Roadie pedals. Tell me about your roadie pedals.

tgotb

Guys, we've all been failing to see the big picture. Greg's a triantelope, right? So the real answer is to use any pedal system you like, and ride around with your shoes unbuckled; whenever you stop, just take your foot out of the shoe.

Easy to walk in? Check. Millions of years of evolution can't be wrong
Easy to push off? Ditto.
Adjustment? Use underlying cleat adjustment, or just buy oversize shoes.
Apply full downward pressure without clipping in? Check.
Big platform? Check. (Unless you have tiny feet)

Anything I've missed?

greg66_tri_v2.0

TGOTB wrote:

Guys, we've all been failing to see the big picture. Greg's a triantelope, right? So the real answer is to use any pedal system you like, and ride around with your shoes unbuckled; whenever you stop, just take your foot out of the shoe.

Easy to walk in? Check. Millions of years of evolution can't be wrong
Easy to push off? Ditto.
Adjustment? Use underlying cleat adjustment, or just buy oversize shoes.
Apply full downward pressure without clipping in? Check.
Big platform? Check. (Unless you have tiny feet)

Anything I've missed?

Funny you should raise that. At IMC all bar the pros were banned from leaving their shoes clipped into their bikes at T1. We all had to put our shoes on our feet, run to the "mount" line, get on, clip in and go.

I assume this is because the organisers have seem too many pile ups just past the "mount" line as competitors try, for the first time, something that they've seen on TV and assume can't be that hard...

MonkeyMonster

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

I assume this is because the organisers have seem too many pile ups just past the "mount" line as competitors try, for the first time, something that they've seen on TV and assume can't be that hard...

Hahahhaahahahaha, aww if only it were still allowed...

tgotb

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

Funny you should raise that. At IMC all bar the pros were banned from leaving their shoes clipped into their bikes at T1. We all had to put our shoes on our feet, run to the "mount" line, get on, clip in and go.

Sounds like a very good idea. It looks like the transition areas at some of the big events are pretty huge. Is there a case for using an MTB-style system that you can actually run in? I don't mean that you'd keep the same shoes on after T2, but would being able to run through the transition stages offset the (probably quite small) disadvantages of riding with an MTB pedal system?

NB: I'm not talking about your system for commuting, just wondering what the optimum race setup might be...

daviesee

TGOTB wrote:

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

Funny you should raise that. At IMC all bar the pros were banned from leaving their shoes clipped into their bikes at T1. We all had to put our shoes on our feet, run to the "mount" line, get on, clip in and go.

Sounds like a very good idea. It looks like the transition areas at some of the big events are pretty huge. Is there a case for using an MTB-style system that you can actually run in? I don't mean that you'd keep the same shoes on after T2, but would being able to run through the transition stages offset the (probably quite small) disadvantages of riding with an MTB pedal system?

NB: I'm not talking about your system for commuting, just wondering what the optimum race setup might be...

That would be SPD.
And here we go again..............

gbsahne001

do we need to factor in reflectors for the pedals, so it's road legal?

tgotb

daviesee wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

Funny you should raise that. At IMC all bar the pros were banned from leaving their shoes clipped into their bikes at T1. We all had to put our shoes on our feet, run to the "mount" line, get on, clip in and go.

Sounds like a very good idea. It looks like the transition areas at some of the big events are pretty huge. Is there a case for using an MTB-style system that you can actually run in? I don't mean that you'd keep the same shoes on after T2, but would being able to run through the transition stages offset the (probably quite small) disadvantages of riding with an MTB pedal system?

NB: I'm not talking about your system for commuting, just wondering what the optimum race setup might be...

That would be SPD.
And here we go again..............

That's actually not what I was asking...

daviesee

TGOTB wrote:

That's actually not what I was asking...

Name another system with recessed cleats.

Edit:- The obvious solution is old school traps & running shoes.

UndercoverElephant

daviesee wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

That's actually not what I was asking...

Name another system with recessed cleats.

I quite like the Time Atac pedals I have on my MTB. Certainly wouldn't put them on a road bike, that would be an uglification, and I can't abide that.

