Newbie Questions

David L. Johnson wrote:

Another good bit of advice. Bike shoes have very stiff soles, since we
don't want our feet bending around the pedal. Also, being secured to the
pedals is extremely important. You get better power that way, and it is
safer. Don't worry about not being able to get your foot out in a crash.
For one, having a leg dangle about in a crash is just something else to
break.

I have to chime in here and say that clipless pedals are much SAFER than
clips and straps for city riding, as it is *far* easier to get in and
out. Even comparing them to strapless toe clips, it's safer. And
they're more comfortable, too. Comfort alone is a good enough reason
for going to clipless and cycling-specific shoes.

I ride with Egg Beaters. People have told me they get hot spots with
those, but I haven't had a problem since I got them, and I'm a heavy
rider too. I love the 4 sided pedal. I can keep an eye on traffic as
I'm putting my foot down, no searching. The only drawback to these, to
me, is that the cleat is brass or bronze. It's soft and after a year,
you need a new cleat, especially if you're an urban rider who clicks and
unclicks a lot during a ride. Oh, and you'll know when you need a pair
of cleats when you stand on the pedals and come out of one side. Ow.

--
BMO

Boyle M. Owl wrote:

I have to chime in here and say that clipless pedals are much SAFER
than
clips and straps for city riding, as it is *far* easier to get in and

out. Even comparing them to strapless toe clips, it's safer. And
they're more comfortable, too. Comfort alone is a good enough reason

for going to clipless and cycling-specific shoes.

I ride with Egg Beaters. People have told me they get hot spots with

those, but I haven't had a problem since I got them, and I'm a heavy
rider too. I love the 4 sided pedal. I can keep an eye on traffic
as
I'm putting my foot down, no searching. The only drawback to these,
to
me, is that the cleat is brass or bronze. It's soft and after a
year,
you need a new cleat, especially if you're an urban rider who clicks
and
unclicks a lot during a ride. Oh, and you'll know when you need a
pair
of cleats when you stand on the pedals and come out of one side. Ow.

Hmm. That last sentence or two sounds incompatible with your first
sentence above. At least, I don't come out of my Lyotard platform
pedals with clips and straps.

Actually, I doubt there's a measurable safety difference between the
two choices... or the third choice, "naked" pedals.

On Sun, 27 Feb 2005 17:06:22 -0800, frkrygow wrote:

Actually, I doubt there's a measurable safety difference between the
two choices... or the third choice, "naked" pedals.

I disagree. I tried just naked pedals on my mountain bike/commuter for a
while, and my feet would slip too much. Granted, I was used to clipless,
and even before, for many years, I had used clips and straps (with cleats
except for commuting).

I quickly put Power Grips (or whatever they are called) and found that to
be much better than bare pedals, but still far short of clipless.

--

David L. Johnson

__o | Enron's slogan: Respect, Communication, Integrity, and
_`\(,_ | Excellence.
(_)/ (_) |

"Boyle M. Owl" wrote in message
news:4ctUd.10698$Sn6.9733@lakeread03...
David L. Johnson wrote:

Another good bit of advice. Bike shoes have very stiff soles, since we
don't want our feet bending around the pedal. Also, being secured to
the
pedals is extremely important. You get better power that way, and it is
safer. Don't worry about not being able to get your foot out in a
crash.
For one, having a leg dangle about in a crash is just something else to
break.

I have to chime in here and say that clipless pedals are much SAFER than
clips and straps for city riding, as it is *far* easier to get in and
out. Even comparing them to strapless toe clips, it's safer. And
they're more comfortable, too. Comfort alone is a good enough reason
for going to clipless and cycling-specific shoes.

I rode with clips and straps for about 20 years. Had 'em on my road
bike(which was my teenaged means of transportation). Rode in traffic, raced,
trained--no problems. Used Chuck Taylors with them, Nikes, whatever. I lived
in Wyoming for a while, and had clips and straps on my MTB. No problem. Now
I have clipless on every bike I own(except the MTB, which has Iron Cross
pedals). There's no comparison. Clipless is so much better it's not even
close. Clipless pedals are so cheap(Perfomance offers them for 30 bucks or
so) that it should be the first upgrade, IMHO.

"David L. Johnson" wrote in message
news
On Sun, 27 Feb 2005 17:06:22 -0800, frkrygow wrote:

Actually, I doubt there's a measurable safety difference between the
two choices... or the third choice, "naked" pedals.

I disagree. I tried just naked pedals on my mountain bike/commuter for a
while, and my feet would slip too much. Granted, I was used to clipless,
and even before, for many years, I had used clips and straps (with cleats
except for commuting).


I have a pair of DK Iron Cross platform pedals on my MTB. They're a BMX
pedal with a bunch of pins on the body. The pins bite into the shoe sole and
there's no slippage. However, they're heavy as lead and definitely would
look out of place on a road bike.

wrote:

Hmm. That last sentence or two sounds incompatible with your first
sentence above. At least, I don't come out of my Lyotard platform
pedals with clips and straps.

Coming out is not an issue when they're new. It's impossible to come
out by accident *when they are new*.

The Eggbeater cleats are a wear item. They're bronze or hard brass,
from what I can tell; the "wings" of the pedal are hardened stainless
steel. Instead of having the wings as a wear item, the cleats take the
wear. After two years, I have gone through 2 sets of cleats and the
wings look barely worn - just polished.

