roguedog

I got an old Panasonic road bike over the weekend. I think it's from the 70s. Didn't come with pedals.

Because I'm using it for commuting and I'm not ready for clipless nor do I really want to carry spare shoes around, I'm thinking of putting power grips on the pedals.

Anyway, my question is for those of you with power grips what pedals should I get? I see power grip sells a high performance pedal and grip combo but I"m not sure if the pedals are more for mb's?

Anyone have any suggestions for pedals for this bike? It's red and the model has been rubbed off.. I think purposefully since the bike is in pretty good condition actually.

Trek930

You may want Mountain bike pedals. If you are commuting you want something that will be grippy when wet and dirty. Think rain and dirty streets. Loosing grip in traffic can be bad.

NoRacer

If you go clipless, try SPDs with mountain bike shoes. The shoe will have a recess--actually, it will have lugs built up that create a recess. The lugs will allow you to walk without stepping on the cleats and the pedals will keep you firmly connected to your pedals.

IMHO, SPDs are the fastest to get in and out of, if you choose a double-sided entry model like the Shimano PD-M520 or M540--handy at traffic lights. After using them for awhile, you don 't even have to look at the pedal to get bound.

walterk46

I put the cheapo pedal/Power Grip combo on my road bike commuter. No complaints. They are actually really well suited to commutes with lots of traffic lights and stop signs. I agree with the earlier poster in the sense that I don't see any downside to a mb pedal setup when it comes to commuting.

Walter.

mihlbach

If you are determined to go with powergrips or clips, then so be it...but I urge you to reconsider going clipless. Lots of people are resistent to the idea of clipless at first, but once you try it, the improvements are immediately obvious, especially in your ability to climb and accelerate and spin fast. No x amount of miles logged without clipless pedals will make you ready for clipless, and once you try it you'll wish you had tried it sooner. You may fall once or twice at first, but not if your careful, and once you get used to clipping in and out (after a few rides, it becomes instinct) they just make your ride so much smoother and more relaxing.
For commuting, I'd recomend some mountain SPDs or something from Crank Brothers, combined with a shoe with a recessed cleat, so you can walk around in them.

The only drawback, of course, is having to change shoes...but can't you just leave a pair of shoes at work so you don't have to lug a pair back and forth?

Good luck with whatever you choose!

squeakywheel

I use Wellgo 888 pedals.

https://www.bikemannetwork.com/biking...PDNCWLG/PD1035

They are one sided pedals intended for toe clips. I'm petty happy with them. The front outside corner of the PowerGrips attach to one of the toe clip screw holes. The rear inside corner is a little harder. You need a washer to keep the nut from pulling through the large hole that is where you want to mount that end of the PowerGrip strap.

Edit: For the record, I'm kind of favoring PowerGrips over SPD pedals right now. I have PowerGrips on my SS road bike conversion. My recently accuired geared road bike came with SPD pedals. I bought some Shimano sandals figuring "hey, I already got the pedals". Frankly, I like the PowerGrips better. I can fidget on the pedals more with them. When you are pedalling hard, the SPD pedals are fine. It's just that you have your feet kind of locked in that position indefinitely. Toes can get numb. With the PowerGrips, I can slightly back my foot off the pedal and move it around while I'm coasting.

Nightshade

I agree 110%!! These pedals alone offer the best of both worlds while allowing you to wear
any shoe you want to. If I needed new pedals these would them.

MichaelW

If you are looking for some normal platform pedals for toe clip or powergrip use then it is hard to beat MKS Sylvian touring pedals. They are good value, durable, easy to service and lightweight. The double sided ones are a bit more versatile than Campagnolo old-style road pedals (which they also make).

Psychic Pimp

I'm going to have to weigh in on the power grips. I didn't like them much.

While I like the concept of being able to wear any shoes to ride, that was not the reality for me. If I had them adjusted for my walking shoes, even the added thickness of my sneakers made the power grips too tight to allow a good foot position. If I loosened them up for the sneakers, they weren't snug enough to actually do any good with the lighter shoes. In either case, if I was wearing a pair of light weight hikers on a cold day, I couldn't use them at all.

Since I ended up only being able to ride the bike with a particular pair of shoes, I just went back to my Time Atac clipless on the commuter and platform pedals on my other bike for errands and coffee runs.

MMACH 5

SPD pedals. Once you try them, you won't go back.

igloomaster

I agree. Very well put. And believe me, I'm a TOTAL LOSER when it comes to adapting to new things... I avoided the clipless pedals for years because I had decided it would be a herculean effort to learn how to get in and out of the pedals. It wasn't. And these shoes have definitely improved my cycling. I have the Shimano pedals.

squeakywheel

This is true. I never thought about it because I'm always wearing the same shoes when I ride this bike (skateboard shoes). I think I could probably also wear my Gortex hiking shoes without changing the strap length adjustment. The toe section of those shoes look about the same diameter as my skateboard shoes. The Gortex hiking shoes were my commuting shoes this past winter.

Edit: As Psychic said, you don't want to be adjusting the strap all the time. It requires a wrench and a little trial and error fiddling.

dauphin

I found the having to change shoes bit a pain myself. I started using the Shimano M520 pedals about a year ago and so I bought a pair of Specialized Sonoma shoes which have the recessed cleat attachment. I have no problem walking around in those if I have to go in a store or something like that. I finally just made sure I had an extra pair of shoes and other clothing items at work so I could change there. Doesn't hurt that I own the business.

newbojeff

1+ on clipless. I have SPDs, 520 pedals, and diadora MTB shoes. Leave the work shoes at the office. Ride clipless for 1 week and you'll never go back.

shakeNbake

I ordered the crank bros. candy from Performance, it should be here next week. I've never wore clipless before.

I'll post a review when I get it.