Clipless Pedals FAQ

[ianrauk]

Thanks lesley..
I was just wondering, as my step daughter and her friend want to get road bikes and I wondered what to say if they asked me next week when I'm visiting the UK.
Cheers

The majority of the women on the FNR's all do. Prob's the same percentage as guys.

 

[Boon 51]

The majority of the women on the FNR's all do. Prob's the same percentage as guys.

Thanks.. I was unsure but I know what to say now..

 

[Doc333]

Well I'm about to spend some time practicing with my new set up. Scared, apprehensive maybe and not too confident. I have had Shimano A600 SPD fitted and using Bontragger Soltice touring SPD shoes which is all a bit different from my usual toe clip set up.

 

[Doc333]

Stopped 3 times to make adjustments and by the time i got home I felt fairly confident. No town work though and only had 3 sets of lights to cope with, but even though I clipped out early I reckon I still look like Bambi on ice. Wish the pedals would fall the right way to make it easy to clip in, because these seem to drop under every time i clip out, meaning I have to look and tease the pedal when I really want to speed up away from traffic lights etc. Uphill starts may be an issue until I get the hang too.

However I think once I get the hang of it I'm going to like it, as my average speed increased today, and that's with 3 stops and i punctured half mile from home so crawled in

 

[sgl5gjr]

I was shocked at the prices Go Outdoors and Halfords are charging for SPD pedals....... a total fail IMHO....

Go Outdoors did say they would price match Decathlon plus a 10% reduction ......and I see Halfords have an own brand SPD pedal ...still £4 more than Shimano's at Decathlon/CRC..... and Halfords have Shimano SPD's at 3 times the price that Decathlon charge

Locally at the moment we have a Halfords with less than helpful/qualified staff and a LBC who charge top retail prices for kit/cycles and when I went for an 80mm stem for a Ladies road bike (needed it for a bike fitting for a friend who has just got a new Road Bike).... shrugged and said sorry not got one... Halfords said.... they don't make them..... Chain reaction delivered said Deda item in 24 hrs...and at top price too......
I hear on the grapevine though that there is a imminent Cycle spares and service guy coming locally.... hopefully he'll not be greedy and shake up the local cycle market and those bikes which have been slung into the back of the shed as the owners are shocked to pay £15 for brakes, when they could get the parts for less than that price, will be fixed and used again...... Mr Ranty man had spoken lol

 

[clf]

Quick couple of questions about double sided pedals. How do they work, how are they weighted? Which side would tend to be up, would I have to go through turning the pedal every time I wanted to clip in?

I'm thinking of going clipless on my hybrid for commuting, but wouldn't want to change shoes if I was to pop out to the shop, (and by shop I mean pub) so quite fancy a double sided pedal set up, are they practical?

 

[shadow master]

Quick couple of questions about double sided pedals. How do they work, how are they weighted? Which side would tend to be up, would I have to go through turning the pedal every time I wanted to clip in?

I'm thinking of going clipless on my hybrid for commuting, but wouldn't want to change shoes if I was to pop out to the shop, (and by shop I mean pub) so quite fancy a double sided pedal set up, are they practical?

You would be best with shimano pd324,SPD clip one side,standard pedal the other,well go do a budget version,watch out for the famous online retailers trick of discounting the pedals,because they have taken the cleats out of the box that should be included!

 

[Gez73]

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/...spd-trekking-clipless-mtb-pedals/rp-prod67250
These are the pedals I use on all my bikes. Very comfortable and made of metal too. Double sided and used with a recessed cleat. Currently much cheaper than before and cleats included.

 

[Evogirl]

Evening people
I'm wondering if anybody can help me? Every time I ride for over an hour I get excruciating pain in my right foot it occurs in the left but nowhere near as bad. Seems to be in the ball of my foot region and it's bad enough that I have go get off the bike and do some calf stretches to try to relieve the pain. Would insteps in my shoes help??

 

[Browser]

Of those 2 the t780 are the better pedal, as well as looks they also have sealed bearings so you won't need to service them like you would the m324. Not a major job to service pedals, you just need to repack the bearing grease every so often, but with the t780 you don't even need to do that.

Don't get confused by the mention of 'sealed' bearings on anything, this hjust means there's some sort of sealing arrangement which limits the amount of crap/water getting intot he bearings. Looking on the Shimano webpage is says the T780s have 'Sealed mechanism and serviceable cup & cone bearings', indicating that they aren't cartridge bearings, which would be the type one wouldn't need to service.
Shame 'cos Id've been interested otherwise.

http://www.shimano-lifestylegear.com/gl/fw/products/pedal/021pd_t780.php

 

[lord_humungus]

This answers any question I had but couldn't find it or understand it online. Thank you

 

[Cyclist33]

All I can add is, they're a bloody liability when commixed with an assertive border collie!

 

[mick1836]

Good stuff Kevestan, two things I'd add: Adjust the tension on the pedal so that it's easy to engage/disengage but not too loose. Also make sure the bolts holding the cleats on are done up tight, or a clipless moment is guaranteed when the bolts come loose!

Would you recommend using Locktite on the bolts if so which one there are quite a few with differing levels of strength see this link >> http://www.loctite.co.uk/loctite-4087.htm?primaryFacet=00000002MQ,0000000389#

 

[Andrew chance]

Evening people
I'm wondering if anybody can help me? Every time I ride for over an hour I get excruciating pain in my right foot it occurs in the left but nowhere near as bad. Seems to be in the ball of my foot region and it's bad enough that I have go get off the bike and do some calf stretches to try to relieve the pain. Would insteps in my shoes help??

I suspect Evogirl your cleats aren't set up properly. A couple of things to consider 40 percent of the population have legs of different lengths not noticeableto the naked eye but a physical fact, also a lot of people naturally walk slighty pigeon footed ,equally their natural gait may mean there feet turn outwards, and of course not necessarily in equal measure. Then we have cause and effect ..a problem with hip rotation may manifest itself in the knees or lower back. Best cure is a bike fit..But can be expensive so what is the homemade remedy ? Sit on a table and totally relax your legs, let them dangle and see which way your feet naturally point. replicate that on the cleats to the pedal..you may find it helps. If you think about it if one of your feet naturally turns in but the foot is cleated straight ahead, multiply high cadence on a typical ride you are putting undue strain on muscles in effect asking the foot to adopt position which isn't natural to it .
I hope this helps a little
Andy

 

[Spoked Wheels]

With practice, unclipping becomes second nature. One can see this in emergency stops of which I've had a couple in the last year.

I bought a pair of spd shoes from Aldi 2 years ago at the same time I got new pedals and I nearly had a few embarrassing moments. I blamed the pedals initially but I found out the shoes were the problem. I've had Aldi shoes before and they were ok for a year. I bought better ones for about £60 and they made a big difference. I like the very firm sole.

I wouldn't like to ride far without my SPD pedals now.