Question about Pedals

[kjay]

My first post! Yippee! Have been riding a hybrid for about four years and know absolutely nothing about pedals with clips/clipless, etc. What are the advantages and disadvantages?

I had a total hip replacement about a year and a half ago. Sometimes when I shift to make pedaling easier, my leg will fly out and off the pedal and cause a huge amount of pain in my new hip. Will the use of different pedals make a difference?

Am really enjoying reading all of the postings here, and the shopping is terrific.

Thanks in advance.

[BikeLady]

I can't recommend clipless pedals enough! They make a HUGE difference. It sounds scary, but your feet aren't really locked onto the pedals, and your bike handling skills and speed will improve immediately! If you aren't sure about making the switch, start with a multi-purpose pedal (Shimano 324 or similar) that has a clipless binding on one side and a regular cage on the other. I started that way, riding with just one foot clipped in until I got used to the feel. You'll fall at least once, but it's a rite of passage

If you have a good bike shop, ask them for help setting up your shoes. Most people who aren't happy with clipless pedals seem to have their cleats in the wrong place, which can be downright painful. Don't be afraid to shift them around until you find a comfortable riding position.

Enjoy!

[goddess1222]

i second BikeLady about having the cleats set up properly. make sure you go to a reputable lbs that knows what they are doing. so many of them don't. ask around. if you have buddies, they may have some recommendations.

[missliz]

For the 'normals' jumping on to clipless is one thing, but with a hip replacement you need to talk to somebody knowledgable, like a first class physical therapist who rides, or at least will understand why your hip is doing this. I don't have a hip replacement, but I've spent the last two years in PT as I was put back together by an orthopedics department and learned a few things about it talking to other patients. I'm dating a guy who's seven months out from his hip replacement and my god is his gait screwed up. He's not athletic (hence not my prince, either) and won't get it checked and it looks like trouble to me.
Where there is pain and weird actions, there is trouble brewing. It may be simple to fix, but I doubt clipless are going to solve this problem and could really screw you up worse.
Platform pedals will cut you a lot of slack on things like leg length discrepancy and subtle misalignments that clipless won't. Leg length differences are common after joint replacement, even after rebuilds with no new parts. Get checked for this FIRST and they can shim your cleat up to compensate. The forces of pedaling on two different length legs can screw with your knees and SI joints down the road.
Go with MT bike pedals, and I'd get Speedplays if you can afford them. You want lots of "float", more than in the crappy Shimano/Richey/ Wellgo pedals. Don't get ATACs, they're fabulous but not for beginners, theres a trick to clicking out of them. I hear good things about the 'eggbeater' pedals.
Clipless are great, but I'd want to see somebody about why my hip is doing funky things first. Attaching your foot to the pedal may just cause more trouble. Any funkiness in leg length or gait can be compensated for by a good mechanic, but only if they know about it up front. I'd also learn the basics of spin- join a touring club, they'll teach you. Technique will either fix problems or expose their cause.
Another possibility- use clips and straps. I'm back to these right now 'cos my knees are still healing and you can get the power transfer benefits of clipless but your foot can pull out easier with a loose strap. And you can use MT bike or touring shoes with them. Which do you want to yank on, a nylon strap or major surgical reconstruction?
All that rehab was too awfull to be careless with your biomechanical function now. I know, I've done it. Get looked at, and if your PT or orthopod isn't going to be helpfull go elsewhere.

missliz

[MightyMitre]

I agree with missliz. Assuming you're giving the ok to use clipless pedals I would DEFINITILY go for Speedplays. I started off with Look Pedals which are very popular in the UK for road bikes, but even after 6 months I still had trouble getting out of them and this made me a very nervous rider.
Not only are Looks tricky to get the right position ( they only have to be out be a small amount to be wrong) but the lack of float led to a problem with my knee.

My Speedplays are totally brilliant and well worth the money. There's tones of float so you can move your knees around loads and they couldn't be easier to get out of. It improve my confidence (and knee no end)

[missliz]

I hear all good about Speedplays, and they're an easy fix for knee alignment problems, but if you ever get the chance get looked at for patellar alignment trouble. I had my knees chewed up by cycling with femoral patella syndrome that turned into bigger problems. Iliobiotal band tightness will do this too. Red LOOK cleats shouldn't be that big a problem. The Speed plays will get you years of slack, but the second you get pain back get looked at. When I say knees chewed up, I mean no more cartilage on the back of the kneecaps, and it's a *****. It hurts. You can fix these things with exercises and improve your pedal stroke too, but once the wear happens it's arthritis and you want to avoid it!
Get on the trainer in front of a good mirror and put sticky dots on your knees, or Sharpie marker, whatever, then warm up and watch the dots. They should go straight up and down, in a straight line ( watch Lance's kneecaps in the Tour). If the dots corkscrew or oscillate or do figure eights, you have a VERY common knee alignment problem. Floatier pedals will buy you time, but you want to work on the muscles that make the patella track properly. These same exercises make you look hot in mini skirts, so don't freak. Easy and well worth it.
I had to get my kneecaps released surgicly- too many orthopods are pigs who don't beleive the female athlete is possible and so I didn't get dealt with the easy way ay twenty two, so at forty two I'm facing knee replacement. Hopefully they'll invent something better before I get that bad.
My point is, Speedplays are great, keep 'em forever, but they compensate for a biomechanical problem. You need to be aware of this to keep your knees in the best possible shape at eighty, 'cos the Bicycle Nation is the only place that will still let you wear neon spandex and think you perfectly normal at that age. Seen it, looking forward to it.

missliz

Meaning to be helpfull, not alarmist.

