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shoes and pedals



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 6th 03, 01:03 AM
Pete Biggs
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Default shoes and pedals

Fraggle wrote:
............
Is there any point in NOT getting the shimano M515 pedals (seen em for
£20 or so on the interweb) I quite fancy the smoothness of the A515
single sided road pedal, but as a clipless noob I see the benefit of a
clip on each side


I tried single-sided road SPDs. Put it this way, I stayed a noob! I
never did master the dreadful things despite sticking with them for over a
year.

Can someone suggest a source of cheapish road shoes? I could spend
£50, but if I could get away with last years style for £30 I would be
happy For buying shoes I would prefer to go to a LBS suggestions for a
Newcastle shop with a good range would be good.

I wont be walking anyway on the shoes, so the increased stiffness of
'proper' road shoes, over MTB shoes, seems sensible (or am I wrong?)


That's right, although some of the MTB shoes also have stiff soles. But
proper roadie shoes don't have recesses for the cleats - which defeats a
main advantage of the SPD system - so also consider Look pedals. I prefer
these to SPD. They have larger cleats, a more positive clip-in action and
more float (free rotation). They feel so much more powerful, secure and
comfortable. They are ok in urban traffic once used to them. You can
walk in them if necessary, although not comfortably. Rubber cleat covers
help with safety and prevent wear.

Any advantage of different fasteners? expensive ones all seem to have
2 or 3 pull over ?Velcro? fasteners, where as very cheap ones seem to
have laces. thoughts?


Unlike velcro, laces can get caught in the chain and can't be adjusted on
the move. Velcro can eventually wear out though (loose its stickiness)
and is difficult to replace. Ratchet mechanisms might be the best
solution (I haven't tried them yet).

~PB


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  #2  
Old August 6th 03, 07:04 AM
wafflyDIRTYcatLITTERhcsBOX
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Default shoes and pedals

so also consider Look pedals. I prefer
these to SPD. They have larger cleats, a more positive clip-in action and
more float (free rotation).


Must admit, I'm a Look pedal fan myself. I've even mastered the quick clipping
in and out needed for cycling in traffic (Paris traffic - *yawn*) and have
decided that if I can cycle safely in them in the Parisian rush hour, I should
be able to manage more places than I previously thought I'd be comfortable in.

Nathan has Look pedals too and he took to them like a duck to water. Vernon
uses SPDs and doesn't seem to *quite get the hang of them* to look comfortable.

But I guess it's an individual thing.

Cheers, helen s


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  #3  
Old August 6th 03, 08:47 AM
Toby Barrett
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Default shoes and pedals

Fraggle wrote in
:

Is there any point in NOT getting the shimano M515 pedals (seen em for
œ20 or so on the interweb) I quite fancy the smoothness of the A515
single sided road pedal, but as a clipless noob I see the benefit of a
clip on each side


IMO double-sided are excellent for commuting. I've been using these for a
couple of years. One hint: get the Shimano silver multi-release cleats
(SH55) if you are new to clipless. And practice before going out in
traffic.

Toby

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  #4  
Old August 6th 03, 11:17 AM
Dave Larrington
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Default shoes and pedals

Fraggle wrote:

so if i was to give LOOK a try what should i look for?


I think some of the very low end ones don't have adjustable release tension,
which is a Nice To Have.

They appear to make a range of pedals, all outwardly identical,
ranging in price from £20 to £150 and possibly more!


I like to have some idea where I am on the price/performance curve,
the m515 sound like they are robust enough to stand up to a couple of
years use, how about the low end LOOK pedals? Eg LOOK PP 337


I've recently put a set of these on the #1 Dark Side machine, and so far so
good. The resin-bodied PP206's seem to be rather more expensive now than
they were a year or two ago, when they had the twin advantages of light
weight *and* low price; mine lasted about 11,000 km before becoming
unacceptably sloppy. The metal ones should last a lot longer.

I've been a Look user since 1990, and have seen no reason to change. I did
try SPD's once (borrowed bike) and did not like them at all - I found them
much harder to clip into though this would, I'm sure, improve with practice.

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
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Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
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  #5  
Old August 6th 03, 08:03 PM
Geoff Bowles
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Default shoes and pedals

Exactly!
I have SPDs with Shimano shoes on the mountain bike, and they're as good as
any other stiff-soled trainer for walking
On the Bianchi, I have Look pedals and Specialised shoes, and they are
awkward for walking more than a few hundred metres

Just consider LOOKs very carefully. If you want a shoe that you can get

off
the bike and walk around normally don't get LOOKs, get SPDs. If you don't
mind awkard walking until you have changed your shoes, consider them.



  #6  
Old August 6th 03, 08:42 PM
Pete Biggs
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Default shoes and pedals

Tony Raven wrote:

Just consider LOOKs very carefully. If you want a shoe that you can
get off the bike and walk around normally don't get LOOKs, get SPDs.