The only time you have a chance of coming out is when they're really
worn. They let me know after the first year. The hard way. Simply
replacing the cleats ( if you're an urban cyclist like me) yearly keeps
you from coming out accidentally and that was what I was trying to get
at. If you're a roadie in the boondocks that only clips in and out at
the beginning and end of a ride, you can probably go three years between
cleats. If you're a mountain biker, single tracker, or cyclocrosser
that bikes through the woods and mud, replacement once a season is
probably about right.

Again, as designed, these pedals do not let you out by accident, indeed
there is no adjustment screw for this unlike the Shimano pedals. The
harder you pull, the harder they hold on to your shoe. Over time,
though, they become "no longer as designed" and the wear is quite
visible to the eye. At this point, it's prudent to exchange the cleats
for new ones, before your foot goes rolling off the front of the pedal.

Actually, I doubt there's a measurable safety difference between the
two choices... or the third choice, "naked" pedals.

Naked pedals are the safest for urban riding. However, they suck for
comfort, and hill climbing is just a pain in the arse without the
ability to pull up on the pedal. Clipless pedals are the next safest,
because it's simpler and quicker to pull out by twisting your heel when
coming to a stoplight or an emergency stop (aside: Do not WAFFLE about
pulling out of the pedal because if you come to a complete stop, you're
going to fall, and there's no way you're going to pull out when you're
in full panic mode). Pedals with straps and toe clips are the least
safe for urban riding, and far less comfortable on the top of the foot
when fully strapped in (as in a rural ride through the countryside
admiring the cows and sheep).

Once you try clipless, you'll never go back to clips and straps. Trust me.

Oh, and another thing: Don't do what I did and go with a cheap set of
Wellgos to "try it out". Get a decent set of *quality* pedals (like
Time, Shimano, or Crank Bro's) that can be greased and overhauled. I
liked going clipless so much that it seems to me that I wasted 50 bux to
"try" clipless before I bought my stainless Eggbeaters.

--
BMO

Arthur Harris wrote:
snip.
For now, may want to look into a hybrid bike. Hybrids are a cross between a
road bike and a mountain bike. They have upright handlebars, but wheels more
like a road bike (but with somewhat wider tires). Hybrids are usually less
expensive than a road bike, and can handle dirt and gravel roads in addition
to pavement. They're good for distances up to 25-30 miles or so. Beyond that
they tend to get uncomfortable due to the lack of multiple hand positions on
the bars and the extra weight supported by the saddle as a result of the
upright position.

Disagree with the distance limitations here. I've done longer rides on
my hybrid with no problems. Get a set of bar ends, and you now have
multiple hand positions.

Janet

Sun, 27 Feb 2005 23:24:40 -0500, K0xUd.10845$Sn6.9783@lakeread03,
"Boyle M. Owl" wrote:

Coming out is not an issue when they're new. It's impossible to come
out by accident *when they are new*.

The Eggbeater cleats are a wear item. They're bronze or hard brass,
from what I can tell; the "wings" of the pedal are hardened stainless
steel. Instead of having the wings as a wear item, the cleats take the
wear. After two years, I have gone through 2 sets of cleats and the
wings look barely worn - just polished.

The only time you have a chance of coming out is when they're really
worn. They let me know after the first year. The hard way. Simply
replacing the cleats ( if you're an urban cyclist like me) yearly keeps
you from coming out accidentally and that was what I was trying to get
at. If you're a roadie in the boondocks that only clips in and out at
the beginning and end of a ride, you can probably go three years between
cleats. If you're a mountain biker, single tracker, or cyclocrosser
that bikes through the woods and mud, replacement once a season is
probably about right.

Playing cycle polo on crushed gravel fields eats cleats.
On the plus side though, it's a strong incentive to not dab.
--
zk

In article MQ8Ud.33246$ya6.17591@trndny01,
says...

....

thanks. My newbie is showing for sure. I said "upgrade", which I now
understand
means replacing components on an existing bike. What I had in mind was
purchasing
a new bike. I also mis-stated the type of bike. It is a Marushi Road Race
RX3. Anyone ever heard of this bike? Got it a church yard sale for $10 and
have made no changes except new tires, lube, adjust. Bike is fine,
but a bit tall for me as I have short legs for my height. Think I would
also like thumb shifters rather than the old style shift levers on the stem
like this one has.

You aren't going to find thumb shifters on a road bike; that's mountain
bike stuff. However, you'll probably find that integrated shifters
(brakes and shifters in the same unit) are even more convenient than
thumb shifters.

In the price range you're looking at, you have a lot of choices for
entry-level road bikes. Take a look at www.fujibikes.com and check out
their lower-end road bikes.

Happy hunting!
Dave

--
Remove the ns_ from if replying by e-mail (but keep posts in the
newsgroups if possible).

Janet wrote:

Arthur Harris wrote:
snip.


For now, may want to look into a hybrid bike. Hybrids are a cross between a
road bike and a mountain bike. They have upright handlebars, but wheels more
like a road bike (but with somewhat wider tires). Hybrids are usually less
expensive than a road bike, and can handle dirt and gravel roads in addition
to pavement. They're good for distances up to 25-30 miles or so. Beyond that
they tend to get uncomfortable due to the lack of multiple hand positions on
the bars and the extra weight supported by the saddle as a result of the
upright position.



Disagree with the distance limitations here. I've done longer rides on
my hybrid with no problems. Get a set of bar ends, and you now have
multiple hand positions.

Janet



Agreed. I've toured thousands of miles this way - and also without
clipless pedals and bike shorts.

Put the money into your bike and accessorize later.

--
*****************************
Chuck Anderson • Boulder, CO
http://www.CycleTourist.com
Integrity is obvious.
The lack of it is common.
*****************************