When to go Clipless ?

[FatherCrowe]

do it yourself just need a 15' pedal spanner

the putting them on no problem. But setting up the spring for the right tightness and angle?

 

[FatherCrowe]

Simply screw the pedals onto the bike, screw the cleats into your new shoes and experiment to find a comfortable position for the cleats based on foot position.

Before anyone recommends Shimano PDM 520s, do yourself a favour and spend a fiver or so more on some PD M530s or PD A520s.

sounds like a plan. On a big bit of grass so when I can't take my feet out I fall on something soft! Lol

 

[slowmotion]

the putting them on no problem. But setting up the spring for the right tightness and angle?

I got some SPD pedals about six weeks after getting my first road bike. I fell off within six minutes, so I might as well have got them sooner. I went for the type that clips in on both sides. At a pinch, it's possible to ride in ordinary shoes but trainer-style SPD shoes are so comfortable to walk in that you may as well wear them anywhere. As regards setting the tension on the pedal springs, I set them to the lowest possible setting when I started, and they have stayed there. Never had a problem becoming accidentally detached. For advice on setting up the cleats on your shoes, just have a search on YouTube. There is a shedload of good stuff.

Good luck and have fun.

 

[jim55]

Iv got my right side one tightened up so there's not a lot of float in it, and the left a fair bit looser , when stopping I always unclip my left foot and put this side down , the right foot stays clipped in pretty much all the time ( obv apart from getti g off the bike totally ,
I do the same thing all the time , and yeah , climbing and accelerating away from lights is much more secure with Spd, much more secure and no slippage

 

[Danny91]

Whats the difference between MTB and Road Clipless Pedals/Shoes and what is recommended for a hybrid? Also, do you have to buy cleats or do they come with shoes?

 

[Gez73]

MBT shoes look more like trainers or hiking shoes and usually have the cleat recessed on the sole of the shoe so you can walk in them. Ideal for shorter journeys or when you need to walk with the bike. Road shoes are stiffer and are not ideal for walking in the main as the metal cleat is exposed on the shoe. It's less about the type of bike and more about your needs from the shoe the should determine what you use.

 

[mickle]

I'm reading Grant Petersen's Book, Just Ride at the moment. He has some interesting things to say about clip-in pedals, and I have to say that I'm broadly in agreement with him, that most people simply don't need clip-in pedals. He suggests that racing/sport/performance riding has too much influence over the way that most of ride. As part of his general 'unracing' stance he suggests that clip-in pedals offer little biomechanical advantage, that they lead to greater incidence of RSI, that they reduce a bike's everyday practicality and ease of use in return for marginal performance benefits. They don't allow us to pedal through 360 degrees, they add another hurdle that people must jump to qualify as a 'serious cyclist'. For what? You're only cycling for pleasure or to get to work, not aiming for Olympic gold. If your shoes slip on your pedals perhaps the answer is to change your shoes (or pedals) for grippier ones.

None of my current bikes is 'performance' enough to warrant clip-in pedals, my road bike sold and my mountain bike up on blocks. My posh carbon soled shoes languish under the bed, my Ti pedals somewhere in the garage. And I don't miss them a bit.

 

[FatherCrowe]

Interesting points.

 

[TonyEnjoyD]

On the Shimano SPD or SPD-SL I would recommend backing the tension screw off (both sides od each pedal on an SPD) then tighten just until it drops into thew first notch - for both feet.
Once you are really comfortable with them and able to clip/unclip without thinking, then take the tension up to suit.

With regard to the cleats, firstly, you usually get a pair with the pedals.
For setting up, this is done on the shoes and worth a scoot around google with something like Cleat Alingment or sime such.

With both the pedals AND the cleats, check the the bolts after the first ride then again with the cleats every few rides for a week or two.

On new cleats (not first time), especially if SPD-SL, they're around £15 a pair (Yellow for float and Red for almost no float) so sometimes worth looking for a bargain pair of pedals with the cleats free.
I got spanking nre SPD-SL pedals in White for £22 delivered so paid the equivalent of £7 for the pedals ands switch back to my old ones for the winter.

Finally (betcha sick of me now!), walking in SL's is a nightmare, dangerous (slippy as hell) and can quickly damage the cleats permanently.
I have been using Cleatskins covers from Wiggle for £11 and they are great, no slip, no damage and easy to on/off and pop into the jersey rear pocket.

 

[terry_gardener]

thanks for the info, my concern is i don't want to spend about £100 on pedals and new shoes just incase i don't like them it will be a waste of money. at the moment i am just using the standard that came with the cube agree sl bike.

pics here http://www.cyclechat.net/threads/cube-agree-sl.91551/#post-1639372

 

[slowmotion]

Just one thing to watch out for if you buy your pedals on ebay, is to make sure they include the cleats. Some sellers don't and buying the cleats alone is often silly money.

 

[RhythMick]

Have they sliced your shins up? Ive only had my MG1s a week and love them but im a little paranoid by the sharp studs

Haha fair point. Oddly enough the day I put the MG1s on my Kaffenback we did 40 miles on the Transpennine trail. It was just after the floods and the previous week i had been paranoid about the bike slipping out from under me. Glad I swapped them - the bike caught a plank of wood and my knee hit the ground full on at speed. I have the MRI scan tomorrow and hoping my cruceate is going to be ok. If I'd been clipped in it would have been worse I'm sure.

So, for me, pure road means SPDs, trail means flats.

 

[RhythMick]

I do think SPDs make a difference, it certainly feels easier with them.

One obvious point, at least I hope it's obvious. You twist your foot to release, but if your cleats are loose in your shoes you won't unclip. Just something to make sure of.

When it comes to adjusting the pedal release mechanism I'd start with it on the loose side of middle and try releasing when you're stationary.

 

[RhythMick]

I'm reading Grant Petersen's Book, Just Ride at the moment. He has some interesting things to say about clip-in pedals, and I have to say that I'm broadly in agreement with him, that most people simply don't need clip-in pedals. He suggests that racing/sport/performance riding has too much influence over the way that most of ride. As part of his general 'unracing' stance he suggests that clip-in pedals offer little biomechanical advantage, that they lead to greater incidence of RSI, that they reduce a bike's everyday practicality and ease of use in return for marginal performance benefits. They don't allow us to pedal through 360 degrees, they add another hurdle that people must jump to qualify as a 'serious cyclist'. For what? You're only cycling for pleasure or to get to work, not aiming for Olympic gold. If your shoes slip on your pedals perhaps the answer is to change your shoes (or pedals) for grippier ones.

None of my current bikes is 'performance' enough to warrant clip-in pedals, my road bike sold and my mountain bike up on blocks. My posh carbon soled shoes languish under the bed, my Ti pedals somewhere in the garage. And I don't miss them a bit.

Think I'll grab a copy of that book. I agree it's easy to forget that we do this for pleasure.

 

[sittingbull]

When it comes to adjusting the pedal release mechanism I'd start with it on the loose side of middle and try releasing when you're stationary.

Good point, I've had mine set on the lowest tension and never needed to increase it (M520's), in 5 years they've never released unexpectedly. The earlier SPD's on my road bike (before SPD-SL) will release on the minimum tension which is quite un-nerving when stood up and climbing