which road clipless pedal for occasional normal shoes?

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riochang
Posts: 187
Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2016 4:48 am

by riochang

I only have one road bike and occasionally I wear normal shoes/trainers to ride to friend's house or just to go for a relax short ride in my daily outfit.
I've tried the hybrid pedal before (SPD one side and platform the other side) but did not like the SPD system, I much prefer using the proper road pedals like SPD-SL etc when I am wearing my proper bike outfit.

Which road pedal would you recommend if I occasionally ride with normal shoes?
1. Time Xpresso - big platform and very flat surface to step on, but heard that they have durability issues (bearing plays etc).
2. Shimano - big platform as well but maintenance free, literally bullet proof
3. Speedplay - platform adapter is available, but have to install/uninstall the adapter everytime I change shoes
4. Look keo blade - the back side looks relatively flat to step on?
5. Other suggestions? (not looking for spd hybrid ones)

Thank you all!!

by Weenie


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Murphy
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Feb 13, 2007 11:21 pm

by Murphy

I use Xpressos and I think the flatness of the surface is the big advantage. They're quite comfortable to ride in regular shoes as long as the sole is somewhat grippy. I haven't had any durability issues so far.

junchen
Posts: 348
Joined: Fri Jun 12, 2015 6:21 pm

by junchen

https://flypedals.com/

Universal clip less pedal adapter. Fits most clip less pedals.

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BikeAnon
Posts: 399
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2014 6:36 pm
Location: NY USA

by BikeAnon

junchen, those look like a well-designed answer to this problem. Might be a great choice for someone who doesn't want to swap pedals on their bike.

They will certainly be safer than street-shoes on top of clip-in pedals.

I have done rides on SPD-L pedals in sneakers and dress shoes (forgot to bring my bike shoes to group ride :( ). It works OK. Look Delta and Keo pedals were worse at this task.

If multi-use is a real issue for you, AND you are opposed to " have to install/uninstall the adapter everytime I change shoes"... these still work very well:

Image

The difference between using dedicated cycling shoes/cleats/pedals and using toe clip pedals is a whole lot less than you'd imagine. Want proof? Go attack a Strava segment with your racing best, and then with a set of toe-clips. Your differences in time won't be caused by the shoes.

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Lelandjt
Posts: 817
Joined: Tue Jan 19, 2016 7:10 am

by Lelandjt

I ride on my Dura-ace pedals in flip flips a lot. The size of their platform and concave shape works well. The issue is that the saddle becomes a little too tall but that doesn't prevent me from getting around town.

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BRM
Posts: 817
Joined: Sun Mar 16, 2014 3:43 pm

by BRM

for lots of pedals there are adapters to change them into something flat

type in google something like:

pedal adapters speedplay

then choose google pictures to see search results in pictures


change the brand in searchterm when looking to something else

Bogan
Posts: 301
Joined: Tue Feb 11, 2014 11:47 pm
Location: Boganville, Australia

by Bogan

Look Keo's are absolutely lousy in normal shoes. Stay right away.
MAMIL? Never. O.F.I.L. yeh! (Old F**ker in Lycra)

beeatnik
Posts: 368
Joined: Fri Jan 25, 2013 7:26 pm

by beeatnik

Bogan wrote:Look Keo's are absolutely lousy in normal shoes. Stay right away.


^Not an issue if you're riding half a mile to Trader Joe's.

Jengaback
Posts: 105
Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2015 9:17 pm

by Jengaback

I'm a big fan of the fly pedals. Really easy to use and compatible with anything but speedplay I think which needs an adaptor. The only thing to be wary of is that is you like your cleat tension high then you can't get them off with your hand. You can sometimes twist them off with your foot but otherwise you need to bodge together a tool of some kind.
Here's one I made earlier from some scrap bar in the garage. It does a pretty decent job of getting them off even with maximum tension.
Image

Image

BikeAnon
Posts: 399
Joined: Sun Mar 02, 2014 6:36 pm
Location: NY USA

by BikeAnon

^^^ The new version has a spot to for "6mm Hex and finger holds for easy removal".
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Last edited by BikeAnon on Tue Mar 08, 2016 2:01 am, edited 1 time in total.

Jengaback
Posts: 105
Joined: Thu Jan 29, 2015 9:17 pm

by Jengaback

BikeAnon wrote:^^^ The new version has a spot to for "6mm Hex and finger holds for easy removal".

Image

Ah an excellent and worthwhile addition

riochang
Posts: 187
Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2016 4:48 am

by riochang

thanks all for the inputs! flypedal looks good but its just like having speedplay pedals with platform adapters. I've narrowed down to 2 choices now, either SPD-SL or Time Xpresso.

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oldnslow2
Posts: 266
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2016 1:50 pm

by oldnslow2

I have Shimano A520 pedals on my hybrid. That way I can use the bike with MTB shoes with SPD cleats or with sneakers.

Image

riochang
Posts: 187
Joined: Fri Feb 19, 2016 4:48 am

by riochang

oldnslow2 wrote:I have Shimano A520 pedals on my hybrid. That way I can use the bike with MTB shoes with SPD cleats or with sneakers.

Image


Thank you for the advice, I did gave hybrid SPD pedal a try before, but still prefer using proper road pedal when i am wearing cycling shoes. So I am looking for a road specific pedal that can be easy to step on while wearing sneakers for some occasions.

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oldnslow2
Posts: 266
Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2016 1:50 pm

by oldnslow2

The problem with road specific pedals is they just don't have a large enough flat surface for sneakers. All are pretty small and your foot will slip off.

Honestly, it only takes 30 seconds to swap pedals. Time well spent since it will give you better enjoyment whether you're riding with clipless shoes or sneakers.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
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