[goddess1222]

hey liz. i can tell you i am watching ALOT more than lance's knees in the tour. heee heeee.

[MightyMitre]

Thanks missliz - that's very good advice. The problem is with the tracking on my kneecap but I've been to a sports pysio several times and I've got all sorts of inner thigh exersises etc to help build up the less developed muscles, and do these a couple of times a week. Apparently it's very common.

I also spend some time on the home trainer taking a close look at my pedaling actions but i haven't tried marking my knee caps. I'll certainly give this a try.

Cheers for the advice.

Goddess1222 - current favouite has to be Johan Museeuw from Quickstep team. I was watching Het Volk on Eurosport the other week and Museeuw won. As he was changing before the podium presentations he ripped of his jersey and I've never seen such a buffed cyclist .Makes a change from the normally skinny little guys!

[goddess1222]

hey mighty mitre, there is nothing like beautifully shaven cyclist legs. my ex boyfriend is a huge cyclist and i used to just stare at his legs.

i wonder if they have any photos of your guy on cyclingnews.com. i will have to check it out. he sounds absolutely lovely.

[MightyMitre]

Goddess1222 - I think there were some pictures on cyclingnews - none topless though. (lol)
Yes - I agree, you can't quite beat a shaved tannned leg.

Ah ... roll on the summer!

[missliz]

Hey Goddess, it's not just Lance- 180 fine buff boys in spandex with the earlier mentioned tan shaved legs...
Which is a practical thing, for road rash, and the summer racing is so grueling in Europe, the Tour worst of all. Do you think they get waxed? Less upkeep that way, no fooling with a razor in the shower after a tough day.
There's quite a fad for shaving around here in the twenty something athletic guy set, (all sports), and I find myself becoming such a dirty old lady ogling the fellas whenever I'm in a sporting goods store .


missliz




I guess 40 IS a good age, still look good and don't give a damn what the neighbors think.

[goddess1222]

well goddess liz, i don't know if they wax, but i would sure volunteer if they need someone in a pinch. i saw a pack of 6-8 road riders the other day out around town and i nearly drove off the road to get a good look.

[missliz]

Yeah, there's a bunch of them at my gym, and the temptation to just go pet those fabulous legs gets tough. They just lie around on the floor stretching, totally still and easy tempting pickings. I don't think a public pawing would be tolerable, though.. Gotta catch 'em in a bar.

missliz

Goddess, did you get wheels built? What went on there?

[goddess1222]

i called susan at the T.E. office and we chatted some more about wheels. the only thing that is keeping me from doing it this moment is $$$$. story of my life.

i'm also a little torn about what material to have them made with. it sounds like you love yours. steel i believe you said?

susan told me they built her rear wheel, and the wheel was a Mavic. if they are truly "hand built", why would they have a brand name attached to them? wouldn't they just be "hand built wheels from scratch for the fabulous sandi(that's my name)?"

susan also suggested a suspension seat post. going to look into that as well.

for now, i am taking my new Terry seat out for it's maiden voyage tomorrow if the weather holds. i certainly hope it takes care of my "problem." if not, it is back to square one.


sandi

[missliz]

You mean steel rims? Eeewww, no. Can't true a steel rim. Wal marty. Aluminum. All the parts will be brand name stuff, Like you pick your hubs, then rims, spokes, lacing patterns, what you get from good handbuilt wheels is a parts package you want, as opposed to a package somebody else picked out. My MT wheels are Sun rims anodized red, the most chi chi thing going at the time, the hubs are Shimano LX police isue, which is oddball but - my dealer has a police bike concession and they're higher grade than LX, and they're the best ones around with a silent clutch freewheel. Once you ride those, you never go back to tick tick tick tick... And you can sneak up on criminals or deer, depending on whether you're supposed to have those hubs or not.
Mavic is a French manufacturer and makes great rims, but there are other brands. I don't know as much about road rims as MT but the secret is in the building- actually lacing the wheels up when the spokes are installed. And you can get much better spokes in a handbuilt wheel than an original equipment wheel, mostly because most full bikes sold either get upgraded or sit in a garage. There's some crummy part on every complete bike to shave costs and keep the price competitive, like a cheesy seat or a two $ headset. Spokes tend to be pedestrian. ( Is there a bad pun there?) Once you get into hanbuilt wheels and King headsets, you no longer buy bikes. You buy frames.
Anyway, to conclude this evenings ramble, a susp seatpost is a great thing, and if your wheels are rattling or annoying you they can be trued and tensioned and that may help. I'd ride them to peices, learn while I'm doing it, and the Bike Gods will provide when the time comes. Or Susan mentioned a bike parts swap meet up there in the spring? Maybe they'll provide there.

missliz

Actual name- Miss Liz
And full of coceine cough syrup, so if the above rant makes no sense blame it on the poppy.