What clipless pedals are good for a beginner.

[quote="shrubby32"]Just got a new bike, Trek 1500. Really excited about it! What do you suggest are the best pedals to get for a beginner?

If you want clipless pedals, the Shimano SPD-SL PD RD540 are, cheap, great function, large pedal base, great value, will require road shoes though.



Here is one of the best places to get them

probikekit.comdisplay.phpOpen ↗

they have free shipping to the US at the moment.

Good luck with the cycling

Even though the Trek 1500 is a road bike, the Shimano SPD mountain bike pedals are a good option. performancebike.comprofile.cfmOpen ↗

If you plan to walk in your shoes, it is far easier to walk in mountain shoes than in road shoes. Also, you can clip in from either side of the SPD-M pedal, whereas you have to flip the Look or SPD-SL pedal to the correct side before you can clip in. For a true noobie, this is an advantage. If you are skilled on a bike, but just new to clipless pedals, it does not make that much difference.

I use to use SPD (the mountain bike ones) and switched to Look. While both are good, I perfer the Look as it spreads the load across the foot better. SPD-SL (the road bike ones) uses the same mounting as the Look and is proabably very similar to Look in the feel while riding.

The benifits that SPD-SL has over Look is that they are a little better to walk in, they have a resessed cleat, so that they don't wear as quickly has Look and the pedals are sligthly cheaper to buy. Look has it over SPD-SL in that the replacement cleats are a little cheaper to buy.

Personally I don't find single sided to be a disadvantage over double sided as the backs of the pedals are heaver and then to position the pedal the correct way up for clipping in. If you are eager for double sided, you should consider speedplay.

shrubby32 said:

Just got a new bike, Trek 1500. Really excited about it! What do you suggest are the best pedals to get for a beginner?

Thanks!!!

_________________________
Sunny in Sea Isle😎

Good comments from the others. If your intended riding involves getting off and walking around, a mountain bike-style pedal/cleat/shoe system would be much more convenient. Many road cyclists use MTB-type pedals on their road bikes. For high-performance road riding or racing, I would recommend a road-type system, since they are generally lighter. But for commuting, touring, and recreational riding, for most people the 2-bolt cleat-type is more practical. Do a search of the forum as this is a common question and you can see many different opinions.

I would suggest Crank Brother eggbeaters. I am a newbie, and they are my first clipless pedals. Getting in and out of them is easy and they are lighter, shed mud/dirt easily and are just stylish(Compared to other mountain pedals).

Try the LOOK Keo Classics. They are my second pair of clipless (first was an older LOOK Pair) and they are really nice to learn on.

Blademun said:

I would suggest Crank Brother eggbeaters. I am a newbie, and they are my first clipless pedals. Getting in and out of them is easy and they are lighter, shed mud/dirt easily and are just stylish(Compared to other mountain pedals).

Time Attack use a similar system and are cheaper.

shrubby32 said:

Just got a new bike, Trek 1500. Really excited about it! What do you suggest are the best pedals to get for a beginner?

Thanks!!!

_________________________
Sunny in Sea Isle😎

I put Speedplay X5's on my Trek 1000 and love them. Easy in, easy out, and the free float is great on my knees.

+1 for Speedplay X5...... mine are great,and easy to get the hang of.

If you think you might ride the stationery bikes at the gym to keep in shape (especially during the winter), consider that they almost all use SPD (not SPD-SL etc.) pedals.

Not all shoes are compatible with all pedal types (they don't have mounting holes for the clips) so choose the shoes and pedals together.