Advertising bicycles without pedals - why?

[Shut Up Legs]

Why do vendors persist in advertising bicycles without pedals? It makes no sense, because if you argue that pedal choice is up to the customer, then the same should apply to saddles***. Despite this, I never see bicycles advertised without a saddle. When I bought my last 2 bikes, the pedals and saddle were the first thing that I looked at before I even considered getting on the bike.

Comments, anyone?


*** I know my butt takes it very personally if I use the wrong size/shape saddle .

 

[gavintc]

Saddles fit all arses, cleats only fit specific pedals; different criteria, different argument.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Saddles fit all arses.

Sorry, but I disagree with that - saddle choice is a very personal thing, and a saddle perfect for one person may be completely wrong for another person.

 

[CopperCyclist]

Sorry, but I disagree with that - saddle choice is a very personal thing, and a saddle perfect for one person may be completely wrong for another person.

Yes, but you could still get on it and ride it. With cleats you need the exact correct peddle.

 

[Apollonius]

I suspect pert of it is due to the requirement to supply bikes with reflectors on the pedals. We tend not to want those. Thus the bikes are supplied without pedals. Only a theory. No evidence.

 

[Big_Dave]

I suspect pert of it is due to the requirement to supply bikes with reflectors on the pedals. We tend not to want those. Thus the bikes are supplied without pedals. Only a theory. No evidence.

I would say that is a valid reason, it is law in the uk for pedals to be fitted with amber reflectors when riding at night, seeing as spd type pedal designs do not incorporate amber reflectors they are in fact illegal for night time use..
The other reason could also be weight, the expensive bike weight will look far more attractive without the weight of pedals on it

 

[Apollonius]

Just to enlarge my theory a little further. If you buy a basic Specialized, say, it comes with about 30p's worth of plastic pedals with vestigial toe clips. Just about rideable for a week or two, maybe. It also comes with a tiny plastic bell and various reflectors and other odd plastic bits that soon end up in the bin. I think all this adds to my theory that the manufacturer is obliged to supply all these wonderful "safety" features which many discerning people put in the bin. (Recycling blue bin of course.) In the meantime the rider has discovered that this stuff is junk and that he/she needs some pedals that work. They do not have reflectors. He/she then embarks on a life of crime, or, just possibly the law requires these things to be fitted to new bikes but does not, necessarily, require their use. Maybe.

 

[youngoldbloke]

The OP asks why advertise bikes without pedals. You can always specify and buy the pedals you want if you buy the bike. Bikes would not look very good pictured without a saddle - however I do believe you should be able to specify or change the saddle, as you should be able to specify crank length, bar width, stem length - maybe not on entry level bikes but certainly on more expensive ones.

 

[Big_Dave]

Highway code:
Rules for cyclists
60
At night your cycle MUST have white front and red rear lights lit. It MUST also be fitted with a red rear reflector (and amber pedal reflectors, if manufactured after 1/10/85). White front reflectors and spoke reflectors will also help you to be seen. Flashing lights are permitted but it is recommended that cyclists who are riding in areas without street lighting use a steady front lamp

 

[Shut Up Legs]

All the comments I've seen so far are just as valid for saddles, so I'm not convinced. Thanks for the comments, anyway.

 

[NorvernRob]

Because the person buying it may well use a different cleat/pedal system anyway, so you might as well transfer the pedals onto your new bike. If I sold a bike it wouldn't go with pedals.

As for saddles, you see many bikes for sale with the original one put back on, or an alternative put on as the seller has taken off their preferred saddle.

A bike without a saddle looks unfinished, a bike without pedals doesn't.

 

[Mr_Grieve]

Because most mid range or higher spec bikes are not supplied with pedals but are supplied with seats. No doubt the shop would be happy to fit a cheap pair of pedals if asked but the presumption will be you will provide your own pedals. The quality of the seat on the other hand is usually more comparable to the quality of the other components. Cheap bikes however are often advertised with pedals. Just checked the Giant site and the cheap hybrids are shown with pedals but not the road bikes. The pedals on the cheap road bikes are specified but not shown in the picture - I supect to keep the image the same as the more expensive road bikes where no pedal is specified.

 

[Poacher]

All the comments I've seen so far are just as valid for saddles, so I'm not convinced. Thanks for the comments, anyway.

I'm not aware of any legal requirement for saddles to incorporate a reflector.

 

[Dan87]

the two bikes ive bought this year (charge plug and bombtrack script) have both come with pedals.
they have both been shown on the sites without pedals in the pictures but standard pedals issued with both.

 

[the_mikey]

I suspect there are a lot of unwanted pedals supplied in the UK, I didn't get any pedals with my Giant TCR comp 2, or my kinesis T2, both bought from local bike shops; my Giant Defy however was bought online and came with a separate packet containing a red reflector, wheel reflectors and pedals with amber reflectors fitted.