Pedal Recommendation

jimtrott

Hey Guys,

I recently purchased my first road bike, Along with some SPD shoes and pedals.

After coming from a MTB background with flat pedals, Getting used to the SPD's was troublesome, And after a month of using them i just cannot get the hang of it, I should point out that i am quite clumsy, I've had balance issues for a long time, But never had trouble with the flat pedals on my MTB.

Would flat pedals be ok to use on a road bike ? If so, Which would you recommend ?

Many Thanks.

simon_masterson

Just so you know, you're very likely to be told on this forum that you ought to be using clipless and that you shouldn't want to use plain platforms... And they aren't wrong about the benefits, but neither is it against the law to use flat pedals on a road bike.

If you really do want plain platforms, you can get high quality old school pedals like MKS, and big BMX/MTB style platforms; I suspect the latter might be a good choice. Toe clips and straps are a nice compromise (good quality ones, not the cheap tat you get on new bikes these days!), and another option is the Shimano pedals with SPD entry on one side, if you wanted to continue to dabble with clipless...

I have to ask, though, do you have them loosened all the way?

kajjal

I am one of the few people with flat pedals on a road bike and chose these MTB pedals as they are light weight but with a good sized platform and grip well.

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/nuk ... s-ec047212

It does mean you have less power than being clipped in but it doesn't bother me and I find them a lot more stable and comfortable. I ride 50 miles + with no problems at all. If you look round they should be available cheaper if that is what you are looking for. Also come in various colours.

ForumNewbie

jimtrott wrote:

Hey Guys,

I recently purchased my first road bike, Along with some SPD shoes and pedals.

After coming from a MTB background with flat pedals, Getting used to the SPD's was troublesome, And after a month of using them i just cannot get the hang of it, I should point out that i am quite clumsy, I've had balance issues for a long time, But never had trouble with the flat pedals on my MTB.

Would flat pedals be ok to use on a road bike ? If so, Which would you recommend ?

Many Thanks.

I stuck with flat pedals for ages but am now comfortable with SPDs. I always unclip one foot (my right) well before I stop and then step out of the saddle so my right foot is flat on the ground when I'm stopping. My left foot nearly always remains clipped in unless I'm getting off the bike. I find with SPDs it's easy to pedal (even uphill) with just one foot clipped in, any time you're nervous that you might not be able to unclip in time. It's okay to go back to flat pedals, but as you have SPDs and shoes maybe you should try again. Is it unclipping or clipping in that you have a problem with?

taon24

I would recommend persevering with clipless. Once you get the hang (and you almost certainly will) of it they are way better than flat pedals, even with toe clips.

Interestingly SPD-SLs (big triangular cleats) seem to be easier to get my feet in and out of the pedals than SPDs (small metal spade shaped cleats). The size of cleat makes a difference. bigger = easier to clip-in in my experience.

However the pedals than can be flat/clipless are all combined with SPDs as they are easier to walk in. Try touring pedals that allow you to go flat or clipless.

I agree with the advice to leave one foot clipped in at all times.

styxd

flats are fine, nice and comfy, you probably wont get any foot/knee issues.

you could try mtb pedals as these offer more float and are easier to clip in and out of. Try running them loose

Schoie81

Jimtrott - just out of interest - you say you "can't get the hang of" your clipless pedals....what do you actually mean by that? Are you having trouble clipping in? Clipping out? Or are they causing you discomfort or pain? Or something else?? Or all of the above?

Pituophis

I rode flats on the mtb and initially started with them on the road bike (had a couple of bad "do's" when I tried spd's on the mtb, and was basically scared - no point denying it :oops: ) It didn't seem to make any difference to my cycling on the road bike, but eventually I decided to try the spd's again.
I just set them at their absolute loosest point and thought about every stop!
In my humble opinion, it is well worth persevering with the clip in's. Once you get through the nervy period, you will wonder what all the fuss was about, and I do believe they are a real benefit.
Many will disagree here, but watching people fannying about at traffic lights, I think mtb style spd's are easier to get used to than the more specific roadie spd sl's. Each to their own.

jimtrott

Thanks for the replies, There's some really great advice here.

I do have the tension loosened off all the way, The main problem i tend to have is clipping in, Although i have fallen a few times when clipping out, But definitely finding it hard to push off and clip in at the same time.

Following the advice from you all, I've decided to give the spd's another try, I was thinking about putting the spd's on my mtb for the next few days and going to the local trails to practice clipping in and out for a few hours where it's a bit softer than the road, So if i fall again it won't hurt and should improve my confidence a bit.

Now it sounds good in theory, But do any of you think this would work at improving my spd skills ?

Thanks again to everyone.

ai_1

As mentioned earlier, there's no reason you should ever need to have both feet unclipped. Unclip one foot as you approach a stop so you can put it down. When you get moving again you use the foot still clipped in to get moving until you have a chance to clip in the other foot.
If you can't get your second foot clipped in for some reason you can keep yourself moving with the other foot or just stop. Unlike normal platform pedals, you can cycle just fine with one foot clipped-in so there's no rush to get the other foot clipped-in. Don't panic, take your time and if you're slowing down, just take a few more pedal strokes with the clipped in foot before trying again. There's no reason you should ever fall clipping-in. Beginners do sometimes fall when they're stopping if they forget to clip out.

