advice for new cyclist

Panos said:

Which clips are the best? I've got some shimano compatible pedals, is Look
better and why?

If you don't need to walk more than a few steps from your bike before
changing shoes the Looks are good. If you want to go somewhere and be
able to reach the toilet at the back of the cafe without falling over, go
for SPD "mountain bike" shoes.

Quoted message said:

What do you normally take with you on a longer ride

Tools, tube repair kit, pump, sunblock, money. (Ahh also, bits of
string, organ donor/ID card, vinyl gloves, pen, camera, maps.)

Quoted message said:

and do you carry a rucksack?

No way! Let the bike carry the load.

Quoted message said:

how much water do you carry for 3-4 hours rides?

In really hot weather I get through a litre an hour, but starting off
with 4 litres (4kg) is excessive. So I carry about 1.5 litres and
top-up en-route. To take away the taste of the plastic I carry some
powdered energy drink to mix with the top-ups.

Quoted message said:

Does anybody know any good paths around the SE London Kent area?

Sorry, not my area, but in general stay away from "paths".

Mike

I am confused. I thought spd shoes are for racing as well? Are you
suggesting I should get spd mountain bike shoes?

OK I got a 1litre bottle today for the first holder and have another 500ml.
So that sounds ok.

Thanks.

"Mike Causer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Panos said:

Which clips are the best? I've got some shimano compatible pedals, is
Look
better and why?

If you don't need to walk more than a few steps from your bike before
changing shoes the Looks are good. If you want to go somewhere and be
able to reach the toilet at the back of the cafe without falling over, go
for SPD "mountain bike" shoes.

Quoted message said:

What do you normally take with you on a longer ride

Tools, tube repair kit, pump, sunblock, money. (Ahh also, bits of
string, organ donor/ID card, vinyl gloves, pen, camera, maps.)

Quoted message said:

and do you carry a rucksack?

No way! Let the bike carry the load.

Quoted message said:

how much water do you carry for 3-4 hours rides?

In really hot weather I get through a litre an hour, but starting off
with 4 litres (4kg) is excessive. So I carry about 1.5 litres and
top-up en-route. To take away the taste of the plastic I carry some
powdered energy drink to mix with the top-ups.

Quoted message said:

Does anybody know any good paths around the SE London Kent area?

Sorry, not my area, but in general stay away from "paths".

Mike

Mike Causer said:

Panos said:

Which clips are the best? I've got some shimano compatible pedals, is Look
better and why?

If you don't need to walk more than a few steps from your bike before
changing shoes the Looks are good. If you want to go somewhere and be
able to reach the toilet at the back of the cafe without falling over, go
for SPD "mountain bike" shoes.

I'm not a big fan of the plastic shoes so I go for something like this
(SPD):-

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/images/adidas%20minrett%20shoes%2006.jpg

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

What do you normally take with you on a longer ride

[good list]

Quoted message said:

organ donor/ID card

Don't forget to register at:-

http://www.uktransplant.org.uk/

May help if you don't have your donor card on you at the time.

-Alex

Panos said:

Hi,

I just bought my first proper racing bike. I would like to cycle
around the SE London Kent area. I've got a couple of questions.

Which clips are the best? I've got some shimano compatible pedals, is
Look better and why?

Road racing style shoes with Look and similar pedals are more efficient.
With cleat covers they're practical enough for refreshment stops, etc.

Note that Shimano do more than one type of pedal. I guess you have SPD
ones. SPD-SL are more like Looks. There are lots of other systems as well.
But stick with your spuds for the time being if you're happy with them and
they feel comfortable.

Quoted message said:

What do you normally take with you on a longer ride

An embarrassingly long list of items - although mostly small ones. Most
important is to be able to deal with punctures and minor mechanical
failures. Also take an extra item of clothing if it might get colder/wetter
later.

Quoted message said:

and do you carry a rucksack?

No, an under-saddle bag on the road bike + small bum bag.

Quoted message said:

it seemed inevitable for me last time cause of the water
mainly!! how much water do you carry for 3-4 hours rides?

Two 750ml bottles in the bottle cages, plus sometimes when it's really hot
an extra 500ml in my (large) bag. Stop at a garage and buy some more if
needed. Use a small cheapo lightweight cable lock to disuade opportunist
tea leaves.

Quoted message said:

Does anybody know any good paths around the SE London Kent area? I've
ventured down to westerham but the roads were fairly busy around
biggin hill. So not too happy.

Paths are rubbish for your sort of bike. How about trying some different
times of day/night/week, or head out further to some smaller country lanes
and not let the heavy traffic on the way bother you.

