musicmaster

My bike came with SPD (mountain) style pedals. I've been doing research and it seems that the SPD-SL or LOOK style pedals are much more preferred for comfort and stability.

Also, my bike came with a Velo road saddle. The saddle is hard (although I've gotten used to it a bit) but it makes certain male parts of mine numb after half an hour or so.

With Nashbar having pretty good sales today, it looks like a good time to buy.

Question 1: SPD-SL vs LOOK. It seems that the LOOK type pedals are also made by many 3rd parties and are cheaper/lighter than the entry level SPD-SL pedals. Also replacement cleats seem to be a decent amount cheaper. Is LOOK bad or less quality than the SPD? I've been looking at the Nashbar Z11 pedals

Question 2: Shoes: I'm looking at the Shimano RO76L road shoe off Nashbar for around $65. Are there better options in around the same price range?

Question 3: Saddle: As I said the Velo saddle that came with my bike is a bit hard and makes my male parts numb (even with cycling shorts). I've seen the Vader Saddle (both with the hole and without) for $20 shipped. Is this a decent deal? Should I get it with the hole (my current bike has it) or without? Also, how does a white saddle hold up, cleanliness wise?
https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...#ht_3654wt_682

ptle

I was in the same position you were. I got some $50 Crank Brothers Quattro which were pink and some $30 shoes off Bonktown. I eventually sold the CB pedals and got Nashbar's Ventoux 2 pedals, which are great and cheap at $35. I've heard of people getting over 10,000 miles on them with no issues or maintenance.

For a saddle I got Nashbar's older version of the R2 saddle. It works for me. I'd suggest measuring your sitbones, and finding a saddle many people seem to like that matches.

musicmaster

How do you measure your Sitbones?

Also, how's the Nashbar Pro II road shoe for $60?

I've got shoes, the z11 pedals, covers, extra set of cleats and a water bottle holder in the cart for $81

musicmaster

Looks like my sitbone is somewhere between 110-120 (I used alum foil). Nashbar doesn't seem to list sizes though

ancker

I know this comment won't be very popular around here, but have you considered just getting some SPD shoes?

I have SPDs on my Hybrid and bought Road style shoes. "Bontrager Street" to be exact. When I bought a road bike I didn't like the idea of buying another set of pedals and matching shoes/cleats. So I bought SPDs for my road bike. I don't race (yet) and i thus far haven't ridden for more than a couple hours. I've been able to fit my shoes and set the cleats so I'm comfortable throughout my rides.

Don't let anyone tell you certain products are for certain things. It's about what is comfortable and affordable for you. SPDs are certainly designed for MTB but that doesn't mean they won't work on a road bike.

As for the saddle. You can do like I did, buy a $35 saddle on ebay and then have the seller screw up and send you a $150 saddle instead by mistake.

Palomar01

I used the Shimano-style clip ons for a while. I had the Forte Pro road pedals with a Shimano MTB shoes so I could switch from my MTB to my road bike without buying new shoes. Great pedal for a mere $50.

But I recently switched to Speedplay Zeros....I will NEVER use any other pedal again! The Speedplays are just so damn faster to clip on to! No looking, just put your foot on the pedal, put pressure, and click! You're in and powering away from the intersection.