newbie road pedals

In article <[email hidden]>,

John Rogerson said:

I'm something of a newbie to road biking. Been casually cycling all my life but recently got into
triathlon so got hold of a decent (well I think so) entry level road bike (Orbea Enol).

V pleased with it but the Look-alike pedals that came with it have nearly made me a gonner a few
times... to the point where I have put my old mountain bike spd pedals onto it. Hence I am now
starting to suffer from the "hot spot" on the longer rides.

Were my pedals just dodgy or are Look type pedals generally quite difficult to get out of?

No, they shouldn't be a problem. Some have adjustable tension. Others do not and those types
sometimes come very stiff from the factory.

Quoted message said:

Are there any road pedal systems that are easy to disengage? My cycling style is steady without
much sprinting.

Well if you like SPD, there's nothing wrong with using SPD on your road bike as well.

I have used Look (numerous models) as well as Shimano SPD and Speedplay Zeros. I find the Look and
Speedplay are easier to get into than SPD, and I've had years of practice with all three. My Look
and SPD pedals both had spring tension adjustment so I dialed them to whatever I wanted. The
Speedplays are also great, "zero" problems with entry or exit and I am so lazy I probably only lube
the cleat once a month which is a lot less than they recommend. I found they had no learning curve
or break-in time.

--Paul

if your shoes are spd compatible (ie 2 bolt holes side by side and not just "look" three in a
triangle) than give crank bros eggbeaters a try...

crankbrothers.compedals.phpOpen ↗

they are ultra easy to get into (4 sided), around $90 (cheaper online) don't care about mud or
whatever. and are under 290g a pair! and have quite a bit of float or not depending on how you
set them up.

Super easy to get out of, much easier than my new DuraAce SL "ie lance pedals" on the easy setting.
as it doesn't take much force yet in a year of riding in them I've never pulled out by mistake in a
sprint (only club rides)

only downside is that unless you but the highend Ti model you need to buy the road cleats (the one
with the pontoons so you can walk) separately...

anyway, my 2cents... "Paul Southworth" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:%nxZb.478$WC3.8700@ord-
read.news.verio.net...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, John Rogerson

Quoted message said:

I'm something of a newbie to road biking. Been casually cycling all my

life

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

but recently got into triathlon so got hold of a decent (well I think so) entry level road bike
(Orbea Enol).

V pleased with it but the Look-alike pedals that came with it have nearly made me a gonner a few
times... to the point where I have put my old mountain bike spd pedals onto it. Hence I am now
starting to suffer from the "hot spot" on the longer rides.

Were my pedals just dodgy or are Look type pedals generally quite

difficult

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

to get out of?

No, they shouldn't be a problem. Some have adjustable tension. Others do not and those types
sometimes come very stiff from the factory.

Quoted message said:

Are there any road pedal systems that are easy to disengage? My cycling style is steady without
much sprinting.

Well if you like SPD, there's nothing wrong with using SPD on your road bike as well.

I have used Look (numerous models) as well as Shimano SPD and Speedplay Zeros. I find the Look and
Speedplay are easier to get into than SPD, and I've had years of practice with all three. My Look
and SPD pedals both had spring tension adjustment so I dialed them to whatever I wanted. The
Speedplays are also great, "zero" problems with entry or exit and I am so lazy I probably only
lube the cleat once a month which is a lot less than they recommend. I found they had no learning
curve or break-in time.

--Paul

John Rogerson said:

I'm something of a newbie to road biking. Been casually cycling all my life but recently got into
triathlon so got hold of a decent (well I think so) entry level road bike (Orbea Enol).

V pleased with it but the Look-alike pedals that came with it have nearly made me a gonner a few
times... to the point where I have put my old mountain bike spd pedals onto it. Hence I am now
starting to suffer from the "hot spot" on the longer rides.

Were my pedals just dodgy or are Look type pedals generally quite difficult to get out of?

Are there any road pedal systems that are easy to disengage? My cycling style is steady without
much sprinting.

Thanks IA

Yes, those pedals are dodgy. Look pedals are very easy to use. Please, throw those fake ones out and
get some real Look's with adjustable tension (I know here in the US you can get PP-396's for $99).
Set the tension at it's lowest setting and practice a bit. With the tension all the way down,
getting in and out is a breeze. You'll be good to go in no time. Once you practice that ankle-twist
move a few times, it'll be second nature.

