Picking out Pedals!!

[Elphaba]

With anticipation that my Avail Inspire will arrive at the LBS via UPS later this afternoon, I am going in at lunch time to pick out pedals and potentially shoes so everything can be ready to put on the bike when it comes it. I could be riding it this evening!! Yikes! I have a great rapport with the sales guy down there, so I know he won't steer me wrong, still somehow feel a little baffled by the potential options.

Any suggestions?

L

[indysteel]

Just a few initial questions: How important is it that you are able to easily walk around in your cycling shoes? Do you have any knee issues? Do you have a budget in mind for the pedals and shoes? Have you used clipless pedals before?

[Elphaba]

Just a few initial questions: How important is it that you are able to easily walk around in your cycling shoes?

I'm not really sure. For now, when I ride I leave home and come back, not a lot of extra walking around. I am going to do my first charity ride in November, so I don't know if I will be able to get to my car and change shoes or not after the ride.


Do you have any knee issues?

Nope!


Do you have a budget in mind for the pedals and shoes?
Under $100? More important a solid entry level option.


Have you used clipless pedals before?

Nope!

[indysteel]

A lot of people start off with SPD pedals. They allow you to walk normally and a lot of the shoes that are compatible look more like hiking/tennis shoes. The pedals themselves (there are various models) are pretty cheap, as are some of the compatible shoes. The downside to SPDS for some is that the pedals hold your knees in a fixed position. For that reason, it's important that they're set up correctly. One of the other downsides for some is that SPD compatible shoes are often not quite as stiff as road shoes. That's bothersome to some.

There are a handful of other options that allow for easy walking but also offer float. Speedplay Frogs come to mind. They offer unlimited float (meaning your knee has a full range of movement) and I know of at least a couple of people on TE who really like them.

That leaves a bunch of road options. It seems like the two most common ones are Speedplay and Keo Look (or Look style) pedas. I have the latter. There's a learning curve with them, but with the tension set low, they're pretty easy to get in and out of. They hold up well, and provide for float (how much depends on which cleat you get). Plus, the cleats now come with a bit of rubber on them, which makes stoppind and walking a bit easier. I like SIDI road shoes myself, too (they're the only cycling shoes that really fit me), which makes the Keos a better choice for me. But a lot of road shoes aren't cheap and it can sometimes be hard to find a pair that fits.

So, my advice is to start with the shoes. Find a pair that fits. You don't want them too tight (because your foot may swell) but your heal should stay put in them. The shoes may dictate what kind of pedal is available to you, since not every pedal is compatible for every shoe.

But in the end, if the shoe fits and you give yourself a chance to learn how to use the pedals and to feel comfortable, you're good to go. Don't get analysis paralysis with it!

[Elphaba]

Thanks Mary Anne,

I am off armed with lots of info! I will let you know what I come up with.

L

[Owlie]

I agree with Indy. Find shoes that fit and meet your needs, then base your pedal types on what's compatible. They'll be snugger than athletic shoes, but you do want some room in them. I've been wearing a Specialized mountain shoe with SPDs. I like the ability to walk in them, but I have a feeling that Sidis or Louis Garneau would fit me better--my Spec shoes are too big in the heel. And I want a stiffer shoe. I'm switching to a true road pedal next time around, either Speedplays or Look-style.

[indysteel]

LOL. "Mary Anne" is the writer I'm quoting in my signature line. You're not the first person who has called me Mary Anne though; I wonder if theres' a way to make that clearer.

[luvmyguys]

If I might insert a newb question here - what is float and why is it important?

(Thank you!)

[Catrin]

If I might insert a newb question here - what is float and why is it important?

(Thank you!)

The simplest way I can think to explain float is that it is about how much freedom your ankle and knee have to move around once you are attached to your bike. For some, low, or no, float is good and works for them - the knee/foot doesn't move around much while pedaling. For those who need more float, of which I am one, having more float allows my ankle and knee to be where they want/need to be but I still get the advantages from clipping in. Indeed platform pedals on the road causes me knee pain, (but not on my mountain bike), and pedals with less float equally cause me knee pain.

