Hybrid Bicycles - Toe Clips and Lights recommendation

OK - selected my bike - Cannondale Quick CX FS. I was hoping someone could recommend some toe clips and lights they have good experience with - also a basic computer - I am looking at a Cate Eye 8i wireless?

Any thoughts or comments?

Nice bike.
When and where you ride will help determine what lights you might needs as well as your budget.
Basic toe clips work well.

Will be riding about 70% road and bike path and about 30% on shell paths. Want the lights to see and be seen at night. Also - any thoughts on a bike computer?

I swear by my Cateye Strada Wireless. So much so that they are on my two top-dollar machines. Easy install. Never a problem - aside from a dying battery.

I have a Protege 8 and is a wired unit,show 4 or 5 funtions at one screen,

I and my wife both have Cateye Micro wireless on our bikes. So far they have been pretty much bomb proof. We leave them on the bikes when the bikes are on the car rack, rain or shine, it hasen't hurt them a bit. The down side to wireless is that there are double the batteries that need to be changed, and they can be subject to interference. We stopped at a store that had an automatic door opener, and both our computers started blinking all sorts of digits. once we got away from the door, they where ok. Execpt my top speed for the ride registered as 75 mph!
Go clipless.

(1) I use a CatEye V2c on two of my bikes and it is great. I also have a Garmin Edge although to be honest I have never liked it and use it only rarely.

(2) On my commuter I have a DiNotte light setup to fulfill a "be seen" mission. I use their AA battery line since I don't want to be tied into a battery racket.

(3) Go clipless!!

Cheers,
Matt

Hey there Jemme. For my hybrid bike I put on Hybrid clipess spd pedals by Wellgo. They are great for doing a mixture of long rides and stuff in traffic as you can you use the flat side in quick situations. That being said, now that I have been riding clipless for over a year or so now, I am going to switch to full on that bike. My other two bikes are already full clipless so why not.

As far as lights go, anything by cat eye or blackburn is pretty good. I have seen some nice lights by planet bike as well. Depending on what your needs are and how the roads you will be riding at night are in terms of darkness and terrain, the recommendations would change dramatically. Obviously stick to lightweight, LED, and long lasting.

The Magicshine headlight is bar far the best deal IMHO. The amount of light you get for $85 is pretty amazing, it just can't be beat anywhere. Lots of people here of BF have bought this light as well, so you'll have no shortange of reviews on it: http://www.geomangear.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4_41&products_id=138.

For the toe clips I would just ask if you're ever going to ride this bike without bike shoes, like on a short grocery run. If you are, then I'd get the Shimano PD-M424 which have a dual-sided clipless entry plus a resin cage around. They work great whether you have clipless shoes on or not, and can really take a beating. I used them on my MTB for several years, never taking care of them or cleaning them and smacking them on rocks and roots many times. Then I used them for a couple years on my commuter, and they still work great. http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/PE707A09-Shimano+Pd-M424+Pedals.aspx

If you are just going to use them with bike shoes, and are new to clipless pedals I would go with the Eggbeaters. They have 4 clip-in surfaces, you can clip in and out very easily and they are not hard to get used to. http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/PE407A03-Crankbrothers+Eggbeater+Sl+Pedals.aspx

As for a computer, I've only used one for the past 8 years: a Cateye wired cheapo. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another wireless one.

front light: magicshine
rear light: planet bike super flash
computer: $10 Schwinn from Walmart (wired)

good luck; have fun and CONGRATULATIONS!

front light: magicshine
rear light: planet bike super flash
computer: $10 Schwinn from Walmart (wired)

good luck; have fun and CONGRATULATIONS!
Good light suggestions but I would recommend like a 20 dollar sigma on the computer instead. the schwinn is a much bigger pain in the ass to program and cycle around since there aren't presets for tire sizes you have to do all the math yourself.

I just put these (http://www.amazon.com/Delta-Bicycle-Strapless-Toe-Clips/dp/B000FSQQMS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1268348824&sr=8-1) on my Felt X City today. I've only ridden around the block so far, but I like them. The half clips let me get my feet in and out so much easier than full clips. And they seem to help apply power.

I just put these (http://www.amazon.com/Delta-Bicycle-Strapless-Toe-Clips/dp/B000FSQQMS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods&qid=1268348824&sr=8-1) on my Felt X City today.

That's cool, how did u shorten the link into one word? i found that very usual feature.

That's cool, how did u shorten the link into one word? i found that very usual feature.

You have to go to 'Go Advanced'. Then when you click on the icon to insert a link, it also inserts an alias afterward. Initially it is the same text as the link, but you can change it to whatever you like. I believe it is also highlighted by default.

First time I saw that I thought it was really cool too :)

I commute via rail and a Dahon Mu P8 when the weather is tolerable. I started out with a cheap Bell computer and that worked great until it got knocked off while I was folding the bike to board a train, I guess. It wasn't there when I got off and unfolded the bike anyway. I replaced it with the CatEye wireless that the LBS recommended. It worked fine too until it got knocked off during a spill on a pile of wet leaves. Once again I did not notice its absence immediately. When I did I returned and found it. By then one or more cars had run over it and it no longer worked. So I replaced that with a CatEye wired unit with cadence. I picked that model because by then the riding season was over and I wanted something that would work on the trainer. It has long wires to reach the rear wheel and the crank. On a trainer you need to measure speed from the rear wheel, of course. That is something you might give some thought. Clearly I have had bad luck with computers but on the bright side all of them from very cheap to mid level expensive have worked well until circumstances beyond their control killed them.

