Dear Starting Line Crew -
I was so pleased to find you in the FreeWhee- lin’ magazine. I recently bought my first road bike in 33 years and have already gotten some valuable tips from your column. I hope you can help me with an issue that is causing me some anxiety. The salesman that helped me purchase my new velocipede, a beautiful Specialized Carbon Tarmac with SRAM red components (well, that’s what he called them - does that make sense?), also tried to get me to buy clipless pedals for the bike. I am used to the old-fashioned flat pedals that you ride on with your Keds and got those instead. Now, when I ride my new bicycle I have the feeling that I’m not really getting the full riding experience. Plus, I’ve been getting some weird looks from some of the Whipsnakes that zoom past me on the road. A couple have pointed out that I’m not getting much performance out of the flat pedals and that hills would be a lot easier to climb with the modern, clipless type, along with the fancy shoes that you can’t do anything else in (why do they call them clipless, anyway? You always hear about “clipping-in” like they say on the FreeWheelin’ website?).
Frankly, I’m terrified of being so firmly attached to the bike and am certain that I’m going to land on my head if I use the clipless type. If you get knocked over, don’t you land with the bicycle on top of you? And, what about when you have to stop for a light or a stop sign? And, what about when you have to do all this sud- denly? How does a person learn to use these things? Aren’t they really just for the elite pro’s that are getting paid to risk their necks? What to do, SLC?
Sincerely, A. Pismo Clam
The Starting Line Crew sez -
I can tell you have a lot of reservations about using clipless pedals, Mr. Clam. First, rest as-
32 May 2012
sured that you are not alone. This is a com- mon feeling amongst all riders that haven’t been clipping in since 1994. It is a freaky thought to be attached to your machine. The good news is that it is a freaky thought but NOT a freaky action. Your head is talk- ing nonsense to you. I bet you are also scared of horn tooting guinea pigs. But, you know, this same thing happens to one of our crew if they have to get a shot. They think about it and pass out on the way to the doctor’s of- fice. Talk about embarrassing!! His head was really acting out on him. But, really Clam, the truly embarrassing thing is to have pedals on your bike that weigh more than the bike itself. You are an accident waiting to happen when your kicks slide off the pedal as you’re climbing that hill or spinning out a flat. You, my friend, need to have a talk with your head and go pick out some pedals and shoes. If you are as smart as a third grader, you will know it is more efficient to pedal in circles with power on the up and down stroke as opposed to just stomping those little planks down towards the ground like you’re trying to kill a roach in the hallway.
Illustration by Deb Davis
So, what should you look for in a pedal? There are a lot of them out there. Most are pretty good. Go for name brand and leave knock offs alone. Some list toppers are LOOK, Speedplay, Time, Shimano, and Crankbrothers. I’m going to focus on the two that are most popular with the shop around here which include LOOKs and Speedplays.
FREEWHEELIN’
Let’s focus on how these represent the things to look for when you go shopping. I, person- ally, am a LOOK lover, never turning back. They are a solid platform, good pedal action, easy to clip in and out, and rock solid in a sprint or a standing climb. They are not the lightest and they only offer up to 9 degrees of float (float is the movement of your heel from side-to-side as you pedal) based on your cleat choice. Cleats can wear quickly if you walk around like a duck everywhere you go or try to stomp roaches in them, but they are pretty cheap and easy to replace. Speedplays offer options that are as light as a feather; well maybe a big fat hairy turkey feather, but they are very light. They look like a lollipop and the platform is on the cleat – not the pedal. The pedals offer double sided clip in action which some of our more challenged popu- lation find easier to clip into. Replacement cleats are pricey and they seem to deteriorate pretty quickly. I know folks will argue with me and maybe I got the cleats made on Fri- day afternoons, but I rode these for a bit and I had cleat breakage on two occasions. And, when the cleat breaks, it’s impossible to clip out, and now your head is talking the truth because you are getting ready to eat gravel. I threw them away. Many of my hard headed friends ride the lol- lipops and are sold. They said it was just me. Imagine having friends talk to you like that. It’s hard to get mad at them though when they are picking you and your bike up off the ground and trying to figure out how to get your shoe un- clipped from the bike. The Speedplays offer a variety of options of float, with as much as 15 degrees of float. This is supposed to be the ticket if you have bad knees and need to baby them. The thing that 15 degrees of float does, is it makes it tricky to clip out because you really got to work to get your foot unclipped. It’s not horrible but it isn’t something I’d recommend for a beginner. The good news is that you can actually dial in the float so you could learn the process on a progressive learning curve. The other thing about Speedplay, is that their cleats are a bit trickier to install – often taking
on a trial and error shimming session that will wreck your nerves. The good news is, if and when you get it, you are nicely dialed in for the ride. Also, I should mention that if you want to give it a go crit crashing, uh – I mean crit racing – Speedplay give more clearance so you may actually be the one that doesn’t cause the accident when your pedal grabs
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