I am speaking from expierience. I had a very hard time finding some pedals (I tried Time, Look,
Shimano SPD-R, and others) that I could reliably get in and out of, and Look pedals have worked the
best for me on my road bike. I won't use anything else now. (Eggbeaters on my mountain bike, tho.)

If SPD's give you hot spots, you might want to look at SPD-SL's They have a much larger area to
spread out the preasure. I know that I have seen the change in comfort on 30+ mile rides. Like the
Looks they tilt back with their own weight so they are always ready to clip back into if you are
riding city streets with lights and stop signs. The cleat design aids in getting back into them as
well, "just slide forward into them" With my old SPD's it was always having to take an extra stroke
or two to get clipped in at lights, and I just dont like rolling "slowly" across 6 lanes of traffic
trying to get hooked up.

Not to sound like a Lance "wanna be" but if Lance A. uses them, there is something to say
about them.

Bill

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

Quoted message said:

I'm something of a newbie to road biking. Been casually cycling all my

life

Quoted message said:

but recently got into triathlon so got hold of a decent (well I think so) entry level road bike
(Orbea Enol).

V pleased with it but the Look-alike pedals that came with it have nearly made me a gonner a few
times... to the point where I have put my old mountain bike spd pedals onto it. Hence I am now
starting to suffer from the "hot spot" on the longer rides.

Were my pedals just dodgy or are Look type pedals generally quite

difficult

Quoted message said:

to get out of?

Are there any road pedal systems that are easy to disengage? My cycling style is steady without
much sprinting.

Thanks IA

John Rogerson said:

V pleased with it but the Look-alike pedals that came with it have

nearly

Quoted message said:

made me a gonner a few times... to the point where I have put my old mountain bike spd pedals onto
it. Hence I am now starting to suffer from the "hot spot" on the longer rides.

Were my pedals just dodgy or are Look type pedals generally quite difficult to get out of?

Are there any road pedal systems that are easy to disengage? My cycling style is steady without
much sprinting.

My experience has been very good with a pair of Look pedals and a pair of Shimano Look-alikes. Both
pair date back at least 10 years. The Shimanos have tens of thousands of miles, the Looks have
hardly been used.

What kind of Look-alikes do you have? Do you have the matching cleats? According to rumors, not all
Look style pedals are created equal. F'rexample, if you have a pair of Performance brand Look-
alikes, you might need to use the Performance brand cleats for good performance.

I used Wellgo SPD clones for several years. I had three problems with them. First, they wore out
much faster than the other pedals I've used (see above). They were cheap imitations, so I guess I
got what I paid for. Second, they clogged up in snow and mud. Not a problem you're likely to have.
Third, they would release if I sprinted from a red light to beat traffic through the intersection.
Again, not a problem for you.

My advice: either 1) get the Look-alike pedals examined by the LBS to see if you have something
wrong or 2) get a shoe with a stiffer sole and continue to use the SPDs.

Dave dvt at psu dot edu

Quoted message said:

V pleased with it but the Look-alike pedals that came with it have nearly made me a gonner a few
times... to the point where I have put my old mountain bike spd pedals onto it. Hence I am now
starting to suffer from the "hot spot" on the longer rides.

Were my pedals just dodgy or are Look type pedals generally quite

difficult

Quoted message said:

to get out of?

Your pedals might be "dodgy" or you might have a slight incompatibility between the sole of the shoe
and the cleat. Look-type cleats get a bit picky about the curvature of the shoe, and can jam when
trying to exit it the curvature is either too much or too little. Often the pedal will bottom out
against the middle of the cleat before the back side really engages solidly; the simplest fix, if
that's the problem, is to grind away a bit of the cleat across the middle (where it first contacts
the pedal).

I'm not convinced that the hot spot on your other shoes is caused by the spd cleats. If the sole of
the shoe approaches infinite stiffness (as most really high-quality cycling shoes do), then there's
going to be little, if any, perceived difference between a small & large cleat. Both will distribute
pressure equally to your foot. Could be that you need a better pair of shoes.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles chainreactionbicycles.comchainreactionbicycles.comOpen ↗

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

Quoted message said:

I'm something of a newbie to road biking. Been casually cycling all my

life

Quoted message said:

but recently got into triathlon so got hold of a decent (well I think so) entry level road bike
(Orbea Enol).

V pleased with it but the Look-alike pedals that came with it have nearly made me a gonner a few
times... to the point where I have put my old mountain bike spd pedals onto it. Hence I am now
starting to suffer from the "hot spot" on the longer rides.

Were my pedals just dodgy or are Look type pedals generally quite

difficult

Quoted message said:

to get out of?

