How much on pedals?

[ChrisV]

I have a Whyte Suffolk with the pedals that came with it.

I was going clipless but I'm cycling so infrequently at the moment (I'm struggling to find the commitment to be a hardened autumn commuter, let alone winter!) that I thought I'd wait until the spring to invest in shoes and SPD pedals.

On Wiggle, there are pedals at the £10 mark that have decent ratings but I don't want to waste £10 on pedals that are pretty crappy.

How much should I be spending and what would you recommend for a road bike?

 

[confusedcyclist]

SPD SL clipless pedals are in the region of £20 and worth every penny, don't bother buying anything else (or going for carbon super light upgrades). Doesn't take long to get used to them and you won't be blowing another £20 next spring.

I paid about £20 for the shoes too.

 

[Cycleops]

£10 pedals are pretty crappy. It's like everything else you get what you pay for. I use the Shimano M 530s. The bearings aren't the greatest but for thirty quid: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-a530-road-pedals/rp-prod28050
You can buy a Mercedes, it will the same job as a Kia but won't have the kudos or the ultimate quality, but do you want that?

 

[fossyant]

Even the basic Shimano pedals are pretty good bearing wise these days.

Your issues might be whether SPD SL or SPD (mountain bike type) is more suitable for you.

 

[ridingaround]

I first bought Shimano SPD SL pedals (PD R540) but after a few unnecessary falls I've found I like the Shimano A530 SPD pedals more for daily riding since my route has lots of stop lights and unpredictable traffic. £20 is about right eitherway

 

[ChrisV]

Just got carried away on eBay and won these:

Look at this on eBay:

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=231382423077

shimano clip in pedals

Suspect I just wasted a fiver. What are they and what do they do??

 

[StuAff]

Just got carried away on eBay and won these:

Look at this on eBay:

http://pages.ebay.com/link/?nav=item.view&alt=web&id=231382423077

shimano clip in pedals

Suspect I just wasted a fiver. What are they and what do they do??

They look like SPDs. If they work OK you just got a bargain.

 

[mjr]

10 pedals are pretty crappy. It's like everything else you get what you pay for.

If only that were true. I've tried quite a few pedals. Vavert Commuter/Leisure are pretty good and seem consistent at £15-20. Cheaper pedals are sometimes OK but the first thing to go seems to be quality control which makes it a bit of a lottery. There are some awful slippy expensive pedals out there too, with fast-changing model numbers that I suspect are an attempt to avoid the bad reviews stacking up.

 

[tiermat]

Unless you specifically want the platform that the M530s give, the M520s are much better value, especially when you consider you get a pair of cleats with them, so the pedals run out about £10, then £10 for the cleats.

they are much better than they aught to be, for the money (I have 3 sets, non of which have had any sort of service in the ~5 years I have been using them). the M530s are great for commuting or touring, though as the wide platform gives more support to the foot.

 

[ChrisV]

I'll see what's what when they arrive.

Put the toe clips back on today and actually noticed an improvement over just normal flats. I was a bit hasty in my initial judgement.

The only issue was trying to get my put back in after stopping as they spin round rather unhelpfully when I remove my foot!

 

[ridingaround]

That's a good deal on those SPD's, but you might need to service the pedal's bearings if they're not spinning well. Some videos on youtube on how to do that.

 

[Gravity Aided]

Shimano 520's have converted me to clipless. Great pedals, Those appear to be 515s. Good pedals. You'll need cleats, get Shimano SPD cleats. They work best, in my little experience. Other may have greater experience, and more recommendations

 

[Racing roadkill]

I have a Whyte Suffolk with the pedals that came with it.

I was going clipless but I'm cycling so infrequently at the moment (I'm struggling to find the commitment to be a hardened autumn commuter, let alone winter!) that I thought I'd wait until the spring to invest in shoes and SPD pedals.

On Wiggle, there are pedals at the £10 mark that have decent ratings but I don't want to waste £10 on pedals that are pretty crappy.

How much should I be spending and what would you recommend for a road bike?

I got some Campagnolo Record SPD-SL's. They are form over function, but what form.