Bike shoes and Clip on pedals

[Joe24]

YEY!!!!
Cycling Sam is back
Hows your future planning, are you going to be getting a job?

 

[Globalti]

CyclingSAM, you've been given lots of advice on this thread and I can't be bothered to read all five pages of it. If I may summarise:

DO NOT get your bike serviced at Halfrauds. Find a proper bike shop and build a relationship with the mechanics. Take along a pack of chocolate biscuits and they'll make even more efforts to sort your bike out.

For someone at your level road shoes and cleats are a ridiculous idea, they are difficult for walking and suited only to serious roadies who don't expect to walk more than a few yards during their long road ride. I can't believe anybody on here has been stupid enough to recommend them. Shimano SPDs are designed exactly for a cyclist like you; get some SPD pedals and a pair of low-end shoes. You can always upgrade to stiffer or lighter shoes as you get better.

Lastly you need to learn to adjust that bike; you can't afford to be at the mercy of shop mechanics all the time and bicycles are very simple machines, easy to adjust and fun to customise to your own preferences.

 

[bonj2]

For someone at your level road shoes and cleats are a ridiculous idea, they are difficult for walking and suited only to serious roadies who don't expect to walk more than a few yards during their long road ride. I can't believe anybody on here has been stupid enough to recommend them. Shimano SPDs are designed exactly for a cyclist like you; get some SPD pedals and a pair of low-end shoes. You can always upgrade to stiffer or lighter shoes as you get better.

What tripe.
If he's serious about cycling (which you have absolutely NO idea that he's not, as you imply), then it makes sense to get used to road pedals from an early age. Learning something straight from the off is much easier than getting used to something else and then trying to learn it after-the-fact much later.
And I think being pompous and telling him he "only needs" low end shoes isn't very helpful at all, is it.

 

[bigtoe]

http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/look-keo-classic-pedal-id31823.html
Good price and come with the cleats and instructions.

 

[Globalti]

What tripe.
If he's serious about cycling (which you have absolutely NO idea that he's not, as you imply), then it makes sense to get used to road pedals from an early age. Learning something straight from the off is much easier than getting used to something else and then trying to learn it after-the-fact much later.
And I think being pompous and telling him he "only needs" low end shoes isn't very helpful at all, is it.

If you had taken the trouble to read and consider his very first post instead of looking for another way of demonstrating your intellectual conceit, you would have understood that the lad is not a seasoned cyclist and that to expect him to start with full-on road cleats and pedals is inviting disappointment. Shimano's SPD system is justifiably popular because it allows cyclists to graduate to clip-in pedals while still moving around normally. Once he's been on those for a few months he may choose to upgrade but that's up to him.

 

[bonj2]

If you had taken the trouble to read and consider his very first post ...

that's a bit rich coming from you, who by your own admission:

I can't be bothered to read the whole 5 pages of this thread

oh I see you've now edited that bit out now.
That's very big of you!
Hypocrite

 

[Joe24]

SPD-SL is no harder then SPD i think. SPD-SL the pedal is a bigger target to aim at.
SPD you have a smaller target to clip into.
Rigid Raider, there has been people come in and explain about SPD and SPD-SL.
I started with Look Keos, which arent much different from SPD-SL, and i found them fine.

 

[Globalti]

oh I see you've now edited that bit out now.
That's very big of you!
Hypocrite

Here mate, no wonder you couldn't read his first post, you can't read my previous either; you obviously need to get some of these:

 

[jimboalee]

What CyclingSam should do is look in the Cycling weekly or the web at the TT times for his age group.
For example :-
http://www.rttc.org.uk/Competition/NationalChampionships/JuniorResults/10m/tabid/392/Default.aspx

Find a safe stretch of road and try to equal or better the winning times. If you can get in the top 10 of these times, JOIN A CLUB, spend some money, learn how to repair a bike; and most importantly, better the time next ride out.

 

[bonj2]

SPD-SL is no harder then SPD i think. SPD-SL the pedal is a bigger target to aim at.
SPD you have a smaller target to clip into.
Rigid Raider, there has been people come in and explain about SPD and SPD-SL.
I started with Look Keos, which arent much different from SPD-SL, and i found them fine.

yes but SPD is double sided, SPD-SL you have to have it the right way round!
Often you find you're trying to clip into the bottom of it, and have to flip it. It's an absolute arse.

 

[Joe24]

yes but SPD is double sided, SPD-SL you have to have it the right way round!
Often you find you're trying to clip into the bottom of it, and have to flip it. It's an absolute arse.

No Bonj, you have that problem because you arent a serious enough cyclist.
Us serious cyclists get it the right way around nearly all the time. All you do is push off and put your foot straight on the pedal. The pushing off makes the pedal go flat(on the correct side to clip in) and allows you to clip right in.
SPD, however, wont flip around, so as ive found, you have to push the pedal around to clip in, which is more of a faff.
And, to go with this, my brother who has used SPD-SL to see how it feels, tried SPD last week and found it harder to clip in. Hes not a cyclist(hes a strange kayaker) and finds SPD-SL much easier.

 

[Joe24]

Here mate, no wonder you couldn't read his first post, you can't read my previous either; you obviously need to get some of these:

Errrr, how does that work? You didnt read the 5 pages, posted something in that had already been discussed and put out, but said it again.
Is there much point to that? I mean, just going into a thread, not reading 5 pages because you couldnt be arsed, and putting something on that would of already been said.
Or, are you wanting to try and sound knowledgable or get your post count up, or both?

 

[montage]

Spd SL is easier than spd in my experience....but the downside is that walking in them makes you looks like a tit.

Sam is going to win the tour de france (I shoot you not) so needs SPD SLs.

And jimbo....junoirs doing sub 20min 10s??!?!?! Destined for pro

 

[Joe24]

Spd SL is easier than spd in my experience....but the downside is that walking in them makes you looks like a tit.

Sam is going to win the tour de france (I shoot you not) so needs SPD SLs.

And jimbo....junoirs doing sub 20min 10s??!?!?! Destined for pro

Your ****ing right, he is. Hes not going to get a job, he wont need one. As soon as he leaves school he will turn Pro. He will start racing next year(i think he said) and just win everyone.
Walking isnt so bad in SPD-SL, my GF finds it funny though, says i walk like a penguin

 

[montage]

Your ****ing right, he is. Hes not going to get a job, he wont need one. As soon as he leaves school he will turn Pro. He will start racing next year(i think he said) and just win everyone.
Walking isnt so bad in SPD-SL, my GF finds it funny though, says i walk like a penguin

I didn't say it was bad. I said it makes you look like a tit