Pedal Question

[beelzebabette]

I'm a biking novice (I've probably ridden less than 500 miles) so I'm hoping a few of you will share your opinion on what's the best pedal for a road bicycle--both for a novice and yourself, if the two are different.

The friend that got me started out cycling and his brother both swore by the eggbeater, and that's what I started out with. They switched me out to the eggbeater with the platform at the end of last year (so I could use the leverage of the platform to click in instead of trying to jump into the pedals if you want a comical image).

The question arises as I've spent more time working on hills. I've started clipping out when I slow to 4 mph so I don't tip if I lose momentum. I've been wondering if there's a better pedal for me to use or if it's simply a matter of not spending enough time on the bike--i.e., clipping out at the right time will become more intuitive.

Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[mattbikeboy]

I for one never liked Eggbeaters -- I bought a pair a couple of years ago to go on my bike for a trip to Europe so I could walk around without my road shoe cleats taking a beating. By that time I had been riding clipless pedals for more than 12 years -- and I fell more in the two months I had those on my bike than I did in the previous 11.5 years. Eggbeaters brass cleats wear quickly and the pedals themselves don't release or spin as smoothly as Shimano.

I switched back to my Shimano SPDs on my mountain bike and Shimano SPD SLs on my road bike and have a nearly new set of EGGbeater SLs in my tool box.

For a new rider Shimano XT mountain bike pedals are a good starting pedal. They release easily, they are two sided so you can just step on them and go and you can use mountain bike shoes that allow the cleats to be recessed and allow you to walk around normally. I personally use them on my mountain bikes. My road bike has Ultegra SPD SL pedals and I love them -- but the cleats are large and definitely not walk or standing around friendly and can be slippery when you're tired and a little lazy when stopping at stop lights.

mbb

[beelzebabette]

Originally Posted by mattbikeboy

For a new rider Shimano XT mountain bike pedals are a good starting pedal. They release easily, they are two sided so you can just step on them and go and you can use mountain bike shoes that allow the cleats to be recessed and allow you to walk around normally. I personally use them on my mountain bikes. My road bike has Ultegra SPD SL pedals and I love them -- but the cleats are large and definitely not walk or standing around friendly and can be slippery when you're tired and a little lazy when stopping at stop lights.

mbb

Those look like the pedals my aunt uses, and she loves them. I'll go try hers out within the next couple of weeks.

(I don't typically walk any farther than down my driveway to climb on the bike in the cleats so walking-friendliness isn't a large concern.)

Thank you.

[mtnbiker310]

For a pedal with a bit of a platform to them, I like the Time ATAC pedal. I like them a lot better than I did Shimano SPDs.

But you are better off staying clipped in, even at slow speeds, because you can pull on the upstroke. You'll get more comfortable at slower speeds as you gain experience, and you'll also (probably) be able to maintain a little higher speed as you gain experience. But if you could also check your gearing if you're struggling on hills and go to lower gear ratios.

[bluegoose]

Originally Posted by mattbikeboy

I for one never liked Eggbeaters -- I bought a pair a couple of years ago to go on my bike for a trip to Europe so I could walk around without my road shoe cleats taking a beating. By that time I had been riding clipless pedals for more than 12 years -- and I fell more in the two months I had those on my bike than I did in the previous 11.5 years. Eggbeaters brass cleats wear quickly and the pedals themselves don't release or spin as smoothly as Shimano.

I switched back to my Shimano SPDs on my mountain bike and Shimano SPD SLs on my road bike and have a nearly new set of EGGbeater SLs in my tool box.

For a new rider Shimano XT mountain bike pedals are a good starting pedal. They release easily, they are two sided so you can just step on them and go and you can use mountain bike shoes that allow the cleats to be recessed and allow you to walk around normally. I personally use them on my mountain bikes. My road bike has Ultegra SPD SL pedals and I love them -- but the cleats are large and definitely not walk or standing around friendly and can be slippery when you're tired and a little lazy when stopping at stop lights.

mbb

I agree with everything MBB says here. In fact, he could be me for all I know, as I also us SPD SL on the road bike.

I have never personally used Eggbeaters, aside from clipping in and out to see how they feel. My friends are a mixed bag as to how they feel about them. Some live them for their versatility. Others hate them and have switched back to SPDs.

Regarding slow speeds up hills - Beelzebabs, I've gone up some steep hills at 2-3 mph for up to an hour at a time. There's no reason to be unclipping at 4mph. Don't be skeeerrd, just keep em turning.

[Archaea]

Originally Posted by bluegoose

I agree with everything MBB says here. In fact, he could be me for all I know, as I also us SPD SL on the road bike.

I have never personally used Eggbeaters, aside from clipping in and out to see how they feel. My friends are a mixed bag as to how they feel about them. Some live them for their versatility. Others hate them and have switched back to SPDs.

Regarding slow speeds up hills - Beelzebabs, I've gone up some steep hills at 2-3 mph for up to an hour at a time. There's no reason to be unclipping at 4mph. Don't be skeeerrd, just keep em turning.

Unclipping is a bad, bad idea. I remember unclipping on a steep grade once, I'm sure it's now steeper than when I was on it, but it seemed to be more than twenty percent. Getting restarted is a bear.

Stand and grind until you die, is my motto. That's when my heartrate has exceeded 200 bpm.

[beelzebabette]

Sounds like I need to double check to make sure I'm in my lowest gear on the steepest hills. Thanks.

I'll check out these recommended pedals to see if I feel a little more secure in my ability to get out of them quickly. Also, I'll commence the fawning over this board for its cycling category.

[beelzebabette]

Also, I forgot to ask...

My brother pronounces SPD as speed. Wikipedia tells me it should be spud. Help me sound more knowledgeable than I really am. Which pronunciation is correct?

[bluegoose]

I prefer "spuds". For any newbie to cycling that falls at a stop sign or light due to not getting their foot unclipped in time, they refer to it as "spudding".

If you use the term "speeds", people may think you are referring to a whole different pedal type called "Speedplay". An egregious error for certain.

If you make either of these mistakes, please don't tell your cycling friends you are associated with the cougarguard cycling club. We have a reputation to uphold, you know.

[bluegoose]

Originally Posted by beelzebabette

Also, I'll commence the fawning over this board for its cycling category.

BTW, Seattleute says the worth of this site is in its religion category. I beg to differ. There was a time, albeit a brief time which I'm sure creekster and Archaea remembers, in which the cycling forum had more threads and posts than either the football or the religion categories.

Fusnik even considered taking up cycling for a season when he was caught up in the moment.