Newbie commuting

maunders

hi all, I think I'm set on buying the Sirrus Elite 2012 bike for a 3 mile each way commute to work in SE London. I haven't ridden a bike in over a decade and was just looking for advice re pedals and shoes. Should I just try and brave it and go clipless or can anyone recommend any non clipless shoes with a decent grip? Cheers. M

mountaincookie

3 mile each way is not very far...but most people who start using clipless don't look back. If you plan to cycle more...go clipless, you won't regret it, it's amazing and not so much ''braving it''. Just plan ahead and don't try and track stand at lights....

So....if you go clipless - shimano M520s are hugely popular and cheap, and if you go for them you'll be wanting an MTB/2 bolt compatible shoe. Best bet go to evan cycles and try the shoes on. You don't want to buy a shoe that dosen't like YOUR foot. Try clipping in and out of SPDs and SPD SLs - I don't get on with SPDs, but it's about what YOU like.

And.....if you go flat? IMHO best best for grip is proper MTB pedals with spikes and ''skater'' shoes - i.e. soft rubber flat sole. You won't slip. You'll grip. And cut you leg to peices if your not careful :shock: I found ''normal'' cage pedals where lethal in anything but the dry weather for slip so I switched to MTB pedals and they where fantastic. But that's my experience.

SO in summary? The question is not which type...it's whether you go clipless or not. Think you'll cycle more than just the commute? Clipless all the way. They are amazing. Definitely won't be cycling more than that commute? Clipless might be a bit overkill, depends how bothered you are about changing shoes at work

LankyDJ

Spds all the way, with a multi release cleat. They keep you locked in, but you can get out rapid at any time.
So easy, just keep the pedal tension low and you'll be fine.

I would agree with last reply. M520 are a good choice.

corshamjim

If you haven't cycled in ten years I'd recommend avoiding clipless until you've spent a few days getting back in to cycling. Getting used to clipless without falling off takes some concentration, so that's best left until you're fully confident with the new bike and the commute.

p.s. Welcome to the forum!

MichaelW

By the time you have changed into your special cycling shoes, you could have ridden halfway home on plain platform pedals.
Specialist, high performance cycle gear only gives you an advantage at higher speed and longer distance. For short, utility rides you want a grab and go, convenience bike.

jonomc4

I agree with the wait and get used cyling post - do this first - but then don't make the same mistake as me and go for clipless - just buy some SPD's and shoes (make sure they are double sided)! That said - I have a sirrus elite as my first bike (now commuter bike) and the stock pedals on it are awful. Just use them for a month and then buy SPD's - if you are like most cyclists here you will end up going on longer rides very soon and the SPd's are well worth it.

Bike shoes take the same amount of time as normal shoes to put on!

slowbike

MichaelW wrote:

Specialist, high performance cycle gear only gives you an advantage at higher speed and longer distance. For short, utility rides you want a grab and go, convenience bike.

^^^^^ this!


No disrespect to the OP - or what other riding they may have planned - but a Sirrus Elite for a 6 mile a day ride?! - That's a £600 bike - (don't get me wrong - it's a nice bike and will easily do the ride) !

TBH - for that sort of commute I'd be looking at second hand bikes that go for £1-200 ish .. especially if there is nowhere inside to park it.

Of course, if it's planned to do some other riding and the commute is just an added bonus then fine .. - I do like my SPD's (never tried the SPD-SLs) and I can put more power in with them - and still walk into the office ..

Gizmo_

Slowbike wrote:

MichaelW wrote:

Specialist, high performance cycle gear only gives you an advantage at higher speed and longer distance. For short, utility rides you want a grab and go, convenience bike.

^^^^^ this!


No disrespect to the OP - or what other riding they may have planned - but a Sirrus Elite for a 6 mile a day ride?! - That's a £600 bike - (don't get me wrong - it's a nice bike and will easily do the ride) !

TBH - for that sort of commute I'd be looking at second hand bikes that go for £1-200 ish .. especially if there is nowhere inside to park it.

Hear hear. Far be it from me to discourage n+1, but that's total overkill.

London_Falcon

I have the Sirrus Sport, picked up new for £350 about a year ago. Very happy with it BUT with hindsight I should have bought a road bike. Think long and hard about whether you are going to end up on long weekend rides for which a road bike would be better!

Clipless - although the Shimano option seems to be the most popular option on here, take a look at Crank Brothers system too. I have (Mallets on my MTB and Candys on my Sirrus). The way they work means that you can clip in either side but they are also ok for short hops in normal shoes. They also have quick a bit of "play" so good if you are new to clipless

Steve@Tern

If you are set on the Sirrus Elite, and have the budget to suit, then I would say go for it. If you haven't ridden for a while, my guess is that you'll pretty soon want to do more than your basic ride to work, and will look forward to getting onto a decent bike.
As far as clipless pedals are concerned, I think that the connection you get with the bike is hard to beat. And don't worry about unclipping - if you can't learn the technique in 20 minutes or so, you probably don't have the co-ordination for riding a bike in the first place -
SPD's have surely got to be the style to go for - you can walk in the shoes for a start. And for real flexibility, why not look at a double-sided model like the Shimano M324 - so you can jump on in your trainers if you really want to.