I'm with Greg: MTB pedals on road bikes are very, very wrong.

daviesee

UndercoverElephant wrote:

I'm with Greg: MTB pedals on road bikes are very, very wrong.

What if they are SPD road pedals?

MonkeyMonster

daviesee wrote:

UndercoverElephant wrote:

I'm with Greg: MTB pedals on road bikes are very, very wrong.

What if they are SPD road pedals?

Then they aren't MTB pedals... and the question is moot.

greg66_tri_v2.0

TGOTB wrote:

daviesee wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

Funny you should raise that. At IMC all bar the pros were banned from leaving their shoes clipped into their bikes at T1. We all had to put our shoes on our feet, run to the "mount" line, get on, clip in and go.

Sounds like a very good idea. It looks like the transition areas at some of the big events are pretty huge. Is there a case for using an MTB-style system that you can actually run in? I don't mean that you'd keep the same shoes on after T2, but would being able to run through the transition stages offset the (probably quite small) disadvantages of riding with an MTB pedal system?

NB: I'm not talking about your system for commuting, just wondering what the optimum race setup might be...

That would be SPD.
And here we go again..............

That's actually not what I was asking...

He's just being facetious.

Hmm to your question. I'd say:
- the justification for the rule, as I understood it, wasn't to speed up the pros running through T1, but rather was to prevent the overambitious age groupers trying to get their feet into their shoes whilst moving at <2mph on their bikes. And frankly, after a swim there's not much blood in my head area, so a nice slow jog to the mount line suits me down to the ground.

- the trot through T1/T2 in bike shoes is so relatively short (even in Oly distance) that the majority would be willing to put up with a couple of mins of odd running shoes rather than use sub-optimal bike shoes for at least 60 mins.

- I've used spds - many years ago - but only in a spin class. This was obviously between the spells of doing aerobics with a headband and legwarmers, and my later foray into international competitive bodybuilding. I can't remember much about them other than they seemed unfeasibly tricky to clip into. I'd be concerned that a sole shaped to recess a cleat is a soft sole, and that on a long competitive ride I'd suffer pressure points on the sole of my foot.

- triathlonic-types, and ane fule know, love their kit, and love it to be (a) expensive and (b) aero. So short of making a shoe with a several hundred quid moulded carbon sole with a recess, and having integral aero covers on the uppers (ie sell one step backwards as three steps forwards), I think spds for racing would be a hard sell to that demographic. Of course, that sort of shoe would be far too stiff and slippery to run in, so you're kind of back to square one.

tgotb

daviesee wrote:

TGOTB wrote:

That's actually not what I was asking...

Name another system with recessed cleats.

We're way off topic here, but:
Time ATAC
Crank Bros Egg Beater
Crank Bros Candy
Speedplay Frog
I'm sure there are others, but you get the idea. Anyway, I wasn't asking which system would be best for running though transition; I was actually asking whether being able to run on MTB-type shoes was worth the downside of riding with an MTB system. For the avoidance of doubt, this is completely different to the OP's question (which was a lot more specific than most responses suggest).

Slightly more on topic: Any switch between systems is going to incur some short term pain. I recently switched my cyclocross/commuting system from SPD to Time ATAC. There are some very good reasons why Time should be better for cross, but I just can't get the hang of clipping in (even though the technique should be almost identical). I figured out I'd get the hang of it within a few commutes, but it's still taking me a couple of revolutions (or some soft pedalling) to get clipped in, and this isn't going to cut the mustard in a race. As a result, I've reluctantly switched everything back to the technically inferior SPD until the end of the season...

spasypaddy

well if you want to go down the aero route then its the Looks for me.

on the TT bike you can have these:
http://www.lookcycle.com/en/uk/route/pe ... -2-ti.html

and then on the others you can get other Look Keos.

tgotb

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

- I've used spds - many years ago - but only in a spin class. This was obviously between the spells of doing aerobics with a headband and legwarmers, and my later foray into international competitive bodybuilding. I can't remember much about them other than they seemed unfeasibly tricky to clip into. I'd be concerned that a sole shaped to recess a cleat is a soft sole, and that on a long competitive ride I'd suffer pressure points on the sole of my foot.

