clippy pedals

[hangfire]

hi all

newb here, i am resuming my commute a couple of times a week (18k's ish) on a hilly bike trail in melbourne.

i i ride a flat bar and am considering trying out the clippy pedal thing.

i am told that with them you can pedal on both up and down stroke, that sounds pretty handy for the hilly commute.

does anybody have any ideas as to cheap/entry level/newb/ clippy pedals and what type of shoes i should look for?

or is it really just a bit of a fad/suitable for more pro riders?

i operate on a tight budget so dont want to blow it on low priority stuff.

[Duck!]

Definitely not just a fad/elite thing, they're beneficial to all riders. It isn't just about being able to pull up, they allow you to apply power all through the crank rotation, just note it will take some time to adapt to the style of smoother pedalling.

Despite what some bike snobs may tell you, there's no hard & fast rule of what type of pedals go on what type of bike, but for your riding the MTB-oriented Shimano SPD system would be better. The big advantage these have over "road" oriented pedals is that both sides of the pedals have a clippy-in mechanism, so you don't have to worry about making sure the pedals are up the right way. The spring tension on the "gate" can be backed off a fair way to make getting in & out easier, but if you're still a bit worried, there's also the Click'R version, which has much lighter spring tension. MTB/touring type shoes have the cleats recessed into the soles, which makes walking much easier than the road shoes, which have your toes sticking up like pixie toes thanks the the cleats sitting proud of the soles. A pedal & shoe package should start around $150, depending exactly what you end up with.

[zero]

Your quads do almost all the work, and they do it pushing down on the pedals. Pulling up is overrated, and if you do it in your commuter bike shoes, they'll stretch, likewise if your shoes get wet occasionally, training into strong pulling up will tear them. Trying to pull over the top of the stroke can be hard on your knees. I found myself pulling up most when trying to stop a brakeless fixie, ie resisting, not pedaling and that was so bad that I gave up and put a brake on it.

I agree with Duck that for most people the SPD MTB style shoes and system is better - but if it turns out your knees or ankles don't like them, some road options offer a lot more float. You can also get single sided pedals if you want to keep flexibility to ride without them - I have a set on one bike so I can run down to the shops without changing shoes.

The reason I like being clipped in as a commuter is that I ride with a fast cadence and on wet days, my feet have slipped on open cages and hit the road below the pedal which can break toes or an ankle, really hurts and can lift the rear wheel. Whilst I've unclipped by accident riding with SPDs if set very loose it won't happen on the downstroke, so its never subsequently become dangerous. The slower you ride, and the slower the cadence you happen to adopt, the less being clipped in is beneficial imo.

[cogs19]

I made the transition several years back and I think it is worth the effort. Initially you may feel a little uneasy on them but when you get used to them you tend to feel much more united to the bike - which I think promotes confidence.

+1 on SPD style shoes and pedals.

I ride every weekday in all conditions (including quite heavy rain if I have to) and the current Shimano shoes I have (mid-range cost of about $100) have lasted over 3 years!

[Trevtassie]

Yep, for commuting SPD is the way to go. Have a look at Shimano or 5Ten for shoes. 5ten look cool, they have some nice leather and skatey types shoes, but aren't as durable as Shimano when given a really hard time in the bush, but commuting they'd be fine. The 5tens I have are comfortable to wear all day, and don't click to bad on hard surfaces.
Pedals: The Shimano M324 is also a good commuting pedal, flat on one side, SPD the other. Cleats: start with the SH56, they'll release in any direction. Which is handy to start out with, especially with the tension backed off on the pedal. Once you get good, you can switch to the SH51, they only release sideways.

[AUbicycles]

Look for the Shimano Click'R.

Davis did a through and excellent review of the Shimani Click'R pedals and shoes for BNA, they are really well suited to commuting and easier than Shimano SPD-SLs road cycling pedals/cleats.

[jerrah]

I've never been entirely sure why SPD-SL pedals exist given the internet always recommends SPD's to people.

