Switching Pedal Styles-Need Advice

[Em-a-Lee]

Hi all,

I am training for a half iron and time's running short for me to make many changes and feel comfortable on race day. However, I have been told (rightly so I think) that I should switch out my SPD mountain bike pedals for a more road friendly Look or SPD-SL style. However, everyone I talk to says that the Look and SL's are much harder to clip out of than the SPD's. I'm looking at some Shimano A600 which use the non-SL cleats but have a bigger platform that's better for road biking. Any thoughts on how easy/difficult Look styles are and/or if people are going to think I'm a weenie for using SPD's.

Thanks for your input!

[indysteel]

I have zero problem clipping out of my Look Keos so long as the tension is set pretty light.

[OakLeaf]

I love my Look Keos, but there's definitely a learning curve clipping in (probably with most other systems). It honestly took me over 3,000 miles before I could reliably clip in without looking.

ETA: Clipping in is easy. Unclipping is easy. Finding the pedal and tipping your foot to the exact angle that will let you clip in and not send the pedal spinning, all without looking at the pedal, takes a bit of practice. You want to be able to do that in a race and I assume you can with the pedals you're using now.

In your mount/dismount area you're going to be hurrying, jacked up mentally, distracted by other competitors and spectators. I'd stick with what you know unless you have a LONG time to train for this one and a specific reason to switch.

[Caddy]

Stick with what you know best and feel the most comfortable with.

I started out with the Look pedals and can now clip in without effort, but I would not make the change before a race.

[azfiddle]

I have the Look Elle pedals - have used Shimano Look style with delta cleats, SPD ( a little) and Time pedals.

Big "no!" on the Time pedals- they were really hard for me to get

The Look Elle pedals are very light tension, easy to get in to - sometimes I have to look down but not often.

They are pretty lightweight, as well.

Hope that is helpful

[indysteel]

I love my Look Keos, but there's definitely a learning curve clipping in (probably with most other systems). It honestly took me over 3,000 miles before I could reliably clip in without looking.

ETA: Clipping in is easy. Unclipping is easy. Finding the pedal and tipping your foot to the exact angle that will let you clip in and not send the pedal spinning, all without looking at the pedal, takes a bit of practice. You want to be able to do that in a race and I assume you can with the pedals you're using now.

In your mount/dismount area you're going to be hurrying, jacked up mentally, distracted by other competitors and spectators. I'd stick with what you know unless you have a LONG time to train for this one and a specific reason to switch.

I find that my timing in hoisting myself up into the saddle as I clip in is what makes the difference between clipping in easily without looking and fumbling around for the pedal. Some rides, my timing is spot on; others it's off.

[Em-a-Lee]

I actually have a little under 2 months, sorry if I put weeks in there, but I think you are right that it's worrisome to try and switch anything out without certainty that I will be able to get used to it before the race. The ones I'm looking at that use the mountain bike style cleats with the bigger base are also one sided so I will have to deal with flipping them over if they're not in the right position.

I guess the bottom line is that I could get something that I will plan on using after the race is over and if I get comfortable enough with it by race time I'll use it, and if not switch is out.

So, Look sounds like the way to go from what you're recommending?

[Em-a-Lee]

Oh, and do the Looks automatically flip to the side you need to clip in or do you have to fumble around with flipping them over? Mine now are two sided so I can do etiher side and no flipping.

[pumpkinpony]

Oh, and do the Looks automatically flip to the side you need to clip in or do you have to fumble around with flipping them over? Mine now are two sided so I can do etiher side and no flipping.

I don't know if there is a difference between the Look pedals, but the pair I got on my bike yesterday hang naturally upside-down, so I'm fumbling with flipping them over... they spin well too if you flip them too hard.

[pll]

I used to have SPDs and, in one bike, I had the single sided SPD (platform on the other side) and found them to be a pain. The platform side is always up.

