General Bike Thread (Desiderata, Questions, Pics)

[otc]

That hope unit sounds pretty cool.

 

[acidboy]

I'm back! Here's a couple of pics of some friendly race I joined a few weeks back...

 

[ridethecliche]

Are those sneakers?

 

[oldandslow]

What a difference a week makes. Last Sunday was nicely above freezing and the roads were clean and dry, and no ice to be seen in Lake Huron. Then winter decided to come back. -15°C today and the roads are salty/slushy/icy/sandy. Trainer ride today.

 

[Piobaire]

Been meaning to ask...any seismic changes in pedals since the mid 90s?

 

[otc]



Been meaning to ask...any seismic changes in pedals since the mid 90s?

Kind of... I certainly wouldn't use pedals from then... Unless, did the original mtb time ATAC come out in the 90s? That design has been improved, but I'd still ride the originals as they still work almost as well as today's.

I'd vote mid-level time pedals for both road and mtb (although, I don't bother with road pedals, and just use ATAC on everything so I don't need multiple shoes). They are bomb proof and awesome.

The new xtr pedals are supposed to be pretty good. Lots of people like the eggbeaters, but they have longevity issues and aren't as nice as the ATACs (although they can be lighter weight).

Road pedals have advanced a little more than mtb (considering the ATACs were available back then). Way better float and engagement. Again, the time xpresso pedals are pretty slick, but others make good stuff too.

 

[ridethecliche]

I like my shimano road pedals. Just get the ones with a metal, not plastic, contact layer.

 

[Henry Carter]

I've used the same pair of speedplays for about 10 years now, big fan. I think I'm on my 4th set of cleats now for the one set.

 

[Piobaire]



I like my shimano road pedals. Just get the ones with a metal, not plastic, contact layer.

I went with Shimano back in the 90s and was always happy with them. I've still got some road shoes tucked away somewhere with fresh cleats. Way easier to walk with than Time was back then (don't know if that's changed).

 

[otc]

Do you mean SPD mountain style shimano pedals?

Because today's Shimano road cleats are pretty much just like LOOK or Time cleats.

The top right has Shimano MTB pedals/shoes. Those cleats are the same size (actually a little larger) as time or eggbeater cleats
Top left are Shimano road, which are really the same as everyone else's cleat. I think they've improved a little on shoe/cleat design to make them a little more walkable...

But that's why I just use the ATACs on everything...shoes these days can have carbon soles and be super stiff, so having a large cleat to avoid "hot spots" is not really a big deal.

I've used the same pair of speedplays for about 10 years now, big fan. I think I'm on my 4th set of cleats now for the one set.

So basically you mean you're on your 4th set of pedals?

Spoiler: Warning: Spoiler!

Because they are basically pedals that you bolt on to your shoes and clip into cleats that are on your bike.

 

[Piobaire]

Thanks for that post, otc. Yeah, huge change. The top, far right pedal is how my Shimano road pedal looked back in the 90s and you could use the same cleat with either road or MTB.

 

[Henry Carter]



Because they are basically pedals that you bolt on to your shoes and clip into cleats that are on your bike.

You could say that though it's a bit of a glass half empty opinion IMO, when replacement cleats cost about $50 a set, 1 set every 2.5 years is pretty good value. The only reason they get replaced is from walking around with them, not from actual riding. I bought some of the cleat covers a while back but must admit I never use them so only I'm to blame for that. Mostly what I love about Speedplays is the better clearance for pedalling around corners, much easier to clip in to at lights etc and I find them a lot stiffer than times, shimano, look etc. are. Some people don't give a **** about all of that so YMMV and all of that.

 

[akatsuki]

I use Time RXS and have always been happy with them. Was thinking about moving to ATACs for the one shoe option but decided not to bother with cyclocross and took Muay Thai back up instead.

 

[ridethecliche]

You could say that though it's a bit of a glass half empty opinion IMO, when replacement cleats cost about $50 a set, 1 set every 2.5 years is pretty good value. The only reason they get replaced is from walking around with them, not from actual riding. I bought some of the cleat covers a while back but must admit I never use them so only I'm to blame for that. Mostly what I love about Speedplays is the better clearance for pedalling around corners, much easier to clip in to at lights etc and I find them a lot stiffer than times, shimano, look etc. are. Some people don't give a **** about all of that so YMMV and all of that.

One of my favorite races in CT had this beautiful chicane and I damn near crashed and shat my pants every time I was trying to catch up to the field because I'd strike my inside pedal everytime I was trying to haul ass.

How I caught back up and finished in the money is beyond me.

 

[oldandslow]

14°C temps on Saturday helped clean the remaining snow and ice off our local roads, so got out today on the road bike for a couple of hours. 2°C, and a north wind off the lake, but all in all a nice afternoon on the bike, especially for February in this part of the world.