Road Cycling - New bike (I had to do it)

Well I did it. I dropped the cabbage on a new ride today. Bought the 2003 Cannondale R1000. Gonna upgrade the front derailer and the bottom bracket to the ultegra components. The question I have for everyone is pedals. I've just had ACL reconstructive surgery on my knee so I was told that Look pedals are really nice. Something about float. Anyone have a a preference? Any advice would be appreciated.

Great bike! Keep us updated on how it performs.

Originally posted by bumpdog
The question I have for everyone is pedals. I've just had ACL reconstructive surgery on my knee so I was told that Look pedals are really nice. Something about float. Anyone have a a preference? Any advice would be appreciated.

If you're looking for float, take a look at the various Speedplay X or Zero (like X but with adjustable float limits) pedals. If you want walkability, you might want to also consider the Speedplay Frogs. Yes they're MTB pedals but many people use them for roadbikes too.

http://www.speedplay.com/

Time Impact S or above are great for float and comfort. A lot of the pro peleton uses them.

Oh yeah, congrats on the new ride! You're gunna love it!

Congratulations, bumpdog! Happy spinning on the Cannondale and take it easy on your knees.


Originally posted by bumpdog
... I was told that Look pedals are really nice. Something about float.

Second that. I have Look PP357 pedals (previously owned PP247s) and like them a lot. The red cleats indeed allow for (adjustable) float; you can move your feet a bit when clipped in. Personally, however, I find a fixed shoe position easier on the knees.

These all sound like great suggestions. I'll check with the place where I'm buying the bike and see what they think. They're all a bunch of heavy riders at this shop, so they should have some good opinions as well. The bummer of all this i sthat I can't even do any riding yet until I rehab this knee. It'll be about a month before I can even get on the thing. Oh well. There always the Spring.

it should say something that in four posts we have recommendations for three of the four major brands of pedals (shimano being the fourth). nowadays, almost all quality ($100 an up?) pedals have plenty of float for most folks. if you have knee problems, you may wish to get a cleat fitting done, or get pedals that allow you to shim your foot to put it in the proper position. you may spend a little more, but you'll be more comfortable.

Originally posted by pgreene
if you have knee problems, you may wish to get a cleat fitting done, or get pedals that allow you to shim your foot to put it in the proper position. you may spend a little more, but you'll be more comfortable.

I think that rules out SPD and most MTB based pedal/cleats. I don't know about SPD-SL or SPD-R though. I do know you can adjust shims for Speedplay road cleats and I believe for most other Look style mounting too. I assumed it was more a function of the bolt-pattern and shoe/sole design rather than the actual pedals.

the only pedals i know of that can be shimmed is the high-end looks. i'm not going to advocate a new rider (or anyone, for that matter) spend that much on pedals, but it's something to consider.

I was looking at the Look A5.1 pedals. As you go up within the models of any of the particular brands, do the tension settings start at a higher level of release? Kind of like ski bindings? They are adjustable but as you get into the higher models, the DIN settings start at a higher level. I was wondering if the level of adjustment on these pedals do the same. Not sure if I explained that very well.

Hypothetical:

Let's say a Look, low end pedal, goes from 1-5 in it's tensions settings while within that same brand of pedal you get the top of the line and it starts at 4 and goes to 8. Does that sound better?

i think release tension is generally higher on better pedals, but most models are fully adjustable in that area. after you get used to clipless, you'll want more than the minimal retention tension for performance sake (nothing sucks worse than having a foot fly out when you're trying to sprint). i would worry more about float adjustability and platform size, with weight being the lowest priority.

I had my ACL replaced and cartilage removed a few years ago now I use bebop pedals and have had no knee problems with them, good luck on the road to recovery

This guy comes HIGHLY recommended for bike and cleat fitting - he's in RI though.

http://www.wedofeet.com/

ahhh, but the web-site seems to list a location in NJ, maybe OK for bumpdog

Gotcha - didn't even see that!

The dude that works in RI has worked with Tyler Hamilton and many, many others.

My wife has has had two knee surgeries for patellar tendonitis and needs to go in for a third. The tendonitis is bad enough that running causes her knee to swell up and cause lots of pain. But, she is able to cycle in her speedplays without any problem whatsoever.

Cannodale rocks, the bike and company....welcome to the family