How much faff are road pedals?

iPete

My SPD pedals and mtb shoes are showing signs of failure after 14,000 miles and after a 50 miler at the weekend with some foot pain [hot spots?] thinking it's time to 'upgrade'?

However, on nearly every commute I get stuck behind someone struggling to get into road pedals, how much of a liability are they London commuting? Are they just being special? Am I going to start falling over sideways again like ye old days?

Need to bare in mind that any upgrades need to be suitable for Ironman in July. I'll not be getting rid of my SPDs as I still have winter boots and a mountain bike..

Keo, Shimano, speedplay, other?

If you have a 'moment' where gravity tries to get you what system allows your natural reflex to get you out?

meanredspider

I have a pair of Keos and I found them a pain to get into (as well as the cleats being made of cheese) so I've stuck with SPDs and spent on some very stiff-soled shoes. Just on the basis of the cleats, I'd suggest you avoid Keos for commuting

supersonic

All boils down to personal preference. Some are better with clips, some hate them, many can't trackstand which accentuates any clipping in problems. Plus of course some systems seem to work better than others.

So I use flats ;-)

cooldad

Toe clips.

monkeycowboy

I use SPD-SL on my road bikes, even the fixed, which can be fun to get clipped into once the cranks get going with one foot un-clipped. The cleats dont last forever, but I find them just as easy to clip into, if not easier than SPD or Crank Bros mtb style.

itboffin

meanredspider wrote:

I have a pair of Keos and I found them a pain to get into (as well as the cleats being made of cheese) so I've stuck with SPDs and spent on some very stiff-soled shoes. Just on the basis of the cleats, I'd suggest you avoid Keos for commuting

Yup look keo are an utter PITA to clip in and have even been the cause of much knee pain for me, i have SPDs on most of my bikes now however i've just moved to speedplays on the Trek and really find them comfortable, i'll be using spds on the Amstel gold race in April mostly so i can were MTB specific shoes with grips and speedplays on everything else roadie.

Hope that helps.

DonDaddyD

supersonic wrote:

All boils down to personal preference. Some are better with clips, some hate them, many can't trackstand which accentuates any clipping in problems. Plus of course some systems seem to work better than others.

So I use Shimano SPD-sl

+1

welkman

Keos are the work of the devil. I have just had my spd shoes die and swapped over to keos that came with my ribble. First time out I went to clip in at a junction, hit the wrong side of the cleat and came down so hard on the saddle that it stripped the grooves out of the seat post head clamp. I also cannot get the cleat back far enough on my specialized shoes, leading to massive discomfort. Oh and they squeak. I have time ATAC pedals on my commuter and training bike which I love and hope to get some speedplay pedals for the Ribble for my Birthday.

okgo

Keo and SPD-sl are fine, the above people blaming the pedals for their lack of finesse isn't a fair summary.

I've done probably 10,000 miles on my keo classics and they're great. They are not hard to clip in or out of, the cleats last a long time and they're light.

meanredspider

okgo wrote:

Keo and SPD-sl are fine, the above people blaming the pedals for their lack of finesse isn't a fair summary.

I've done probably 10,000 miles on my keo classics and they're great. They are not hard to clip in or out of, the cleats last a long time and they're light.

So 3 people suggesting they are poor and we're all hamfisted? Interesting POV...

As for the cleats, I suggest you read the Wiggle feedback for a broad summary of what people think of their longevity. Again, I'm sure you're right and all of us lot are wrong and in fact Keos are the perfect commuting pedal :roll:

okgo

I don't really care what wiggle or anyone else says I'm giving my opinion They're not hard to use, they do wear out of course, but I get a good 6 months of commuting from a set of cleats. By using keos for commuting and other riding it means I can ride either of my pairs of shoes whenever I like.

thecrofter

meanredspider wrote:

okgo wrote:

Keo and SPD-sl are fine, the above people blaming the pedals for their lack of finesse isn't a fair summary.

I've done probably 10,000 miles on my keo classics and they're great. They are not hard to clip in or out of, the cleats last a long time and they're light.

