Pedal confusion

[murielalex]

I'm new again to cycling, having just started up again after 15 years. I just got SPD pedals on my Trek FX 7.5, the two-sided kind, which I've decided I'm going to keep since in a particularly dangerous, traffic-wise, part of town, I've already grown fond of having one foot unclipped and on the platform side for about a mile since I'm stopping every few seconds. I'm keeping this bike as my commuter. I'm also having a custom Gunnar Sport built right now, and co-workers have signed me up to be on their team for 165 mile, two-day charity ride. I'll be using this bike for training, longer pleasure rides, etc. So....I've been thinking about pedals and shoes, and trying to read up here and elsewhere, but I really don't understand the choices and what makes one style preferable over another. Any help would be appreciated.

[ny biker]

I was happy with SPDs on my mountain and road bikes, though I had occasional knee problems with the road bike (which I ride for longer distances).

When I got a new road bike, the knee problems got worse, so I switched to Speedplay pedals. They're more comfortable for me because they have more float.

[Owlie]

I'm new again to cycling, having just started up again after 15 years. I just got SPD pedals on my Trek FX 7.5, the two-sided kind, which I've decided I'm going to keep since in a particularly dangerous, traffic-wise, part of town, I've already grown fond of having one foot unclipped and on the platform side for about a mile since I'm stopping every few seconds. I'm keeping this bike as my commuter. I'm also having a custom Gunnar Sport built right now, and co-workers have signed me up to be on their team for 165 mile, two-day charity ride. I'll be using this bike for training, longer pleasure rides, etc. So....I've been thinking about pedals and shoes, and trying to read up here and elsewhere, but I really don't understand the choices and what makes one style preferable over another. Any help would be appreciated.

I ride with SPDs on my road bike (the M540s). The thing I like about SPDs is that I can walk in my bike shoes with little difficulty because the cleats are recessed. What I don't love about them, unfortunately, is that I get painful spots on the bottoms of my feet on long rides. (To be honest, I'm not sure if it's the cleats, the shoes, or the pedals themselves.) The nice thing about these is that they're inexpensive as far as pedals go, but were pretty light for the money. For my next road bike (I'm also considering a CX bike), I'm thinking of getting Look-style pedals for a number of reasons, one of them being that I seem to need a pretty stiff shoe, and women's road shoes seem to be more available than higher-end women's mountain bike shoes. (Shallow, just a little...)

It really comes down to your style of riding and how you're put together. Some people prefer Look-style pedals (3-bolt cleat) for long road rides because of the large contact area. It matters less for mountain biking (which is what the SPDs were designed for), because you're getting off the bike more often to go around obstacles, so the high pressure that you're putting on one spot on your foot is less of an issue. I really like the walkability (totally a word!) of the recessed cleat, though.

Float is also a consideration, and varies between pedals--I'd work with a good fitter on that to see what your knees like. In addition, different people find it easier to get in and out of different pedals.

[Melalvai]

I'm a commuter, and I actually have ONE (and only one!) toe cage, on my right pedal. That is because I'm a right-footed stopper. In town I stop & start frequently and having the right toe cage lets me pull my pedal up into start position quickly.

Having a left cage was just annoying because I was always fumbling to get my foot back into it. It was easier to just omit the left cage.

I like the toe cage over SPD because I can wear whatever shoe I was going to wear to work.

That said, I have never actually tried SPD. If I ever do get a road bike, I think I would like to have SPD and the shoes. I wouldn't use that for commuting. I wouldn't use it for mountain biking either--if I ever were to get a mountain bike.

My ideal bike fleet consists of my commuter, a winter commuter, a road bike, a mountain bike, a folding bike, and a bent.

My actual 'fleet' consists of my commuter, which I also use for recreational rides.

[Catrin]

I tried SPD pedals on my LHT and my custom Gunnar, my knees hate them. I wound up with Speedplay Frogs (a mtb pedal) that I use for road riding - love them! I do mountain bike but currently use a good pair of BMX pedals for that bike.

That being said, you don't HAVE to clip in. Nothing wrong with a good pair of BMX pedals, and while they will scar your legs, you do learn how to stop without pedal slap. I prefer BMX over other platform pedals because my feet stay on the pedals much better on them - I won't use toe cages.

Do you have a bike store with a fitter you trust? They might let you check out different pedals on their trainer to see what you think...

[hulagirl]

That being said, you don't HAVE to clip in.

Meet my solution:

Speedplay Drillium

I run these on my non-racing bike (currently a sexy new Surly Cross-Check). I use Blue Bird for city errands, heading off to lunch/breakfast or the beach, grocery shopping, and training. Because of the wide use I didn't want to lock into 1 specific shoe. So I use the Drillium's because they GRIP everything. The little spikes are actually threaded screw end that hold almost any shoe really well. They are wide and supportive and not at all heavy.

I can safely do an out of saddle sprint in flip-flops, tennis shoes, or sandals without fear of sliding off the pedals. Wet or dry. Highly recommend them.

[Koronin]

I've got Forte Campus Pedals on my road bike. Platform on one side, clipless on the other side. I just can't fully get comfortable clipping in with my right foot, so I stick with these for the road bike and my mountain bike has platform pedals on it.
Here's a link to the Fortes I have:
http://www.performancebike.com/bikes...1586500_400937

[Catrin]

Meet my solution:

Speedplay Drillium

I run these on my non-racing bike (currently a sexy new Surly Cross-Check). I use Blue Bird for city errands, heading off to lunch/breakfast or the beach, grocery shopping, and training. Because of the wide use I didn't want to lock into 1 specific shoe. So I use the Drillium's because they GRIP everything. The little spikes are actually threaded screw end that hold almost any shoe really well. They are wide and supportive and not at all heavy.

I can safely do an out of saddle sprint in flip-flops, tennis shoes, or sandals without fear of sliding off the pedals. Wet or dry. Highly recommend them.

Very nice! If I didn't already have/love my Sunringle Zuzu pedals on my mountain bike I would consider these. If I eventually do get a dedicated commuter bike I will keep these pedals in mind.

[Owlie]

Meet my solution:

Speedplay Drillium

I run these on my non-racing bike (currently a sexy new Surly Cross-Check). I use Blue Bird for city errands, heading off to lunch/breakfast or the beach, grocery shopping, and training. Because of the wide use I didn't want to lock into 1 specific shoe. So I use the Drillium's because they GRIP everything. The little spikes are actually threaded screw end that hold almost any shoe really well. They are wide and supportive and not at all heavy.

I can safely do an out of saddle sprint in flip-flops, tennis shoes, or sandals without fear of sliding off the pedals. Wet or dry. Highly recommend them.

Ooh, I like those. If I buy a commuter/errand bike, I might look into them...