Good commuting pedal?

Last weekend I took the kids and two of their friends to the Washington State History Museum, and
while they were doing some sort of computer interactive exhibit, I found a reproduction of a catalog
from more than a hundred years ago that had bikes and bicycle parts in it. I had a great deal of fun
leafing through it.

One of the things they were selling were tubes for $2.50. Compared to everything else in the
catalog, where the prices have risen tremendously, this price was remarkably close to what one might
pay today. Then I looked at the fine print -- every tube was sold with a patch kit, and *a pump*.
There didn't seem to be a way to buy a tube that didn't come with a pump.

I also really enjoyed looking at all the headlights sold in the catalog. They had quite a selection
All of them were gas. The top of the line ones were about the same price as the bikes. Spending an
astronomical amount on lighting seems to be a long standing tradition in cycling.

They also had a cut-out style seat, made especially for the ladies. "Recommended by doctors" it said
-- didn't I buy my Serfas Women's RX Saddle store.bicyclerevolution.comserwomrxsad.htmlOpen ↗)
based on my physician's recomendation? Man, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

I'm glad, though, that I don't have to worry about "...the finest wooden rims" on my bike
these days.

--
Warm Regards,

Claire Petersky
Please replace earthlink for mouse-potato and .net for .com

Home of the meditative cyclist:
home.earthlink.netWelcome.htmOpen ↗

New CD coming out this month! See: tiferet.nettiferet.netOpen ↗

"To forgive is to set the prisoner free and then discover the prisoner
was you."

Gooserider said:

I use my road bike to commute to work 20 miles one way. I have to stop and go a bit so I use an
SPD MTB pedal---Performance Forte. The pedal functions well but I think the platform is too small
and I get a hot spot about 15 miles in.

It's not the pedal, but the shoe. If the sole is stiff enough, then the size of the pedal will
not matter.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | It doesn't get any easier, you just go faster. --Greg LeMond _`\(,_ | (_)/ (_) |

On Thu, 12 Feb 2004 23:31:27 GMT, "Gooserider" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I use my road bike to commute to work 20 miles one way. I have to stop and go a bit so I use an SPD
MTB pedal---Performance Forte. The pedal functions well but I think the platform is too small and I
get a hot spot about 15 miles in. I have an ancient pair of Look MTB pedals on my MTB which have a
larger platform and are very comfortable. Is there a pedal I can consider which works with recessed
cleats but has a larger platform? Thanks....

You could try moving the cleat back (closer to your heel).

You may want to try stiffer shoes.

Or, pedals with big platforms. There's loads of good SPD pedals with big platforms: Shimano: M424,
M545, M647 Crank Bros: Candy, Mallet Nashbar: "Multi-Purpose Platform Sport Pedal", $30 cheap!
--
Rick Onanian

In article <[email hidden]>,

David L. Johnson said:

Gooserider said:

I use my road bike to commute to work 20 miles one way. I have to stop and go a bit so I use an
SPD MTB pedal---Performance Forte. The pedal functions well but I think the platform is too small
and I get a hot spot about 15 miles in.

It's not the pedal, but the shoe. If the sole is stiff enough, then the size of the pedal will
not matter.

In re: hot spots -- I've got a pair of ordinary street shoes that do the same thing. The right one,
anyway. On the fleshy part of my sole, right behind the little piggy who had roast beef.

Slackening the lace a little provides instant relief, as does simply not running the laces through
the uppermost pair of eyelets.

I think maybe it's a foot swelling thing -- the instep strains against the taut lace of the shoe,
and in turn, the foot is pushed downward into the sole. And maybe a high instep (such as I've got)
exacerbates the problem.

It's interesting how accounts of hot spots in cycling shoes so often mention how they occur after
a duration of more comfortable riding. That would seem to indicate something is changing. In a
word: swelling.

