Pedals

Quoted message said:

Needs some pedals for my new Specialized Stumpjumper Comp, don't like
SPD's.

What was it about the SPDs that you didn't like?

Moo said:

Needs some pedals for my new Specialized Stumpjumper Comp, don't
like SPD's.

Do you mean you don't like clipless, or you do like clipless but not
SPDs? If the latter, ATAC.

regards, Ian SMith
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Moo said:

Needs some pedals for my new Specialized Stumpjumper Comp, don't like SPD's.

Any suggestions which I can purchase from UK websites?

Really don't want to spend that much, the bike cost a lot of money!

if you mean don't like clipless? if your going to use it off road then
my fav flats are these
<http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f%5FProductID=2115&f%
5FFullProductVersion=1&f%5FSupersetQRY=C244%7E1&f%5FSortOrderID=1&f%5Fbc
t=c003154c003147c003264m005394>

DMR V8 the spikes mean your shoes stick to the pedal in the wettest
weather.

what i use on my mountain bike.

roger

Moo said the following on 17/06/2007 22:38:

Quoted message said:

Needs some pedals for my new Specialized Stumpjumper Comp, don't like
SPD's.

Any suggestions which I can purchase from UK websites?

Really don't want to spend that much, the bike cost a lot of money!

Ah - you're here as well! You didn't say whether you want to stay with
some sort of clipless pedal, or would rather change to flats.

If it's flats, then Gusset Slim Jims are the ones.

I've tried Time ATACs, and found that my feet were very secure. *VERY*
secure - I couldn't get out again, no matter which way I put the cleats,
without turning my leg and whole body at unnatural angles. I simply
didn't have enough twist in my legs.

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Paul Boyd said:

I've tried Time ATACs, and found that my feet were very secure. *VERY*
secure - I couldn't get out again, no matter which way I put the cleats,
without turning my leg and whole body at unnatural angles. I simply
didn't have enough twist in my legs.

Seems odd, it only needs 15 degrees and practically all of that can come
from the ankle, or at least in most people.

Are you sure the cleats were secure? if not, they can rotate in place
and /then/ it's difficult to get them out, certainly. In terms of
suppleness and ease of fluid motion I generally rate somewhere only
marginally above a Dalek with arthritis, but I've never had problems
with ATACs (except when the cleats rotated in place).

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Paul Boyd usenet.dont.work@plusnet said:

I've tried Time ATACs, and found that my feet were very secure. *VERY*
secure - I couldn't get out again, no matter which way I put the cleats,
without turning my leg and whole body at unnatural angles. I simply
didn't have enough twist in my legs.

I haven't any experience of real SPDs or ATACs so I can't give a
useful comparison. However, as a newbie to clipless I'm very happy
with Eggbeaters - they seem easy enough to get in & out of, and I
haven't had them let go unexpectedly either.

The wonderfully simple mechanical arrangement appealed to me, and they
don't need to (in fact, can't) be adjusted. This is either good or bad
according to your view, but on the cheap SPD copies I tried previously
I used the lightest setting and still found them harder to get out
of than the eggbeaters.

The cleats will fit most SPD-compatible shoes, and some versions come
with an adapter plate to fit road shoes. They don't, however, offer
the pull-without-twist release that some SPDs have. This might have
cost me a couple of extra bruises while getting used to them :-).

-adrian

Adrian Godwin said:

I haven't any experience of real SPDs or ATACs so I can't give a
useful comparison. However, as a newbie to clipless I'm very happy
with Eggbeaters - they seem easy enough to get in & out of, and I
haven't had them let go unexpectedly either.

Without having actually used Eggbeaters, they seem to have similar
advantages over SPuDs as ATACs have: a line rather than a point of
entry, no faffing and fiddling around with tension adjustment, less
prone to cack fouling things up.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch said the following on 18/06/2007 10:38:

Quoted message said:

Seems odd, it only needs 15 degrees and practically all of that can come
from the ankle, or at least in most people.

Not me!

Quoted message said:

Are you sure the cleats were secure? if not, they can rotate in place
and /then/ it's difficult to get them out, certainly.

I was absolutely 100% certain that the cleats were secure. The problem
came down to the fact that I couldn't twist my heel out far enough to
unclip, particularly my left. SPDs only have about 7 degrees of
movement needed to unclip, IIRC, and even then I find that I twist my
heels towards the frame to unclip rather than outwards. I spent a lot
of time twisting my ankles in different directions and watching what I
actually did before I worked out what the problem was!