I started with SPD pedals many years ago but I found them to be incompatible with my knees and then cycled through various different pedals (on a mountain bike) until I found the Time Atac pedals which have been very reliable and comfortable.

Since I've started also road cycling I went with the SPD-SL's that were already fitted to my 2nd hand road bike and I've never had an issue with them. The only significant differences that stand out is that a) the SL's are single sided and b) the shoes are a bit silly to walk in. I've been indifferent as to the comfort or functionality of these over others but I think they may be a little lighter and being weighted they are designed to swing into the ready position.

If double sided mountain bike pedals are the go for all riding why does Shimano persist with the SL's? More float isn't really the answer because the SL's can be used with red and blue cleats.

[Duck!]

The SPD-SL, like the Look system it's developed from, is designed with on-bike performance in mind, with only passing thought given to walkability, where SPD and the Click'R derivative are designed for for more versatile use, including the need to do some walking. The large SPD-SL cleat gives a much more stable connection to the bike, enhancing efficiency and reducing the tendency to develop "hot spots" in the feet, but comes at the cost of off-bike practicality. Road cleats offer less float than MTB types; SPD-SL has 6 degrees (yellow), 1 degree (blue) or zero-float (red) options, Look's keo system offers 9 degree (red), 4.5 degree (grey) and zero (black) float. The old Delta only offered red & black). By contrast, SPD has 13 degrees of float.

Given that most of the "what pedals?" queries come from a commuting perspective, it's not all that surprising that the resulting suggestions are for the more versatile option.

I do long rides on both SPD and Look keo, and the feet do definitely cop more of a hiding on the SPDs over the course of a long ride than they do with the bigger cleats.

[queequeg]

I use both SPD and SPD-SL. SPD double sided MTB pedals (M540s) on the commuter bike with Shimano RT81/RT30/MT42 & Specialized Rime (yes. Four pairs of shoes!)
On the road bike I have s-works and Sidi 5-fit shoes (I won those in a race). The SPD-SL is a more stable platform, but the cleats are plastic and get damaged walking on them.
SPD cleats are metal and are recessed into the shoe so you can walk around without the cleat touching the ground. In my building at work the floor is polished concrete and is not very safe for walking on with SPD-SL, so you have to take your shoes off. I don't need to do that with the commuter shoes.

[Drizt]

If you don't need to walk around much SPD SL road pedals are fantastic.

SPD pedals are very handy, can walk around easily.

Crank Brothers Candy 3 pedals seem to be pretty easy to use and commuter friendly too. I've only recently tried them.

Currently trying Speedplay Syzr pedals. Take more effort to set up as they have a lot of configurability. Out of the box I wasn't impressed as the retention was way to low and zero float (up to 10 degrees configurable) meant accidental unclipping. After a bit of fiddling around I have them almost set up how I like them. Time will tell. One thing I do love about them is how laterally stable they are, very much like a road pedal.

[Trevtassie]

If you think hot spots would be a problem then use the combination flat/cleat type pedals. The shoe usually touches the pedal deck on them, as well as the cleat mount. Also, a lot of the shoes have really hard inner soles, it can be worthwhile getting a softer athletic style one, maybe with gel inserts. Different shoes also have different curves in the sole. A flatter shoe is easier to walk in but not as nice to pedal. The softer insole can compensate for that.

[Drizt]

If you have stiff soled shoes and have cleats correctly centred over the ball of your foot spd is fine, no hot spots. I've done multiple 150km rides with spd, not foot issues.

[kb]

If you have stiff soled shoes and have cleats correctly centred over the ball of your foot spd is fine, no hot spots. I've done multiple 150km rides with spd, not foot issues.

I thought mid-foot was all the rage these days

[zero]

I've never been entirely sure why SPD-SL pedals exist given the internet always recommends SPD's to people.

