Pedal Recommendation

deisebeh

Looking for a set of cheap enough clip in pedals and shoes to go with them for my road bike could anybody recommend a set to buy.
Thanks

CheGuedara

Very hard to go wrong with the LOOK Keos - I think their budget ones are called the Keo Classic & Sprint (open to correction) and while they would weigh a bit more than their more expensive brothers they're equally functional

55x11

LOOK Keos are pretty good, I started off with them but I must say I do like the shimano pedals they just feel more sturdy. I'm currently using the Dura Ace version but the cheaper 105 version are a good alternative!

I've the cheap shimano r540 spd-sls (cheapest is here: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=5369) which do the job for me. Wish I had them in silver though, the black ones were the only available ones when I was needing them.

niceonetom

Another happy shimano user here. I have used both ultegra and r540 versions and they function more or less identically, though obviously you do save a few grams as you go up the product line.

Be forewarned though, shimano are not euro approved.

Diarmuid

Aren't Shimano just licenced Look copies? Not that there is anything wrong with that.

niceonetom

They're similar but not identical, and not compatible in terms of cleats or anything. Shimano may have had to pay a licence to use the tech though, and they might still do that if look still hold exclusive patent on it.

Someone did post a spectacularly geeky history of foot retention website here not too long ago, and I vaguely remember licensing being an issue in the early days of clipless pedals.

EDIT: pedal history

redmaxi

I am a recent convert from LOOK Keo's to Time RXS. I much prefer the time. There's a lot more float or at least a different kind of float. 55.00 in LBS.

deisebeh

thanks guys i have been looking at all these and thinking of getting the shimano 105 pedals http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Shimano_105_5610_SPD-SL_Pedals/5360031902/ and the shoes http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/dhb_R1_Road_Cycling_Shoe/5360042950/
and just wondering would these work together
thanks

niceonetom

They will work together just fine.

ROK ON

I have Look Keos and SPD's.
Actually I find SPDs better. There is a lot of float on my Looks (no matter how much I tighten them). I dont like that.

blorg

I have Time RXS and SPDs (e.g. MTB pedals.) Worth considering if you will ever want to walk off the bike, trivial with SPD shoes but difficult in road shoes. Road systems do provide a more secure retention and are lighter but to be honest I don't think they are particularly necessary outside racing. Significantly more difficult to get clipped into taking off from lights etc. too. They probably feel better in terms of power transfer too although I would wonder how much of a difference it makes if you have stiff carbon soles on MTB shoes.

Ryaner

The DHB shoes are great. Very comfortable and a great price. Highly recommend them although I've not stopped using them as one of the shoes was starting to come away from the sole. That is after 7000km so can't fault them for that.

As for pedals, I've just changes to speedplays and I'll never go back to the shimano 105 style single side entry pedals. You just stomp down on these and your in, none of the flicking the toes to get in. And you can adjust the amount of float in both directions which is amazing. No more worrying about cleat positioning hurting my knees.
Expensive but I highly recommend them.

chakattack

Ryaner wrote: »

The DHB shoes are great. Very comfortable and a great price. Highly recommend them although I've not stopped using them as one of the shoes was starting to come away from the sole. That is after 7000km so can't fault them for that.

As for pedals, I've just changes to speedplays and I'll never go back to the shimano 105 style single side entry pedals. You just stomp down on these and your in, none of the flicking the toes to get in. And you can adjust the amount of float in both directions which is amazing. No more worrying about cleat positioning hurting my knees.
Expensive but I highly recommend them.

+1 I was using single sided spds and much prefer speedplays. Not having to flip pedals in traffic is much safer.

Mine are the light action model which have unlimited float (allowable lateral foot angle) which takes getting used to but is good for your knees.

Speedplay have new model with float adjust.

For entry level....dhb mtb shoes and double sided spds are a good trade off between function and price.

Diarmuid

ROK ON wrote: »

I have Look Keos and SPD's.
Actually I find SPDs better. There is a lot of float on my Looks (no matter how much I tighten them). I dont like that.

The amount of float in Look pedals is a function of the cleat not how much you tighten them.

Black cleat = 0degrees float ; gray cleat = 4.5degrees ; red cleat = 9degrees

Ryaner

chakattack wrote: »

+1 I was using single sided spds and much prefer speedplays. Not having to flip pedals in traffic is much safer.

Mine are the light action model which have unlimited float (allowable lateral foot angle) which takes getting used to but is good for your knees.

Speedplay have new model with float adjust.

The zero ones that I have have the two adjustable screws to control toe in and toe out. The default 15degrees is pretty crazy.
They do unclip as easy as the spd's too as I found out today when I went down. Bike stayed with me though which is what you'd want.

jautukas87

Looking for pedals/shoes myself for road bicycle.

These are cheapest options:




+


OR


+



Both shoes 55e, MTB pedals ~20, road ~30.

MTB pros: can walk in them(can be used for touring in summer), double sided pedals easier/faster to clip in.
Road pros: might be stiffer/better power transfer ?


How is float with MTB spd pedals ?

Are MTB specific overshoes necessary?

blorg

Lateral float (heel left or right) is probably about the same but the road system will give a more secure feeling in terms of resisting a rolling motion while the SPD will allow a bit of this. The main thing in my experience that a road system gives more secure retention, so you will not clip out even in an all-out sprint. But this is only relevant when racing. I have never clipped out of well-adjusted Shimano SPDs other than in a race.

Incidentally the road system will be lighter if that matters, both pedal and shoes.

