I am returning to being on a bicycle and totally loving it. My Leader mountain bike bought new in 1994/96, weighing around 40Lbs and frame too small for me now is being replaced, when I've saved enough, by a 2014 Norco Threshold A2 cyclocross bike. I am super excited...and now have the hunting to do for pedals (comes without), perhaps a suggestion on a good saddle? Or to stick with the saddle it comes with at first? The pedals I've been looking at are Shimano PD-M530 SPD, would they be fine on a cyclocross bike? I am more out near the countryside of some pavement in the village, major highway near, and lots of gravel and sand roads, when it isn't under a few feet of snow like winter.
Hope some of this makes sense and if anyone has questions please feel free to give a shout. Thank you and I look forward to getting more immersed in the wonderful world of cycling.
This is a pic of my mountain bike, been good to me but much too heavy, small of frame and upgrading to lighter and more road/trail.
Any SPD pedal is going to work for cyclocross. Even the least expensive Shimano pedals give good service life and will generally work well in the extremes of cross racing.
Saddles are difficult to recommend. Personal fit and opinion are too specific, as a rule. Any saddle with a degree of durability to take the constant bumps and slam remounts of cross will work. Go for comfort, after that requirement is met.
Good luck with the new Norco pray for a mild(er) winter.
Saddles are a bit like Old-school leather boots, particularly if you haven't ridden in awhile - meaning you can't say on sight what'll work for you or not. There's a period of aclimatization even with the best of saddles. Price isn't much guidance either. A more expensive one is likely to be lighter, and the skin to last longer. Neither of which is of any help if the saddle don't agree with your butt or if the bike falls over. There's nothing particularly wrong with the pedals suggested, but crank brothers and Time have better mud/snow clearing ability.
