Fear of Cleats

penexpers

cormie wrote: »

How much less efficient would they be though, enough to notice on a simple cycle into town and back and a bit around or would you really only notice on much much longer cycles? Getting out of them wouldn't really be a problem because I'd only be in them on long stretches and use the underside in town/heavy traffic, so wouldn't be in them

The problem with this is that depending on how much clearence you have off the ground, if you are cornering sharply the clip can get a good bash off the ground and end up destroyed. This happened one of mine before.

kenmc

i used toeclips and straps for ages on my mountainbike for commuting.
in order to have any sort of ability to pull upwards on the pedals, you need the straps pretty tight. in order to be able to remove your foot quickly you need the straps to be loose. See any problem there?
I can't believe I didn't change to clipless sooner. I can't understand why you're not comfortable in them yet, it literally took me about 2 spins to get the hang of it.

blorg

cormie wrote: »

The A324's look good alright, but would my shoes and cleats fit the clip in side? I have these red ones: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=21588

These are the pedals I have if it makes a difference: http://xoomgear.com/manufacturer/Look/pedals//Look_A3_1/977/

It'd be pretty hard anyway to have any grip on the flat side with the shoes and cleats I have I think, since they are plastic, they would probably slip off and be pretty dangerous.

How much less efficient would they be though, enough to notice on a simple cycle into town and back and a bit around or would you really only notice on much much longer cycles? Getting out of them wouldn't really be a problem because I'd only be in them on long stretches and use the underside in town/heavy traffic, so wouldn't be in them

Look are road-type pedals/cleats and would not work on the A324 pedals. You would have to change your cleats (and probably your shoes) for SPD (mountain bike) style. The cleats will come with the pedals. MTB-style are a lot more sensible for commuting-type use TBH, you would be a lot better off (the cleat is recessed into the shoe making the shoes walkable.) You can't get one side platform/one side road style pedals although you can actually get one side road/one side MTB (expensive and difficult to find though.)

I don't know as I have never tried but I would suspect it would be quite difficult to cycle with a typical road shoe (sans cleat) on a flat platform pedal (without strap), I would imagine it would slip all over the place.

You shouldn't find it too difficult to flog those pedals if you wanted to (shoes might be a bit more difficult.) Might be worth hanging on to them for longer or training cycles.

cormie

Thanks for all the replies

Just another question, even though you mightn't go as fast or whatever, do you get better exercise without cleats? I want to get good exercise when I'm out and I've noticed when I wear cleats, it's not as tough.

Stark

I think you get better exercise with the cleats as you're working more muscles.

cormie

Don't sweat half as much though I've noticed and don't really feel as tired after. Not sure if that's good or bad. Which would be best for losing weight/toning up, cleat or cleatless I wonder?

blorg

Personally I would think you are going to do best if you are as comfortable and efficient on the bike as possible, easier to put in a steady effort and you can always go faster if you want. For losing weight, a steady 70-79% max HR (it is well worth getting a cheap HR monitor) does the trick.

cormie

But I'm most comfortable on the bike without cleats :pac:

I'm just looking for excuses not to wear them

blorg

Well I don't think flat pedals would give a better workout, no. Worse if anything as they would make it more difficult to keep a steady rhythm.

But these are two different situations; when you are working out presumably you are not cycling in heavy traffic and chosing routes where you don't have to stop for lights. When you are commuting you are not working out but doing stop-start in heavy traffic.

As such the obvious answer to me would be to commute on platforms and keep the clipless for working out. (You will probably get used to the clips in time anyway, even in traffic.) Either get a dual platform/SPD pedal or just get cheap platforms and swap your current pedals on for the workouts.

cormie

I kind of end up cycling through Dublin and stuff anyway if I'm just going for a cycle, just do a round trip around the city and back home, so I'll be dealing with lights and stuff all the time really.

I might just get a cheapo pair of flats though. Would it be easy enough to swap around with the looks if I want to go for a cycle down the country or whatever? How long does it take about?

Can you get any type of adhesive sole for shoes that will give more grip on flats, because the shoes I have are nice and fit well and are nice and airy.

Stark

It only takes a few minutes to swap a pair of pedals. They screw in and out.

penexpers

Provided you grease the threads. Very important.

cormie

Ok cool, thanks

Think I'll get a pair of these: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=528567288

It mentioned that toeclips/straps are available, but doesn't say for this particular model. How do you know or are they generally a universal fit for all flats?

cormie

Ok, between the above pedals and the pump I want to buy, it's coming in at £42 on Wiggle, you get free delivery on orders over £50 to Ireland, so can anyone recommend something to waste money on worth £8? :pac:

Any recommended accessories for changing pedals or is it just a simple alan or screwdriver job. If there were a set of straps for the above pedals that'd be great

kenmc

by the looks of it those pedals won't take toeclips.
you need something more like this:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360006647&N=Wellgo%20LU%20950%20Alloy%20Pedals

edit: pedals usually use a 15mm Pedal Wrench

Bicyclegadabout

Torque wrench might be handy, if that's what it's called....a big long wrench like.

