EB Cycling Club

Professional Engineer & PE Exam Forum

Help Support Professional Engineer & PE Exam Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
It doesn't matter what kind of bike it is...the pedals are the same. i prefer the mountain bike clipless pedals because the cleats in the shoes are made of metal (more durable, IMO). The road bike cleats are plastic and bigger. I'm sure they work fine, but I like the metal ones better.

 
wilheldp_PE said:
It doesn't matter what kind of bike it is...the pedals are the same. i prefer the mountain bike clipless pedals because the cleats in the shoes are made of metal (more durable, IMO). The road bike cleats are plastic and bigger. I'm sure they work fine, but I like the metal ones better.
Click to expand...


I don't know exactly what wilheldp is saying, but it is not true that all pedals are the same and will fit all shoes. Some are very different - Look vs. SPD, and the weird round ones that I have (super lightweight but TOTALLY different than SPD). Check first before buying.

Swapping pedals is easy - just keep in mind, IIRC, that the left pedal is reverse-threaded (to keep it from unscrewing while you're riding!)

 
Last edited by a moderator:
For getting cleats and shoes the first time I would (and did) start out at a bike shop. There are different styles of cleats to match different styles of pedals, and the cleats also have to fit the shoes you buy. You also want to make sure the they are adjusted correctly for the specific rider so you don't end up with knee problems. The bike shop would also be able to help with adjusting fit to the handlebars and seat.

For training at home I have a trainer (dleg--similar to rollers but it attaches to the rear axle and holds the bike upright) but I don't really like it. It doesn't seem to offer enough resistance and I'm always spinning faster than I want.

As for clipless pedals being sissy--anyone can ride flat pedals, but it takes more courage and skill to be attached to bike.

 
Bike shoes are difficult to fit, as well. I'd get him a gift certificate to the local bike shop. If you're set on buying them, post a picture of the pedals here and we can tell you which ones. Bike shoes run narrow a lot of times, so fit varies across shoes. Also, I'd like to counter what wilheldp said- you can purchase metal cleats for any shoe. In fact, I've rarely seen plastic cleats at all.

I have a set of rollers. Here's some discussion on rollers versus trainers: http://cyclingtips.com.au/2009/04/rollers-vs-trainer

BN-PR11-NCL-ANGLE.jpg


 
Thanks everyone, since the bike is kept at the shop rather than our house (more opportunity to ride there and more available storage) I don't have access to really look at it again but I tried to observe it the best I could and the closest thing on the internet I could find was these...

I think I will probably do a gift certificate for him since it seems the shoes would be a hit or miss and I would rather not get the wrong thing.

5025-827_SIL00_view1_1000x1000.jpg


 
Those are standard SPD pedals. He'll have no problem finding shoes. I ride in Keen bike sandals that fit those pedals. Feel the freeing breeze, my little friends.

 
Dleg said:
wilheldp_PE said:
It doesn't matter what kind of bike it is...the pedals are the same. i prefer the mountain bike clipless pedals because the cleats in the shoes are made of metal (more durable, IMO). The road bike cleats are plastic and bigger. I'm sure they work fine, but I like the metal ones better.
Click to expand...


I don't know exactly what wilheldp is saying, but it is not true that all pedals are the same and will fit all shoes. Some are very different - Look vs. SPD, and the weird round ones that I have (super lightweight but TOTALLY different than SPD). Check first before buying.

Swapping pedals is easy - just keep in mind, IIRC, that the left pedal is reverse-threaded (to keep it from unscrewing while you're riding!)
Click to expand...


I was saying that the threads that attach to the cranks are the same (i.e., you could buy mountain bike pedals and put them on a road bike). I know that the cleats are different sizes, and I prefer the smaller, metal, mountain bike cleats.

 
engineergurl said:
Thanks everyone, since the bike is kept at the shop rather than our house (more opportunity to ride there and more available storage) I don't have access to really look at it again but I tried to observe it the best I could and the closest thing on the internet I could find was these...

I think I will probably do a gift certificate for him since it seems the shoes would be a hit or miss and I would rather not get the wrong thing.
Click to expand...


Here's another idea: Buy him the shoes for Christmas and then you can match the cleats after. If it's a road bike, get road shoes. Fit is important, but he can always exchange them after he tries them on. This is a big advantage to using a Local Bike Shop (LBS) rather than the internet. They should also be happy to adjust the cleats which can make all the difference if there isn't enough float.

Or take a picture and we'll tell you what cleats to by.

 
Man, am I out of shape...I went for a ride at lunch today, and the headwind/crosswind sucked. I'm thinking about doing the Copper Triangle this season. The ride starts at the base of Copper Ski area, goes over Freemont Pass to Leadville, then over Tennessee Pass to Camp Hale (training grounds of the 10th Mountain Division), then into Minturn, then finally up and over Vail Pass to finish back in Copper. I have already summitted Vail Pass by bike, so I know what to expect there, but Freemont and Tennessee Passes will be firsts for me.

 
That dude looks like a giant penis.

My mom has done Copper Triangle and she really liked it. You should have no problems!

 
He should be hiding his face, with or without stupid outfit, for trying to look cool leaning against a minivan.

 
:bump:

I bought a bike over the weekend. I actually haven't had one since high school.

Mini-Kevo and I took out our bikes and rode to the playground. This was the first time she was on her bike and she did great! She only fell off once.

 

Similar threads

Road Guy
AAA Colorado expands roadside assistance to include bicycles
Replies
11
Views
881
Master slacker
Master slacker
retrodynamic
State of the Art Novel InFlowTech 1Gearturbine RotaryTurbo 2Imploturbocompressor One Compression Step
Replies
1
Views
1K
Audi Driver P.E.
A
Capt Worley PE
Financial predictions
Replies
13
Views
1K
Flyer_PE
Flyer_PE

Latest posts

Back
Top