So 3 people suggesting they are poor and we're all hamfisted? Interesting POV...

As for the cleats, I suggest you read the Wiggle feedback for a broad summary of what people think of their longevity. Again, I'm sure you're right and all of us lot are wrong and in fact Keos are the perfect commuting pedal :roll:

i'm quite surprised that people find Keo's difficult or awkward ( I do agree that you have to look after the cleats very carefully) I'd never used clip=in before and have never had a problem with the Keos. They do squeak a bit but a dusting with talc sorts that. Maybe there is a difference in the action from SPD or whatever you are using which your muscle memory finds difficult to adapt to using Keos. Just a thought.

meanredspider

okgo wrote:

I don't really care what wiggle or anyone else says I'm giving my opinion They're not hard to use, they do wear out of course, but I get a good 6 months of commuting from a set of cleats. By using keos for commuting and other riding it means I can ride either of my pairs of shoes whenever I like.

We were just giving our opinion (and experience) - you're obviously better than us...

I use SPDs for all my riding - on all my bikes - including MTB

welkman

I find it hard to clip in blind having set off into traffic when I need to clip in quickly. The SPD pedals are much easier to clip into and also the MTB type shoes mean that if you miss the cleat you can still pedal in relative safety. If you hit the wrong side of the pedal on the keos your foot slips off which hurts. I have come into road bikes from MTBing so maybe my view is a bit biased

bunter

double sided pedals are essential for commuting, IMHO. I have SPD SL on the weekend road bike and still find these tricky to clip into, especially on steep hill starts. They are great when you are clipped in for long stretches though.

Flyingbogey

At first I thought my new Spd- sl were trying to kill me. Very unforgiving if you miss the clip, always at the worst possible situations. Much better after a month or so and can trackstand pretty comfortably now.

Headhuunter

Basically 1 sided, broad platformed pedals like Keo, SPD SL etc are better for long rides on which you're not likely to be clipping in and out every 2 minutes at traffic lights. I used SPD SL on my weekend bike for club rides but SPDs for commuting. SPDs or similar systems are better for commuting as they're so easy to get in and out of and you can get shoes which are "walkable" in. Unless you're planning long club rides in the country I would stick to SPD SL.

Cycling did a review of pedals in the last issue which was quite interesting...

rideslikeagirl

As someone said up there, makes me wonder what was ever so wrong with toe-clips... All the pullabalibity of 'clipless' in whatever shoes with a flat pedal on the other side....

iPete

My biggest concern is avoiding foot pain on longer rides, especially if I need to run afterwards. Perhaps some better fitting, stiffer mtb shoes with SPD are the answer, especially as most of my miles are 'commute'.

edit: I hate toe clips; toe pain and your feet still move around and there is no easy twist exit, if your going over, your going over. [experience based on the ones that came with my bike, there might be better].

Jay dubbleU

rideslikeagirl wrote:

As someone said up there, makes me wonder what was ever so wrong with toe-clips... All the pullabalibity of 'clipless' in whatever shoes with a flat pedal on the other side....

Nothing wrong with toe clips - I use them on the road bike - means I can ride anytime without having to bother about shoes. If you want to spend some money there are toe clip specific shoes out there

cyclingprop

iPete wrote:

My biggest concern is avoiding foot pain on longer rides, especially if I need to run afterwards. Perhaps some better fitting, stiffer mtb shoes with SPD are the answer, especially as most of my miles are 'commute'.

edit: I hate toe clips; toe pain and your feet still move around and there is no easy twist exit, if your going over, your going over. [experience based on the ones that came with my bike, there might be better].

I run SPD-SL on everything. Sorted out my hotspot issue ... You could go the whole hog and sort some tri-shoes for the event and have them pre-clipped in?

The only occasional issue I have with the SPD-SL set up is that the pedal bearing doesnt run as freely as I'd like, so occasionally get presented with the wrong side of the pedal to clip into. Not a biggy though, just makes you aware of clipping in properly as you pull away. Also much easier if you reduce the tension a bit in the pedal when you're learning.

