Best Pedals ?

BUACHAILL

hey guys

can I ask what pedal system you use on your bikes and any advantages or disadvantages there is to them. Need to get a good Pedal system on my new bike as they threw on Cavaity blocks to get me going

cheers

Stark

Well there are

Toe clips
SPD pedals
SPD-SL/Look pedals.

The toe clips have the advantage that you can use any shoes with them, but you don't get the same power transfer and they're awkward to get in and out of.

The SPD pedals are the easiest to clip in and out of and the shoes have a recessed cleat so you can get off the bike and walk in them. You do need special shoes though.

SPD-SLs/Looks give the greatest power transfer and are most suited to long distance cycling where you're not clipping in/out often and you want the most comfort. You need special shoes like you do with SPD pedals.

Gavin

Moved onto SPDs from basket & straps at the weekend there. Bit scary when you start to tilt, but rapid panic reaction gets the foot out in time. I took them off the MTB and put them onto my commuting bike for during the week. First ride through town this morning with them.

I found them really good. It's much easier to pedal properly and achieve the complete circle motion. More comfortable too, I can relax my feet in the shoe, I found I tended to keep my foot tense in the basket & strap.

Thumbs up.

cantalach

Copying and pasting my response to a similar question a couple of months back...

Speedplay Zero pedals have the very significant advantage of being double-sided. This makes them easier for beginners to get used to because you can clip in without looking down to check that the pedal is oriented the right way. They are the opposite of most pedal designs in that the pedal is the male part and the cleat is the female part. This makes the cleats easier to walk on than those for Keo or SPD-SL pedals because they have an almost flat surface.

On the downside, Speedplay Zero cleats can't be positioned back as far as some other cleat designs. This can be a problem for those who like to have the ball of their foot well forward of the pedal axle (to unload the calf muscles as much as possible). There is an alternative cleat for Zeros that addresses this problem but this is not typically stocked by bike shops and has to be specially ordered.

Zeros are available in a variety of different materials and ProTour logos with something for every budget. They're well worth a look in my opinion, though it's only fair to say that I use Shimano SPD-SLs - for no real reason other than that's what was on my first proper bike and I'm used to them.

blorg

Personally I use SPD on all my bikes. I think this probably makes the most sense unless you are racing. Shoes have tread/recessed cleat and so are walkable.

BUACHAILL

is there anywhere you guys know is better value to purchase these or should i just look online at the usual suspects ? how much do you think you should get a complete set of pedals and shoes for ?

thanks again

TinyExplosions

BUACHAILL wrote: »

is there anywhere you guys know is better value to purchase these or should i just look online at the usual suspects ? how much do you think you should get a complete set of pedals and shoes for ?

thanks again

I'd suggest getting SPD's for the fact that you can get double sided pedals, and can mash your feet into em and engage fairly easily. I'd reccommend getting these pedals asyou can use normal shoes with them too (I have 'em and they're great for 35 quid), and and SPD Shoes (like these) -but there are cheaper options

Gavin

I picked up the pedals second hand and got the shoes from wiggle
http://wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360033176&N=dhb%20M1%20Shoes

That dhb brand seem to do good quality stuff for a reasonable price.

Stark

Wiggle are doing a special on these SPD shoes at the moment:

http://wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=5360029391&n=Pearl%20Izumi%20Men%20Vagabond%20M4%20Shoes

Looks like a very good deal unless I'm mistaken.

I use the Shimano M540 pedals, which are double sided and I find them to be pretty good. Although the ones TinyExplosion recommended are probably better as you've the option of using normal shoes with them.

copacetic

cantalach wrote: »

Copying and pasting my response to a similar question a couple of months back...

Speedplay Zero pedals have the very significant advantage of being double-sided. This makes them easier for beginners to get used to because you can clip in without looking down to check that the pedal is oriented the right way. They are the opposite of most pedal designs in that the pedal is the male part and the cleat is the female part. This makes the cleats easier to walk on than those for Keo or SPD-SL pedals because they have an almost flat surface.

On the downside, Speedplay Zero cleats can't be positioned back as far as some other cleat designs. This can be a problem for those who like to have the ball of their foot well forward of the pedal axle (to unload the calf muscles as much as possible). There is an alternative cleat for Zeros that addresses this problem but this is not typically stocked by bike shops and has to be specially ordered.

Zeros are available in a variety of different materials and ProTour logos with something for every budget. They're well worth a look in my opinion, though it's only fair to say that I use Shimano SPD-SLs - for no real reason other than that's what was on my first proper bike and I'm used to them.