Anyhow, maybe loosening the shoelace a little is something to experiment with, and see what happens.
It's cheaper than a new pair of shoes or pedals, anyway.

cheers, Tom

--
-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden. I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn
[point] bc [point] ca

"David L. Johnson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Gooserider said:

I use my road bike to commute to work 20 miles one way. I have to stop

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

go a bit so I use an SPD MTB pedal---Performance Forte. The pedal

functions

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

well but I think the platform is too small and I get a hot spot about 15 miles in.

It's not the pedal, but the shoe. If the sole is stiff enough, then the size of the pedal will
not matter.

I appreciate the input, but I wear the exact same shoe (ancient Performance MTB shoe) with both setups---
I have two pair. I get discomfort with the road bike and not with the MTB.

Claire Petersky said:

at the fine print -- every tube was sold with a patch kit, and *a pump*. There didn't seem to be a
way to buy a tube that didn't come with a pump.

I wonder what type of valve they used; maybe they weren't standardized, so you needed a pump from
whatever manufacturer made the tube...
--
Rick Onanian

anonymous said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I use my road bike to commute to work 20 miles one way. I have to stop and go a bit so I use an
SPD MTB pedal---Performance Forte. The pedal functions well but I think the platform is too
small and I get a hot spot about 15 miles in.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

It's not the pedal, but the shoe. If the sole is stiff enough, then the size of the pedal will
not matter.

Quoted message said:

I appreciate the input, but I wear the exact same shoe (ancient Performance MTB shoe) with both
setups---I have two pair. I get discomfort with the road bike and not with the MTB.

You didn't say what pedals you use but I think you ought to consider a better shoe. The Shimano SH-
TO92 has smooth soles, looks more lie a regular sport shoe and doesn't have a pressure point over
the pedal, the sole bing practically inflexible. I've worn these to work for years with a hilly 25
mile round trip daily.

tinyurl.coma822Open ↗

Jobst Brandt [email hidden]

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

anonymous writes:

Quoted message said:

You didn't say what pedals you use but I think you ought to consider a better shoe. The Shimano
SH-TO92 has smooth soles, looks more lie a regular sport shoe and doesn't have a pressure point
over the pedal, the sole bing practically inflexible. I've worn these to work for years with a
hilly 25 mile round trip daily.

tinyurl.coma822Open ↗

Jobst Brandt [email hidden]

Jobst, what's the sole thickness like on those? I used to wear a pair of Shimano shoes which were
obviously the precursors to the MO-38:

tinyurl.com2ch3aOpen ↗

But then I broke the relatively thin and flexible plastic soles. The cleat was too much for them. My
Dad, no monster rider, did in his identical pair the same way.

These days I'm alternating between Axo Vertigo and Blackball shoes, which are a downhill high-ankle
design and and something similar to the TO92, respectively, but seem to have the same very thick
plastic sole. I'm also trying to reduce the stress on the sole by running cleat washers between the
sole and the cleat (these are meant to go between the nut-plate and the sole, inside the shoe).

Dad's got Vertigos as well,
--
Ryan Cousineau, [email hidden] sfu.ca~rcousineOpen ↗ President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

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

Quoted message said:

I use my road bike to commute to work 20 miles one way. I have to stop and go a bit so I use an
SPD MTB pedal---Performance Forte. The pedal

functions

Quoted message said:

well but I think the platform is too small and I get a hot spot about 15 miles in. I have an
ancient pair of Look MTB pedals on my MTB which have a larger platform and are very comfortable.
Is there a pedal I can consider which works with recessed cleats but has a larger platform?
Thanks....

Mike

Try Shimano 424's. They work well for me.

