Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Clipless Pedals Questions

Hello,
My search abilities may be less then perfect, but I have been able to find a thread that covers the below questions.

I am looking to make the jump to clipless pedals on my road bike. I am a big guy, 6'6" and 290, so I need something strong. I ride about 100 - 150 miles a week. Even though I suck bad, I like hills and standing on the pedals. My reason for looking at clipless is keeping my feet on the pedals, I have had a few close calls with me feet sliping off the platforms.

Here are my questions:

Any suggestions on a high quality, strong and easy to use pedal? I am not concerned about the weight.

I have read that new users should have pedals with float - do all systems allow you to adjust this "float" or is it something you have to change with new / different pedals?

I have a wide foot - do all pedals work with all shoes or are them combinations that are better if you are going with a wide shoe?

A number of people have mentioned to me that I should go with mountain bike pedals and shoes as it is easier to walk around in the shoes. Any comments? I have to cover a hard wood and tiles to get out of the house and a set of concrete steps before I can get on my bike so I have some concern about how easy it is to walk in the shoes.

My assumption is that the mechanical working of the pedals are mostly with the pdeals and not the shoes - I guess what I am trying to confrim / ask is this - is the shoe decision based on how it fits or does it also make a difference in how the pedal operates?

Thanks for any info you can provide.

John,

I went the clipless route about a month ago. I am 5'11" and 202 lbs and the Look Keo Classic is what I ended up buying. I am also on a road bike and don't really walk around in my shoes so I opted for road shoes, the Juice, from Pear Izumi.

I really like the Keo Classic. It is easy to clip in and out of, and the large pedal surface seems more stable to me. The price isn't bad either, I paid about $100.00. I really love the shoes. The soles are very stiff and they are super comfortable. I wouldn't want to walk very far in them though. What I do is just put them on I'm my garage, before I get on the bike.

I would strongly recommend you get a system with some float. The Keo Classic is available with 0, 4, and 9 degrees of float. I know the Speedplay system has more float, 15 degrees I believe, but I didn't like the small pedal. Float let's you move your foot side to side while you are clipped in. The float is adjusted by changing cleats with the Keo system.

I would go talk to your lbs and ask them to show you some different systems. Like a lot of things shoes and pedals in going to come down to personal preference.

Joe

If you need to walk on your shoes, SPD style clips are the easiest to live with. The road racing shoes and clips are a little more efficient, but for me comfort on and off the bike is more important. I want to be able to ride to the store, hop off the bike and walk normally. Recently I rode to an event one day and forgot to bring a pair of normal shoes (I leave a pair of shoes at work). I had no problem walking around all day in my Shimano FN51 shoes. In my case the shoes are all black so they don't scream "cycling" shoes. Off the bike these shoes are also amazingly comfortable. I recently completed a Century ride and my feet felt fine the whole time. You can get descent SPD shoes starting around $60 at my LBS andnthey go up to around $180. Road shoes are more expensive and walking on them off the bike is very difficult, therefore I did not even consider them.

Shimano makes various SPD pedals. You can get them with SPD on one side and regular pedal on the other side (in case you want to be able to use regular shoes every so often, or you can get SPD clips on both sides. The price starts around $50 and to top of the line versions go for around $125. I have the base models and they work just fine.

There are a number of other brands of pedals and shoes on the market. There is no clear right or wrong choice. What matters most is what is comfortable for you.

Happy riding,
André

I'm 6'3" and 220-225. I just this weekend put Speedplay Zero's on my bike. I went with Specialized Pro Carbon shoes. All of this is a little pricey, but so far (1 century ride yesterday) I love them. Walking was a pain, but nothing that slipping out of the shoe didn't solve.

But I agree with the above poster. It all really comes down to what feels right for you.

I use MTB/SPD pedals on my road bike (Shimano- PD-M970 or XTR) for a couple reasons.

1. I use the same pedals on my MTB. If I have shoe issues I can always use my MTB shoes and yes they tend to be much eaiser to walk in.

2. The spin classes I do have SPD type pedals so I can use either my road or MTB shoes.

3. I can swap pedals if I have a broken one plus I have a couple spares in my fix-it bag.

4. MTB pedals are made to take a beating!

Sidi makes a couple models of shoes in wide or MEGA, I have used them for many years and find them to be the best choice for a wide foot.


-Scott

Hi John 1992, I assume you are from Toronto, never heard of Totonto.
I am currently using mountain biking shoe's with the recessed cleats and a set Shimano PD-M324 pedals with a regular platform on one side and clipless on the other. I really like this because clipless are great on the open road but not being tied to the pedal is great in urban areas where you are on and off the pedal a lot. I am 230 lbs and don't even give the pedals a thought when I am standing on them. I think that the crank would break before the pedal would. I wear the MTB shoes because they are so comfortable and I can wear them for an extended period when I am off the bike. Great for touring with. My pedals are adjustable and I have loosen off to the minium setting. I will never go back to clips or regular pedals again on any bike that I ride long distances on.
If you think that the pedal might be to narrow for your foot, a set of Kneesavers may help you out with that problem. http://www.kneesaver.net/
Happy cycling!