There is a market for people that want fragile lightweight things that are no good on trail and pretty inconvenient on a commuter. Shimano has long discovered that those people will own both types of systems, 2 pairs of shoes and will pay a premium for the more inconvenient system if the pedals are 20g lighter each.

[Drizt]

lol. SPD SL are awesome pedals. For anyone with an ounce of co-ordination they are very easy to use. They just don't like being walked on. Choose the pedals for your scenario

[grimbo]

Has anyone tried the Speedplay Light Action? I have Speedplay zeros on my roadie and SPDs on my commuter, and am thinking of changing over to the Light Actions on my commuter.

I prefer the feel of speedplay's, but I also love the "wham it in without thinking" from SPDs.

[fatherofmany]

my experiences...

For my first clips I looked at the majority of my time... It was commuting, including carrying a commuter bike up & down stairs at the station and work. So I started out with SPDs and some Specialized MTB shoes. Loved the extra speed I could get out of them as you pedal around, rather than push down. Had a couple of clipstacks which are more embarrassing to the ego than dangerous. Now... would't go back.

Being that the many like being fed, I couldn't qualify a different set of pedals and shoes when building my next bike, so I put SPDs on the roadie as well. I have had no issue with long rides using MTB shoes and SPDs, a few funny looks from bike snobs but that doest worry me. If I was racing then I would probably opt for lighter shoes and go the SPD-SLs to reduce fatigue but hey, I can cope.

I've got Shimano platform/spd pedals on the MTB too as it doubles as a shopping bike so I can just jump on in joggers if I go for a quick spin to the shops.

FoM

[SmellyTofu]

Dumb question.. after reading the review, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't ClickR an easier clip in/clip out than regular SPD? If so, then the loose end of a regular SPD pedal would be so easy to clip in and out.

Mind you, being living clipless for so many years, I could not handle riding without them as I don't have that sense of security of being locked in as needed.

[Duck!]

Dumb question.. after reading the review, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't ClickR an easier clip in/clip out than regular SPD? If so, then the loose end of a regular SPD pedal would be so easy to clip in and out.

Even backed right off the standard SPD spring has a reasonable amount of tension to it. The Click'R has a considerably lighter spring, to the point you can actually open the gate with your hand, which is not possible with SPD.

[kb]

The SPD-SL, like the Look system it's developed from, is designed with on-bike performance in mind, with only passing thought given to walkability, where SPD and the Click'R derivative are designed for for more versatile use, including the need to do some walking.

Yep, although Look have just announced Look Touring and Look City which you can walk in and ... er ... look interesting.

[eeksll]

If you don't need to walk around much SPD SL road pedals are fantastic.

SPD pedals are very handy, can walk around easily.

Crank Brothers Candy 3 pedals seem to be pretty easy to use and commuter friendly too. I've only recently tried them.

Currently trying Speedplay Syzr pedals. Take more effort to set up as they have a lot of configurability. Out of the box I wasn't impressed as the retention was way to low and zero float (up to 10 degrees configurable) meant accidental unclipping. After a bit of fiddling around I have them almost set up how I like them. Time will tell. One thing I do love about them is how laterally stable they are, very much like a road pedal.

keen to hear the longevity of the Syzr. looking at them, it looks like they would be more laterally stable than their road lineup

[hangfire]

i have now been into a few stores etc and looked on wiggle
i am considering the M324 pedals so i can use them with runners when i want to.
also the shimano M089 MTB shoes (tried some on in lbs so i know they will fit, but where 50 bucks more expensive than in wiggle)
do i need to order the cleats as well?

i ask as both lbs's i went into said that their pedals included cleats.....

is this an appropriate combination?

[Duck!]

Cleats are specific to pedals, so are always included.

[hangfire]

brilliant!
saved me 18 bucks
my mates at work all told me they were sold separately and i had to get them otherwise i would be somewhat disappointed on delivery.

[hangfire]

Is there much diff between the smh 51 or 56 cleats?
The pedals can use either apparently