Noob Q's - Right Gearing For Hills Also Pedal Q

mystic.bertie

I just collected a new Carrera Virtuoso from halfords the other day, i had to remove the cheap toe clips and straps as they were a danger, the pedals are a bit small for my trainers. So whats a good replacement pedal with toe clips or should i be going for the clipless type and buying cycling shoes with cleats, im assuming this is an expensive option though for a beginner.

Another thing i was wondering, i have a front compact chainset 50/34t, if im cycling up steepish hills, as what point should i use the smaller front gear, if im using the larger front gear and in 2nd (cant cross the chain to 1st) and i start to struggle, is that when i should change to the lower front gear? Or is there another way of judging when i should use the lower front gear?

MattyyP

I'm new to road cycling too... So I can't answer your first question, but Ican give my input for your second! You really want to be changing down whilst you are still doing a high ammount of pedal rotations, as if you wait until you've slowed them down there will be a lot of load on the chain as you change down which will likely make it a poor quality change. What i'd say to do is go out on it and get used to what speed you can go at whilst in the lower front gear and perhaps a mid rear gear... That way you will know at what point to change down. The key is though to have changed down before you struggle!

All my advice is from riding off road though... I would think it is quite relevant though! Hope it helps

simon_masterson

You could get some larger size clips. MKS is the standard. Your existing straps and pedals should be fine.

In truth though, you do want clipless pedals, and I say that as a clip user. Even if you use old style cycling shoes (or MTB/touring shoes designed for recessed cleats), they still aren't as good. Worth starting out on, though. I will be making the change this month, I hope. A long time coming!

wishitwasallflat

If you get clipless pedals and shoes it feels much nicer.

Gears -
avoid any extremes of chain line
trying to keep cadence even and relatively high is good
changing under load is bad

So.... on some hills you have to shift down pretty low when you start if you know it's the only way you are going to peddle up it - on some you can shift in time so cadence is still high and load is still low -

depends on steepness and length of the hill and your fitness and
whether you want to grind up in a high gear (bad for the knees and I would always avoid that at all costs) or
spin up in a lower gear (much better for the knees and priortises cardio fitness over power - recommended method)
stay seated (more efficient but takes discipline) or
stand up (feels nice cause you can usually stay in a higher gear and use weight but I beleive has pretty much been shown to be less efficient and most folks don't actually go any faster).

Hope this helps

mystic.bertie

ok thanks for the info guys, ill experiment a bit when it comes to hills as i do usually wait till im really struggling before changing down, hopefully it will be much easier with my new bike.

I think for now ill try some steel toe clips, i pulled the straps out the bin lol, ill use them and see how it goes, the straps were all out of shape so it was making it very hard to get my feet in them while pedalling. I can have a look at clipless pedals and cleat shoes once im more experienced etc

bahzob

re hills.

You should avoid changing from big to small front ring mid way up the hill. You will lose a lot of momentum and run the risk of the chain skipping off the ring altogether which is a disaster.

Unless you are sure you can big ring it all the way to the top, change down to the smaller ring on the approach while changing up on the back to compensate.

Being on the smaller ring will also help you keep cadence up. Most amateur cyclists use far too low a cadence when climbing which is why they struggle so much.

You should be above 60rpm at all times, ideally more like 70-80. Maybe as low as 50 if standing but if you get this low most likely you would be better staying seated and keeping revs up.

MichaelW

+1, change to the small ring as you enter a hill and compensate by shifting at the back to the same gear ratio, then you are setup for an ascent.
Toe clips are still a valid solution as long as you recognise the issues. You can use them with almost any shoes BUT:
Pick a shoe with the "right" amount of grip in the sole, not too slick and not too knobbly, or it will slip out or get stuck.
Pick a shoes with a clean upper, devoid of protrusions, mouldings and other features. I use Silver Shadows as my kick-around trainers and they work well.
MKS Sylvian Touring is a good pedal for clips. The road version has a sticky-uppy quill at the edge which only works with narrow shoes.
Leather straps hold their shape better than nylon ones. You stop them slipping through by putting a twist within the pedal cage.
Dont cinch the straps tight, they are not for racing-style effiency and this is dangerous. Loose straps allow safe, easy entry and exit whilst giving you better efficiency than plain platforms.
If you want a rock solid attachment, go clipless, if you want the convenience of any shoe, go with toe-clips.

simon_masterson

MichaelW wrote:

Dont cinch the straps tight, they are not for racing-style effiency and this is dangerous. Loose straps allow safe, easy entry and exit whilst giving you better efficiency than plain platforms.
If you want a rock solid attachment, go clipless, if you want the convenience of any shoe, go with toe-clips.