Some pedals have adjustable float, others don't. You will find fans here of pretty much every pedal out there :) My personal favorite are Speedplay Frogs, a mountain bike pedal with a lot of float that I moved to after discovering that SPD pedals didn't have enough float for me and I wanted to stick with mtb pedals.

[Owlie]

Yep. In the strictest sense, float is the degree of twist of the cleat (and therefore your foot) inside the "clip" mechanism before it unclips. (So higher float, the further your foot can travel without unclipping.) What that translates into is how much your knee and ankle can move. I think SPDs (at least the ones I have, the M540s) have about 5 degrees of float. I need a bit more, according to my fitter.

Look-style pedals (and I think this is true for all of them) have "adjustable" float, in the sense that you can use the same pedal with different cleats that give different float.

[Elphaba]

So after quite an education here, from my BF and the wonderful man at the LBS, I ended up with SPD SLs and Serfas Podiums. The bike was delivered, built and I went back to pick up. On the trainer, I got the hang of clipping out pretty quickly. No big deal, I thought LOL

Got the new baby home, threw on my new Garneau shorts (love them by the way, and they did fit me true to size) and was going to go for a test drive. Stepped over the top rail. Locked in my left foot, in the process of locking in my right and moving to the saddle, the chamois snagged on the saddle, I started to tip to the right and just fell because I couldn't think quick enough how to get out of the pedal. I got a nice set of scratches on my right calf I think from where it came down on the back wheel.

SO.. I dress my wounds, recover my ego, and off I go. Riding was GREAT! Stopping ... Needs work LOL. I fell one more time (this time with witnesses :o ) before I figured out that I need to unclip both shoes before I stop, not just one. For some reason, if I do one, when I put my foot down, the bike goes the other way, I loose balance and ... It isn't pretty LOL. I'll get it.

15346

[indysteel]

Go to a parking lot or a flat grassy area and practice. First practice coming to a stop without clipping in at all. Learn to come to a stop with only one foot down. Then practice it clipped in. I know there are different attitudes about this, but I think it's better to stop by unclipping just one foot. It's faster in emergency situations and makes getting started again from a stop easier. Better to learn that from the beginning though IMO than to unlearn a different habit.

[luvmyguys]

Thanks to those who answered my float question. Interesting timing - I've been spinning before I get The Bike (which may be soon, happydancehappydance), and I recently got a pair of cycling shoes. Tuesday morning was my first class with them, and my knee was acting funny afterward. NOW, the bikes were recently changed out for Keiser bikes, so I suspect maybe that the settings still need adjustment. However, it's something I'll keep an eye on, and will be aware of when I get The Bike and associated pedals (the Speedplay Frogs look quite interesting!).

[luvmyguys]

So after quite an education here, from my BF and the wonderful man at the LBS, I ended up with SPD SLs and Serfas Podiums. The bike was delivered, built and I went back to pick up. On the trainer, I got the hang of clipping out pretty quickly. No big deal, I thought LOL

Got the new baby home, threw on my new Garneau shorts (love them by the way, and they did fit me true to size) and was going to go for a test drive. Stepped over the top rail. Locked in my left foot, in the process of locking in my right and moving to the saddle, the chamois snagged on the saddle, I started to tip to the right and just fell because I couldn't think quick enough how to get out of the pedal. I got a nice set of scratches on my right calf I think from where it came down on the back wheel.

SO.. I dress my wounds, recover my ego, and off I go. Riding was GREAT! Stopping ... Needs work LOL. I fell one more time (this time with witnesses :o ) before I figured out that I need to unclip both shoes before I stop, not just one. For some reason, if I do one, when I put my foot down, the bike goes the other way, I loose balance and ... It isn't pretty LOL. I'll get it.

