"mountain" and "road" pedals

In article , Jim
Higson wrote:

I'm looking to buy some clipless pedals for my mountain and road bikes. I
don't really want to buy two pairs of shoes or have to keep swapping cleats
over. I also want pedals that work with "walkable" shoes.

I'm thinking of just putting double-sided "mountain" type SPD pedals on both
bikes. They appeal because they're cheap and fit the requirements of only
needing one pair of shoes. Shimano's entry level M520 look OK, and the more
expensive models seems just to offer weight reduction, which I'm not all
that bothered about. Plus the double-sided thing sounds like a good idea
for the road as well as off it for getting in and out quickly at traffic
lights.

Will they cause any problems on the road bike? Really, I can't really see
there being all that much difference in the performance of pedals for
road/mountain use. I mostly do fairly fast riding at weekends, and some
light touring.

The only alternative I can find of road/mountain pedals that use the same
cleats is the Crank Bros ones. The egg beaters look very... interesting.
Maybe I'll try some one day.

On a related note, what makes the egg beaters "XC" pedals and not road
racing pedals? I'd have thought it'd road racers would take the reduced
weight version over the MTBers. What makes the nude egg beaters unsuited to
road cycling?

Thanks for any insight,

No your proposal will not cause any problems. Indeed, as you
anticipate, it will prevent a few by obviating the need for different
shoe/cleat combinations.

Consider opting for SPD half and half pedals (
http://tinyurl.com/y3s4df , http://tinyurl.com/ut5wx ) if you want the
added versatility of using non-cycling footwear with your ride.

Luke

Johnny Sunset aka Tom Sherman wrote:

You will be considered a "Fred" if you use ATB pedals on a road bike.
This offense is a serious as wearing a wool jersey, riding a steel
framed bicycle, having conventional 36-spoke wheels, down-tube or
bar-end shifters, less than 10 gears in back, a triple crank in front,
tires wider than 23-mm, fenders, etc.

I already qualify for 5 out of 9 of those so going to 6 by getting ATB
pedals won't hurt

I just need a wool jersey, wider tyres and fenders and I can be a 9/9
Fred

I have come to prefer the "single release" SH-51 "S" SPD cleats over
the "multi-release" SH-55 "M" cleats as they offer a few degrees of
float and do not have the same potential for accidental release when
hammering.

The SH-51 are what come with the pedals. Since I'll have two pairs of cleats
I'll probably be using them for quite some time anyway. Thanks for the
advice on avoiding the multi-release, I didn't think they sounded like a
very good idea..

John Forrest Tomlinson wrote:

Yeah, with SPDs it gets harder to get out of the pedals as the cleats
wear. What is it with Look cleats?

That hasn't been my experience with SPDs. I use the black single
release cleats and I've only experienced unexpected releases when they
where significantly worn (9-12,000 miles usually).

--
Dane Buson -
"Two wrongs don't make a right--three lefts do."

Matt O'Toole wrote:
Unless you do, there's no reason to use the far less convenient
single sided road pedals

Probably personal preference, but I find clicking into my single
sided SPD pedals (6500, A520) easier than into my double sided ones
(747). The first always hang in the same position...

--
MfG/Best regards
helmut springer

In article
,
"* * Chas" wrote:

"Michael Press" wrote in message
...
In article
,
"* * Chas" wrote:

I still ride with toe clips because I haven't found any clipless
shoes
that comfortably fit my size 10 1/2 EEEE feet (size 44-45 ultra
wide)!

I had trouble fitting the width of my feet until I
started buying longer shoes; longer than the nominal
length of my feet. Suddenly the width problem
disappeared. I eventually was told that my feet are
10 1/2 from heel to arch, though they are nominal
9 1/2 E* overall. From arch to toes my feet are wider
and shorter than the `norm', though the sheer numbers
of people who have trouble fitting width suggest that
shoe manufacturers deliberately make shoes narrower
than they should. A shoe that fits too narrowly at the
metatarsal arch will wear out more quickly by bursting
the upper and tearing out of the welt.

--
Michael Press

I have the same kind of feet. Great for swimming but tough to find shoes
that fit. When I was in my teens I wore size 12 1/2 or 13 E shoes for
the same reason. As I got older and could afford better quality shoes I
could get size 11 E that fit. My feet have gradually gotten shorter and
wider while my high arch has remained the same.

I found that with cycling shoes that are too long, they eventually
stretch from the back and forth stresses of pedaling and I start to get
heal blisters or they start to dig into the tops of my toes from flexing
while walking. I tried on several pairs of Shimano clipless shoes (45 &
46) that were to long they had both problems.

I still have 3 pairs of old fashioned cycling shoes left. When they wear
out I'll have to bite the bullet.

I should have added that I bought Shimano brand mtb
shoes in a 45 (US 10 1/2). They are entirely
comfortable over many hours of riding. I talked to a
gent out on the road wearing the same model shoe. He
says he switched to the Shimano shoes and was jubilant,
as his previous shoes were all very uncomfortable.

--
Michael Press

In article
.com
,
"amakyonin" wrote:

Jim Higson wrote:
I'm looking to buy some clipless pedals for my mountain and road bikes. I
don't really want to buy two pairs of shoes or have to keep swapping cleats
over. I also want pedals that work with "walkable" shoes.

