SPD pedals and shoes

Tweeter

Hi,

I have just upgraded to SPD pedals and shoes this past weekend.

Now a couple of weeks ago a pedestrian walked out in front of me resulting in myself going flying over the handle bars from the resulting collision.

My question is with this new pedal system that I've upgraded to, if a similar situation happened again would the bike remain attached to my feet? I imagine that if it does the resulting injuries would be a lot worse.

Any thoughts? Ever happen to anyone?

regards,
Mark.

makospeed

Yes, about 5 months ago a car turned left into a parking space without indicating or looking at the cycle line (he just checked the bus lane) and I crashed into his passengar door which resulted in my first "flight" from my bike in 3 years. My feet came away very easily (i have SPD M540) because I have the pedals adjusted so my shoes come out easily.

For weekend spins I have the pedals adjusted quite tightly for climbing etc.

blorg

I have crashed suddenly a number of times with SPDs and they generally did disengage, although as makospeed says this will probably depend on the adjustment, and probably your experience with them. Most recently I was thrown maybe 5-6 meters, and they snapped out fine. TBH my impression is the faster/more violent the crash probably the greater the chance of "automatic" disengagement - I've been run into from behind while almost stationary and maybe didn't quite disenage in that case (can't quite remember, was 4-5 years ago.)

The more you use them the more you'll be comfortable with them. I don't think they ever would have made any accident worse and certainly they have never caused me to fall (although there were close calls early on, generally at slow speeds in traffic, or where a sudden stop was needed.) It becomes a reflex - and they are certainly easier to get out of than toeclips.

mockerydawg

I can echo pretty much what blorg says. The only time I've ever stayed attached to the pedal falling (used spds for years, now use times) is when I'm moving slow. Get used to climping out and in with both feet on a quiet road/path for about 20 mins before taking them out.
On a different note I've gone head over heals (off road) countless times and all but once I've unclipped my feet automatically. The one time I didn't I was moving slower than walking pace.
Good luck with them!

hunnymonster

agree with the above but if you're still worried, you could try only having one foot clipped in when cyling in heavy traffic. That's what I do (I'm using keo's) but I'm a complete scardy cat!

Tweeter

Thanks for all the replys.
I feel a lot better about them now.
They're working out really well for me so far, I am genuinely surprised at how big a difference and how much more enjoyable the cycling experience they make,

thanks again,
Mark.

el tel

They do take a bit of getting used to, but in agreement with the consensus so far, they should release you ok in a mishap. On the subject of SPDs but stightly O/T, while I use SPDs I always feel that for me personally at least, the old toe-clips and straps were much more effective particularly when climbing.

Ghost Rider

I was just going to ask whether people found toe clips more or less effective than clipless pedals/shoes. Anyone else got any feelings on the subject...?

el tel wrote:

They do take a bit of getting used to, but in agreement with the consensus so far, they should release you ok in a mishap. On the subject of SPDs but stightly O/T, while I use SPDs I always feel that for me personally at least, the old toe-clips and straps were much more effective particularly when climbing.

Morgan

I've been trying clips and straps over the last few weeks and don't like them much. If they're tightened sufficiently to allow pulling on the pedals they're awkward to get out of, if they're left loose your feet can lift off the pedals. The only advantage for me was not having to wear specific shoes. I'll be going back to clipless ASAP.

beans

Went from toe-clips to spd-style pedals and cleats around 6 months ago, the difference on the bike is amazing - I find cycling easier and more enjoyable now than ever before. I found the toe-clips allowed for more movement around on the pedal than was helpful, never got the 'forget about your feet' feeling that I now enjoy with spds.

(Total of 3 minor low-speed teething-problem-style crashes in the first month, nothing since then. All involved stopping suddenly, one on the way home from the shop on the day of purchase!)

blorg

I definately find clipless/SPD more effective. They are highly adjustable though, with varying degrees of float (angular movement of your foot) - depending on the pedal. Generally less float will seem stiffer and convey the pedalling energy more efficiently. The tightness is also adjustable with an allen key on the pedals themselves.

mcgratheoin

Been cycling with straps/clips for just under a year now - any suggestions for shoes/pedals etc to buy?
How much should I be looking at spending?
I'm doing the Wicklow 200 (although I'll probably chicken out and do the 100) in early June so how much practice will I need on them before taking on a spin like that?

I cycle a LaPierre road bike btw.

beans

I use Time Atac pedals such as these. I'm sure there are opinions good and bad to be found, but they work well for me.

Bought the entry-level Specialized mtb shoes for their rubber soles (easier to walk around on). They're fine, but I wish I had something that fit a bit tighter.

Membrane

mcgratheoin wrote:

Been cycling with straps/clips for just under a year now - any suggestions for shoes/pedals etc to buy?
How much should I be looking at spending?
I'm doing the Wicklow 200 (although I'll probably chicken out and do the 100) in early June so how much practice will I need on them before taking on a spin like that?