I wouldn't recommend practicing on uneven ground as that'll just give you more to worry about.
Why not try just clipping in one foot and cycling a few hundred meters with the other leg hanging. Then you'll be confident that there's no panic clipping in. Then you can work out part 2 in your own time. As long as you're moving you won't fall.

jimtrott

Ai_1 wrote:

As mentioned earlier, there's no reason you should ever need to have both feet unclipped. Unclip one foot as you approach a stop so you can put it down. When you get moving again you use the foot still clipped in to get moving until you have a chance to clip in the other foot.
If you can't get your second foot clipped in for some reason you can keep yourself moving with the other foot or just stop. Unlike normal platform pedals, you can cycle just fine with one foot clipped-in so there's no rush to get the other foot clipped-in. Don't panic, take your time and if you're slowing down, just take a few more pedal strokes with the clipped in foot before trying again. There's no reason you should ever fall clipping-in. Beginners do sometimes fall when they're stopping if they forget to clip out.

I wouldn't recommend practicing on uneven ground as that'll just give you more to worry about.
Why not try just clipping in one foot and cycling a few hundred meters with the other leg hanging. Then you'll be confident that there's no panic clipping in. Then you can work out part 2 in your own time. As long as you're moving you won't fall.

I've never thought about leaving one foot clipped in before, I started unclipping both when i felt a bit wobbly, Though this was probably through panicking about falling over.

There are a few quiet country roads nearby, So i could attempt the one leg clipped in idea there.

Well all being well my next ride will be on Thursday, So i shall give an update on how it went.

Thanks for the tips guys.

ai_1

jimtrott wrote:

I've never thought about leaving one foot clipped in before, I started unclipping both when i felt a bit wobbly, Though this was probably through panicking about falling over....

This is good news as it makes it obvious why you've had problems. I would expect it would be very hard to get the hang of clipping-in if you pushed off from the ground and then tried to clip-in both feet before pedalling.

ForumNewbie

The good thing about SPDs and MTB or leisure/touring shoes is that I can happily pedal for ages (if I want) with one foot clipped in and the other foot just further forward on the pedal - not clipped in but the soles are ridged which means you can still push hard on the pedal with your unclipped foot. You couldn't do that very well on road SPD-SLs and as your smooth road shoe sole would slip-off the pedal. I find having only one foot clipped in for a while very useful when setting-off on an upslope, or even sometimes unclipping one foot when approaching a really steep bit of a hill, as I find it difficult to unclip on the steep bit if I grind to a halt or want to unclip and stop for any reason. With double-sided SPDs I don't even need to look down to clip back in whenever I want to.

AndyT79

Consider some SPD pedals that are flat on one side that way you dont have to always clip straight in

Schoie81

Jim - I'm sure many people will disagree with me, but I have eggbeater pedals on both my bikes and struggle to believe anyone could have any problem using them. I was really unsure about moving from flats to clipless - just didn't like the idea of having my foot fixed to the pedals. I tried SPDs and they did nothing to ease my fears as I found them hard to get out of, but at the recommendation of someone on here, I tried eggbeaters and I'm so glad I did.

Clipping-in - never once had a problem. I clip in with my left whilst stationary, push off, and 19 times out of 20 I put my right foot on the pedal, start pedalling as normal and it just clips in the first time you push down with your right foot - didn't take any getting used to - it just happened like that from my first ride with them.

Clipping out - I've done my best to try and fall over after failing to clip out, everything from just forgetting to do it, to unclipping one foot, then coming to a stop and somehow shifting my weight to the other side and also once from stopping at a junction and not realising I'd stopped in top gear, trying to set off and not having the power in my legs to get moving. Every single time I've started to go over, I've still managed to unclip in time to get my foot down - the natural 'panic' action of trying to move your foot in the direction you're falling has always resulted in me unclipping (and before anyone says it, I know full well I'm going to hit the deck on my next ride now I've said that....). By all means persevere with the SPDs you've got, but if you continue to have problems, I'd urge you to try eggbeaters before going back to flats. As I say, I wasn't keen on clipless and was sceptical at their benefits, but I wouldn't go back to flats now.

andy9964

As said above, I always leave one foot clipped in when stopped at lights, junctions etc.
Leaving one foot clipped in allows me to get the pedal where I want it for pushing off, then for the first few rotations I usually pedal on my instep before clipping that foot in.
I find it easier clipping in the free foot once there's some momentum. Got to be a bit more careful on hill starts as there is more power used, and a greater chance of slipping off the pedal if I don't keep my foot flat

jimtrott

Just a quick update...

I managed to get out on the bike today for a good two hours, Couldn't manage much longer because the storm seems to be coming back.

I was doing mainly stopping and starting, Clipping in and out, And pedaling with the one leg clipped in, While i have to admit i was slightly nervous and wobbling a bit, I did actually managed to get used to the one legged cycling, Haha.

But i did have one fall, Clipping out and stopping a bit too sharp i think.

Overall i'm happy to continue using the SPD's, I felt i had a bit more confidence today, But i think that's down to all of the advice i've been given, So a big thank you to everyone who helped out and gave me some much needed advice, And for convincing me to stick with the SPD's

daxplusplus

With the unclipping remember you can do it well before you actually need to stop. So you see a T junction that you know you have to give way at, just unclip maybe 20-30 ft away and coast to a halt. No last minute panics unclipping.

:-)

ForumNewbie

DaxPlusPlus wrote:

With the unclipping remember you can do it well before you actually need to stop. So you see a T junction that you know you have to give way at, just unclip maybe 20-30 ft away and coast to a halt. No last minute panics unclipping.

:-)

+1 I still coast to a stop with one foot unclipped.

Well done jimtrott - glad it went well today.