Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - pedal advice

Hi, I'm new here so please don't hate on me for starting a new thread unnecessarily, but I tried the search function and could not find anything.

The dilemma: I am converting a Nishiki Prestige to a fixed gear. I believe it has a pretty low bottom bracket and I need to purchase some pedals. I imagine I'm going to need something with good ground clearance, but I'm also not looking to spend a fortune. I wear vans slip-ons (sorry) and my feet are on the larger side (11.5). I found these on ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/MKS-SYLVAN-Track-Bike-Pedals-Toe-Clips-Straps-BB_W0QQitemZ170032340957QQihZ007QQcategoryZ36138QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem


It seems like a good deal, but I wanted to seek out some advice.

Solutions:???



Thanks.

i ride vans slip ons and mks sylvans. go for it.

i ride plastic clips though, not metal.

thanks ryand. another question for any and all, why the emphasis on rebuildable pedals? what can you do with them?

well, i switched my bike to left side drive. since the sylvan is asymetrical, i had to rebuild it (meaning poopncow did the work because he was doing the wrenching) so the right pedal was on the left spindle. it was fun stuff.

You may want to look at these instead.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?MfcISAPICommand=ViewItem&item=170013500440

They have more clearance than the other ones and more of a platform for your style of shoe.

ugh. i bought the sylvan set already. but they should be okay. i'm sure someone out there will be willing to trade if i'm not satisfied. i'll report back once i build up the bike this weekend. oh yeah, and when the pedals arrive too, so maybe later.

slyvans are fine. they're copies of the old school classic campy track pedals. you shouldn't need anything else for basic street riding. make sure you get some steel toe clips too. no aluminum.

slyvans are fine. they're copies of the old school classic campy track pedals

rigth which means they are not designed to work well with street shoes.

I just started riding fixed gears and from the advice given to me on this board I ordered the MKS GR9 pedals. I too wear Vans slip-ons and these pedals have a platform made for shows like this. Give them a look. I ordered mine from Benscycle.net

yeah the sylvan and campy pistas are definitely not so comfortable with soft soled shoes..
the cages feel kindof 'sharp' to me

platform pedals like the gr9s give better support and more clearance on the bottoms as well



rigth which means they are not designed to work well with street shoes.

FWIw, classic Campy track pedals seriously suck with soft-soled shoes.

rigth which means they are not designed to work well with street shoes.
neither are the rx-1, custom nuevo, or royal nuevo, but at least they dont cost upwards of $100 ;). fwiw, i don't like the feel of vans slip ons or puma suedes on my sylvans. i haven't finished up my month long return to clips & straps, but what i can say is that the "wear any shoes you want" argument is misleading.

so what shoes should you wear with the sylvans?

If I was going to get sylvans which I wouldn't I would wear something like this
http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photos/medium/YS-LOMB-blk.gif
or maybe newer road shoes with slotted cleats(hard to find these days.)

If I wanted to wear normal shoes I would get some sort of platforms or possibly MTB pedals if I was super cheap.

i wear slips ons and ride on sylvans and its fine. you dont need to order new shoes because of the pedals.

for everyday riding the road shoes and cleats are overkill. I ride clips/straps for every day use with soft soled shoes...and it is fine(commuting, getting around town). For training and track I use to run the road shoes with slotted cleats, which work pretty well, but upgraded to a clipless system which is better so you can unclip when you need to.

I agree. I have Sylvans and wear Kostons and have no problems. And I like the scuff marks they make on my shoes in the shape of the clips.

i wear slips ons and ride on sylvans and its fine. you dont need to order new shoes because of the pedals.

Yes, you can do it though it will not be as comfortable or secure as an appropriate shoe/pedal combo. And those are the type of shoes sylvans should be ridden with. I would not recomend riding around town with them though because it really sucks. Rather, buying a pedal that fits your shoe choice and riding style rather then one that is a "track" pedal is the way to go.

alright, well since i already rodered the sylvans i'll have to deal. it shouldn't be too bad. if they really suck i can unload them on craigslist or somewhere and pick up the gr-9's. the sylvans seems like they would be more secure than the gr-9's though. better for the upstroke?

it depends on what shoes you are wearing. With vans, no.

dutret, if you knew anything about the way i ride or how my bike is set up, then i would accept that answer. i'm pretty sure i haven't had a problem yet, and i just rode that shoe/pedal combo on the ms150. plus all of my daily riding. plus all of my fashion skidding. plus all of my polo games played. plus aliens.

dutret, if you knew anything about the way i ride or how my bike is set up, then i would accept that answer. i'm pretty sure i haven't had a problem yet, and i just rode that shoe/pedal combo on the ms150. plus all of my daily riding. plus all of my fashion skidding. plus all of my polo games played. plus aliens.


The way you ride or how your bike is set up has nothing to do with it. Vans + platforms are a better combo then vans + sylvans. They provide better support and better traction. Sure you can use van's + sylvans for all sorts of stuff and get away with it but it simply isn't the best option. You can pound a nail in with a screwdriver too but that doesn't mean it's the best way to do it.

+ aliens was tired and inane the first time someone said it. It's about time everyone finds some other unwitty moronic "joke" to repeat over and over again.

Rather, buying a pedal that fits your shoe choice and riding style rather then one that is a "track" pedal is the way to go.
Was why I responded about the way I ride my bike or the way it is set up.


The way you ride or how your bike is set up has nothing to do with it.
This one seems to stray from your original statement.

Then you didn't understand my comment.
Sylvans(or other track cages)/slotted cleats if you are a luddite trackie.
platforms/whatever if you are a casual rider and want to wear normal shoes.
roadclipless/roadshoes if you go on alot of long rides and have hotspot issues or are racing on roads.
Crazy-stiff release clipless/road shoes/maybe straps if you are a track sprinter.
giant platforms/skate shoes for gravity, trials, BMX, and polo(although clipless platforms would be ideal).
MTBclipless/mtbshoes for most other uses.
etc.

The combos are set you pick the one that suits what you want to do.

i will admit, i get ready to take the cages of my sylvans and ride them like platforms during polo. thats the only time i dont like them.

solution: ride it, if you dont like it, get different shoes or pedals.

i will admit, i get ready to take the cages of my sylvans

That can only end well. Get some cheapo platforms from your LBSes removed off new bikes box.

theres only ever saddles in there. i dont understand the people that take their pedals but not their saddles. whatever, more love for my butt.