muddyrock

Thanks for the tips!! I ordered these from amazon, Zefal "Cristophe" Mountain Bicycle Half Toe Clip. I know they say for mountain bike but read reviews saying there fine for any bike. They were cheap enough and seamed to have pretty good reviews. I got size l/xl for my size 13 shoe, hopefully they will work out.

I have thought about clip less but going to try these out and see where it goes from there.

rumrunn6

let me know if they are not big enough, either in height at the toes or depth & I'll share which I use & how I extend them

muddyrock

Thank rumrunn6. I do like the look of yours. This is all new to me. Up until last year I never really took cycling all that serious. After finding some nice bike paths and realizing how enjoyable it is I’m hooked.

muddyrock

Mine came in and seamed ok but not liking the bulky plastic look. I did order a pair of velo orange stainless steel deep half clips. With that said I am very curious on your set up.

rumrunn6

oh those look really good! but I don't mean looks wise, I mean features & benefits, but they do look fine as well. guess I didn't know about them when I made my own. sounds like you will be all set, but since you asked, this is what I've done for 3 bikes

Mks Double Strap Toe Clip L
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

using a bench vise & locking pliers I just snapped of the top part just below the rivets, then filed the edges
then I opened them up a bit with my hands for more height
for more depth I DIY'd spacers using nuts, bolts & plastic/vinyl tubes from the hardware store





this gives me perfect foot placement on the pedal axis





regardless of footwear









even size 14 Columbia boots



I also use Sunlite Pedal Extenders, 9/16" to 9/16", 21mm Long so the sides of my feet aren't leaning off the side of the pedals giving me 5 1/4" from crank to outside edge of pedal. the 3rd photo shows the pedal extender visible & not all photos were taken after the extenders were added

muddyrock

Wow rumrunn6, you definitely put a lot of time and effort into you clips!! Great description of details and parts as well!! Sometimes you just cant beat custom made, I will try out the stainless ones I purchased and keep yours in mind for sure. I will let you know how mine work out!!

Thank you again for great detail on yours!!

rumrunn6

welcome, of course the genius of "clipless" eliminates that that

jimmie65

Curious to see how they work. I'm a 10 or so, and the L/XL are just the right size for me.

jimmie65

rumrunn6, great modification. I just gave away a set of metal clips or I would give this a try.
I've used spacers before but just to make toe clips fit on MTB pedals.

Scooty Puff Jr

Very nice job, I love to see improvement modifications to a existing component, not only did you improve it, but you also get the satisfaction of making a unique component that fits you.

rumrunn6

thanks. wonder why they don't make stuff for clown feet, like mine

Skipjacks

I added a second light up higher. Cygolight Hotrod 50. Works great in conjunction with the much bright Hotshot 150. But while the 150 can be seen from further away it can only be seen straight back. The 50 has a wider field of view.

(Does not mount horizontally like this normally. I had to get creative)

Scooty Puff Jr

I really love my FXS6 but I was never happy with the way the derailleur stuck out from the chain stay of the bike. Shimano has the Shadow Derailleurs for the MTBs but just recently came out with the Shadow Derailleurs for the Ultegra groupset. I really like the way the Shadow Derailleurs tuck up under the chain stay, they look so much cleaner, they also eliminate the big shift cable loop and the shift cable is routed to the inside which is much cleaner, also it protects the derailleur a little more from getting snagged on a protruding object.

I found a good deal on a Ultegra Shadow rear derailleur and decided to install one just because I like the cleaner look. I am also running a 12/25 cassette so I went with a short cage derailleur, I had to remove 3 links from the chain, but the bike shifts even crisper than it did before, so win win !

I’ve installed a bunch of derailleurs and this one was bar far the easiest to set up. The Limit screws and B-screw are allen head, so adjustments were easier than using a screw driver. The barrel adjuster is also really precise, only needed a couple clicks of it and had it shifting and sounding nice pretty quick.

BEFORE:





AFTER:

rumrunn6

good job!

hokiefyd 

It looks like the Ultegra one doesn't have a clutch. Could you compare the shift effort of the Shadow vs. non-Shadow? I understand the tension springs are much tighter on Shadow derailleurs, making downshifts (to larger sprockets) more of a physical effort on the shifter (more spring pressure to overcome). Does your experience match that, or do you not perceive any meaningful difference?

Scooty Puff Jr

I didn’t notice any difference in shifting on the new Ultegra compared to the old one, chain slap isn’t a big issue on road type bikes so they really don’t need a clutch. Though there was a big difference between my old Deore Shadow derailleur compared to my new XT Shadow derailleur on my Surly, with the clutch “on” it makes for a pretty stiff shift, so I leave it off when on smooth surfaces.

hokiefyd 

I've been thinking about replacing the derailleur on my Trek Verve (currently an Acera M360) with a clutchless Shadow derailleur (Acera M4000). I don't need a clutch in my situation, either, but I had heard that the Shadow derailleurs (even the clutchless ones) required more cable tension to shift because of stiffer springs. Maybe that's not the case; maybe the review I read was on one with a clutch. In fact, maybe that was your report I remember. With the clutch on, shifting requires more effort, but with the clutch off, it's no different than the old non-Shadow derailleur?

I would change mine for the same reason as you: the cleaner look and nicer cable routing.

Scooty Puff Jr

Actually it was someone else with a Surly that said how hard it was to shift with the clutch on, I had commented on the thread because I just bought my XT derailleur and was a little concerned myself. Yes, with the clutch off it shifts like a standard derailleur, and when on there’s a noticeable difference, but it’s just a little bit harder. It does work though, on rough trails the clutch pretty much eliminates chain slap.

I just rode 30 miles today on my FXS6 and the new shifter was flawless, it’s quieter and it felt a little easier/lighter to shift, I’m guessing because it’s new ? I had a m4000 on my Fuji Crosstown and it shifted really nice and they’re probably not that expensive. I don’t believe the spring tensions are any higher on a Shadow derailleur compared to a standard one

pjthomas

I have the m4000 and it does have stronger springs even without the clutch by design. The stiffer springs give more reliable/repeatable shifting. Because of this they don't work with indent type grip shifters. You have to use ratcheting trigger shifters.

TMassimo

New rear tyre 32mm. I haven't tested yet, but I can see is gonna be an upgrade from the previous one.

Eric91Z

Well, just got my new 2018 Trek Verve 3 a couple weeks ago for my birthday. Given Iowa weather, have only gotten to ride it once. Swapped my Topeak rear rack/bag from my road bike to this bike, originally swapped the iSSi Flip Pedals from my road bike, but just put the stock Verve pedals back on. Liked the bigger platform under foot.

Today just added some Bontrager bar ends and the Mirrycle mirror. Need to get some more riding time in to make sure mirror is adjusted where I want it. But should be good to go for a while if we can just stop having snow and start having some better riding weather!

hokiefyd 

The white paint looks great. I have similar bar ends on my Verve 3. I have not yet done the Mirrcycle mirror like you have, but I plan to.

DowneasTTer

You might want to check out my thread of a couple of years ago about the 4 seasons. btw: I'm still running them on both mine and my wife's CoMax 1's. Pricey but in this case "you get what you pay for" IMO

Monster miles on a set of tires....

Scooty Puff Jr

I finally decided to do it, got me a Brooks saddle, we will see......

ColonelSanders

Definitely will be keen to hear your feedback on this saddle.