This actually isn't the case; my MTB shoes are more like road shoes with extra material either side of the cleat. They don't have carbon soles, but carbon soled MTB shoes do exist, and they feel every bit as stiff as carbon road soles. I do understand where you're coming from on SPD though.

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

- triathlonic-types, and ane fule know, love their kit, and love it to be (a) expensive and (b) aero. So short of making a shoe with a several hundred quid moulded carbon sole with a recess, and having integral aero covers on the uppers (ie sell one step backwards as three steps forwards), I think spds for racing would be a hard sell to that demographic. Of course, that sort of shoe would be far too stiff and slippery to run in, so you're kind of back to square one.

I see a gap in the market for an aero shoe with a recessed area to take a road cleat (Speedplay version might be easiest to design) which you can also run in. Negligible performance advantage, but triathlodites should love it. You could then buy a pair for commuting...

greg66_tri_v2.0

This illustrates pretty well why triathlonic types would not use spds. Bikes like this, in the shape of Zipps, Titanflexs and Softrides used to be regular sights at tris. Then Cervelo's P3 made its move for world domination, and that was that. However, post Tron and the Dark Knight this thing might just have a shout.

But spds on it? Na-hah.

supersonic

I use flats.

rolf_f

MonkeyMonster wrote:

daviesee wrote:

UndercoverElephant wrote:

I'm with Greg: MTB pedals on road bikes are very, very wrong.

What if they are SPD road pedals?

Then they aren't MTB pedals... and the question is moot.

But SPDs are only MTB pedals because convention says that they are. In any functional respect, they are road pedals for sensible people.

spasypaddy wrote:

well if you want to go down the aero route then its the Looks for me. on the TT bike you can have these: http://www.lookcycle.com/en/uk/route/pedales/keo-blade-2-ti.htmland then on the others you can get other Look Keos.

These are a new version of the Blade but if this aero version is the same as on the previous version, then all you get for your extra spend is a bit of cf glued to the underside of the pedal. You could get the same effect with a bit of plastic sheeting and some stick on cf weave!

BTW, does anyone know if Greg's got his SPDs yet?

daviesee

Rolf F wrote:

But SPDs are only MTB pedals because convention says that they are. In any functional respect, they are road pedals for sensible people.

Don't bother trying to introduce common sense to a vanity question.
I have obviously failed but find the continuation quite amusing.

Applespider

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

- I've used spds - many years ago - but only in a spin class. This was obviously between the spells of doing aerobics with a headband and legwarmers, and my later foray into international competitive bodybuilding. I can't remember much about them other than they seemed unfeasibly tricky to clip into.

I use SPDs in both spin classes and on the commute. On the real bike, I clip in on the first down stroke without even thinking about it. On the spin bike (same shoes), it always takes several attempts to get clipped in. Weird!

daviesee

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

This illustrates pretty well why triathlonic types would not use spds. Bikes like this, in the shape of Zipps, Titanflexs and Softrides used to be regular sights at tris. Then Cervelo's P3 made its move for world domination, and that was that. However, post Tron and the Dark Knight this thing might just have a shout.

But spds on it? Na-hah.

I would have thought that the Ritchey SPDs would have fitted right in.

daviesee

Applespider wrote:

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

- I've used spds - many years ago - but only in a spin class. This was obviously between the spells of doing aerobics with a headband and legwarmers, and my later foray into international competitive bodybuilding. I can't remember much about them other than they seemed unfeasibly tricky to clip into.

I use SPDs in both spin classes and on the commute. On the real bike, I clip in on the first down stroke without even thinking about it. On the spin bike (same shoes), it always takes several attempts to get clipped in. Weird!

Same pedals?
Condition of pedals?

MisterMuncher

Currently working with Shimano A-520s and a pair of CF-soled SPD Spuiks . If there's a difference in stiffness or efficiency between this setup and any LOOK/SPD-SL "roadie" pedals I've tried, I certainly can't feel it.

MisterMuncher

Currently working with Shimano A-520s and a pair of CF-soled SPD Spuiks . If there's a difference in stiffness or efficiency between this setup and any LOOK/SPD-SL "roadie" pedals I've tried, I certainly can't feel it.

meanredspider

MisterMuncher wrote:

Currently working with Shimano A-520s and a pair of CF-soled SPD Spuiks . If there's a difference in stiffness or efficiency between this setup and any LOOK/SPD-SL "roadie" pedals I've tried, I certainly can't feel it.

