bookishboy

Ok, I had a few bucks from my tax return and went ahead with upgrading my pedals. The plastic resin pedals that come with the DT are serviceable, but I'd been thinking of replacing them with a couple of goals in mind.

My hand was forced because one got smashed up when I took a curb too quickly and it hit against a cement plant-potter.... just couldn't turn fast enough. It broke apart and wasn't worth trying to recover. I was originally thinking about switching to an alloy folding pedal, but saw some quick-release pedals over on Sheldon Brown's/ Harris Cyclery's website.

I bought one set each of the platform pedals and the cube-clipless ones. Both use the same quick-release mechanism, and I can't stress enough how quickly, easily and tool-lessly these things can be taken off. I haven't used clipless pedals at all before, but will be going down to the park this week. I want to get used to them in a relatively safe environment before I take to the roads with them.

The clipless pedals are not compatible with Shimano SPD systems, and this apparently has turned some people off from buying them. Since I wasn't already locked in to any particular system, I was happy enough to just take the included cleats and install them on a pair of Shimano sandals.

So far, they seem to be Ok, but I'm noticing a persistent clicking sound in the right pedal, just as it is turning near the top of the pedal stroke. It almost feels like the inside of the QR adapter isn't completely round or something, but may be an errant grain of sand that just needs to be worked out.

Pros:

-FAST, EASY attach and dis-attach of pedals.

-The QR adapter is the only thing which protrudes from the crank arm, and not by much, so the bike becomes easier to pack, store and carry. Fewer odd bumps poking out from the soft carry-bag.

-If I have to lock up the bike outside somewhere, the pedals come off. Harder to pedal off on it.

-I plan on sticking with this system if it works well, so if/when I get more bikes, I can mix/match my pedals at-will

Cons:

-You need to be more aware of keeping them lubed and clean.

-Cleat system isn't Shimano-compatible, but will screw onto standard shoes.

-(Edit) You'll need a thin wrench like a cone wrench to install.

-Price(!) The Clipless Cube ones were about $120 from Harris Cyclery, and I wouldn't have sprung for them except for my extra few bucks, and the fact that I plan on recycling them to future bikes as well. I'm sure these seem like a silly expense to put on a less-expensive bike, but I'm thinking about upgrade paths and using with different vehicles.



I'm hoping to eventually get the bike upgraded to the point where I can do a tool-less breakdown in order to pack it for trips or storage. Further down the road I'll look into breakaway chain and cables.


Pics below of pedals, and switching one pedal out for the other. Do NOT drop these things in the sand like I mistakenly did; keep them clean, lubed occasionally, and store them in their included cloth pouch when you disattach them. Other than stopping to take the pics (with my crappy PDA camera, so sorry about the quality), it just takes seconds to switch pedals over.

bookishboy

Bike, with and without pedals:

downtube

Very cool pedals! Thanks for posting.

Yan

gear

Great post and review! It helps to get information like this before making selections.
Did the clicking noise go away?
If there is an adjustment screw for adjusting the gripping ability of the clipless pedals, loosen it all the way and then make a mental point of unclipping one shoe before stopping. You shouldn't have any problems with clipless if you do those things. Once your body memorizes the motion of unclipping, you'll do it without thinking.

bookishboy

Hi there Gear, thanks. The clicking in the right pedal hasn't gone away, and I believe it has to do with the QR adapter rather than the pedal.....something foreign inside there, or a manufacture defect or something. It doesn't occur with the left pedal, and does occur with every pedal that I've put into the right. It's not terrible, but I'm worried about the metal-rubbing-on-metal may cause the pedal to go bad if the two parts aren't meeting as cleanly as possible. The problem seems worse if I'm applying weight or pressure to the pedal while it's at the top of the upstroke, so it's more noticeable when I'm trying to get up hills.

I'm going to let it go a few more days and if it persists, I'll simply replace the right adapter. Each set of pedals came with a set of QR adapters, and since I bought two sets, I have a "spare" adapter for each side. If that happens, I'll probably see about returning the faulty one.

Oh, also forgot to mention: If you don't have bike-specific wrenches, you'll probably have to take these to your LBS to put on. You may be able to tell from the photos, but the "nut" area of the adapter is so narrow that a regular-use wrench won't be able to fit between it and the crank-arm. Make sure that you have access to a bicycle wrench (I used a 15mm wrench) when you plan to switch them over.
(Edit)Looks like it was a cone wrench that I had to use

Thanks for the suggestion on the tension screw, I'll have to try that out while I get used to them

Cheers

Rincewind8

Could the clicking noise come from the cleat moving in the "fixture" when you are clipped in? That happens with some of my clipless pedals. If you try the pedals with regualar shoes and the noise is gone, that could be it.

Also if you take the tension of the clipless pedals almost completely off, make sure you don't pull up to hard. Nasty things can happen when you unclip unexpected.

Those are some nice pedals and I really like the clever QR system.

bookishboy

Update:

The clicking noise has gone away. It may have been a sand particle, or the device just settling in to smooth operation. If it starts up again, I'll note it in this thread.

In retrospect, it was pretty stupid of me to drop the pedals into the sand. The whole axle part of the pedal, which slides into the QR bracket, is covered in lubricant, so of course it attracted sand all over it. I thought I'd wiped them completely clean, but perhaps I missed something.

Racewind8: I'm sure it couldn't be from the cleats, only because I haven't even tried them yet (other than to make sure they attach properly). I've never ridden with clipless/cleats before, and I'm not going to take them on the road until I have a chance to practice in the park or somewhere similiarly safe. It's almost painful having to wait to use my new "toy", but work has been busy this past week so I've just been pedalling in on the MKS platform pedals. -sigh- Priorities, priorities Thanks also for the advice you sent to me on-the-side. I'm a bit nervous about looking silly or having trouble at stops when my feet are attached to my pedals, but so many people have recommended this as a significant performance boost that I'm also looking forward to trying them.

Also, based on the multiple good reviews that I've read, I'm going to order a set of Power Grips for the platform pedals. If anyone's interested, I'll update with my newbie impressions of Power Grips vs Clipless.

acavengo

I have two sets of these pedals and no pedal wrench I have used was narrow enough to fit when removing these pedals. I had to use a 15mm cone wrench which is very narrow and not recommended for pedals.

One word of caution with the clipless pedals, use the plastic clip that is provided to keep the pedal from disengaging from the quick release. I do not use these clips on my platform pedals, but with the clipless pedals I found that depending on your shoes, you could mistakenly disengage the pedal from the quick release and end up finding yourself in an interesting situation.

maunakea

Park Tool, Pedro's, and others make thin 15mm pedal wrenches.

brakemeister

regular pedal wrenches are too thick ... one need to take 2 cone wrenches instead


thor

acavengo

Bought the Park Tool one, did not work. Tried Pedro's at the bike shop after PT did not work.

bookishboy

Hi acavengo,

I think you're correct. After looking at several photos online, it looks like I used a cone wrench. I edited this info into the earlier posts.

I'm still not much of a wrencher, just plucked a tool off the pegboard that looked like it'd work.