Mo'Phat

This is truly bike-related...really...you'll see.

Why is it, the more you know about bikes, the more you want to tweak every little thing on it to make it better? Why is it, also, that 99 times out of 100, once you tweak something, you can't ride as well as a 10 year old chimp on a unicycle?

Case in point:
Decided to get an FSA Compact Crank for my bike to help with the hills. Put it on, and immediately my average speed dropped by 1-2 mph for hills I was doing with a standard double. I threw my double back on...trained with that for awhile...and remembered I had the compact and "wouldn't the hills be so much nicer with easier gears" and switched it out again. The hills still suck, I'm just slower going up them. Switched it back...switched it back...and switched it back again.

This isn't just switching out cranks, here...it's a bottom-bracket (megaExo/isis) switch as well...plus the front derailler adjustments. Makes me wish I just never got the compact in the first place.

Other cases that cause endless fidgetry:
My tried-and-true Brooks saddle looks like an outhouse at the Parthenon...got a Specialized Toupe...lasted for all of 10 miles before my ass gave away. Put the Brooks back on. Will probably put the Toupe back on in the near future.

I HATE my Ultegra one-sided Look-style pedals when starting at stoplights. I always end up standing on the bottom of the pedal and slipping only to wrack the berries in the middle of the intersection with everybody watching. I got some Speedplays, and LOVE the two-sided entry, but my feet just can't take them. Hot spots galore, seemingly regardless of cleat location. Got Lemond LeWedges...helped a little, but still hurt too much, so I'm back to my Ultegras. Comfy feet outweigh wracked 'nads, in my case. I've switched between these two pedals, Oh...about 6 times now.

/end rant.

voltman

My exactly rationale for considering a standard double.

BigSean

Short answer, because tweaking is cheaper then a whole new bike.

Extort

I know what you mean. I first bought one sided titanium SPD pedals for my road bike because I like them on my MTB (it was also . I also picked up a new pair of road shoes to go with them. That configuration did not last because the cleats kept unscrewing from the shoe and I would have to lay on the sidewalk and pull off my shoe to get off the bike.
So I bought a pair of speedplays and another pair of shoes and received hot spots on every ride over 40 miles (which is most of the rides I do) so I got fed up with those and pulled them off.
I then bought a pair of the Forte Look style pedals (and another pair of shoes ) hoping to have a system that works good enough for my double centuries.... alas, I hate the shoes (fugly) and found the plastic cleats to be harder to get out of the pedals.
Now I am back to wearing my mountain biking shoes with my original SPD pedals.... and feeling hundreds of dollars poorer...

However, I did just pick up these!!! They are Campy Chorus, so they match all the other components on my bike, and hopefully the cleats are a little stiffer.

SDRider

You think the Ultegra pedals are bad? Try LOOK Carbon KEOs, they are even harder to clip into from a stop. I went from a Shimano Dura-Ace pedal to the Carbon KEOs for no other reason than I just couldn't put Shimano anything on a Campy bike even though I compromised by doing so. I'm very used to them now but they aren't as easy as the Shimano SPD-SL pedals IMO.

I know what you mean though, when building up my LOOK I decided to go with a medium cage derailleur and a 13-29 cassette with a standard double crankset figuring the extra gearing would help considerably on the many hills around my house. However, after riding a few times I found that I was consistently slower on the climbs than my 2lb heavier steel LeMond with 13-26 cassette... So, I bought a short cage and a 12-25 for the LOOK.

There's no way in hell I'm buying a compact crank. I just need to keep working on the engine.

voltman

Nice! Are you getting new road shoes to match?

Extort

YEAH! I just want to get the pedals and then attach them to the bike and take the whole thing to a store so that I can get the most bling for my buck!

voltman

Bling

BigSean

I have Look Keo pedals also, lets just say they are taking me awhile to get used to the getting in part. Other then that I love em.

BigSean

Those are sweet, too bad me and white dont get along so well.

SDRider

I've been on them for 9 months now and about 1,700 miles. 90% of the time I don't have any trouble but I'd say once on every ride I have to actually look down and hesitate on my take off to get clipped in...not much fun in traffic. I could clip in the Dura-Ace SPD-SL pedals without even looking most of the time. I also liked the wider platform and the rubber walking surfaces on the Shimano cleats. Walking around on the LOOK cleats is like wearing roller skates.

Extort

SIDI shoes don't work for me. the Specialized 151-wides are probably the way that I will go. I have the normal 151's but they feel a little tight.

Mo'Phat

Re: the pedals. Glad to know I'm not the only one. With my MTB and it's SPD pedals, I never have to look down at the pedal when clipping in, which is nice if you're negotiating a path. That's what I love about the Speedplays...Since the only way to solve a problem is to throw money at it, is there another pedal that's 2 sided, that has a better platform and whose users don't get hotspots? Crank Bros.?

I wear Nike Lance 2's...because I love Lance.

Actually, because they're the first I found with a carbon sole and toe box that fits my wide flippers.

BigSean

Im still looking down, maybe I should stop that. Im not liking walking on the cleats, very slippery. Maybe I should switch to the Dura Ace.

Mo'Phat

I thought of another endless tweak while I was running just now: Stems. I own 3 stems...all different degrees of rise and different lengths. Started with a 7 deg. 120mm flipped down and just about face-planted on a descent 'cause I wasn't ready for it. Flipped it up and all of a sudden I was a huge Fred on these boards (and still uncomfortable)...went to a 10 deg, 90mm (got for free...) and flipped it down, up, down then went back to the 120. Then got a 5 deg, 110mm stem, flipped up gave me neck pain (like all the flipped-up stems), and flipped down is just about right.

I really want a Salsa 0 deg, 110mm stem. Or other manufacturer. Mo money mo money mo money.

BigSean

try these for the hot spots, they have been great for me. Riding shoes usually have no arch to them, these fix that. https://specialized.com/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=16115

Mo'Phat

For a cheap-o solution, get the Forte brand knock-off's at Performance. They use the same cleats, and you can blow two bills on DA after you know you like the style.

BigSean

Thats sounds like a good idea.

Extort

I have a pair of those to sell if anyone wants them!

Also, $45 bucks for an Specialized Odor-Eater? I remember that before I started biking that I used to have money!

BigSean

Not an odor eater, think of them as shims for your feet. I know, I was skeptical till I tried em. But my feet feel much better.

SDRider

I always got hot spots with SPD pedals. I don't get that with the LOOK or the SPD-SL's which is why I stick with the LOOK's. If I get another Shimano bike down the road I'd definitely get the SDP-SL pedals again though.

My shoes are Specialized road shoes. They are black and silver with three velcro straps and they are getting pretty worn looking (I have about 3k miles ridden on them). I'm probably going to stick with this brand though since they seem to fit my feet better than any other shoe I've tried.

SDRider

Oh man, don't get me started on stems and handlebars!!! SirLance has one of my mistakes on his bike right now. I probably have at least 3 stems at home I keep meaning to sell along with a few saddles.

Mo'Phat

Any 0 deg, 110mm? Brooks saddles?

Mo'Phat

That's technically what the Lemond LeWedges do, except the wedges go between the cleat and the sole. When I wear the Ultegras, the hotspots go away...

Somebody needs to make SPD-SL's that are two sided and weigh less than a mouse fart.

Somebody also needs to make a jet-pack that's safe and affordable for Joe Q. Public.

SDRider

Nope, I do have a 110mm but it is a -6 degree stem. Sorry, no Brooks either.