Mike T. Philadelphia

YES! The Shimano PD-646. Basically, this is a wide, platform style pedal, which provides good
support if your shoes don't, and it has an SPD insert in the center which is sprung so that it stays
in an easy to engage position.

nashbar.comprofile.cfmOpen ↗
&estoreid=

I have a pair of these on my ATB, and I think they are the greatest thing for commuting and but the
muddiest mountain biking since the invention of the clipless pedal itself. Crank Bros also makes a
version of these incorporating their "EggBeater" clips.

performancebike.comProfile.cfmOpen ↗

"May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner geocities.comczcornerOpen ↗

Ryan Cousineau said:

Quoted message said:

You didn't say what pedals you use but I think you ought to consider a better shoe. The Shimano
SH-TO92 has smooth soles, looks more lie a regular sport shoe and doesn't have a pressure point
over the pedal, the sole bing practically inflexible. I've worn these to work for years with a
hilly 25 mile round trip daily.

tinyurl.coma822Open ↗

Quoted message said:

Jobst, what's the sole thickness like on those? I used to wear a pair of Shimano shoes which were
obviously the precursors to the MO-38:

tinyurl.com2ch3aOpen ↗

I've been using these since they were called SH-TO90 and never measured sole thickness, being
satisfied with their strength. I don't feel the cleat and haven't had a sole break. My failure mode
is the sole wearing out at the toe since I use them as walking shoes at work and on tours where I
don't want to carry dirt into the house with waffle stomper tread that dirt riders prefer.

Quoted message said:

But then I broke the relatively thin and flexible plastic soles. The cleat was too much for them.
My Dad, no monster rider, did in his identical pair the same way.

I put on plenty of high pedal pressure miles and have had no problem.

Quoted message said:

These days I'm alternating between Axo Vertigo and Blackball shoes, which are a downhill high-
ankle design and and something similar to the TO92, respectively, but seem to have the same very
thick plastic sole. I'm also trying to reduce the stress on the sole by running cleat washers
between the sole and the cleat (these are meant to go between the nut-plate and the sole, inside
the shoe).

Unless you need knobby tread on your shoes, I recommend the SH-TO92 that is designed for tri-
athletes who run in them. The smooth light weight sole is a major point for me.

Jobst Brandt [email hidden]

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

Quoted message said:

Ryan Cousineau said:

Quoted message said:

You didn't say what pedals you use but I think you ought to consider a better shoe. The Shimano
SH-TO92 has smooth soles, looks more lie a regular sport shoe and doesn't have a pressure point
over the pedal, the sole bing practically inflexible. I've worn these to work for years with a
hilly 25 mile round trip daily.

tinyurl.coma822Open ↗

Quoted message said:

Jobst, what's the sole thickness like on those? I used to wear a pair of Shimano shoes which
were obviously the precursors to the MO-38:

tinyurl.com2ch3aOpen ↗

This takes you to the wrong link
(bike.shimano.comcomponenttemplate.aspOpen ↗ number=SH-MO38). The
correct link bike.shimano.comcomponenttemplate.aspOpen ↗
T092 takes folks to the excellent Shimano shoe.

Quoted message said:

I've been using these since they were called SH-TO90 and never measured sole thickness, being
satisfied with their strength. I don't feel the cleat and haven't had a sole break. My failure
mode is the sole wearing out at the toe since I use them as walking shoes at work and on tours
where I don't want to carry dirt into the house with waffle stomper tread that dirt riders prefer.

Quoted message said:

But then I broke the relatively thin and flexible plastic soles. The cleat was too much for
them. My Dad, no monster rider, did in his identical pair the same way.

I put on plenty of high pedal pressure miles and have had no problem.

Quoted message said:

These days I'm alternating between Axo Vertigo and Blackball shoes, which are a downhill high-
ankle design and and something similar to the TO92, respectively, but seem to have the same very
thick plastic sole. I'm also trying to reduce the stress on the sole by running cleat washers
between the sole and the cleat (these are meant to go between the nut-plate and the sole, inside
the shoe).

Unless you need knobby tread on your shoes, I recommend the SH-TO92 that is designed for tri-
athletes who run in them. The smooth light weight sole is a major point for me.