Are there any road pedal systems that are easy to disengage? My cycling style is steady without
much sprinting.

Thanks IA

Thanks for the advice.

To answer a couple of the questions that came up, I used the cleats that came with the pedals and
had the adjustment down to the slackest.

Think what I'll do is trawl ebay for some nice worn in Looks with cleats and see how I get on
with them.

Cheers John

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

Quoted message said:

I'm something of a newbie to road biking. Been casually cycling all my

life

Quoted message said:

but recently got into triathlon so got hold of a decent (well I think so) entry level road bike
(Orbea Enol).

V pleased with it but the Look-alike pedals that came with it have nearly made me a gonner a few
times... to the point where I have put my old mountain bike spd pedals onto it. Hence I am now
starting to suffer from the "hot spot" on the longer rides.

Were my pedals just dodgy or are Look type pedals generally quite

difficult

Quoted message said:

to get out of?

Are there any road pedal systems that are easy to disengage? My cycling style is steady without
much sprinting.

Thanks IA

You also need to look at Keywin pedals. Been using them for years now. Had too many problems with
hotspots using SPDs and Looks were just too heavy and my BIG foot rode very high on the platform.

keywin.comkeywin.comOpen ↗ is a New Zealand company I usually get parts and replacement cleats from Big
Twin (in Canada and has excelent service) bigtwincycling.combigtwincycling.comOpen ↗

ALSO Keywin has an adjustable Q factor, and every part of the pedal is replaceable by owner.

Regards Don

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

Quoted message said:

I'm something of a newbie to road biking. Been casually cycling all my life but recently got into
triathlon so got hold of a decent (well I think so) entry level road bike (Orbea Enol).

V pleased with it but the Look-alike pedals that came with it have nearly made me a gonner a few
times... to the point where I have put my old mountain bike spd pedals onto it. Hence I am now
starting to suffer from the "hot spot" on the longer rides.

Were my pedals just dodgy or are Look type pedals generally quite difficult to get out of?

Are there any road pedal systems that are easy to disengage? My cycling style is steady without
much sprinting.

I do a lot of mountain biking and road biking. I really don't see the need for different pedal
systems, I just use SPD for both. I prefer double-sided pedals and walkable shoes, so I use MTB
components. I don't have problems with hot spots, although I do "ultra" events up to 250 mi. Good
shoes are important.

John Rogerson said:

Are there any road pedal systems that are easy to disengage? My cycling style is steady without
much sprinting.

The old Time road pedals have a lovely smooth release. They're hideously difficult to get into
though. You pays your money etc.

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

Quoted message said:

[snip]

V pleased with it but the Look-alike pedals that came with it have nearly made me a gonner a few
times... to the point where I have put my old mountain bike spd pedals onto it. Hence I am now
starting to suffer from the "hot spot" on the longer rides.

[snip]

Nothing wrong with your SPD pedals, you just need better shoes. Find some SPD compatible shoes with
carbon fiber soles and your hot spots will be extinguished.

Personally, I think it's not a bad idea to adopt a single pedal technology for all of your bikes...

Dave

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

Quoted message said:

Thanks for the advice.

To answer a couple of the questions that came up, I used the cleats that came with the pedals and
had the adjustment down to the slackest.

Think what I'll do is trawl ebay for some nice worn in Looks with cleats and see how I get on
with them.

Cheers John

Hi, you could go that route and possibly be buying trouble. I would only do this, if they were very
low priced and more importantly, if you are undecided about the style of pedal. If you like the Look
style and are reasonably happy about entry, with exit being your only issue, then buy new. With new,
comes warranty and dealer support. I heard/read[?] somewhere that the higher end Look models have
stronger springs, you should verify this, before choosing a model.

Or, as luvjava recommended go with the Shimano SPD-SL. These are a Look style pedal, one difference
being that the Cleats are a little easier[?], less slippery, to walk on. There are now three models
of this pedal, the Dura-Ace PD-7800, the Ultegra PD-R600, and they now also have the PD-R540. The
differences between these three are about 30g[277,300,330g] and the 540 has a Resin body.

I have the Ultegra version and I really like them. I have them set for a very light exit, yet I
have never come out of thes pedals, unplanned. The PD-R600 sells for $139, but can be had for
closer to $100, so I would think that the PD-R540 will be under $100. I just did a search, they are
around $89, and can be had for as little as $60. At that price, for Shimano, I don't think you
could go wrong.

My vote is for SPD-SL.

Life is Good! Jeff