Yesterday I paid my deposit for a Surly Long Haul Trucker. It's been a quite a long time since I've been on a bike. I'm going with a 58cm frame with 700c wheels. all the components are stock from Surly with the exceptions of a Salsa Woodchipper 46cm bars, back rack and a Brooks Flyer Saddle. I'm confused about pedal choices. Everyone I know who rides on a regular basis (2 people!) tell me I need to get clip-in pedals. To be honest I'm a little intimidated by being locked in with my bike, I can see more than a few times in the future tumbling over every time I come to a stop. Then I read this article on the Rivendell site why clip-in pedals are a ruse.
Looks like it might be the ticket, so I'm hoping someone might be familiar with these or offer some good advice. The riding I'll be doing is commuting, and touring, no single tracks, and no racing, just touring. Well I'm looking forward to y'alls suggestions.
clip in or cleat pedal systems have been around for more than 2 decades and have become since the standard for serious cyclists and everybody else really... Yes shoes are stiff, no need to be an expert to see their usefulness and advantages ! Yes your pedaling technique will become better ! No you won't fall on red lights, un-cliping becomes second nature quite soon.
commuting is another story since you need your business day shoes, there are some pedals with normal platform on one side and cleat system on the other
EZ Mavic you show us here are new to me but it looks you are tied up for their special shoes anyway
clip in or cleat pedal systems have been around for more than 2 decades and have become since the standard for serious cyclists and everybody else really... Yes shoes are stiff, no need to be an expert to see their usefulness and advantages ! Yes your pedaling technique will become better ! No you won't fall on red lights, un-cliping becomes second nature quite soon.
commuting is another story since you need your business day shoes, there are some pedals with normal platform on one side and cleat system on the other
EZ Mavic you show us here are new to me but it looks you are tied up for their special shoes anyway
I'd agree with vspa on looking at some pedals that have a plain platform on one side and a cleat system on the other side, some are made with SPD cleat systems that are in pretty wide use. That way you can start out just wearing any type of shoe you want, but you have the option of using a cleat system later on if you decide to, and even then you'll be able to change back and forth between shoes anytime you want.
I'm not familier with that Mavic system either. It looks kinda cool, but I'd bet just a good platform style pedal with the shoe of your choice would work just as well, and probably be less expensive.
Thanks for the great advice. Yeah I like the idea of of the pedals that allow one to clip in or free pedal, that way I can warm up to clipping in, or if I'm wearing street shoes I can still ride. Thanks again for the two of y'all.
