CrosseyedCrickt

My wife just emailed me asking me if I ever thought about going clipless, this astonished me to say the least.
First, I have actually been giving some silent consideration to doing this come springtime as an award to myself for commuting all winter long.
Second, my wife has NEVER spoken to me about cycling. ASAIK she didn't even know what "going clipless" even meant.
Aparently she got bored at home tonight and was just looking thru one of my old Nashbar rags and thought that the shoes looked "cool" and fired me off an email out of the blue.
So here I am, now fully intent on going clipless come spring time.

My question is thus:
I plan on getting the Nashbar branded sandals and probably the SixsixOne Tiburon 3 shoes. Both are SPD compatible.
Since I'm going to be dumping $75.00 or so on shoes I want to cut the cost on getting the pedals. Nashbar has a few branded SPD pedals that seem to fit the bill. They all have a semi-platform to them so that they would seem fairly comfortable for the times I don't clip in right away and their prices are reasonable.
Does anyone have experience with their branded SPD pedals? I've had good experiences with their other items but when it comes to pedals do you pay for what you get? Or would someone recommend a different pedal to me?

vrkelley

Shimano makes some pretty good pedals How about the Shimano 545 SPD. It's got plenty of float adjustment so you don't blow out your knees. Also on the shoes esp. for cold winter riding, be sure there's enough room for a heavier sock. Otherwise there'll be too little circulation and it'll be hard to keep your feet warm.

CrosseyedCrickt

For winter I plan to keep doing what I am currently doing, just some insulated hikers on platform pedals with PowerGrips(tm), but that could change if I get hooked on the clipless pedals. (no pun intended)
So I'm assuming "flot" is the ability to move the connection point fore/aft and side-to-side? Will both the pedal and the shoes have this ability?
I'm not familiar with clipless all that much other than you are hooked to the pedal via the shoe.
I'll keep those pedals in mind come spring time, they look pretty cool and the price isn't bad, though way more than I wanted to spend.

Oh, here we go, a question.
Do the shoes come with everything necessary to clip into the pedals? I see that you can order the cleats seperately! Is that just for replacement purposes or do I have to order cleats as well as the pedals and shoes?

GCRyder

1) "Float" refers to movement of the cleat within the clip while engaged. There is usually no movement fore and aft, just rotational movement right and left. The fore and aft adjustment is in the slots on the bottom of the shoe, not usually a feature of the pedal. The shoe will also allow some flexibility in the angular orientation of the cleat. The "float" is typically measured in degrees of rotation before the clipping mechanism releases the cleat. Personally, I think a little is good, but less is better than more, and that you keep from hurting your knees by positioning the cleat correctly in the first place and pedaling with good form, not by tolerating slop in the the attachment. Too much "float" is a design defect marketed as a "feature." JMHO, but commuting tends to involve lots of clipping in and out, and "float" is the enemy in that process.

2) The cleats and the hardware to attach them usually come with the pedals, not with the shoes. The replacements are for those that wear out or get lost, etc.

fender1

I swithced from toe clips about 8 months ago. I too had no real interest in going clipless but thought I would try it to see if I liked it and now I am completey hooked. I use a set of Shimano platform on one side spd on the other.

I like them alot. I also got a pair of no name pedals (same design) from airbomb.com ,like nashbar but cheaper most of the time and they work great as well. (2 bikes) I have a pair of Shimano shoes that look pretty normal and are relaltively easy to walk in. It is true that the sizing tends to run small for these types of shoes so keep that in mind. The nice thing about getting a shoe that is maybe a 1/2 size larger is that you could use it in all 4 seasons simply by adding or subtracting layers in depending on temp.

My only issue was it took a while to get them dialed in to where they felt comfortable. This required some stoppping while I was riding and adjusting the cleat to try different positions. Yes I also fell over at a stop light in front of about 15 college coeds, but that only happend once. Now clipping and unclipping is automatic. Overall I am very happy with the switch and would reccommend you give it a try. As a person who is not really interested in all the latest & greatest cycling gear, I found the clipless pedals made my commuting more enjoyable overall.

newbojeff

I'd be willing to bet that if you go clipless this spring/summer/fall, come next winter, you are not going to want to go back to platforms or (gasp) clips. Clipless is much more sure and it will feel weird to be on a bike without being clipped in. I use SPDs. I have shimano pedals and got a pair of nashbar cleats for the MTB shoe I wear. Everything works great.

Woodlark

I tried both the Nashbar "Rodeo" pedals (single-side SPD/platform) and the Nashbar "Special ATB" pedals. I found both to be extremely difficult to clip in and out. I ended up buying Crank Bros. Candy SL pedals which I like better. I'll gladly sell the Nashbar pedals for $15.00 per pair including shipping if anyone wants them.

Bklyn

All these clipless threads! Welcome to the club. (We didn't expect such a rush — we're gonna run out of cake....)
People who like the half-pedal/half-SPD thing recommend the Performance Campus pedal. I have Shimano and a no-name version. Each pedal came with its own set of cleats, which are supposed to be compatible. I have not found the compatability to be 100 percent. In the future, I'll switch to Shimano 520s all around. They can be had for like $40 if you clip coupons.

As for shoes? Cycling shoes vary wildly in their sizing. I wouldn't get my first pair (let alone two) via mail unless you're particularly lucky or don't mind shipping them back when they don't fit.


