New Pedals before new bike?

[ebubar]

Planning to get a new bike in the coming weeks. Thought i’d solicit advice about pedals from the fine folks here.

I’ve read lots of good pedal opinions on the other threads on here (especially Kel’s thread…all three pedals that I was considering!).

I’ve determined that the M324’s offer the best bang for me, with a grippy platform for easy rides with the wife in normal shoes and learning to clip in
with the 30 mile commute.

Would you order now and use on your current hybrid to get used to new bike shoes and SPD riding in general? Currently riding with sneakers and platforms and
learning things now on a cheaper bike so I don’t scratch a pretty new one too bad with stupid learning mistakes! Would getting the right feel on a hybrid transfer pretty
well to having a good feel for a cross bike?

I’d plan to use these for the next couple of weeks and then transfer over to hypothetical new bike. Of course, a tiny part of me is wondering (hoping?) if these will improve
my current bike’s feel enough that I could delay a new bike purchase until the onset of 2014 models…

Topic

[mstone]

They go on and off easily enough. Only reason not to would be if you decided that they looked bad on the hypothetical new bike (though in that case you could just leave them on the hybrid and get n+1 pedals.)

[NicDiesel]

I use those on my Cross Checks and really love them. I can clip in when I want to really ride seriously but I can also ride to work with my normal shoes. One word of caution – the M324s are pretty wide so you’re going to be limited on how far you can lean into a turn. At 30 degrees or higher you’re cool, below 30 degrees you might catch a pedal.

[vvill]

Sure, order now.

I bought 3 sets of the same pedal on sale a couple years ago. I’ve now n+1’d to the point where I have no spare pedals. Time to get more I guess.

[Greenbelt]

I use the 424 model on both bikes, and love them — especially great for commuting.

The 424 has the SPD on both sides, but a nice wide, pretty indestructible plastic rim. A little more convenient for riding clipped in, since you don’t have to turn the pedal to find the clip side, but a little less good for riding with flat shoes, since the pedal does stick up a little bit.

Definitely bring your new pedals when bike shopping — usually a purchase comes with at least a basic bike fit, and the fitter will want to see how your fit works clipped in or not.

[ebubar]

@Greenbelt 55570 wrote:

I use the 424 model on both bikes, and love them — especially great for commuting.

The 424 has the SPD on both sides, but a nice wide, pretty indestructible plastic rim. A little more convenient for riding clipped in, since you don’t have to turn the pedal to find the clip side, but a little less good for riding with flat shoes, since the pedal does stick up a little bit.

I thought about those too. But since this is my do it all bike, I need the dual function for clipping in and riding with plain sneakers. Pulled the trigger and got 1 day shipping (love amazon prime). Should be back tomorrow or Thursday to tell a nice tale of falling and bruised ego.

@Greenbelt 55570 wrote:

Definitely bring your new pedals when bike shopping — usually a purchase comes with at least a basic bike fit, and the fitter will want to see how your fit works clipped in or not.

My plan is to purchase from Proteus (I believe your shop of choice!) when I eventually bite the bullet.
According to web reviews I’ll get a good basic fitting and will have the option to get a discounted comprehensive fit within the first few months.
This is my reasoning for getting the pedals now and getting comfortable with them on the current steed. Should simplify the transition! Learning clipless and a
curvy bike all at once sounds like a recipe for falls!

[Author]

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