15346

Oooooh, preeeetttyyyy! (Sorry to hear about the fall!)

[radacrider]

Nice, new bike.

Maybe 1 recommendation? Load your bike with the front wheel on the left. Looks like your exhaust is blowing right at that front wheel.

Enjoy that new bike! :)

[Catrin]

SO.. I dress my wounds, recover my ego, and off I go. Riding was GREAT! Stopping ... Needs work LOL. I fell one more time (this time with witnesses :o ) before I figured out that I need to unclip both shoes before I stop, not just one. For some reason, if I do one, when I put my foot down, the bike goes the other way, I loose balance and ... It isn't pretty LOL. I'll get it.


Beautiful bike, and congratulations! You will get it, it just take practice to expand your muscle memory. Empty parking lots or park roads and grass fields are good places to practice. As Indy suggested, try very hard to not learn by unclipping both feet. I had the same problem when I learned how to clip in, for some reason I didn't want to lean or counter-steer my bike I unclipped/stopped which made it much easier to fall to the clipped in side. It helped me to keep a running mental loop going when I stopped, "slowing, unclip, stand & lean the bike to the side I am unclipping at the same time". This helped me a lot and my body did get it after a time. It just takes practice. Others here may have other suggestions on how they learned.

Also make certain you are applying your brakes enough so that you are stopped by the time your foot hits the ground. I still sometimes am not quite stopped when my foot hits the ground which can cause...less than graceful stopping :)

[Owlie]

Pretty bike! Congratulations!

Personally, I wouldn't have started off with clipless on a new road bike (unless you've ridden one before, which you may have mentioned and I'm not awake enough to catch it). Anyway. You don't need to unclip both feet when stopping. It delays getting moving again, because you've got two feet you've got to get into the pedals. Yes, you will unclip one foot and then lean the bike in the wrong direction. It happens. You will eventually learn not to. Like Catrin, I had to make a mental list of what to do to stop smoothly: "Back brake, unclip, front brake, get out of saddle, lean bike, foot down." Eventually, it became second nature, and the pauses between these got shorter...and now it's become "back brake, front brake, unclip." I second Catrin's suggestion--go out in a parking lot or a field. Pick a foot (I'm right-footed), and try to consistently stop and unclip only that foot.

[Crankin]

Yes, practice unclipping with one foot. There is no need ever to unclip with both feet. In fact, if I tried t do that, I would crash, for sure. With practice, the motion of unclip, lean, put foot down is one motion and intuitive.
When I started using clipless pedals, I spent about 2 weeks riding around some neighborhoods with one foot clipped and the other leg dangling down, just resting on the pedal. Then, I felt silly when pedaling along like that, and started clipping in with both feet, but making sure I unclipped one foot way before I needed to.

[jyyanks]

Wow - I never thought to unclip with one foot! Will start doing tat now. I learn something new everyday on this forum!

[Catrin]

I still unclip my right foot a bit early. I do think it is a signal to a driver behind me that I am getting ready to do SOMETHING a bit in advance, if they are paying attention. Perhaps they don't notice, but that has become my habit. I CAN unclip/stop quickly, I just prefer to do it that way.

[zoom-zoom]

I still unclip my right foot a bit early. I do think it is a signal to a driver behind me that I am getting ready to do SOMETHING a bit in advance, if they are paying attention. Perhaps they don't notice, but that has become my habit. I CAN unclip/stop quickly, I just prefer to do it that way.

I tend to do this, too...for the same reason.

[Owlie]

I still unclip my right foot a bit early. I do think it is a signal to a driver behind me that I am getting ready to do SOMETHING a bit in advance, if they are paying attention. Perhaps they don't notice, but that has become my habit. I CAN unclip/stop quickly, I just prefer to do it that way.

I absolutely still do this if I'm riding with others (who may have unusual interpretations of stop signs), am on the road, or if I anticipate needing to stop otherwise. If I'm out on empty roads or the bike trail by myself, well, see my post above. ;)