I moreorless agree with you on all that; good post.

It has to be said that clips ARE for racing-style efficiency, and were used that way for many years (and remain in use on the track of course), but however good anyone is at tightening and loosening them, I don't believe them to be safe. I wouldn't like to assume that I would be able to get my foot out in an instant, and that's before you factor in old-style cleats, which you can still get for modern shoes...

That and the only reason I disagree with you on 'any shoe' is that the running shoes I started off using with clips are now worse for wear!

mystic.bertie

thanks for the replies guys, have been trying what has been suggested and im finding its easier tackling hills now, rather than exhaust myself in the wrong gears im changing down to a gear i think i will manage it in and just pace myself, its definitely not as tiring doing this.

i need to buy myself a pair of shoes as my trainers are a bit too flimsy, my wide size 10 feet hang off the side of the pedal a bit. Are the shoes at sport direct for £20 any good?

adm1

mystic.bertie wrote:

thanks for the replies guys, have been trying what has been suggested and im finding its easier tackling hills now, rather than exhaust myself in the wrong gears im changing down to a gear i think i will manage it in and just pace myself, its definitely not as tiring doing this.

i need to buy myself a pair of shoes as my trainers are a bit too flimsy, my wide size 10 feet hang off the side of the pedal a bit. Are the shoes at sport direct for £20 any good?

I cant comment on those shoes, but you would probably be best off saving some money and getting a pair of good but low cost road shoes and clipless pedals.

The dhb R1 road shoes from Wiggle get excellent reviews for the cost:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-r10-road-cycling-shoe/

And a lowish end pair of SPD-SL pedals would work well:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-r540 ... rt-pedals/

This setup would do you fine!

mystic.bertie

thanks for the links mate, they look good, my funds are low just now after buying the bike so ill maybe seach for those items second hand.

im a bit concerned that when i pull away at a junction where there is traffic, ill be faffing about trying to get my feet into the pedals and as a result could cause an incident. Does it become dead easy to use these shoes and pedals with cleats?

karlth

What I do is pedal off with the still clipped in foot (you only unclip one when you stop at junctions) and rest the other foot on the pedal until I'm clear of the junction. Worry about getting it clipped back in once the junction is cleared.

gjpollitt

karlth wrote:

What I do is pedal off with the still clipped in foot (you only unclip one when you stop at junctions) and rest the other foot on the pedal until I'm clear of the junction. Worry about getting it clipped back in once the junction is cleared.

Exactly. I keep right foot clipped in all the time unclipping left as I drop down the gears at lights/junctions etc. When I move off I rest left foot arch on pedal and concentrate on getting clear of junction/obstacles etc then when safe I clip in the left foot and off I go. Reason I keep foot arch on pedal is if I rest foot on pedal in my natural position there is a great tendancy for the clip to go in when I don't want it to and no doubt something will occur whereby I need to stop quickly and off the bike I fall!

karlth

gjpollitt wrote:

karlth wrote:

What I do is pedal off with the still clipped in foot (you only unclip one when you stop at junctions) and rest the other foot on the pedal until I'm clear of the junction. Worry about getting it clipped back in once the junction is cleared.

Exactly. I keep right foot clipped in all the time unclipping left as I drop down the gears at lights/junctions etc. When I move off I rest left foot arch on pedal and concentrate on getting clear of junction/obstacles etc then when safe I clip in the left foot and off I go. Reason I keep foot arch on pedal is if I rest foot on pedal in my natural position there is a great tendancy for the clip to go in when I don't want it to and no doubt something will occur whereby I need to stop quickly and off the bike I fall!

Yes, I find either arch or toe works. Only problem with arch is an observer might think you're a Bloke on a BSO rather than a cyclist, since that's how they do it

mystic.bertie

cheers for the replies guys, what your saying makes sense, my current cheapo pedals on my carrera bike had plastic toe clips on them, i took them off as they were rubbish, my pedals automatically go upside down, so when im pulling off im trying to sort my footing out too soon, so now ill get on my way before sorting my foot and pedals out. Do these clip-less pedals go upside down too?

im gonna keep an eye on ebay or the classifieds for second hand shoes and pedals, hopefully get these cheapos replaced within the week.