(DLCRCF) said:I'm starting to get back into cycling and was thinking of
getting new pedals. The ones that don't use toe straps.
Could anyone give me some recommendations? I don't need top
of the line stuff. Also, do the shoe and the pedal have to
be the same brand or are they interchangable?
Most clipless pedals that are labelled as "mountain bike"
pedals, regardless of what your bike or terrain is, are good
starter pedals.
Nashbar Special SPD pedals are something like $25 (see
www.nashbar.com for those), and I like them fine. I also
have Egg Beaters which I like, but which are much more
expensive.
You'll need any comfortable shoes, preferably with tread on
the bottom, which hides the cleat, making it easy to walk.
It's difficult to walk (up that tough hill, into the store
for a snack, etc) on a cleat that's not recessed inside the
tread. It will ruin your kitchen floor when you go to fill
your water bottle, too. Either way, most clipless shoes are
SPD compatible.
If the pedals you buy don't SPD-pattern* cleats, you'll need
to pay special attention to the shoes to make sure they're
compatible with the same standard. I have and like SPD
sandals, manufactured by Lake and Shimano.
*Note: SPD is a bolt-pattern standard for cleats, which
specifies which shoes they fit; SPD is also a specific type
of cleat. SPD cleats work with all SPD shoes and pedals. Non-
SPD cleats with the SPD bolt pattern (such as Egg Beaters)
fit SPD shoes but not SPD pedals.
--
Rick Onanian
