Newbie Question:

Ordered a Surly Steamroller 56cm to replace my Schwinn Madison 07. Question I have to the forum is what type of pedals (non clipless) should I get. I already have some SPDs but am looking to get an all around decent pedal for when i'm running errands/biking around the city etc but not wanting to bust out the bike shoes. My old Schwinn just had cheapo mtb pedals w/ a plastic cage.

I have been looking at

MKS Touring
MKS Track
MKS GR-9 Platform

All of the above i'm also looking at getting cages w/ straps.

Any suggestions on what may work best for:

1. General riding use/comfort/safety
2. Limited Toe Overlap (165mm crankarm)

Thanks in advance,

kj

i ride a steamroller too and i just picked up some mks sylvan lites from benscycle...i like them pretty well, lighter than the other pedals i had and smaller too and they are narrower so as not to strike the ground easily on corners

they are very similar to the gr-9...i found a chart that compares the widths of the different mks pedals and that was pretty helpful for me, search around a bit...seems people really like the gr-9s

The MKS Touring have a nice serrated cage, so normal shoes will grip well.

MKS's track pedals really should be used with proper shoes and slotted cleats if you don't want to pull out the back. They have small platforms and smooth cages.

The GR-9's are very nice, look cool, and allow for use of a normal street shoe, without risking tearing up the sole. I would recommend the GR-9.

i have a pair of mks touring pedals and a set of (dundundunnn) welgo magnesium bmx pedals. i only ride around for fun and in sneakers, so a wider pedal made sense to me. the bmx pedals fit my foot (size 11) very well and i am still able to run clips n straps. i had to worry about toe overlap untill i learned to point my toes if i'm turning the front wheel a lot.

what i found strange was that in this little community of saving weight, the bmx pedals were actually lighter than the mks. they also give me a bit more room than the touring pedals.

...just my 2 cents

Can't say this enough, sylvans tear your SOUL! I recommend the gr-9s and would encourage you to combine them with either powergrips, a doubler, or double straps if you're used to the foot retention offered by your spds.

but sylvan lites are not like the regular sylvans, they are more like platforms, doesn't seem like too many people know about them...i think i found a treasure and my soul is very much intact

the sylvan lites sound ideal to me as well, i just haven't pulled the trigger on buying them yet.

Are you referring to the road, touring, track, or all of the above?

probably gr9 or the sylvan. with the steamroller i doubt you have to worry much about toe overlap unless you use an XL clip.
i haven't looked at a GR9 up close but it may not take a double strap too well. the sylvans will.

Did you get the complete steamroller or just the frame? If you got the complete the pedals on there are actually pretty good for an off the peg bike and might want to just try those for a bit. I only replaced mine with gr-9's when i replaced the 1 piece crank on an old schwinn for a three piece and needed a new set of pedals. Also i have no overlap with my steamroller (59) and the gr-9's

Thanks for everyones suggestions/help. I called Surly and their complete bikes from QBP don't come with pedals (may have been a shop sale add on?). I ended up ordering the Gr-9s w/ the metal cages.

Next question... can you get straps for cheap? Everywhere i look on the net people are charging $30 for leather straps? Seems a bit high, when all my past models came pedals/cages/straps for $25. Should my LBS have extra straps?

Thoughts?

That depends on how nice you want the straps to be. velo-orange has ALE leather toe straps for 16 dollars. the NJS-approved Fujitoshi straps...are a lot more.

I just purchased my pedals from there w/ clips. Thought i could get straps (even nylon, not too concerned how they look) for $10 for a pair.. maybe this is a pipedream...

nylon straps on nashbar.com are super inexpensive.

if you can find them, christophe used to make nylon straps laminated in flexible vinyl that are super grippy and are stiff like leather, but don't stretch. d

also i have an extra pair of sylvan lites; PM me if you want.

Velo-Orange also has those christophe ones for 8bucks a pair, don't see how I missed that on my initial order..

Everyone -Thanks for all the advice. I'll let you know how everything works out.

Wow, what did people do before general forum help? ... trial and error i guess

kj

My roommate has the gr-9 while I have the sylvan lite. The gr-9 are slightly narrower in width and will help prevent pedal strike a bit, but the sylvan lites are shorter lengthwise so they're a bit better with overlap issues. He rides a conversion and I've got a Rush, so it works out perfectly.

I have had the ALE straps mentioned and the right one is slipping, it sucks. always gets loose. I think it might be because they have gotten wet, but etiher way, i'm going to have to replace them in a little bit.

Is nylon known for slipping less than leather?

MKS Sylvan are about the best I could recommend.

These : the images are links i spend time linking them so i felt like telling someone

They are cheap, there are 9999999999 compatible shoes, the cleats are cheap they spin well last and last eons.



or if you are too broke to even afford Shimano brand SPD's

wellgo has a cheap ass version i'm sure someone would cut you a deal on

great, thanks

I ride with mks sylvans ( have for over a year now, no shoe problems) with L mks cages and toshi doubles, I have like a milimeter of overlap on my 53cm steamroller but I never hit the wheel. That said i'm thinking of making the switch to gr9s or maaaaaybe putting clipless on after seeing the light on my ss mountain bike.

i have some toe overlap with the sylvan lite but only when i am riding slow doing a tight circle...most of the time i am riding fast and straight so it doesn't matter so much...i have an xl clip but the pedal is not as long as the gr-9

i can even ride the other side of the pedal too just practicing trackstands or wheelies and such