On a mountain bike, I feel that the low release angle of SPDs could be a
disadvantage as I move around the bike which is why I gave ATACs a go,
but they just aren't for me!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Adrian Godwin said the following on 18/06/2007 11:34:

Quoted message said:

The wonderfully simple mechanical arrangement appealed to me, and they
don't need to (in fact, can't) be adjusted. This is either good or bad
according to your view, but on the cheap SPD copies I tried previously
I used the lightest setting and still found them harder to get out
of than the eggbeaters.

I have considered eggbeaters, but they look a bit small to support my
size 11s! I've also heard that cheap SPD copies are pretty awful to
use, so it may not really be a fair comparison to real SPDs.

Quoted message said:

They don't, however, offer
the pull-without-twist release that some SPDs have.

That is a huge advantage of flat pedals :-)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Paul Boyd usenet.dont.work@plusnet said:

I have considered eggbeaters, but they look a bit small to support my
size 11s! I've also heard that cheap SPD copies are pretty awful to
use, so it may not really be a fair comparison to real SPDs.

No, it's not a fair comparison : I was just pointing out that the lack
of adjustability isn't necessarily a handicap. Peter's comment seems
to agree that it's no loss. But one of the irritations I had with the
cheap ones (Aldi ?) was finding the location point in two dimensions -
I had to feel my way in, but with the eggbeaters I either kick into
them or just push down if I'm already pedalling unclipped (I find I
can deliberately stay unclipped by keeping the downforce slightly
behind the pedal centre). Is this something that would be easier
with better pedals ?

There are some eggbeaters with platforms, you might feel happier about
their shape than the original type.

The ATACs also look better able to hold a reflector as per legal
requirement for night riding, but I don't know if any ATAC pedals
actually do incorporate one so maybe that's irrelevant.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

They don't, however, offer
the pull-without-twist release that some SPDs have.

That is a huge advantage of flat pedals :-)

Especially if you have trouble twisting !

-adrian

In article <[email hidden]>, Roger
Merriman
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Moo said:

Needs some pedals for my new Specialized Stumpjumper Comp, don't like SPD's.

Any suggestions which I can purchase from UK websites?

Really don't want to spend that much, the bike cost a lot of money!

if you mean don't like clipless? if your going to use it off road then
my fav flats are these
<http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f%5FProductID=2115&f%
5FFullProductVersion=1&f%5FSupersetQRY=C244%7E1&f%5FSortOrderID=1&f%5Fbc
t=c003154c003147c003264m005394>

ITYM
http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/ebwPNLqrymode.a4p?f%5FProductID=2115
:-)

Quoted message said:

DMR V8 the spikes mean your shoes stick to the pedal in the wettest
weather.

what i use on my mountain bike.

I like them too - having always used toeclips on rattraps I was
surprised how much grip they give.

in message <[email hidden]>, Moo

(') said:

Needs some pedals for my new Specialized Stumpjumper Comp, don't like
SPD's.

Any suggestions which I can purchase from UK websites?

Really don't want to spend that much, the bike cost a lot of money!

Time ATAC. Clear mud much faster than SPDs, easy to clip in, easy to clip
out. You'll also get recommendations for Eggbeaters, which are also said
to be good, but I haven't tried.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; Want to know what SCO stands for?
;; http://ars.userfriendly.org/cartoons/?id=20030605

Adrian Godwin said:

The ATACs also look better able to hold a reflector as per legal
requirement for night riding, but I don't know if any ATAC pedals
actually do incorporate one so maybe that's irrelevant.

IIRC an optional extra on the original ones. Never bothered on mine,
and the current ones don't look there's a mounting spot for them, but ICBW.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

in message <[email hidden]>, Peter Clinch

(') said:

Paul Boyd said:

I've tried Time ATACs, and found that my feet were very secure. *VERY*
secure - I couldn't get out again, no matter which way I put the cleats,
without turning my leg and whole body at unnatural angles. I simply
didn't have enough twist in my legs.

Seems odd, it only needs 15 degrees and practically all of that can come
from the ankle, or at least in most people.

Are you sure the cleats were secure? if not, they can rotate in place
and /then/ it's difficult to get them out, certainly.

