Sort of new, looking for advice.
 

Let me give a little history before I go into asking questions. I was looking for a road bike as a daily commuter, maybe 4-5 miles tops at a time. So I tried a road bike with thin tires and loved it. But after a day I knew this wasn't plausible. The road quality here is terrible, ranging from potholes, uneven payment to thin layers of dirt on the road. This made for constant flats, bike sliding out from under me and just an overall miserable ride. I then decided to go with a mountain bike with big knobby tires. This seemed to work wonderful but the drag and effort it took to pedal was drastically greater. I then realized I could adjust the front and rear suspension. I now have both suspensions as stiff as possible. It gives me a nice ride with a little forgiveness on the road. I'm thinking If i switch to a different tire I should be better off, so I ordered a pair of kenda 838. If they are anything like motorcycle tires that everyone is claiming they should be perfect. The only part of the bike I am not happy with is the pedals. I'm looking to find a wider pedal if possible. I currently have some cheapy 4x3 pedals. Since I plan to do only do road commuting I don't care about the weight or how thick it is. This should cut down on the cost. Any ideas ?

Welcome aboard :)

This will undoubtedly fit better in Commuting than Road, so hold on a sec while I move it.

I like big, grippy BMX platform pedals myself.

That's what I want, hopefully a pair in the $40 range.

Here you go:
http://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...der=price_asc#

Just remember you need 9/16" for your bike.

Knobby tires are terrible for roads. You need smooth or smoothish tires, whichever style bike or wheels you use. Mountain bikes with smooth tires make good commuter bikes.

Or you could ride a road bike with fatter than normal tires. That's what I prefer. Some road bikes take 28 or 32 or 35 mm tires. Some don't. I'm currently commuting on 700c tires with 32mm widths. Very nice.

Also, you can learn a technique of using your knees as springs, putting less pressure on your hands. I grew up on skinny, hard tires in New York City when potholes were even worse than they are now. It's not for everyone, but it's definitely possible.

And where are you? You can put your location in your profile as many of us have done. It's a considerate thing to do so we know whom we're talking to.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=314952
This is the tire I ordered, kenda 838. (26 x 1.95) But from what I've been told only about 1.2 of the tire touches when you're going straight

I'm intentionally trying to put as much pressure on my calves. I do this by standing up and forward. My other "exercise" hobbies are swimming and weigh lifting. Calves are one muscle I struggle to grow and the little biking I've done so far I've felt it more in my calves then I have years of swimming/lifting.

I am from Maine, home of some of the worst roads ever. The state as a whole makes very little money and gets destroyed by frost heaves.

www.universalcycles.com Looks like a great site, but doesn't seem to show the pedal dimensions. And I'm horrible at judging size by online pictures.

I realize that you didn't ask this, but since you have switched bikes once, you should consider a cyclocross for your next bike.

I didn't know the term for "cyclocross" but that is what I considered a "road bike." I had a friend lend me his and I absolutely hated it. I was all over the road and the 1 pothole I hit due to cars coming both ways (55mph zone) and having no where to go I decided against those.

You tried it so fair enough. I was thrown off by your original description of thin tires. Road bikes will typically have 23 or 25 mm tires where cyclocross generally start 10 mm wider than that.

This is slightly under 3 1/2 wide, I really need to find a 9/16th pedal that is 4+ inches wide

http://oi44.tinypic.com/2aaacll.jpg

What kind of bike do you currently own?

I mean what brand and model is your bike?

Its a cheap bike, I only paid $150 for it new. The only thing I don't like about the bike is the width of the pedals. I didn't know if anyone knew or had a pair that was over 4' and was 9/16th. The pedals I have on the bike are cheap $8/pair ones. They are considerably better then the stock ones but still not wide enough.

Go to: www.nashbar.com

Ask customer service to get actual pedal sizes:

1-(877)-688-8600

I doubt they'd know, I asked another website by e-mail and this is what they said

Unfortunately most pedal companies do not list the dimensions of their pedals, but we have photos
that you can compare to your current pedals. Here is a link to all the platform pedals we carry:


http://www.universalcycles.com/shopp...p?category=114


Have a good day,

Well in that case, use their website to locate a good candidate pedal. Get the name of that specific brand and model, then call that company for the detailed specs.

Try this place. I haven't called with a question, but I have used their 'ask a question' function for a rack once. IIRC, they had a response up within 24 hours. http://www.treefortbikes.com/home

Also, quick question- why the desire for a larger pedal? Are you wanting/needing to move your feet out a bit from the crank arms? If so, then maybe pedal extenders will be the ticket.

The balls of my feet are really wide. I want to have my entire foot engaged. An extender would just push the pedal over, causing the inside of my foot to not fully be engaged.

I think your on the right track with the tires. I ride the same roads and 1.5 slicks does the trick. The mountain bike will be far more stable especially in those conditions. I use platform pedals during the snowy months but clipless the rest of the time.

I absolutely love the tires, they give the bike a real stealth look while giving me a smooth ride over bumps and cracks. I am still looking for bigger pedals. Anyone know of 4' wide pedals ?

Not to beat a dead horse, but a proper cross bike can be exactly what you're looking for (and this coming from someone that regularly commutes on 26" tires). My single speed cross bike can get over or through anything. With semi-knobbies, you can trek across any gravel or sandy strewn stuff, and still have lower rolling resistance than pure knobbies when out on the pavement. No way your friend's bike should have been "all over the road" unless there was something else going on with the bike. Oh, and FTR, you will need to learn how to negotiate pot holes when there is no way around them--getting familiar with the bunny hop will go a long way to prolonging your wheels...

These tires make packed dirt and road feel like you're driving on air

http://oi41.tinypic.com/acs61e.jpg

Without a doubt !
Never leave home without 'em :thumb:

Danscomp.com has a great selection and info, but Im sure you know that.
Ive even basement rigged straps and clips on a set of Easterns.
I find Primo Tenderizers to be the best for me, but if you worry about weight,
maybe not for you.

And ...... The LEFT pedal is reverse threaded !!!!

It's a good thing that you learned early on that tires are the most worthy upgrade to any bike. Components matter much, much less. I'm a tire *****.

Oops. The filter took my word away. OK, I'm a tire person-who-takes-money-for-lewd-purposes.