Headhuunter

I an't stand toe clips either... A whole lot more faff than any clipless pedal and they're more dangerous in an accident. If you're in clipless, your feet tend to unclip with the impact, preventing damage to the ankle or foot, whereas if your feet are strapped tightly into clips, they ain't coming out easily and you're more likely to suffer some kind of injury.

pdw

I have SPDs for commuting/MTB and SPD-SL for road. I've used the latter for a year or so now, and still find them more awkward than SPDs. The back of the pedal has a smooth, sloped profile, seemingly designed to help your foot slide straight of if you get the wrong side of the pedal.

I think you'd get most of the benefit just by switching to "proper" road shoes with a solid sole. I think you can get shoes with both 2 and 3 hole fitment so you could always try that before splashing out on new pedals.

iPete

Thanks, will probably end up MTB shoes, I've currently not the room or finance for the n+1 lifestyle and like to wander around the supermarket for fuel but I'll see if I can jump on a mates bike soon who has SLs.

BG Expert mtb shoes look decent, sound very stiff and at 340g a pair are no bricks.

cyclingprop

If you do some searching you'll find a deal. Got my specialised pro road shoes for 49.99 down from 180ish.

dhope

cyclingprop wrote:

If you do some searching you'll find a deal. Got my specialised pro road shoes for 49.99 down from 180ish.

Huh? Where?!

Kieran_Burns

bunter wrote:

double sided pedals are essential for commuting, IMHO. I have SPD SL on the weekend road bike and still find these tricky to clip into, especially on steep hill starts. They are great when you are clipped in for long stretches though.

+1 in all respects

rolf_f

I use Keos on my posh bike and SPDs on the others.

Keos aren't hard to clip into IMO (easier than SPD SLs at any rate - the more prominent loop for the toe catch is easier to find for me) but they seem a bit pointless for the commute. The cleats do wear far more quickly and they are slower and trickier to clip into - lets be honest, clipping into an SPD is about as easy as putting your foot on a flat pedal!

As it happens, I commonly do five hour plus rides on my Ribble with SPDs and have never noticed any hotspot issues so I daresay that is down to the individual.

Ultimately, the only reason I can think to deliberately choose road pedals for commuting is standardisation of kit. But even then, all I did for the commute was buy a pair of Aldi shoes which turn out to be largely indestructable and very comfortable (wearing much better than my Northwaves) - I happily wear them on the aforementioned 5 hour rides.

DonDaddyD

I hate toe-clips. Flats are fine but I find clipless more involving/engaging.

I run SPD-sl on both the commuter and the weekend bike.

I have done since 2008. I find no problems with them what-so-ever. On Friday I walked (flat) 2-3 miles all the way home in my SPD-sl road shoes with little complaint or the suggested inability to walk as others have suggested.

I have very little issue clipping in and out while commuting. Yes sometimes I can miss the pedal altogether or the pedal could be upside down. It's not that big an issue, just have to try harder to get it right next time/

My cleats last longer as I've learned to stay in the pedals longer and don't push off with my foot at traffic lights as much. I get between 4 - 6 months on the left foot, that's the cleat I use stand and push of on so it's the cleat that clips in and out the most and therefore wears out quicker than the right. Once the left is dead I replace.

Traditionally I wear shimano road shoes. I prefer carbon soles and the wide cleat area of an SPD-sl cleat as I believe (placebo) that they're better for my fallen arches.

keyser__soze

Speedplays are apparently the way forward. Double-sided, as easy to clip into as SPDs, arguably more so as the circular cleats direct your foot into the right position. SWMBO used to use M520 double-sided SPDs, hated her Keos on her best bike and has now moved to Speedplays on both bikes.

Headhuunter

Keyser__Soze wrote:

Speedplays are apparently the way forward. Double-sided, as easy to clip into as SPDs, arguably more so as the circular cleats direct your foot into the right position. SWMBO used to use M520 double-sided SPDs, hated her Keos on her best bike and has now moved to Speedplays on both bikes.

They did v well in the recent Cycling + review, however are very expensive...