A question from the mechanically challenged one...

[Livin the Dream]

First, just let me say that I have almost no mechanical aptitude

Now, on to my questions. I have been spinning with SPD pedals all winter. Now I'm ready to put the clipless pedals on my road bike. Do I need a special tool to swap out the pedals? Is this an easy task?

Second question -- I just bought a different bike to take camping. I'd like to put an odometer on it. If I order an inexpensive one from Nashbar or somewhere, will I go nuts installing it and getting to work?

I appreciate any responses!

Thanks,
LTD

[Fredwina]

It shouldn't be problem, but then I usually get called on for mid ride mishaps

[parity]

Now, on to my questions. I have been spinning with SPD pedals all winter. Now I'm ready to put the clipless pedals on my road bike. Do I need a special tool to swap out the pedals? Is this an easy task?

You need this to take off the existing pedals and put on some Shimano SPD pedals:

http://www.parktool.com/products/det...7&item=PW%2D4#

Other pedals like Shimano SPD-L, Look, etc use hex wrenches for installation. But I suggest you go to a bike shop and buy the pedals. This way you can also have them put them on your bike and also do a fit for you (maybe for an additional charge). The most important thing is getting cleats in the right spot. You may think you have them right since you have been using them on a spin bike. But in reality the setup on your road bike is different then the spin bike and you will be probably putting in longer hours on your road bike. Things can feel fine after 45-60 mins on a spin bike but after you have ridden 2+ hours on a road bike do you start to really notice when things aren't right.

[Zen]

Switching out pedals and installing cleats are about the only mechanical things I trust myself to do

Get yourself a pedal wrench for about 20 bucks and a multi-tool (which you should have anyway) with an Allen wrench to install your own cleats. You can then adjust your own cleats as needed.

[madscot13]

yes I can do this too. actually I can do this with pedals Zen sent me!

[Triskeliongirl]

These are both trivial tasks, but you will need to change your attitude. I think this fear of mechanical things is not uncommin in many women, and related to 'math anxiety.' The key, is to approach it logically. For anything you want to do mechanically, just look at it, ask yourself how it works, and then it will be obvious what you need to do. For example, pedals, all you need to do (with the right tool) is loosen the old ones until they come off, place the new ones on (with grease of course) and tighten. One trick though, is that the direction that tightens is not the same for both pedals. Here, to reason it, ask which direction do you need to turn so the pedal so it tightens rather than loosens as you pedal.

If you are new to mechanics, I recommend buying a book to walk you through things, like the park tools blue book or Lennard Zinns the art of road bicycle maintenance (I have both). They'll also explain the non-obvious, such as when to use lubrication, what kind, how much, etc.). Its all really easy, especially the tasks you asked about.

[Grog]

Yes, these are easy tasks you can do yourself. It will make you feel empowered. They are great tasks for beginners to tackle.

1) Pedals: You need a pedal wrench, but you can also most likely do this with a hex key as most higher-end bike pedals (i.e. those you clip in compared to $10 platform pedals) have a hex-shaped "hole" (for lack of a better word - forgive my English at this early hour). The pedals that came with your bike probably don't have the hex "hole"; and a pedal wrench just gets the job done faster when you take the pedals OFF.

To take pedals OFF your bike, you need to unscrew towards the BACK of the bike. You're "stopping" to cycle (as you'll have no pedals) so you go "backwards".

To put pedals ON your bike, you need to screw towards the FRONT of the bike. You want to GO for a bike ride so you screw FORWARD. As you pedal, both pedals get more tighten as you pedal forward.

2) Putting the odometer on is really easy. You'll probably be a few minutes slower than a shop person when you do it just because you're not used to, but it's really NOT hard and NOT technical at all. Just read the instructions that come with it. The delicate part is to carefully wrap the wire (if there is one involved) around your brake cables, loose enough that they don't constrain your steering, without having loose cable all over the place. Just look at other people's bikes to get the idea.

After you've done that, you can teach yourself to change a flat, if you don't already know how. This is an essential skill and if only for safety purposes - you don't want to be stranded somewhere strange with a flat tire waiting for a prince to come and help you - a very important one to have.

Mechanics classes are GREAT, I strongly encourage you to attend one! Even if I actually don't fix my own brakes and gears usually I'm glad to know I can do it, and I can fix things at least temporarily on the fly as needed.

Enjoy!

[Zen]

These are both trivial tasks

What's trivial to one may be monumental to another. It's relative.