I know my commuting route very well and I pedal at 17-18 mph max on streets that are reasonably well lit. I got a $60 Planet Bike Blaze light set that includes their 1W Blaze LED headlight and the SuperFlash rear light. The Blaze is more than enough light for me even on brief sections of my commute that have no streetlamps. One is across a long church lawn and down a steep embankment. Of course I take that section much slower than 18 mph. So as someone else said your lighting needs depend on you and your route. I never saw anything cheaper than $60 that appeared to be adequate for my purposes and I think the SuperFlash is good enough for anyone. It is the headlamp where you might want more, or less.

Now you should be aware of problems that can occur with headlamps and wireless computers. The ones that use electronic dimming and flashing, like my Blaze unit, can generate enough RF energy to jam your wireless computer. Sure enough when I got the Blaze I mounted it right beside the computer (still had the wireless at that point) and immediately found that it would jam the computer if I used it on blink or dim mode. In "high beam" mode the LED is turned on all the time and it did not bother the computer. The dimming and flashing is done by electronically chopping the current to the LED and that can and in my case did jam the computer. You can actually see the chopping action on the Blaze, just set it to dim, dismount it, and point it at the spokes of a wheel after you give the wheel a spin. The chopping of the light creates a stroboscopic effect. The solution was fairly simple in this case. As long as I kept the two devices about 4 inches apart the computer was happy. So all I had to do was mount them on opposite sides of the handlebar instead of side by side.

For the person who asked about links, when you are typing a post into the edit box look at the icons just above the text window. Click on the one that looks like a little image of the Earth with a link (get it!?) from a chain below it. Then paste your link into the dialog box that appears. If you want to enter text like: Blaze Light Set (http://ecom1.planetbike.com/3047.html) it appears that you have to manually type it in to replace the second appearance of the URL that you pasted into the dialog box. At least that is how it works in the advanced mode post entry editor.

Ken

My latest addition to my pimp moment:


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My latest addition to my pimp moment:


143002 143001

Which computer is that? Looks like a Planet Bike Protege.

Which computer is that? Looks like a Planet Bike Protege.

Yes it is,Protege' 8.

That's cool, how did u shorten the link into one word? i found that very usual feature.

The easiest way is to type your reply first. Copy the http link in advance, too. Then select/highlight the word or phrase that's in your reply with the mouse. For example: Campagnolo (http://www.campagnolo.com/jsp/en/groupsetindex/index.jsp) While highlighted, click the Insert Link button and right click in the box to paste the link. Done, and no "Go Advanced" needed. It automatically uses the selected text as the underlined link.


A "be seen" flashing light is a lot cheaper than a "see the road" light. And the amount of light to see the road depends on how fast you want to go, and whether you ride in both dark and partially lighted roads.

I also have a set of the strapless clips. Cheapy plastic from REI, but they work great and are super easy to get in an out of. Perfect for suburban/urban riding. You can't pull back with them, but can still unweight and drive over the top for more ooomph.
I have just a low dollar headlight, and it's really just good for being seen rather than than illuminating the road. If you plan on riding faster than a snails pace, or on dark streets, worth it to spend the $$ for a good LED unit. Never-the-less, do not ride at night without something. I've had people start to pull out on me, and then stop when they see the light. I plan to upgrade when the days get shorter again.
Any decent LED tailight is fine, just as long as it has some flashing function.
Haven't got a computer yet.

As I posted elsewhere in this forum, I've settled on and am quite pleased with the following combination:

Cateye Uno front safety light - bright, flash mode, extremely light and compact
Cateye LD150 rear safety light - light, compact, several flashing modes
Cateye Strada Wireless computer - tiny, easy to read, piece of cake to install

Nice pics KungPaoSchwinn!

Oh thanks waynesworld, the pics are gone now for some reason,i did not delete them but however, i was successfully gave away a pair
of slightly used toe clips and strap to a member and now......i have something else to give away,i have a pair of Power Grip toe straps looking
for a new recipient,of course it's slightly used as well, i can not stand the idea of falling off the bike with the straps on,i know i need to
practice but my chance of getting hurt in very unlimited,free to anyone who wants them,just pay the shipping.thanks.

Oh thanks waynesworld, the pics are gone now for some reason,i did not delete them but however, i was successfully gave away a pair
of slightly used toe clips and strap to a member and now......i have something else to give away,i have a pair of Power Grip toe straps looking
for a new recipient,of course it's slightly used as well, i can not stand the idea of falling off the bike with the straps on,i know i need to
practice but my chance of getting hurt in very unlimited,free to anyone who wants them,just pay the shipping.thanks.
Exactly why I fear toe clips and especially clipless pedals, I'm too old to chance an injury or broken bone.

Im using the new Planet Bike 2w Blaze. Live in a highrise and with window shut i can light up a car in parking lot below through the window. Cost $35 up here in Canada,probably little cheaper In US,its extremely bright.
Planet Bike Super Flash on back.
Cateye Strata.
I use Grip King platform pedals from Rivendell,dont need to be tied in for me.

jeme, how cold does it get during your rides? Wireless computers have an extra set of batteries in the transmitter part that stays out when / if you park the bike outside. If it's cold, the transmitter eats batteries like nobody's business. There's usually no easy way to remove the transmitter or its battery to keep it warm. That's why I've returned to wired comps.

Regarding setting up a computer: I think it's a good thing to be able to enter wheel measurements in actual mm's, instead of entering a code for a preprogrammed table entry. Your mileage may vary on this (drum fill). :)

Lights: whatever you get, if you actually depend on lights (commuting for example), get small backup lights you can use if primary lights develop a problem. Reflectors on bike and self also go a long way helping you being seen.

--J