Stiffness to an extent will be down to the shoes. But basically all road shoes are made to be as stiff as possible while MTB shoes are often designed to have a bit (or a lot) of give to make them easier to walk in. If you get the right MTB shoe it will be plenty stiff. A road system may be a little more efficient with the power transfer but it would be pretty marginal.

For just about any beginner who isn't racing I would suggest going with a MTB system, specifically Shimano SPDs.

Road overshoes generally just have a cutout for the cleat, while MTB ones generally have an open bottom with a strap securing them. Certainly I don't think road overshoes would work great on MTB shoes, the cleat would end up too recessed into the sole, the tread of the shoe would push it back if that makes sense. Also bear in mind that road shoes are substantially smaller regarding exterior dimensions compared to MTB shoes of the same size (probably mainly the lack of any tread on the sole.) So you may need to get different sizes. I know my overshoes that are tight on MTB shoes are loose on road ones, and my road specific ones wouldn't work with the MTB shoes at all.

short circuit

I am surprised no one has mentioned these so far ... a bit left field perhaps ...

Cheaper than the Shimano SPDs in sale .... weight 280gms on the kitchen scales ... so pretty comparable to the road pedals.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=13013

You could obviously go lighter without the platform ... but I wanted a base as the Keo's I am used do have a bigger contact patch than the eggbeaters without the platform. By the way, even with the platform, they are very close in size to the Keo's .. just slightly bigger.

4 sided entry .... go beat that ...

For shoes ... I was going to go for the DHBs ... but then as I was surfing ... this hit me in the gut ..
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Lake_MX165_MTB_Shoes/5360045308/

44% off and they had a wide fit in size 44 which seem to be gone now. I haven't cycled in them .. but they feel awfully comfy wearing while sitting on the couch ... but heavier than the Nike ones I currently have. The Nike ones are carbon soled ... so once I get used to these, I shall post back if I noticed any loss in power transfer. This is not critical for Blorg ... but very very critical for me as any loss in the few watts I produce could mean a complete lack of forward motion.

By the way, I used the road system for 18months in my daily commute with no issues what so ever. This move to the above system is prompted by :-
1. The discount offered which I couldn't resist
2. I have flat feet and the Nike shoes offered no arch support and I was suffering from pain in my arches after any hard effort. I wasn't sure that the Lake's would be any better in terms of arch support and was going to order in some heat mouldable insoles, but the Lake seems to have substantially more arch support than the Nike.
3. 2 weeks back I punctured on the hunstown road ... no fault of tires but they were laying new tar and had the entire road dug up. So got a cut on the sidewall. It was cold, rainy, windy and half a mile from home ... so I decided to walk back rather than try to fix it. And found it very very uncomfortable to do so in my road shoes with the cleats. With winter coming, and weather like it is outside today, I thought that walking with punctures could get a more frequent occurence and hence convinced myself.

Depending on how things go over the next couple of months, I might be back on the road system for the summer.

I have changed a few things on the bike over the weekend and without a chance to test ride it, all will be done on my commute into work tomorrow ... so hoping for the best.
1. Saddle moved forward by 5mm
2. Saddle raised by 2mm
3. Pedals changed. Cleat position not yet locked on new shoe
4. Not yet sure what the new pedal, cleat combo means for saddle height

All could come undone in the first 50 yards.

Sorry for the long winding post, but am bored without going out on the bike for 2 days in a row now and DIY gets boring after a while.

Lumen

short circuit wrote: »

Cheaper than the Shimano SPDs in sale .... weight 280gms on the kitchen scales ... so pretty comparable to the road pedals.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=13013

They're based on eggbeaters, which I use (without the platform). I find the four-sided entry a bit of a gimmick - they're no easier to enter than SPDs, more difficult possibly.

Eggbeaters are designed to be rebuilt (kits are available) but I've read that they tend to need servicing more often than other pedal systems.

They're fine, but TBH I'm not sure I'd choose them if I didn't want the mud clearance for off-road.

short circuit

Lumen wrote: »

They're based on eggbeaters, which I use (without the platform). I find the four-sided entry a bit of a gimmick - they're no easier to enter than SPDs, more difficult possibly.

Eggbeaters are designed to be rebuilt (kits are available) but I've read that they tend to need servicing more often than other pedal systems.

They're fine, but TBH I'm not sure I'd choose them if I didn't want the mud clearance for off-road.

short circuit

So to add a bit to my post earlier ... went out for a short spin earlier in the afternoon .. 10miles or so. What I learnt ...
1. Shoes are very comfy.
2. Never thought my earlier shoes were narrow, but this takes wide to another new level and the wiggle room for the toes was impressive even with thick socks.
3. Even with the keos as far back as they would on the old shoes, the position of the egg beater cleats on mtb shoes allows me to move them even further back and more under the ball of my feet and feels more comfortable. If I was looking for a road shoe again, I would try to find something allows cleats to be positioned further back .... any recommendation out there ... ???
4. Pedal/Shoe combo feels comfortable in and out of saddle
5. No obvious loss of power transfer
6. My total power still sucks ... spending money on CRC, Wiggle etc is not improving this ... might need to train after all
7. The saddle move aft and height seems to be on spot atleast with the short spin
8. Getting into cleats wasn't any more difficult once I got used to cleats being further back on the shoes
9. Getting out was easier ... not sure if the whole cleat retention system being independent of tightess of cleats is mumbo jumbo or reality ... but the system works well
10. Left pedal seems to be tight in spinning on the spindle .. hoping its only till it gets used a bit more
11. Feels comfortable when out and standing at lights
12. Being able to walk and climb down the stairs without wondering when you are going to laid flat ..... priceless