The only alternative I can find of road/mountain pedals that use the same
cleats is the Crank Bros ones. The egg beaters look very... interesting.
Maybe I'll try some one day.

On a related note, what makes the egg beaters "XC" pedals and not road
racing pedals? I'd have thought it'd road racers would take the reduced
weight version over the MTBers. What makes the nude egg beaters unsuited to
road cycling?

I recommend you get the Eggbeaters. They work perfectly fine on a road
bike and the four-sided entry is immensely useful for clipping in
quickly after a stop in traffic. The excellent ground clearance and low
weight doesn't hurt either. The cleats aren't held in by spring tension
like SPDs so you can't accidentally clip out of them when pulling hard.
The only real disadvantages are that you can roll your foot off the
pedal when riding unclipped and you can untentionally unclip if you
bash the bottom of the peal on a rock. The former is not a problem with
practice and the latter shouldn't be an issue on a road bike. There was
at least one pro roadie racing on them in years past.

Thanks, you reminded me of another advantage of the
SPD's. When starting from a traffic stop I can put the
unclipped foot on the pedal and apply heavy force
without trying to clip in and without fear of my foot
slipping off. Great for my utility bicycle around town.

--
Michael Press

amakyonin wrote:
If you can find them, you should get a pair of the now-discontinued
Look 4x4s which are original style eggbeaters with a superior needle
bearing on the inboard side. Barring that, look for the EB SL (or S) or
Quattros. The latter being a roadie tailored version also with a better
inboard bearing. All EBs will work with two bolt "mountain" shoes which
is what you will have to go with to meet your walkability requirement.
You don't need the platform provided by the Quattro, Candy and other
models. I have the Candies for winter use but personally prefer the
platformless design for my normal riding.

I'm thinking about getting Candies or Quattros. Could you please
elaborate on your platform vs. non-platform preference?

TIA
--
Paul M. Hobson
Georgia Institute of Technology
..:change the f to ph to reply:.

Matt O'Toole wrote:

On Sun, 15 Oct 2006 07:08:16 -0700, Mark Hickey wrote:

Yeah, what he said. I've been running Ritchey SPD pedals on most of the
road bike rides I've done for many years. They're also single-release
pedals and cleats, and I've had very little isssue with them popping out
even though I tend to keep the pedal release tension set fairly low.
Granted, if a ride was going to turn into an all-out sprint-fest I'd opt
for the trusty Look pedals and cleats (and the nicer shoes they're
attached to), but for 99.5% of the riding I do, they work great (and
look more "svelte" than the semi-clunky Look pedals - so you see, the
fashion thing can go both ways). ;-)

I'm sure Ritchey pedals and cleats are great together, but I've had
problems using Ritchey cleats with Shimano pedals. Other riders I know
have reported the same problem mixing various brands. So while SPD-type
pedals are advertised as being cross-compatible, they're really not. IMO
Shimano are still the best, but they're all pretty good as long as you
stick with the same brand of pedals and cleats.

This situation is an artifact of the history of Ritchey pedals. When
they were first released (no pun intended) they had a very, very
similar - but NOT identical - to the SPD cleat. The Ritchey cleat
would work reasonably well in Shimano SPD pedals, but the other way
around (which is where most folks got their first impression of
Ritchey pedals) didn't work so well.

However, all the Ritchey SPD pedals have been "fully SPD compatible"
for years now - you should be able to swap back and forth with
impunity.

I use Shimano "MTB" SPDs on both my bikes, with "MTB" shoes. Some people
report fewer problems with "hotspots" and pulling out with road pedals,
but I've never had these problems. Unless you do, there's no reason to
use the far less convenient single sided road pedals, with oversized, less
walkable cleats.

Hey, some of us might LIKE walking like constipated ducks!

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $795 ti frame

In article . com,
"landotter" wrote:

seconded. That sounds like a big ole smear of brown roadie BS.Tighten
them down nicely and most spds will grip as well as any mere mortal
will ever need. Unless you have special needs knees, don't **** away
your money on special needs pedals. The basic Shimanos, or even Wellgo
800s ($40), or the house branded Wellgos like Nashbar are great. Cleats
are ubiquitous and inexpensive as well.

The associated question now is what are the pros and cons of using road
shoes with SPD cleats/pedals? One salesman told me that SPD system
sometimes can crack the sole and they had a number of customers coming
back with that problem. Is that also BS?
--

Artoi wrote:
In article . com,
"landotter" wrote:

seconded. That sounds like a big ole smear of brown roadie BS.Tighten
them down nicely and most spds will grip as well as any mere mortal
will ever need. Unless you have special needs knees, don't **** away
your money on special needs pedals. The basic Shimanos, or even Wellgo
800s ($40), or the house branded Wellgos like Nashbar are great. Cleats
are ubiquitous and inexpensive as well.

The associated question now is what are the pros and cons of using road
shoes with SPD cleats/pedals? One salesman told me that SPD system
sometimes can crack the sole and they had a number of customers coming
back with that problem. Is that also BS?


Pure, highly refined, sales weapon grade LBS BS.