Best of luck with it all. Expect the cycling to gradually get more and more
enjoyable rather than being perfect straight away.

~PB

Panos said:

I am confused. I thought spd shoes are for racing as well? Are you
suggesting I should get spd mountain bike shoes?

There is an overlap. SPD-R and SPD-SL are designed for road racing &
riding. SPD for mountain bike racing, touring and general cycling.

~PB

Panos said:

I am confused. I thought spd shoes are for racing as well? Are you
suggesting I should get spd mountain bike shoes?

The advantage of these shoes is that they have a tread and the cleat is
recessed into the tread. This makes walking easy but doesn't change their
performance on the bike. Despite having a "racing" bike, you are actually
a "tourist", and this sort of shoe/pedal is ideal for you (and me!).

Quoted message said:

OK I got a 1litre bottle today for the first holder and have another
500ml. So that sounds ok.

Don't forget the tools and pump.....

Mike

Quoted message said:

In really hot weather I get through a litre an hour, but starting off
with 4 litres (4kg) is excessive. So I carry about 1.5 litres and
top-up en-route. To take away the taste of the plastic I carry some
powdered energy drink to mix with the top-ups.

* 1pint (water) = 15 miles (But I know there will be _pints_ at the end
so don't take this as gospel.)
* For anyone who can't stand taint in tap water (not just out on a bike)
put a few drops (not a slug) of concentrated lemon juice in it.
* Downside of anything but plain water : If you want to wash a fly out
of your eye you can end up all sticky.
* Also beware of sweetened drinks which can take water _from_ your blood
system into the stomach for a while. (ISTR that salty foods such as
crisps can have the same osmotic effect - but I could be making this
up.)
* I try to have a good drink of water just before setting out...
* ...but thereafter little and often.

--
PETER FOX Not the same since the porcelain business went down the pan
[email hidden]
www.eminent.demon.co.uk - Lots for cyclists

Panos said:

Hi,

I just bought my first proper racing bike. I would like to cycle around the
SE London Kent area. I've got a couple of questions.

Which clips are the best? I've got some shimano compatible pedals, is Look
better and why?

<snip questions about what to carry>

Panos.

It really depends on what you ar doing on teh bike. I have both Look and SPD's and when I geel like going quick, I feel that the Looks perfrom much better. This may well be down to the shoes that I use as much as the pedal however. Look type pedals have a much bigger platform making your foot feel much more secure, and stable. For general use though stick with the SPD's, they are perfectly fine for what you want to do (unless you start racing tt'e etc :-)

Bryan

in message <[email hidden]>, Panos

(') said:

I am confused. I thought spd shoes are for racing as well? Are you
suggesting I should get spd mountain bike shoes?

I doubt anyone uses SPDs for road racing (although I note with surprise
that Speedplays are quite popular among the serious racing crowd). SPDs
used to be de rigeur for cross country (mountain bike) racing but are
now losing ground to other systems such as Egg Beaters and ATACs.

SPDs have too small a platform for serious distance work, and clear mud
too poorly for serious mountain bike use. But they are convenient and
the cleats are comfortable to walk on, so they still have most of the
commuting and less serious mountain bike stuff.

Mountain bike shoes are generally better for walking in; road shoes have
more aerodynamic undersides and usually rather stiffer soles. Both these
features make them less comfortable to walk in but better to ride in.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/
;; Sending your money to someone just because they've erected
;; a barrier of obscurity and secrets around the tools you
;; need to use your data does not help the economy or spur
;; innovation. - Waffle Iron Slashdot, June 16th, 2002

Simon Brooke said:

SPDs have too small a platform for serious distance work, and clear mud
too poorly for serious mountain bike use. But they are convenient and
the cleats are comfortable to walk on, so they still have most of the
commuting and less serious mountain bike stuff.

Although they're not universally popoular, I've found that the Shimano
PD - A520 pedals go a long way towards answering the problem of the
small platform. The occasional bit of faffing needed to get the pedals
in position for clicking in is outweighed, IMO, by the advantage of a
much more comfortable and stable platform for longer distances. (er,
that refers to *my* longer distances...)

--
Brian G

Simon Brooke wrote:
<snip>

Quoted message said:

I doubt anyone uses SPDs for road racing (although I note with surprise
that Speedplays are quite popular among the serious racing crowd). SPDs
used to be de rigeur for cross country (mountain bike) racing but are
now losing ground to other systems such as Egg Beaters and ATACs.

