Pedal Help!

BIGBIKER said:

Ok, I have read that long thread about the pedals. But I cannot seem to find the basic information. I know this may seem silly to many but...
What exactly do you need for the whole setup. I see shoes,pedals and cleats? I just want to be able to pedal my bike but there seems to be alot of different types that work with other types( ie. look compatable?) I was going to order online and did not want to get a setup that wont work. I am going to be getting a cannondale R700 in the next few weeks and want to be ready to go. I hear all the problems that people experience and want to avoid them if possible. How much adjustment is enough? Will my feet be hurting if I go cheap? Can someone tell me a good complete setup. I would like to spend around a $100 or so.

thanks for looking

Well the r700 comes without pedals.That is your first decision point.Then the cleats and shoe drilling have to fit the pedal decision. All 3 have to be intercompatible.Many shoes are compatible with several cleat patterns,but not all. Look pedals are one road standard that gets alot of use ,but cleats not good for walking tho. Shimano SPD MTB are double sided and the cleats are recessed in the sole so are good for walking. You are potentially throwing money down a rathole by ordering shoes online considering the sizing and fit issues. You need to go to a decent bike shop and do some 'hands on'. You are just asking a global question that does not have an answer.

Youre going to need shoes and pedals. The cleats are usually included with the pedals. Cleats are broken down into two mounting types, Look and SPD. Look cleats have three holes, SPD's have two. A lot of road shoes are compatable with both. MTB and touring shoes only work with SPD.
Your feet could still end up hurting with expensive shoes. Cost is mostly an issue of weight, sole stiffness, and durability. Fit varies across all brands and price ranges. Go to your LBS and try a bunch on.

artmichalek said:

Cleats are broken down into two mounting types, Look and SPD. Look cleats have three holes, SPD's have two.

That's just incomplete.. There is SPD, SPD R and What's the new one SPD-L ? that uses the look drilling.

The worst part isn't finding compatible shoes/cleats/pedals. The worst part is your first ride in the damned things. Mine was on today's commute to work. Approached my first stoplight thinking "Turn green . . . turn green . . . turn green . . . oh $hit I can't get unclipped . . . still red . . . $HIIIIT! . . . Ouch!" :eek::o

At least I had slowed down to a near stop and was able to fall towards the curb instead of the street. Pushed my right thumb back pretty hard when I hit the ground, I think it's just sprained a bit though. Also the when the fall unclipped my right shoe from the pedal I guess the pressure plate thingy must have come out of the pedal. I'll have to try and find that during my lunch break. 🙁 If I can't find it I'll have a chance to see how good Performance's customer service is. 😉

Anyway, good luck with your foray into the wonderful 🙄 world of clipless pedals.

BTW, I'm starting cheap with Performance's Traverse II mtb shoes and their Campus pedals. The nice thing about the campus pedals is that they are SPD compatible on one side and a regular platform pedal on the other, so you can use them without your biking shoes if necessary.

boudreaux said:

That's just incomplete.. There is SPD, SPD R and What's the new one SPD-L ? that uses the look drilling.

Well, like you said, the SPD-SL uses the look drilling, and Shimano doesn't make the SPD-R anymore. I fail to see how that's incomplete

artmichalek said:

Well, like you said, the SPD-SL uses the look drilling, and Shimano doesn't make the SPD-R anymore. I fail to see how that's incomplete

Ya think there is no spd-r still floating around?

boudreaux said:

Ya think there is no spd-r still floating around?

Does that mean I can auction off my old spd-r pedals on eBay and become rich??!!

Shreklookalike said:

The worst part isn't finding compatible shoes/cleats/pedals. The worst part is your first ride in the damned things. Mine was on today's commute to work. Approached my first stoplight thinking "Turn green . . . turn green . . . turn green . . . oh $hit I can't get unclipped . . . still red . . . $HIIIIT! . . . Ouch!" :eek::o

At least I had slowed down to a near stop and was able to fall towards the curb instead of the street. Pushed my right thumb back pretty hard when I hit the ground, I think it's just sprained a bit though. Also the when the fall unclipped my right shoe from the pedal I guess the pressure plate thingy must have come out of the pedal. I'll have to try and find that during my lunch break. 🙁 If I can't find it I'll have a chance to see how good Performance's customer service is. 😉

Anyway, good luck with your foray into the wonderful 🙄 world of clipless pedals.

BTW, I'm starting cheap with Performance's Traverse II mtb shoes and their Campus pedals. The nice thing about the campus pedals is that they are SPD compatible on one side and a regular platform pedal on the other, so you can use them without your biking shoes if necessary.

Sorry to hear about the crash Shrek. I guess I need to practice some before I try them out in the street.
Do the more expensive models unclip better? Also, i have been looking for some pedal/shoe/cleat combos, are those sold as a package?
Oh, and do the shoes size the same as regular shoes?

BIGBIKER said:

Sorry to hear about the crash Shrek. I guess I need to practice some before I try them out in the street.
Do the more expensive models unclip better? Also, i have been looking for some pedal/shoe/cleat combos, are those sold as a package?
Oh, and do the shoes size the same as regular shoes?

