My New Bike Doesn't Have Pedals?
My new bike doesn’t have pedals? You go out to buy your new bike and find out they don’t have pedals. There is such a large assortment of pedals on the market that bike shops and bike manufacturers don’t know what pedals you are going to use – this will be up to you.
In the old days, and now with cheaper bikes, bike pedals were either flat platforms or they had toe clips and straps. Bikes under $700 will probably have toe clips and straps. The strap keeps your foot attached to the pedal. The pros, you don’t need special shoes and the pedals themselves are cheap. The cons though, are many. They can be relatively heavy and the mechanism they use to attach your feet to the pedals can cause problems. You need to reach down and pull a leather or nylon strap to “lock” your foot into the pedal. When you come to a stop, you need to reach down again and “unlock” you feet. You may be new to bike riding so reaching down, usually in traffic, to loosen a strap can be a touchy procedure.
With the new system of “clipless” pedals you no longer have clips or cages, and straps to worry about. You do need to wear special shoes that have a cleat attached to the sole of the shoe but the shoes look like any other cycling shoes or any other sport shoe, for that matter. These shoes range in price from $50 to over $200. There are quite a few brands on the market. I personally use a shoe from Shimano.
There are actually two main types of pedal systems.
High End Look Pedal
The first time you look at your bike with these pedals you’re going to think, “Oh my, I’m going to fall over the moment I stop.” They do look scary but they are so light weight and efficient you can’t race without them. The key is to remember to twist your foot out of the pedal before coming to a stop. If you forget to do this and you come to a complete stop, you’re going down. You probably won’t get hurt but a lot of people will look at you strange. If it does happen, realize that it has happened to just about everyone else too.
Check out the article in cyclingnews on Look's new pedal; the Keo.
In the old days, and now with cheaper bikes, bike pedals were either flat platforms or they had toe clips and straps. Bikes under $700 will probably have toe clips and straps. The strap keeps your foot attached to the pedal. The pros, you don’t need special shoes and the pedals themselves are cheap. The cons though, are many. They can be relatively heavy and the mechanism they use to attach your feet to the pedals can cause problems. You need to reach down and pull a leather or nylon strap to “lock” your foot into the pedal. When you come to a stop, you need to reach down again and “unlock” you feet. You may be new to bike riding so reaching down, usually in traffic, to loosen a strap can be a touchy procedure.
With the new system of “clipless” pedals you no longer have clips or cages, and straps to worry about. You do need to wear special shoes that have a cleat attached to the sole of the shoe but the shoes look like any other cycling shoes or any other sport shoe, for that matter. These shoes range in price from $50 to over $200. There are quite a few brands on the market. I personally use a shoe from Shimano.
There are actually two main types of pedal systems.
- The shoe has a cleat that mounts on the sole of the shoe. It sticks down below the shoe and makes walking pretty tough. This is the kind I use. Like shoes, there are a lot of different brands to choose from. I use the Look system. Expect to pay anywhere from $80 to over $200 for this type of pedal.
- The second type of system uses the cleat recessed into the bottom of the shoe. You can walk normally in this shoe. The problem right now with this system is they tend to be a little heavier than the below the shoe design, and they don’t seem to lock onto the pedal as well. I’ve never used this system and I am only passing on what I’ve heard. Progress marches on and this system will only get better.
High End Look Pedal
The first time you look at your bike with these pedals you’re going to think, “Oh my, I’m going to fall over the moment I stop.” They do look scary but they are so light weight and efficient you can’t race without them. The key is to remember to twist your foot out of the pedal before coming to a stop. If you forget to do this and you come to a complete stop, you’re going down. You probably won’t get hurt but a lot of people will look at you strange. If it does happen, realize that it has happened to just about everyone else too.
Check out the article in cyclingnews on Look's new pedal; the Keo.
posted by Bob Grove at 11:43 AM
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