Beginner needs advice re pedals

[PaulBowden]

I restarted cycling this Spring and am enjoying riding my Specialized Secteur (the basic £600 one, I hasten to add) and my Decathlon Rockrider mountain bike.
I have been riding the Specialized 3-4x a week, totalling no more than 120-200 (flat, Lincolnshire) miles; the mountain bike doesn't get a chance at mountains (remember it's Lincolnshire!), but is fun for a couple of hours off road. As a teacher, with the new year looming, weekly mileage is going to plummet until next Spring, but I'd like to get set up as soon as possible.
What pedals would people recommend?
My priority would be the Specialized, rather than the off-road bike. I'm so ignorant, I don't know anything about pedals and the shoes which go with them and which, presumably, have to be chosen to be compatible. I'm within reach of a Decathlon store and have been pleased with the quality of other stuff (e.g. walking gear) which I've bought there before, but I'd be very grateful for ANY suggestions.
With many thanks
Paul

 

[Peter10]

How do you feel about using clipless pedals? (the ones where your feet are "locked" into position). Kind of daunting at first but very easy once you get the hang of them. I have been using mine for about 4 weeks and love them. I still have issues when pulling away and clipping in the foot I was resting on, but generally don't have an issue.

I'm sure more people will be able to give much better advice and there's loads of threads with pedal information. I personally just went for the second to bottom budget Shimano pedals to try out first and to learn how they work. I'll probably upgrade next year sometime with something a little lighter and better balanced. The only thing with clipless is you have to make a conscious effort to remember to click out of the pedal at a red light or junction. I still don't feel too comfortable filtering through traffic at slow speeds, but I'll get there.

Clipless pedals use cleats which click into the pedal and lock into position. You then have to rotate your ankle and clip out. Pretty easy really. There are different types of cleats and some shoes will accept a range of these and some will only take one.

I would personally look around for pedal threads (there's a few, including one I started recently) and then try to find them on Evans (use price match) or somewhere else online. eBay has a lot of good bargains for brand new pedals. You will get a better price online or, for the same money get a better set of pedals than in a shop.

 

[TheBoyBilly]

If it's any use, I've just taken up clipless riding and love it. I bought Shimano M545 SPDs for my Spesh Langster to see how I got on (as they have a fairly big platform) and will eventually put them on my MTB. Then I shall go for a more road-orientated pedal for, er -the road. As for shoes I chose Specialized Tahoes at £59.99 IIRC, and they are very comfortable on the M545s.

Bill

 

[PaulBowden]

Thank you to two previous posters: this is exactly the kind of advice and comments I'd like. I should have made clear, in my original post, that it is, indeed, clipless pedals that I have in mind.
More experiences and thoughts, please...........

 

[youngoldbloke]

SPDs on both bikes, otherwise you will end up having to buy lots of different shoes. You can get more 'roadie' style ones - A520s, and MTB style - M520s for example. Exustar make similar road and MTB styles, and I think Decathlon sell their pedals too. SPD shoes allow you to walk in them mor easily too!

 

[beastie]

Hi Paul

I have shimano a520's on my Secteur and m520's on the Subway. They are both fine.
Get a pair of spd shoes I have shimano mo63's and they work fine.

 

[TheBoyBilly]

On the subject of SPD shoes, Paul, I took a tip from Greg Collins as far as brand choice as he mentioned that the 'last' used in the manufacture of Shimano shoes was a bit on the narrow size which could account for some of the 'hot foot' problems experienced by a few Shimano wearers. As I said earlier, my Specialized Tahoes, for me, are an extremely comfortable fit. I tightened the cleats a wee bit too much initially but slackening them off by three clicks (simple job) did the trick. Entry and exit is now very easy. I have had a couple of 'moments' when I struggled to get out of the clips but that was more down to daftness (i.e. not reading the road) than any fault with the pedals.

 

[luther]

I've recently taken up "clipless" cycling. Bought a great pair of Specialized BG MTB shoes from Evans (in the sale) and got some Crank Brothers Candy C pedals (again from Evans for £30).

Used the pedal/shoes combo for a few weeks and once I was comfortable I managed to pick up another set of pedals from Ebay for my MTB for a tenner....

All in all.... I spent less than £100 and managed to get two sets of pedals and some highly rated shoes..... It's defo worth considering MTB shoes over road shoes if you're using them for commuting.

 

[wilko]

I also have a Specialized (Elite) bike that I have just fitted with Shimano M520's, paired with Specialized Tahoe shoes. The pedals take a bit of getting used to, but not really a problem and are a very good and inexpensive introduction to clipless. The shoes I have found to be very comfortable both on and off the bike.