Simon, curious why you're surprised that Speedplay are popular? They
seem to fulfill all the criteria for racing pedals - impossible to walk
in, jaw-droppingly expensive, look pretty trick.

Cheers!

Pete

Quoted message said:

Simon Brooke wrote:
<snip>

Quoted message said:

I doubt anyone uses SPDs for road racing

I know someone that does (2nd/3rd cat). There's always one 🙂

--
Arthur Clune

Brian G said:

Simon Brooke said:

SPDs have too small a platform for serious distance work, and clear mud
too poorly for serious mountain bike use. But they are convenient and
the cleats are comfortable to walk on, so they still have most of the
commuting and less serious mountain bike stuff.

Although they're not universally popoular, I've found that the Shimano
PD - A520 pedals go a long way towards answering the problem of the
small platform. The occasional bit of faffing needed to get the pedals
in position for clicking in is outweighed, IMO, by the advantage of a
much more comfortable and stable platform for longer distances. (er,
that refers to *my* longer distances...)

Yes, or there's the M424 / M545 / M646 etc - these:
http://wiggle.co.uk/Default.aspx?Main=ProductDetail.aspx&ProdID=-985728531

They do have a large platform, which I agree is more comfortable, and
they are double sided. And they can be used by flat shoes if necessary
(though the binding may stick up into the shoe a bit).
They are aimed at off-road / free-ride etc, but I use them on my road
bike just fine (though they are fairly heavy).

--
Craig Wallace
http://craig.neogeo.org.uk
http://www.neogeo.org.uk

in message <[email hidden]>, Ningi

(') said:

Simon Brooke wrote:
<snip>

Quoted message said:

I doubt anyone uses SPDs for road racing (although I note with
surprise that Speedplays are quite popular among the serious racing
crowd). SPDs used to be de rigeur for cross country (mountain bike)
racing but are now losing ground to other systems such as Egg Beaters
and ATACs.

Simon, curious why you're surprised that Speedplay are popular? They
seem to fulfill all the criteria for racing pedals - impossible to walk
in, jaw-droppingly expensive, look pretty trick.

Relatively small platform - exactly the reason that roadies (including
me) give for disliking SPDs. There, I've come out of the closet. I think
that is the first time I've ever identified myself as a roadie.

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

---===***<<< This space to let! >>>***===---
Yes! You, too, can SPAM in the Famous Brooke Rotating .sig!
---===***<<< Only $300 per line >>>***===---

Simon Brooke said:

in message <[email hidden]>, Ningi

(') said:

Simon Brooke wrote:
<snip>

Quoted message said:

I doubt anyone uses SPDs for road racing (although I note with
surprise that Speedplays are quite popular among the serious racing
crowd). SPDs used to be de rigeur for cross country (mountain bike)
racing but are now losing ground to other systems such as Egg Beaters
and ATACs.

Simon, curious why you're surprised that Speedplay are popular? They
seem to fulfill all the criteria for racing pedals - impossible to walk
in, jaw-droppingly expensive, look pretty trick.

Relatively small platform - exactly the reason that roadies (including
me) give for disliking SPDs. There, I've come out of the closet. I think
that is the first time I've ever identified myself as a roadie.

If you're wearing your cleats, you'll stumble out the the closet rather
gracelessly.

On the platform question, The pedal bit is definitely small, but the
cleat on the shoe is huge, solid and the attachment between the two has
very little play. I would have thought that would remove this as an issue.

Cheers

Pete

"Panos" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Hi,

I just bought my first proper racing bike. I would like to cycle around
the SE London Kent area. I've got a couple of questions.

Which clips are the best? I've got some shimano compatible pedals, is Look
better and why?
What do you normally take with you on a longer ride and do you carry a
rucksack? it seemed inevitable for me last time cause of the water
mainly!! how much water do you carry for 3-4 hours rides?
Does anybody know any good paths around the SE London Kent area? I've
ventured down to westerham but the roads were fairly busy around biggin
hill. So not too happy.

Dunno exactly where you are but if you go down the lanes to cudham,
knockholt is good but can be a bit hilly ;o)
SPD's are fine if your shoes are OK. Why do you have to carry so much water
its not like there aren't shops?

Quoted message said:

On the platform question, The pedal bit is definitely small, but the
cleat on the shoe is huge, solid and the attachment between the two
has very little play. I would have thought that would remove this as
an issue.

A lot depends on the shoe. My bottom-of-the-range Shimano mtb-spd shoes
have a sole that has a little bit of give in it, which means they aren't
nearly as good as my top-of-the-range Aldi road shoes.