between front and rear - i'd guess the rear includes the cassette also.

KnightOfTheLongTights

Jackal79 wrote:

@KnightOfTheLongTights - Are we talking about SPD M520's for instance?

they look pretty similar to mine yes and around same price range but couldn't say for sure without having a lookie-loo

as someone else has said above - walking is also very much easier in SPDs (it's nigh-on imposs in SLs)

thescouselander

Good choice - I also have a Defy 2 and I've been enjoying riding it all summer. I've got Shimano M520 SPDs on my bike. I went with SPDs as I use the bike for commuting and I think SPDs are better suited for this purpose. They are a big upgrade over the standard pedals though.


On the wheels front I just popped my front wheel on the scales and it came out as 1250g with the tyre and tube but without the skewer. I'd estimate the wheel itself must be around 900g so not the lightest but not nearly as heavy as was suggested before.

Nairnster

On the wheel weight front that sounds promising, I wonder how the review did actually weigh the wheels

thescouselander

I think its as wirral_paul says - they probably weighed the wheel together with tube, tyre and skewer etc. Its also worth noting that I don't have the stock tyres on my bike so the one on my wheel may be lighter than the factory tyre.

Jackal79

SPD's it is then. Any recommendations on shoes while we're at it?

Nairnster

Specialized BG shoes I found to be good. Ued to own Carbon Comp road shoes and the equivalent mtb ones. Very comfy and I took the same size as I would in normal shoes.

Gone for some shimano RO77 this time which come up a size small.

You will prob be best going for mtb/touring ones for commuting as has been mentioned

the_spooks

Curious why most people tend to suggest Shimano over Look's? Starting to get the hang of my pedals now and getting the benefits (I think) but curious if Shimano may have been better?

thescouselander

For me it was the price - I only paid £20 for the pair of M520s and they came with cleats - a bit of a bargain IMO.

RoadyForever

gilesjuk wrote:

It must be shoe dependant if you can really notice the difference.

I'm sure shoes are a factor, but they are part of the package (you buy shoes to go with the peddles). SPD-SL does have much more surface area and wider, I find I tend to be able to cycle in much cleaner circles with these and SPD's a much more push and pull (swapped both with different bikes. Also SPD's a designed to be able to walk in/ climb over obstacles, believe this is a bit of a compromise. If you walk around in SPD-SL's and find you're walking around like you're wearing stilettos, tough!

Jackal79 wrote:

SPD's it is then. Any recommendations on shoes while we're at it?

It is really worth trying some on in-store and seeing what fits, same goes for trainers. Different manufactures and/or different models suit different feet. I can't stress how important the fit is here!

Jackal79

I feel another shopping trip coming on

wishitwasallflat

Hi jackal - if you haven't bought your pedals yet think of your knees and consider Speedplay VZeros - yes they are crazy expensive but so are new knees! I got a pair as my first ever clipless and I love them. I trained as a Physio and taught biomechanics for many many years to students and for me only in very rare cases where there is excessive laxity or motion in aperson lower limb does it make any mechanical sense to clip in without as much free float as is possible.

Anyway I shall stop evangelising for Speedplay and wish you well whatever you get.