That's right except when SPDs are used with "road" shoes with no cleat
recesses (many shoes are both Look and SPD compatible) - when it will also
be impossible to walk /normally/ with the SPD cleat sticking out. I've
tried that combination and it was hardly any more comfortable than Looks
and in fact more slippery. (I don't know if there are rubber covers for
SPD cleats?).

~PB


  #7  
Old August 6th 03, 09:36 PM
Pete Biggs
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Default shoes and pedals

Fraggle wrote:

so if i was to give LOOK a try what should i look for?

They appear to make a range of pedals, all outwardly identical,
ranging in price from £20 to £150 and possibly more!


All the usual-type ones use the same basic mechanism design so they will
feel about the same. A major difference is the retension force. The
cheaper ones tend to be easier to get in and out of - although this is not
much of an issue anyway once used to them.

PP357 is a good quality mid-range model which is being heavily discounted
by some dealers* as new models are introduced. I suggest either going for
that or any of the cheaper models that take your fancy, or possibly PP396.

The models with adjustable float offer up to 9 degrees but I think this
much is available with all Looks anyway when the standard red cleats are
used**.

The PP296 is just a newer slimmer version of the PP396. The 396 has
higher tension at minimum setting than the 357 at min.

Be prepared to replace Look cleats frequently for best and safe
performance. The frequency will depend on how often you put foot down or
how much you walk on them rather than mileage. I get through several
cleats per year and left wears faster than right for me, but other users
get more than a year from each pair. Lowest prices are £3 to £4 per pair
(Wiggle, SJS or eBay).

* eg. www.parker-international.co.uk/components.htm

I like to have some idea where I am on the price/performance curve,
the m515 sound like they are robust enough to stand up to a couple of
years use, how about the low end LOOK pedals? Eg LOOK PP 337


Sorry I don't really know those two models. There are so many! But the
337 looks like a brand new one so won't be such good value for money
simply because older better models have lowered in price.

See http://www.lookcycle.com/english/cat...03/pedales.htm for some of the
current and new ones.

does anyone have anything good bad or indifferent to say about
http://www.xpedia.co.uk


I've used them a few times - ok service. They are charging separately for
cleats. That's naughty as they're normally supplied as standard with all
Look pedals. Other dealers have similar prices but with cleats included.
Check ads in Cycling Weekly mag for special offers.

** It's interesting Xpedia claim red cleats offer 5 degrees of float. I
thought it was 9 degrees (as some other sources clearly state). I'm not
100% sure now :-( If I'm wrong on this, then I recommend an adjustable
float model. I've got 396's and the 9 degree setting feels so much more
comfortable than less (but can always be turned to 6, 3 or 0 degrees if
you prefer less).

~PB


  #8  
Old August 6th 03, 11:35 PM
Fraggle
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Default shoes and pedals

"Pete Biggs" wrote in
:

snip lots of great stuff


Thanks for the comprehensive responses! I have decided that I will go and
look at some LOOK stuff at my LBS (though I am not too sure where that is!)
If they don't have the stuff I will gamble on PP337 + SIDI DYNAMIC 3 ROAD
SHOE for a princely £62.85 from the html deficient www.xpedia.co.uk. (If I
can get the checkout to work with mozilla

For LBS I will try the new Newcastle branch of the Edinburgh bike shop,
anyone got any other faves? preferably with lots of shoes! (and a summer
sale!)

TY

Fragg
  #9  
Old August 7th 03, 07:35 PM
James Hodson
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Default shoes and pedals

On Wed, 6 Aug 2003 19:31:07 +0000 (UTC), "Peter B"
wrote:

Over the years I've owned a variety (and still do) of double sided Shimano
mtb SPDs so clearly I like 'em.
BUT last year I put some A515s on my new road bike for the sake of
appearances, these are not at all easy to get into 1 and while ok for open
road riding there is no way whatsover I'd use 'em for commuting. In fact
when/if they wear out they will be replaced with double-sided. You have been
warned!


Peter

I have A515s on my Orbea and have very little trouble with them at
all. I use my toe to flip the pedal the right way up them simply clip
in. I must say that I occasionally fail - perhaps 10% of the time.
OK, I agree that two sided pedals or pedals that stay the right way up
(Looks do so, I understand) would be easier to use but I disagree with
your A515 doom-mongering.

Cheers
James

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  #10  
Old August 8th 03, 04:03 PM
Peter B
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Default shoes and pedals


"James Hodson" wrote in message
I have A515s on my Orbea and have very little trouble with them at
all. I use my toe to flip the pedal the right way up them simply clip
in. I must say that I occasionally fail - perhaps 10% of the time.
OK, I agree that two sided pedals or pedals that stay the right way up
(Looks do so, I understand) would be easier to use but I disagree with
your A515 doom-mongering.


Which is my point James, 10% missed on one of my road rides means perhaps
once a ride or even every other ride but on a commute it may be many times.
And if you want to make a swift getaway, say at a busy junction, then
faffing around with a clipless pedal needlessly is extra aggravation. Why
not use double sided and have a 100% success rate?

Pete



 




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