Quick and Easy...

[coopers]

Nice quick and easy question from me.

I've been given 30 pounds worth of halfords vouchers and im looking to change my pedals on my road hack. At the moment i have some basic shimano spd pedels there 3 years old and need replacing. Now the should i get them again or should i get the basic Crank Brother pedals??

My worry is that the Crank Brothers wont be stiff enough to be used on a road bike as i believe they're really designed for mtb... but love the look and the fact they have 4 way clip-in would be nice but due to the being small would i struggle on longer winter rides

Any help would be appriciated

N.B

Links below

www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=3760 - Shimano

www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=13051 - Crank Brothers

[matthew_h]

I understand that Egg Beaters chew your shoes to bits very quickly.

I'd stick with Shimano personally

[coopers]

cool, i've also heard the CB also arent brilliant for your knees, something which i have issues with anyway ,

Actually thats a good question im 22 and have not the best knees, i always have to streach them out esp after a good long ride or when i sit in tight places like trains or lecture halls etc as they get twitchy if you understand...

so what pedal set up should i get if i want the best protection for my knees, forget about cost for a moment or the fact that i have some vouchers...

umm got me thinking that im not doing myself any good

[pdV6]

I switched from Shimano pedals to Time in order to protect my knees (similarly dodgy since my teenage years). The design of the Time ATAC pedal range allows for more float than other designs plus also allows lateral movement which few (if any) of the others do.

They look like this for about 5 minutes after fitting them...

[beyond rational]

coopers said:

cool, i've also heard the CB also arent brilliant for your knees, something which i have issues with anyway ,

Actually thats a good question im 22 and have not the best knees, i always have to streach them out esp after a good long ride or when i sit in tight places like trains or lecture halls etc as they get twitchy if you understand...

so what pedal set up should i get if i want the best protection for my knees, forget about cost for a moment or the fact that i have some vouchers...

umm got me thinking that im not doing myself any good

I'd go and see a sports specialist

[pdV6]

Don't neglect getting the seat height and saddle fore/aft position correct to minimise knee strain.

Think its been posted elsewhere, but a good starting point is to sit on the bike supporting yourself against a wall. Place your heel on the axle of the pedal and adjust the saddle height until your leg is just fully extended. With your foot back in the normal position, you should now have a slight bend in your knee at BDC. If your hips rock side to side whilst pedaling, you're still a bit too high.

Fore/aft position can be set by placing a crank at the 3 o'clock position and then (with your foot in position) you're aiming to get the front of your kneecap directly over the pedal axle.

[coopers]

Cheers guys

I've got the day off! So will have a go at differing my set up on my bike, see if any changes help.



Tom

[Parrot of Doom]

Regarding your knees, I used to get bad knees after a ride until I discovered that my seat post was gradually sliding down the tube, and I hadn't noticed......