A half hour leaned up against a wall practicing unclipping is time very well spent. Ease of unclipping comes down mostly to having them adjusted properly. And the sizes are all over the place, so it's best to buy them from a place where you can try them on.

BIGBIKER said:

Sorry to hear about the crash Shrek. I guess I need to practice some before I try them out in the street.
Do the more expensive models unclip better? Also, i have been looking for some pedal/shoe/cleat combos, are those sold as a package?
Oh, and do the shoes size the same as regular shoes?

Shoe sizes do vary by manufacturer; my mtb Nike's run 10.5, but my Shimano roadies run true to my normal size of 10. Some are wider than others as well. Many mailorder house have shoe/pedal combo deals (nashbar, supergo, performance). Again, with clothing, especially shoes, mail order can be risky. They'll take back an item for exchange, but it means some down time between shipments. Keep in mind that a cycling shoe is going to fit a bit more snug than casual shoes.

BIGBIKER said:

Sorry to hear about the crash Shrek. I guess I need to practice some before I try them out in the street.
Do the more expensive models unclip better? Also, i have been looking for some pedal/shoe/cleat combos, are those sold as a package?
Oh, and do the shoes size the same as regular shoes?

Some models allow you to vary the tension of the pressure plates. So you could adapt them to make it easier to clip out. Having said that, all pedals are designed to allow you to clip in and out relatively easily, it's just a matter of practice.
I don't think you get pedal/shoe/cleat combos as such but pedals come with the cleats and some companies like Shimano and Time make both pedals and shoes. Really though it's not that complicated as most modern shoes are compatible with both Look and SPD-type mountings.

Even though the system I purchased is for my road bike, I opted for mtb shoes because I'm not a racer and from what I'd read mtb shoes are easier to walk around in. These actually are a pretty comfy shoe and not bad looking. I've been wearing them all day. I normally wear a 10 wide casual work shoe, and these size 10 Traverse II shoes seem to fit fine although they're not listed as wide.

I had practiced a little bit of the "leaning against the wall" clip and release technique, but apparently not enough. It's still a bit different when you're moving and come to your first stop. Over the course of the day I've gotten ok with my left foot. Can't clip in with the right foot until I get that pressure plate thingy replaced (I couldn't find it at lunch). I'll need to look up the name of the part and call Performance tomorrow.

My road bike actually came with some Shimano clipless pedals, but I'd replaced them with the Performance campus pedal because I'll often need to ride wearing my work shoes and I don't think I'd be able to do so comfortably with the Shimano pedals.

The Traverse II shoe is currently on sale at on the Performance website for $29.99 and the Campus pedals for $39.99. So it's well within your price range for the full set up. Just do more of the wall leaning practice than I did and you should do ok.

You can adjust the tension on the Campus pedals. I actually had the thing set pretty loosely (or the piece wouldn't have come off). I was concentrating on releasing my left foot (which is the foot I normally take off the pedal when stopping). If I'd tried to release the right instead of the left I might not have crashed and probably would still have a working right pedal. 🙁 Oh well, live and learn.

What does everyone think of these?

performancebike.comprofile.cfmOpen ↗

the price is right, the weight is great and the are look pattern which is cheap and widely available.

thoughts? opinions? Ima prolly buy them tonight

[font=Times New Roman]My mountain bike came with SPD pedals. I needed to buy a pair of shoes but the LBS gave me a pair since I purchased the bike from them. Specialized does not make the shoe any more, but it is something like this.[/font]

[font=Times New Roman]specialized.comSBCEqProduct.jspOpen ↗[/font]

[font=Times New Roman]When I purchased a new road bike in August of 2003 the bike came with SPD pedals too. So of course I used the same shoes on both bikes.[/font]

[font=Times New Roman]In November of 2003 I switched from SPD to Look A5.1 pedals on my road bike and of course I needed a new pair of shoes, so I got the cheaper Sidi shoes, which are still nice shoes.[/font]

[font=Times New Roman]Pedals, shoes, and cleats are all such personal choices, seems like everyone has their favorite. I think it all comes down to if you want to walk easily in your bike shoes, get the SPD pedals and cleats, and of course the shoes. I changed to the Look pedals since I wanted to be cooler while riding in the summer, and more comfortable on longer rides. [/font]

[font=Times New Roman]You NEED to go to a LBS and try on the shoes. Sizes vary between manufactures. If you are ordering the bike from a LBS most will also help you with the initial adjustment of the cleats and pedals. My SPD (and Look) pedals have adjustable tension, so when you are learning how to ride with clipless pedals, adjust the tension to the minimum setting to make it easier to clip in and clip out. [/font]

[font=Times New Roman]And just assume you will forget to unclip at least once (I think I forgot twice) and you WILL fall over when you stop. I always unclip my left foot (this is a personal preference kind of thing) and lean to the left when I stop.[/font]

[font=Times New Roman]Will you get pedals and shoes for $100? Probably not. [/font]