I cycle a LaPierre road bike btw.

I'm looking into getting clipless pedals and shoes myself currently. Here's what I've learned so far: there are 2 types to choose between; MTB style 2 bolt cleat and shoes that will allow normal walking, alternatively there are Road style 3 bolt cleat and shoe systems, you can't walk normally on these. The MTB style system is a bit less efficient in transferring power and a bit less stable.

Prices for pedals start at about E35, shoes start at about E80.

Ghost Rider

One thing that annoys me about the toe clips on my bike is that, unless you your feet are in them, they scrape along the ground when the pedal cranks are pointing downwards. This makes it more or less impossible to cycle without the clips, something I'd always found quite useful when negotiating tight spaces between cars and a footpath (and therefore might need to suddenly steady myself by putting a foot out).

I have a pair of clipless pedals and Shimano shoes but they belong to my mountain bike. Are they likely to fit okay on a hybrid's cranks? (The bike is a Giant FCR3).

blorg

If you are starting out I think I would go for standard Shimano-compatible SPD type. These are (originally) a MTB standard but are very popular on road bikes/tourers as well, at least for people who are not racing.

If you are buying shoes for the first time maybe best get them in a shop so that you can try them on.

Having said that I am very happy with these pedals on my road bike which seem stiffer than the Shimano M520s on my tourer. Bikeplus has some very good all-in "pedal and shoe" offers if you buy them together.

Note you can also get two sided SPDs which are SPD one side, normal platform the other, for use with normal shoes.

blorg

Ghost Rider wrote:

I have a pair of clipless pedals and Shimano shoes but they belong to my mountain bike. Are they likely to fit okay on a hybrid's cranks? (The bike is a Giant FCR3).

Yes, they should fit fine. There is an advantage of course to having a single pedal system over multiple bikes.

ThOnda

I am MTB rider and I have ridden SPD compatible combination under my feet about 15000 km even on snow. I have never problems to disengage. The truth is, that I had them a little loose - easy to disengage. However it helps you keep your peddaling nice, smooth and healthy.

mockerydawg

blorg wrote:

Note you can also get two sided SPDs which are SPD one side, normal platform the other, for use with normal shoes.

This type of pedal is a waste of money as they are very hard to clip into. They cleat is heavier than the cage so it swings around (so its facing the ground) so for the first few rides you'll be looking at your feet and not on the road. Also most cleat shoes have poor grip on anything but excessively spikey cages.
My advise is if you're going for cleats get the whole deal. Also if you have shimano cleats (the plates on the shoe) use shimano pedals etc.
Finally there are larger platform cleats with a cage (used for downhill mtb) that can be used unclipped and with normal shoes but these come with a weight penality.

Trojan

mockerydawg wrote:

This type of pedal is a waste of money as they are very hard to clip into.

Disagree. I got my dad some dual sided pedals and he loves them, does decent mileage, mainly clipped in but also casual rides on the non-clip side.

Personally I'm on EggBeaters and I love them. I made an initial mistake, using them with very cheap shoes which had a flimsy sole and hurt like hell.

I upgraded to a decent set of shoes (Specialized, carbon soled) and they rock.

Strong recommendation for Egg Beaters. Buy them online, they're cheaper.

blorg

mockerydawg does have something of a point, that does happen to an extent. If you're used to toe-clips though, well that is standard behaviour! And as Trojan says, it is not as if there is no benefit if you do want to use both types of shoe.

You can also get plastic bits that clip on to standard double-sided SPDs, providing an easily removable platfom on one side only. I had these with my M520s for a short period but TBH became so enamoured with SPD that I didn't ride clipped out any more.

Trojan

blorg wrote:

You can also get plastic bits that clip on to standard double-sided SPDs, providing an easily removable platfom on one side only. I had these with my M520s for a short period but TBH became so enamoured with SPD that I didn't ride clipped out any more.

I used these one time with my egg beaters when I left my shoes elsewhere. After nearly killing myself at a junction when they came unclipped, they were quickly in the bin

beans

Just in case anyone was wondering about SPDs and crashes, I had a hum-dinger on Friday after being t-boned by a car at a junction and unclipped as soon as I came off the bike!

Membrane

FWIW, I recently bought a pair of Specialized 07 Sport MTB shoes and Shimano M520 pedals. No knee trouble but my feet were killing me after the first ride. After that ride I discovered that the instep flap on the shoes comes back far too much (for me anyway), and due to its arch shape it didn't flex to adapt to my foot/leg. I made a few V shaped cuts in the end of the instep flap up to the seam that holds the padding in place. It is better now, although still not great.

After the first ride I aquired a painful spot at the side of my left foot which wasn't healed by the time I did my second ride using these shoes and pedals (~5 days after the first ride). It looks like that for the W200 I'll have to refit my old platform pedals and use the shoes I used previously (bizarly a pair of leather "office slippers" as these are much more comfortable than my trainers).