The Look pedals are very nice. This season, I switched to Keo 2 Max (which supposedly has the widest support platform in their product line). I like a lot, I have more power pedaling and my feet are less tired in long rides, but I have not mastered the art of clipping in yet! As a contrast, with the SPDs, I think the pedals clipped in as soon they saw my foot approaching... Unclipping from the Looks is not a problem at all. The Looks flip to almost perpendicular to the ground. Here's a picture so you can see what I mean:

[indysteel]

I don't know if there is a difference between the Look pedals, but the pair I got on my bike yesterday hang naturally upside-down, so I'm fumbling with flipping them over... they spin well too if you flip them too hard.

When I first got them, I went back to the bike shop totally confused as to why they do that. Whatever they said at the time didn't really make sense to me. In any event, thye do work. When I'm stopped at a stop light, I make sure to rotate the pedal with my toe so that's at pedal is in the midnight or 1 o'clock position. I then rest my foot gently on the and that my foot is resting lightly on it. Once the light goes green, it's a question of hoisting myself to the saddle while at the same time pushing the pedal around and exerting enough pressure to clip in as the pedal reaches about 5 o'clock (I'm approximating here because I'm not quite sure where that perfect spot it on the revolution). If i get it right, I should be able to clip in that first revolution. If I get it wrong, I just continue to pedal through the intersection and fuss with it as soon as I'm through.

I'm making it sound harder than it really is. While i'm sure everyone fumbles around a bit, I actually think Keos are pretty user friendly. Other than making sure the cleats are mud free and replacing them as they wear, they're relatively maintenance free and un-fussy. I've never had a problem with them.

[OakLeaf]

I'm having trouble visualizing that. Which foot is on the ground then???

I'm not going to trust that my muscle memory is talking to my verbal brain correctly, on where exactly in the pedal stroke I clip in. I'd guess it's somewhere just after 12:00, after the pedal I'm launching with has passed the bottom of its stroke, but I wouldn't swear to that.

But the deal is, the pedal hangs tipped up so that you can catch it with your toe on the way around and just slide your foot right in. It winds up being a clamshell-type motion more than stepping on top of the pedal. Front of cleat hits pedal, catches front of clip, pushes pedal to horizontal, rear of cleat pops in.

And yeah, if you miss and send the pedal spinning, you can always pedal one-legged until you're through the intersection (or whatever).

[indysteel]

I'm having trouble visualizing that. Which foot is on the ground then???

I'm not going to trust that my muscle memory is talking to my verbal brain correctly, on where exactly in the pedal stroke I clip in. I'd guess it's somewhere just after 12:00, after the pedal I'm launching with has passed the bottom of its stroke, but I wouldn't swear to that.

But the deal is, the pedal hangs tipped up so that you can catch it with your toe on the way around and just slide your foot right in. It winds up being a clamshell-type motion more than stepping on top of the pedal. Front of cleat hits pedal, catches front of clip, pushes pedal to horizontal, rear of cleat pops in.

And yeah, if you miss and send the pedal spinning, you can always pedal one-legged until you're through the intersection (or whatever).

I unclip with my right foot. Left is on the ground. When I'm ready to go--say, when the light turn's green--I hoist myself up and, as I do that, my right foot starts to spin the pedal down and around. Somewhere after 12 o'clock and before 6 o'clock, I clip in--assuming I got my timing right.

Next time I'm on my road bike, I'll pay closer attention to it. It's so automatic now; I can't say I have all the details right. Sadly, I haven't been on my road bike in a few weeks, either.

[OakLeaf]

Ah, so you're rotating the left pedal with your toe until you clip in. I think I get it now - pretty much the same thing I do.

[OakLeaf]

I've been paying attention the last couple of rides, and it turns out that what I do is actually catch the pedal with the top of my toe on the "back" side, before it hits 12:00, maybe around 10:00 or so. Then as the crankarm comes around, I push the pedal horizontal with my toe and slide the cleat into it. It's probably around 2:00 where I click in, just in time for the power phase of the pedal stroke with that foot (yeah I know I could pedal more evenly ).