Robin Hubert

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

Ryan Cousineau said:

Quoted message said:

You didn't say what pedals you use but I think you ought to consider a better shoe. The Shimano
SH-TO92 has smooth soles, looks more lie a regular sport shoe and doesn't have a pressure point
over the pedal, the sole bing practically inflexible. I've worn these to work for years with a
hilly 25 mile round trip daily.

tinyurl.coma822Open ↗

Quoted message said:

Jobst, what's the sole thickness like on those? I used to wear a pair of Shimano shoes which
were obviously the precursors to the MO-38:

tinyurl.com2ch3aOpen ↗

I've been using these since they were called SH-TO90 and never measured sole thickness, being
satisfied with their strength. I don't feel the cleat and haven't had a sole break. My failure
mode is the sole wearing out at the toe since I use them as walking shoes at work and on tours
where I don't want to carry dirt into the house with waffle stomper tread that dirt riders prefer.

Quoted message said:

But then I broke the relatively thin and flexible plastic soles. The cleat was too much for
them. My Dad, no monster rider, did in his identical pair the same way.

I put on plenty of high pedal pressure miles and have had no problem.

Quoted message said:

These days I'm alternating between Axo Vertigo and Blackball shoes, which are a downhill high-
ankle design and and something similar to the TO92, respectively, but seem to have the same very
thick plastic sole. I'm also trying to reduce the stress on the sole by running cleat washers
between the sole and the cleat (these are meant to go between the nut-plate and the sole, inside
the shoe).

Unless you need knobby tread on your shoes, I recommend the SH-TO92 that is designed for tri-
athletes who run in them. The smooth light weight sole is a major point for me.

It sounds like it might be quite a different shoe from the MO-38 series. Then again, maybe the MOs
have been upgraded from my orange/brown/blue shoes.

We'll see how the soles on the Axos (Axoen?) last. A pic of the Blackball:

cambriabike.comaxo blackball mtb shoe.htmOpen ↗

I do enough MTBing that it's reasonable to have a dirt option on both shoes. I do a little walking
in these shoes, but any SPD shoe is better than trying to skate along on Look cleats.

The Blackball has grippy soft-rubber lugged tread, but I was first attracted to its roadie-style
looks and reasonable weight. It's a very well-ventilated shoe; I can barely wear it in the 0-15 C
temperatures we get these days. It's tight to slip into, but feels nice on the foot so far.

The Vertigos have a much harder tread, maybe plastic. They were downright dangerous on smooth
surfaces before a few days of riding scuffed the tread a bit. I prize their high-ankle support and
heavy-duty protection for cooler rides (they're a disappointment there; I have to tape up a lot of
the venting surfaces), and will do most of my MTBriding in them this year.

The Axo shoes were extremely competitively priced when I bought them (I paid about US$30 for both
pairs) so buying them was an easy choice.

If I break these shoes, I'll probably look into Look-cleated racing shoes, and find a new home for
the SPD cleats on the bottom of another pair of shoes.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email hidden] sfu.ca~rcousineOpen ↗ President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

On Sat, 14 Feb 2004 00:02:23 -0800, Ryan Cousineau <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

The Vertigos have a much harder tread, maybe plastic. They were downright dangerous on smooth
surfaces before a few days of riding scuffed the tread a bit. I prize their high-ankle support and
heavy-duty protection for cooler rides (they're a disappointment there; I have to tape up a lot of
the venting surfaces), and will do most of my MTBriding in them this year.

You've gotten my attention. What's this about taping up venting holes? Will my excessively warm,
sweaty feet find relief that's more socially acceptable than sandals? Will Axo make Vertigos that
don't look like bicycle shoes, but rather more like work boots, so I can wear them to work too? Tune
in next week... <G>

Seriously, is the venting so good that you feel the wind through your socks? And is the ankle
support sufficient for a heavy sort of dude?
--
Rick Onanian

There are several scanned old bike catalogs around the web from the first quarter of the 20th
century. If anything, It seems bicycling was much more expensive back then, when prices are adjusted
for inflation.

