Road Cycling - Look/ SPD-R and Tyres

Hi,
I am currently using a pair of SPD pedals on my road bike as I already had a pair on my MTB (and corresponding shoes). I am now thinking of getting some new ones as occasionally after long rides the SPDs can be a little uncomfortable at the pressure points.
Should I go for Look pedals or SPD-Rs, or even the Time ones? What are the relative merits of the systems?

On another note, can anybody recommend a brand/model of tyres as the Vittoria ones that came with my bike are perishing after less than a year?

Thanks

Pedals... That's a personal thing. I like Look, some people like Time. The advantages/disadvantages are that... Shimano pedals are lighter, but the SPD-R cleats are cheap and soft metal and tend to get banged up... I don't know anyone who has used SPD-R pedals and liked them, but that just might be the crowd I ride with. I know some people who SWEAR by Time pedals, I also know some people who swaer AT them. One guy I know earned his name "Eric the Human Scab" largely thanks to Time pedals [and his own stupidity]. I find the Time cleat to be pretty complex and I've heard that it tends to go out of alignment more easily than others. Look is the most common road pedal. The pedals are alittle heavier than Shimano and the plastic cleats can wear out after a while, but the cleats aren't expensive and the mechanism is reliable. The cleats do have a habit of developing a squeak, but that's fixable.

As for tires... Tires wear out. It's not unusual to have a tire wear out after 3000 km. You can reduce wear by rotating front to back after about 1500 km and get about 60% more life out of them, but they DO wear out. So far, I have 4,000 km on a pair of Continental Ultra 3000 tires, and that's about the lifespan I expect -- though I might get another 1,000 km if I'm lucky. I would recommend the Contis. They're expensive, but they grip well and they have a pretty good lifespan.

Just FYI, I expect to change my tires at least twice this year -- once after the next 1,000 km, another time around July or August and probably again in October.

What about speedplays or eggbeaters. I love my speedplays and have heard good things about eggbeaters

Originally posted by Baby Huey
What about speedplays or eggbeaters. I love my speedplays and have heard good things about eggbeaters

RainmanP has reviewed eggbeaters- try it in the search box.

Richard

Did I get it right ? Just 4000 km with a pair of conti tires ? I also have conti tires (Conitinental Grand Prix) in use and last year I rode almost 8000 km with them and they almost look like they were new... do you slide with them ? *g*

;)

And I see that PricePoint has a sale on Eggbeaters right now - $89.98 on the Email page.

http://pricepoint.com/email.html#431

Cheers...Gary

i have Speedplay Frogs (the MTB pedal) on my hardtail MTB, commuter, road bike and just ordered a set for my newest full-suspension - i recommend them very strongly - no problems and lots of satisfaction!

i originally bought the Frogs b/c i have knee problems and they offer lots of float.

i love my Frogs and recommend them:
* some of the lightest pedals you can get
* great float - i think 20degrees - great for the knees
* good in mud and dirt - sand can be a problem but minor
* super simple design - basically nothing to break except for the rotating shaft itself (one of my original pedals finally broke last week after thousands of miles)

negatives:
* a little different feel you have to get used to
* only release by twisting inside, but not a problem once you learn it (i've been riding 2+ years on Frogs with 20k+ miles)
* since most people have either Shimano type or Times you can'T trade bikes with someone for a test ride or whatever
* no adjustment - they work great but if you for some reason don't like it, there's no adjustment - again, you don't need it, but...
* a little wider cleat so for some shoes you might have to cut a little of the sole away (had to for 2 of the 6 shoes i've used)

as far as the Speedplay road pedals - no idea - i use my Frogs on the road bike so i can switch shoes w/ changing cleats and they lighter than most road pedals anyway.

From what i've seen, the eggbeaters look somewhat similar but i've heard they are not very durable and only last a few months... just what i heard

I have SPD-R's and like them, but wouldn't recommend them. (For a lot of reasons, that I will post if someone's interested.) When I replace them, I'll probably go for a lightweight Look w/some rotation. A large platform, like the Looks, is probably your best bet if you suffer from hot-spots.

As far as tires, what kind of distance are you getting? I don't have much experience with Vittorias, but typically never get more than 2500-3500 miles (4000-5600 km) from my rear tire. (It then gets rotated off, the front moved back, and a new one put on the front.)

Originally posted by Piratello
Did I get it right ? Just 4000 km with a pair of conti tires ? I also have conti tires (Conitinental Grand Prix) in use and last year I rode almost 8000 km with them and they almost look like they were new... do you slide with them ? *g*
I'm impressed! Mine look far from new -- and I rotated at 3,000 km! Like I said, I expect to get 1,000 km more our of them -- maybe 1,500. But no more.