That or some lubes and degreasers, or tyre tubes.

penexpers

kenmc wrote: »

by the looks of it those pedals won't take toeclips.
you need something more like this:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360006647&N=Wellgo%20LU%20950%20Alloy%20Pedals

edit: pedals usually use a 15mm Pedal Wrench

It depends. Some of them take an allen key (6mm IIRC)

blorg

Almost all pedals excepting some very low end plastic platforms will take an allen key at the end of the axle. Some will take a pedal wrench as well, although there are plenty of high-end pedals that are allen-key only. It is easier to get them off using a pedal wrench if they are stuck (more leverage.) As far as I can make out the DMR V8s can use either method.

This is a pedal wrench.

You will need white lithium grease but you should get this cheaper in a local bike shop than the 5.99 Wiggle seem to be looking for it (around €3-4.) CRC have it for £2.99



The DMR V8 are from all reports a very grippy pedal (they are downhill MTB pedals.) They will not take toeclips though. You will need to use shoes with a bit of a grippy sort of sole rather than your current road shoes (runners should be fine, although there are shoes optimised for this sort of pedal.)

Bear in mind that CRC also have those pedals for the same price and with free shipping (no need to add it up to £50.)

Do not even think of sticking in the pedals without greasing the threads or you will never get them out again.

cormie

Thanks again for the info. See CRC don't have the pump I need and wiggle have it at the same price, and I think if you spend over £50 with wiggle, some of the prices go down on the pump and pedals anyway.

Ok, just added more than £50 and the price went down so now I have to add more to get the free shipping, jaysus.

This is turning out to be a bit ridiculous, now my road shoes wont work on these pedals. Is there any sole adhesive grip you can get I wonder? I suppose I could just get something in a DIY shop to stick on :pac:

cormie

blorg wrote: »

You will need white lithium grease but you should get this cheaper in a local bike shop than the 5.99 Wiggle seem to be looking for it (around €3-4.) CRC have it for £2.99

Where did you find that on wiggle? I Can't see it there, is it definitely the same quantity on both sites? Wiggle are usually pretty much the same as CRC I thought?

EDIT: I made another post before this incase you view 40 posts per page and missed it

tadhg1

just twist you foot sideways, twist you heel away from the bike.

you cant cycle faster for long with cleats and they make cycling more enjoyable

dont worry you'll get used to them,

Stark

If you get a pair of SH-56 cleats, then you can twist out in most directions.

http://www.cyclesuperstore.ie/shop/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=121&idproduct=4248

blorg

They don't have that grease; they seem to only have this "premium grease" at £5.99. Maybe it's worth it, who knows!

Yes, you do get an extra 10% on items under £50 in a basket over £50 from Wiggle at the moment, it's a good offer. What pump are you buying out of interest (I need a new pump myself.)

Wiggle has good prices on tubes if you wanted to stick your order over the 50. Here's some cheap stuff I got off them, might give you an idea:

2 of Park Tools Puncture Repair Kit Super Patch
1 of Park Tools CB2 Citrus ChainBrite Chain Cleaner 16oz Bottle
1 of Crank Brothers Speed Lever (Black)
1 of Fenwicks FS1 Bike Cleaner 1 Litre Bottle (1 Litre)
1 of Vittoria Inner Tube Pack Of 5 (700x1923)
1 of Cateye Mity 8 Cycle Computer (Clear/Silver)
1 of Cordee Zinn And The Art Of Road Bike Maintenance

Do you have a decent multi-tool?

cormie

Getting this pump: http://www.wiggle.co.uk/productdetail.aspx?prodid=5360011991. If you want I can order you one and you can collect it in Dun Laoghaire, think it works out at €25.

Going to have to think about the whole pedal thing actually. Seems like an awful lot of hassle.

cormie

No point ordering now because it wont be seen till tomorrow, so let me know before say midnight if you want me to get you a pump and I'll include it and you can collect it from me in Dun Laoghaire whenever

blorg

Thanks Cormie for the offer but I'll be OK ordering myself- I'm sure I'll have enough stuff in total to get it over the €50!

I would definately recommend trying SPDs before you give on on clipless altogether, probably with the half-platform type pedals. A lot of people starting off use SPDs, they have a reputation for being easier all round although you maybe lose a little bit on the power transfer compared to road pedals (I still use them on all my bikes.)

cormie

What exactly are SPD's? I Thought I had SPD's

kenmc

No, SPDs are a specific trademarked form of clipless cleat, but which are often generalized in the same way that 'Hoover' is generalized in place of vacuum cleaner.
These are SPDs : http://wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=4000000886&N=Shimano%20SPD%20MTB%20Cleats
These are SPD-SL cleats (for road)
http://wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360008129&N=Shimano%20SPD%20SL%20Cleats
You have something like these ones.
The actual SPD cleats are trivial to get in and out of.

cormie

Thanks for that. I'll see how the new pedals go anyway

Mick5

Hi Eveyone! My GF and I just bought road bikes (predominantly with the idea of touring and getting fit in mind). We haven't cycled in a few years really so it probably didn't help we were contending with Look cleats as well. We practiced clipping in and out before we set off but ended up feeling very unsafe and my GF ended up falling twice! I was very lucky to only fall against a wall! We ended up cutting our journey short because we felt unsafe with the cleats but couldn't cycle unclipped because its too slippy! I know where Cormie is coming from- its scary!!! We looked at flat/ platform pedals last night but I think we're going to go find a park and get on the grass and practice for a while before we give up. I hope they'll become second nature!! Unfortunately while we want to give them another chance, we already have bad experiences kind of making us panic when we're clipped in....any advice at all is welcome ....(Cormie you're not alone!)