(papercut) said:

There are several scanned old bike catalogs around the web from the first quarter of the 20th
century. If anything, It seems bicycling was much more expensive back then, when prices are
adjusted for inflation.

everything was more expensive back then, when adjusted for inflation, owing to the relative scarcity
of goods with respect to the population.

now ther'es just so much production.....

In article <[email hidden]>,

Rick Onanian said:

Ryan Cousineau said:

The Vertigos have a much harder tread, maybe plastic. They were downright dangerous on smooth
surfaces before a few days of riding scuffed the tread a bit. I prize their high-ankle support
and heavy-duty protection for cooler rides (they're a disappointment there; I have to tape up a
lot of the venting surfaces), and will do most of my MTBriding in them this year.

You've gotten my attention. What's this about taping up venting holes? Will my excessively warm,
sweaty feet find relief that's more socially acceptable than sandals? Will Axo make Vertigos that
don't look like bicycle shoes, but rather more like work boots, so I can wear them to work too?
Tune in next week... <G>

Seriously, is the venting so good that you feel the wind through your socks? And is the ankle
support sufficient for a heavy sort of dude?
--
Rick Onanian

The venting on the Axo Vertigos is such that my feet get cold after half an hour when I ride in 0-5C
weather. Biting the bullet and bying booties would fix things. That's hardly super-venting; I've
only owned both pairs since Boxing Day, and the warmest it's been is 12-15C. Also, the Vertigos do
have a neoprene "sock" ankle cuff, Which I think has more to do with support and chafing than
warmth. The Blackball shoes are really well ventilated, but I don't know that they're more so than
many other bike shoes: synthetic leather external "tongue", but underneath that a very open nylon
mesh which enhances ventilation. Much cooler than the Vertigos.

The Blackballs are definitely "wind through the socks" shoes. The Vertigos just don't keep my feet
warm. But both are really designed for Summer use.

The ankle support on the Vertigos is superb, with plastic armor and a substantial velcro closure.
They're designed for downhill racing, so they should be more than enough for normal riding. However,
they don't really look like normal boots. two-strap velcro closure plus velcro ankle flap, and the
boot is green and black.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email hidden] sfu.ca~rcousineOpen ↗ President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

In article <[email hidden]>,

Luigi de Guzman said:

(papercut) said:

There are several scanned old bike catalogs around the web from the first quarter of the 20th
century. If anything, It seems bicycling was much more expensive back then, when prices are
adjusted for inflation.

everything was more expensive back then, when adjusted for inflation, owing to the relative
scarcity of goods with respect to the population.

now there's just so much production.....

Austin Powers put it best: "yay capitalism!"

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email hidden] sfu.ca~rcousineOpen ↗ President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club

Rick Onanian said:

Quoted message said:

The Vertigos have a much harder tread, maybe plastic. They were downright dangerous on smooth
surfaces before a few days of riding scuffed the tread a bit. I prize their high-ankle support
and heavy-duty protection for cooler rides (they're a disappointment there; I have to tape up a
lot of the venting surfaces), and will do most of my MTB riding in them this year.

Quoted message said:

You've gotten my attention. What's this about taping up venting holes? Will my excessively warm,
sweaty feet find relief that's more socially acceptable than sandals? Will Axo make Vertigos that
don't look like bicycle shoes, but rather more like work boots, so I can wear them to work too?
Tune in next week... <G>

tinyurl.coma822Open ↗

These shoes have mesh uppers that vent just about as much as I need. The toe and heel cups are
leather or some such material, just enough to keep the freezing winds of winter from blowing your
toes away.

Quoted message said:

Seriously, is the venting so good that you feel the wind through your socks? And is the ankle
support sufficient for a heavy sort of dude?

NO.

Jobst Brandt [email hidden]