There probably isn't much difference in stiffness and efficiency but there is in weight.

I used to used M520s on my commuter but then put some SPD-SLs on for a multi-day ride. I was really taken by how much more of a stable pedalling platform they are (the difference is obvious when you ride both in regular flat shoes).

It really comes down to precisely what you are using them for. SPDs work fine (especially for commuting) but they really aren't as good as SPD-SLs for full-on road riding.

rolf_f

meanredspider wrote:

I used to used M520s on my commuter but then put some SPD-SLs on for a multi-day ride. I was really taken by how much more of a stable pedalling platform they are (the difference is obvious when you ride both in regular flat shoes).

But how much of that is down to the comparison factor? This being a thing that drives me nuts in reviews - the highlighting of minor differences that you are only noticing because you are changing from one thing to another. I notice the change from SPD to Look pedals and yes, I do notice that as favourable to the Looks (and that not taking into account that mostly on the SPDs I am wearing Aldi shoes and on the Looks Fizik R1s), but once I've covered a few miles I am no longer aware of that difference. All I know is that my pedal/shoe setup is doing a great enough job that I forget about it.

So, Greg, how are the SPDs?

greg66_tri_v2.0

Rolf F wrote:

So, Greg, how are the SPDs?

Excellent. They are still, so far as I am aware, serving their most useful function. Protecting a shelf in a shop and/or warehouse somewhere from dust contamination.

I am grateful for all the responses, and any future ones. As I said at the outset, pedals are IMO the most "personal" part of a bike set up. I can't help but think that the force with which some have advocated their favourite pedal in this thread underlines that. As for me, I am in something of a quandary, in that I like (that puts it far too low) my kit to be the same across my bikes, yet I realise that I am going to have to sample something new on one bike to see whether I can bear a full switch.

From some information I've gathered elsewhere, it seems that the Keywins - probably the second rarest pedal in the world after Podios - marvellous - might just have that X factor of permitting full downward pressure when unclipped. I realise, as TGOTB says, that I could do away with the precautionary unclip altogether, but it's something I've grown very accustomed to, and like all habits is hard to break.

So, if Planet X get their finger out and actually tell me whether they're going to supply me some alternative bike shoes or just keep my money forever even though they can't supply what I ordered, I suspect I shall order some Keywins. If they don't work out, then I think next stop is to lose the comfort blanket of the precautionary unclip, and try Speedplays with Kovers (ugh).

It might be easier to buy the tooling to make the Podios myself, of course...

daviesee

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

As I said at the outset, pedals are IMO the most "personal" part of a bike set up..

Disagrees.
As usual.

Saddles, surely?

greg66_tri_v2.0

daviesee wrote:

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

As I said at the outset, pedals are IMO the most "personal" part of a bike set up..

Disagrees.
As usual.

Saddles, surely?

How many have you ridden?

rolf_f

Greg66 Tri v2.0 wrote:

Rolf F wrote:

So, Greg, how are the SPDs?

Excellent. They are still, so far as I am aware, serving their most useful function. Protecting a shelf in a shop and/or warehouse somewhere from dust contamination.

I am grateful for all the responses, and any future ones. As I said at the outset, pedals are IMO the most "personal" part of a bike set up. I can't help but think that the force with which some have advocated their favourite pedal in this thread underlines that. As for me, I am in something of a quandary, in that I like (that puts it far too low) my kit to be the same across my bikes, yet I realise that I am going to have to sample something new on one bike to see whether I can bear a full switch.

Lol at para 1!

I'm not advocating SPDs because they are my favourite pedal - as far as that goes I prefer my Look Blades - even the name sounds cool! But, purely from an objective sense, I know that the SPDs are a better choice for anything but a Sunday bike. And they probably are for you too but you won't get them because you are nuts and that's fine. Just don't try to pretend to us that your final choice is based on any rational decision making processes!

How about creating a 3d model of your Podios and having a new set printed! 8)