One last thing:
You are aware that "going clipless" carries certain connotations in the world of S/M, aren't you?

ItsJustMe

I picked up some Shimano SPD pedals off eBay that were brand new for $17. There were several up there in that range when I was shopping, about 18 months ago.

Personally I'm switching to Power Grips so I can wear my insulated waffle stompers until the temps get back up over 20. Even then I'm thinking about sticking with the PGs.

I have been doing clipless for about 15 months now. They're alright, I have never even fallen with them, but for me there's just hardly any real benefit over toe clips. I'm not racing or trying to be super efficient, I'm just riding my bike, y'know? With clipless pedals on you don't have the freedom to just jump on the bike whenever you want, you have to go put on special shoes.

GCRyder

There is truth to this, in that you probably wouldn't want to jump on and ride 10 miles with SPD pedals in a pair of thin-soled loafers or bedroom slippers. But I wouldn't ride in those no matter what kind of pedals I had, and I frequently use my clipless pedals with running shoes or work boots for short trips around the neighborhood or the 3-mile round trip to and from the closest store. Am I doing some damage that I haven't noticed?

bmclaughlin807

Meh. I have the 'campus' style pedals with SPD on one side, platform on the other. I can 'just jump on' and ride in whatever shoes I'm wearing, but I don't. If I'm getting on my bike and it's over 35 degrees I put on my cycling shoes. I LOVE being clipped in. The only reason I wear anything else is when it's cold, and my hiking boots are much warmer.

tonka.toy

I opted for egg beaters just to be different. No adjustments to bother with, very light, easy to clip in and out off. They can have platforms but I've never bothered. I use mountain bike shoes and there are some really nice mountain bike boots for when the weathers cold.

CrosseyedCrickt

heh
more than you know
I went to school with the daughter of Erica Jong, Molly Jong-Fast.
Erica Jong is the author of "Fear of Flying" which happens to be on the "must read" for some BDSM circuits. Molly introduced me to certain "hobbies" quite some time ago.

CrosseyedCrickt

That's why I have several different bikes
The clipless pedals would be just for the commuter.
Cruiser has some big fat platforms that look like text books.

Bklyn

Oh, right. ZIPLESS. Not clipless. And thanks for bringing up Erica Jong. Yeech. Now I need a shower.

saraflux

oh? please do explain that.
PM if it's something offensive... i have never heard that one before. lol

dalmore

I think I'll subscribe to this thread. It's looking like an educational one ....

ItsJustMe

No, but my Shimano pedals are pretty smooth and relatively small compared to platforms. I don't feel comfortable on them, and I certainly couldn't put much pressure on, I'd never stand up on them. If it was wet at all I'd slip off constantly.

In the end, for me personally, I like clipless OK, but I liked toe clips fine too, and I get no added enjoyment from having clipless. What's driving me right now is that my toes get damn cold in my cycling shoes (Shimano mountain shoes, which are WAY warmer than the sneakers I used to pedal in) when the temp is below about 10*F, and I'm going to try riding in my hunting boots with power grips. Depending on how things go, I may leave them on or switch back to the SPDs come spring.

slvoid

Be careful with the campus style pedals, they're much wider than a clipless pedal so if you're pedaling and cornering hard, you might strike the ground with your pedal.

barba

Don't cheap out on the pedals.

Shimano M520s can be had for $33 (shipping included) from probikekit.com. They are not just "SPD Compatible" (which others have noted is often not 100%), they are SPD. Any bike shop will have replacement cleats with no worries and they last forever.

chipcom 

Good plan to stick with your power grips for the winter. Commuting on snowy/icy roads ain't no time to try something new. I use the Shimano M324s on my snow bike, platform on one side, SPD on the other, but on my other bikes, other than the roadie, I use the M424s, double-sided SPDs with a plastic cage around them...so you got some area to plant your foot on when not clipped in - and decent with street shoes too. I've not used the Nashbar branded and I am skeptical about them being compatible with Shimano SPD cleats, but since the cleats usually come with the pedals, you should be cool.

CrosseyedCrickt

I still have a few months before Michigan thaws out so I can change my mind an billion more times on what shoe/pedal combo. I do know that I want the sandals, that is my main reason for wanting clipless really, I'm a sandal freak!

Sorry to all that was hoping this thread would go south, get your minds out of the gutter!! Or go sign up at escourtvault.com or some others SP site in your area... oops, I think I just gave something away there

So right now, I think I will set my mind on the Shimano SPD pedals and sandal combo and probably purchase some shoes at one of my B&M stores.

CrosseyedCrickt

I knew what you were thinking, i'm a nijna, and I responded accordingly

Brian Ratliff

I started with a pair of $25 Nashbar branded pedals. It got me in, but they lasted only a couple seasons. I eventually ended up with stainless steel eggbeaters and here I stay.

Start with what you can afford. If you are just starting, you won't know the difference. One word of warning though, with cheapish nashbar type pedals: make sure you keep the clips on the pedals lubricated. They tend to get sticky and keep you from clipping out at a stop if you let it go too much. Other than that, they'll work perfectly fine; they just wear out fast. Once you know what you like in pedals, then go ahead and spend the $100 to get a nice pair.

You'll love them. You get so much more leverage that you'll immediately find it easier to bike overall.