Would agree with all of this except them being easier to walk on! Speedplays are much harder to walk on. The cleat is like 3 times the height of a look or spd sl, unless you can walk in high heels which I can't they are a nightmare to walk in. The cleats also wear very quickly if you do much walking without the covers on.

Having said that they are the best pedals imo and I wouldn't change them. Stark missed out a lot of pedal designs.

blorg

I have two pairs of these Powerplay Force pedals, on my tourer and road bike. They are very nice and light pedals, with a great feel. Thinking of swapping them off the road bike for something with better retention though as they can be prone to accidental disengagement when pulling up with force. Would be perfect for a beginner though, nice easy clip out.

FrankGrimes

TinyExplosions wrote: »

I'd suggest getting SPD's for the fact that you can get double sided pedals, and can mash your feet into em and engage fairly easily. I'd reccommend getting these pedals asyou can use normal shoes with them too (I have 'em and they're great for 35 quid), and and SPD Shoes (like these) -but there are cheaper options

Are those pedals double-sided (can't tell from the site)?

I've never used clip in pedals so would be a little nervous about it as I'll be commuting during the week and then doing reasonably long cycles at the weekend. The fact that these can be used with normal runners is a big bonus - if I was in traffic I could push off without clipping in and then clip in when I'm comfortable, right?

I've seen posts mentioning some specific grease to be used when installing pedals - what's the name of that and do wiggle have it - might aswell order together if I'm going to?

blorg

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Are those pedals double-sided (can't tell from the site)?

I believe they are although Tiny could confirm.

I've never used clip in pedals so would be a little nervous about it as I'll be commuting during the week and then doing reasonably long cycles at the weekend. The fact that these can be used with normal runners is a big bonus - if I was in traffic I could push off without clipping in and then clip in when I'm comfortable, right?

You can pretty much do this anyway, even with standard SPDs (push off without clipping in that is, you cannot cycle on normal SPDs with runners.)

I've seen posts mentioning some specific grease to be used when installing pedals - what's the name of that and do wiggle have it - might aswell order together if I'm going to?

White lithium grease, Wiggle do something similar but it is more expensive. Note you will get this in a local bike shop for around €3-4.

TinyExplosions

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Are those pedals double-sided (can't tell from the site)?

I've never used clip in pedals so would be a little nervous about it as I'll be commuting during the week and then doing reasonably long cycles at the weekend. The fact that these can be used with normal runners is a big bonus - if I was in traffic I could push off without clipping in and then clip in when I'm comfortable, right?

I've seen posts mentioning some specific grease to be used when installing pedals - what's the name of that and do wiggle have it - might aswell order together if I'm going to?

Yep, they are indeed double sided.

What size feet do you have, cos you could always borrow (or buy!) mine if you want, I'm not using them since I got the SPD-SL's

DirkVoodoo

I actually find my SPDs harder to clip into than my SPD-SLs. I have shimano M520s and Shimano Ultegra pedals and I find that I have to push down more to engage the SPD cleat. That being said, the double sided-ness helps and if you wear SPD-SLs around it makes walking almost comical and you are at risk of wearing out the cleats very quickly.

SPD are the way to go if commuting.

FrankGrimes

Thanks for confirming - I'll go for those pedals so.

Depending on the make of shoe, I'm a 10,10.5, or 11 - what size are your shoes Tiny and how much are they going for?

TinyExplosions

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Thanks for confirming - I'll go for those pedals so.

Depending on the make of shoe, I'm a 10,10.5, or 11 - what size are your shoes Tiny and how much are they going for?

They're a 10 I think (I'm pretty much the same size as you, between 10 and 11). The whole lot (shoes, and pedals) for 50 blips?

FrankGrimes

Yeh, I'll go for that Tiny, assuming they're in good nick and I can try on the shoes to confirm they fit. Where are you based? We should probably take this to PM..

stuf

FrankGrimes wrote: »

Are those pedals double-sided (can't tell from the site)?

Just to make sure that by double sided you mean "same on both sides" as those pedals are. The SPD on those goes into the pedal when you're wearing flat shoes.

However if you mean flat one side and SPD on the other then you want something like Shimano M324. I've just had them put on my bike but I'm so addicted to the cleats I haven't tried with normal shoes yet.

As far as cleat safety goes I find them better than toe clips to get in and out of

crashoveroid

If your going clippless i would reccommed time pedals every time