This is true of any two-bolt cleat system - I've had that problem with
SPDs. I agree that if he was having a problem getting his feet out of
ATACs, something was wrong.

The standard ATAC cleats can be fitted two ways round - one way gives
easier release than the other. But I've never had difficulty on either
setting.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; If any council in the country has anything to say to cyclists
;; about cycle paths, it should be: "We are terribly, terribly sorry."
- Zoe Williams, The Guardian, 13th Sept 2006

Simon Brooke said the following on 18/06/2007 14:33:

Quoted message said:

This is true of any two-bolt cleat system - I've had that problem with
SPDs. I agree that if he was having a problem getting his feet out of
ATACs, something was wrong.

Yes - I can't twist my left ankle in particular far enough outwards to
release. Turning my ankle inwards meant it clouted the bike before they
released. Until I tried ATACS I was unaware of this deficiency :-)

Quoted message said:

The standard ATAC cleats can be fitted two ways round - one way gives
easier release than the other.

I did try both settings in case I misunderstood the words, but I hadn't
misunderstood. I was leaning against the oven desperately tying to get
off my bike and glad that no-one could see me :-)

I spent quite a long time on several occasions trying to get them sorted
because I wanted them to work. Maybe there is also a problem with my
shoes (Specialized Taho) because I felt that I wanted to mount the cleat
twisted slightly in one direction to give me a head start (for want of a
better phrase), but there wasn't enough allowance.

Perhaps I'll have another go tonight. If I fail again, then this time
they'll definitely be up on eBay!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

in message <[email hidden]>, Peter Clinch

(') said:

Adrian Godwin said:

The ATACs also look better able to hold a reflector as per legal
requirement for night riding, but I don't know if any ATAC pedals
actually do incorporate one so maybe that's irrelevant.

IIRC an optional extra on the original ones. Never bothered on mine,
and the current ones don't look there's a mounting spot for them, but
ICBW.

The cheap ATACs come with reflectors, I have them on my 'winter' hack bike
(you can take them off). The more upmarket ATACs don't.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; making jokes about dyslexia isn't big, it isn't clever and
;; it isn't furry.

Paul Boyd said:

I spent quite a long time on several occasions trying to get them sorted
because I wanted them to work. Maybe there is also a problem with my
shoes (Specialized Taho) because I felt that I wanted to mount the cleat
twisted slightly in one direction to give me a head start (for want of a
better phrase), but there wasn't enough allowance.

It's /possible/. When my original cycling shoes (Nike Ngubas) gave up
and died I went to EBC for a new pair and came out with some of
Cannondale's then-new MC601s. I can't remember if I was on ATACs by
then, or my original Look MOABs (a now defunct SPuD-u-like), but it was
basically impossible to get out of them a significant percentage of the
time.
EBC suggested some fairly drastic surgery to the sole, which I tried,
but it didn't work. EBC then said most sorry, we'll have them back,
what would you like instead? I had some of the original Speccy
Rockhoppers, and the problem immediately went.

So it does seem that some shoe/pedal combos might not work.

Quoted message said:

Perhaps I'll have another go tonight. If I fail again, then this time
they'll definitely be up on eBay!

Check they twist off by hand first, just to be on the safe side, check
the angle, and see if your un-engaged foot will twist that far.

I find that different points around the circle make life easier or more
difficult to get out, so if you'd not tried that then try disengagement
at different spots.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Mark said:

Quoted message said:

Needs some pedals for my new Specialized Stumpjumper Comp, don't like
SPD's.

What was it about the SPDs that you didn't like?

I don't like being attached to the bike, the kind of terrain I ride I
need to be able to put my foot down where and when required, without
having to think about it or unclip myself, if I can't I'll likely fall
off and break something (likely my bones...)

I understand that they have advantages, but they seem more suited to
terrain that isn't too rough.

Adrian Godwin said:

The ATACs also look better able to hold a reflector as per legal
requirement for night riding, but I don't know if any ATAC pedals
actually do incorporate one so maybe that's irrelevant.

One pair of ATACs (I think the first I bought, which was when they
were very new on the market) came with a C-shape bracket that attaches
on the outer edge and wraps round the pedal, incorporating reflectors:

http://www.astounding.org.uk/ian/temp/DSCN0419.JPG

None of my other ATACs have come with an equivalent bracket, though
they all (three pairs) have mounting holes in the right place to take
the bracket.

regards, Ian SMith
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