The all about Bicycling thread

Worth every penny. I wouldn't ride any other way

 

I am not a coordinated man. Riding a converted mountain bicycle with thumb shifters, regular cantilever brakes, and ordinary (metal) pedals is already tempting darwin for me. Just attempting to stop at a slow enough speed to just put my feet down, or start up again, can result in amusing self-injury:



Trying to stop at speed has often resulted in the signals for "squeeze rear brake, then add front" getting crossed and shorted to other limbs and ending up in dropping to the lowest gear while violently squeezing the front brake. This results in doing a front-wheelie, spinning out the pedals madly, sometimes de-chaining myself, and often results in the pedals deciding that now is the time to rise up against the tyranny of shin-kind and attempting to slake their lust for revenge on the flesh of man.

I can only imagine the kind of harm i could do myself were my gears and brakes used the same controls, let alone if I were somehow attached to what I'm sure at this point must be Calvin's bicycle all grown up.

 

I know people that are coordinated enough to constantly clip, unclip, and even remember to downshift as they come to a stop. If you're coordinated enough it might not be a problem... otherwise it can lead to "hilarity ensuing".

 

All it takes is a little practice. After a few rides you won't even think about it. Well worth the time to learn how to use them

 

Ashland I'm that guy that hits himself in the face with a spoon when he's eating soup.

 

I really appreciate clipless pedals but refuse to try them.. I really should. I do a good mix of on and off road riding and often times I find myself in muddy situations in which it is very far from practical to be clipped in.

I'm kinda curious --- can you pedal withotu being clipped in once you switch your pedals ? say with the proper shoe and perhaps with a normal shoe?

 

You can buy hybrid pedals like the one below. You can use regular shoes or clipless ones. It makes a quick trip to the store, a lot easier.

 

Hmm.... now those would be nice! .

First glance I found these two products... kinda like the mountain bike style for actual ability to walk in the shoes.

http://www.rei.com/product/811215/shimano-mt33l-bike-shoes-mens
http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-SH-MT...=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1327544870&sr=1-1

http://www.rei.com/product/764688/shimano-a530-spd-sport-road-pedals
http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-PD-A5...=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1327544825&sr=1-1

 

Planning another trip around Singapore for this weekend. If anyone is going to be here and wants to join, just say the word.

 

That's why I gave up soup.

 

I have shoes that are very similar to those, mine have Vibram sole. My next pair will be higher or I might get a waterproof outer shoe. The pedals are spd pedals with plastic or nylon platform mounted in the spd on one side basically turning them into a hybrid pedals like Charlatan posted. The platforms came premounted on the pedals but can be removed, they have never come loose in those 5 years I have been using them.

 

For walkability choose a shoe made for mountain biking. It will have a patterned rubber sole that will cause the cleat to not strike the ground as you walk.
It just as good as a road biking shoe, maybe a drop heavier, much more comfy for walking.
Also take a look at Crank Bros Candy pedals. You can temporarily pedal on top of those without clipping in.

 

I have seen friends in road shoes take a tumble on slippery floors, more than once. I wear mountain biking shoes for that reason.

 

I think I'd rather try to pedal clipless pedals with street shoes than walk very much in bike shoes, even mountainbike shoes.

 

There are also some nice summer cycling sandals out there.
I have a pair from Keene; I know Shimano makes them too.
Wear them with or without socks, the cleat is completely recessed and you can walk normally.

 

Isn't sandals on a bike one of those taboo dangerous things? I might pass on that one lol

 

I love having clipless pedals - I have them on both my bikes (though on the heavier "rainy day" bike, they're the combo clipless-on-one-side, platform-on-the-other). It makes biking much more efficient, especially for climbing. And it does help with tracking.

Regarding snow riding, there isn't much of that in Seattle, so I never bothered getting appropriate tires (knobby, at least). However, biking after a snow-melt-freeze cycle is just tricky.. I had a minor spill in my commute the other day, and it seemed most people I knew who biked that day ended up slipping.
--- merged: Jan 30, 2012 6:44 AM ---
I should add, I use SPD pedals with mountain bike shoes (even though I only ride road bikes), that way I can walk a bit without looking like a chicken

 

So my friend and I tried to circumnavigate Singapore on Friday. We started from the central business district at 10pm and headed west. About 10 minutes in, I was just about killed by an idiot driver inching her way onto the road from a driveway. I had a feeling the car was going to pull out instead of waiting for me to pass... and sure enough. I yelled and she stopped, giving me just enough time to dodge around the car. It was a very close call.

They pulled up at the next light and told me to get off the road... needless to say, with all the adrenaline pumping in my system, I lost it on them. Yelling at them help burn off the excess adrenaline and I was soon on my way again.

The rest of the ride was mostly harmless. We made it about 3/4 of the way around, with very few, very short stops (mostly to check the map). Sadly, at about 73 kilometres (45 miles) into trip we were beat. We'd been riding for just over four hours and my legs were not pleased. We decided to head for home.

I made it another 12 kilometres before I just had to stop. Luckily I was able to stuff my bike into a cab.

I woke up the next morning and was barely able to stand until I got some Ibuprofen into my system. Much better after that.

It was a great ride, even if we didn't finish. The weather was perfect and the temperature was just right. So much better than riding in the sun, in 30c plus humidity.

Went for a short 30 minute ride this morning and my legs felt a lot better.

 

No, these are cycling specific sandals that click into your pedals.
Nothing any more or less dangerous than other footware.