Hi John 1992, I assume you are from Toronto, never heard of Totonto.

You've never heard of Totonto? What, do you live under a rock?
Totonto is actually quite a swing'n place!

http://tinyurl.com/55mqlf

I have to jump in and suggest Crank Brothers Mallet Pedals. Get the newer model. They are reasonably priced, you can ride with cleats or without, and they seem very well built. A bit heavier, but they seem strong and very clyde worthy to me. They have more float than SPDs and the cleats recess well into mountain bike shoes.

John,

I went the clipless route about a month ago. I am 5'11" and 202 lbs and the Look Keo Classic is what I ended up buying. I am also on a road bike and don't really walk around in my shoes so I opted for road shoes, the Juice, from Pear Izumi.

I really like the Keo Classic. It is easy to clip in and out of, and the large pedal surface seems more stable to me. The price isn't bad either, I paid about $100.00. I really love the shoes. The soles are very stiff and they are super comfortable. I wouldn't want to walk very far in them though. What I do is just put them on I'm my garage, before I get on the bike.

I would strongly recommend you get a system with some float. The Keo Classic is available with 0, 4, and 9 degrees of float. I know the Speedplay system has more float, 15 degrees I believe, but I didn't like the small pedal. Float let's you move your foot side to side while you are clipped in. The float is adjusted by changing cleats with the Keo system.

I would go talk to your lbs and ask them to show you some different systems. Like a lot of things shoes and pedals in going to come down to personal preference.

Joe


If you do go the Keo route, don't pay $100 for them.

http://probikekit.com/display.php?cat=Pedals%20Road%20Look%20and%20Shimano

Keo Classics for $53 and free shipping.
They are in and out of stock there often, so check often.

As for pedals, mountain pedals (SPDs) are often recommended. Be careful at your weight not to buy titanium pedals, they often have weight limits that exceed anything you (or I) would like to mess with.

I use CrankBrothers egg beaters, the cheapest model, which are the strongest ones. They're heavy and strong. I found these easy to use.

Hi John I started on spd a nd switched over to Crank Brothers candy pedals they're great I'm 260 I stand one till the cows come home and have a nice amount of float. The cleats fit on spd mounts so u can wear mountain shoes with em.

speedplay light action is about the easiest entry into road pedals. or for unlimited float try the speedplay x series.

The road racing shoes and clips are a little more efficient, but for me comfort on and off the bike is more important.


I use SPD's on my roadies. I was feeling a bit like a FRED till one day I did a ride up the mountains wiht a few guys. I spanked some dudes half my weight (back when I trained) up the 5k climb. One dude, a well known local racer smoked us all. When I got to the top he asked if I raced. I said no I was just a rec rider. He said that I should since I could climb this weel at my wight. I told him I was just a rec-fitness rider that wore mtb shoes on my roadie.

To my amazement, he lifted his shoe and asked,"what do these look like?".:eek:..Since then I've realized, it aint the shoe, if you can ride, you can ride. Besides, I know lots of riders with road shoes that don't do very well!:p

I have to jump in and suggest Crank Brothers Mallet Pedals. Get the newer model. They are reasonably priced, you can ride with cleats or without, and they seem very well built. A bit heavier, but they seem strong and very clyde worthy to me. They have more float than SPDs and the cleats recess well into mountain bike shoes.

Hi, I mostly ride without cleats.Would the CB Mallet pedals work for me? Do they get uncomfortable after a while, since the clip-in protrudes past the plane of the platform?

I recently moved to Time ATAC Alium pedals as I have a bit of a wide foot. These seem to work much better for me than the SPD, Keo's or Shimano SPD-SL road pedals. I also got a pair of Shimano M122 shoes and they feel pretty comfy and have yet to have any foot pain or issues. The Alium's are a slightly wider pedal.

I recently moved to Time ATAC Alium pedals as I have a bit of a wide foot. These seem to work much better for me than the SPD, Keo's or Shimano SPD-SL road pedals. I also got a pair of Shimano M122 shoes and they feel pretty comfy and have yet to have any foot pain or issues. The Alium's are a slightly wider pedal.

do they have a proprietary cleat? can you wear it with mtb shoes?

I highly recommend SPD (Shimano Pedaling Dynamics) style of pedals. lots of choices and adjustable float. I have 4 different pairs (various styles) and I love them.


Shimano 545 MTB pedals are absolutely bombproof if you are worried about breaking them. I've been using the same pair for almost a decade and I firmly believe that I'll be passing this same set of pedals down to my childrens children.