SPD's - Took the plunge

[anonymous-user]

[redacted]

[CoolC]

I converted over earlier this year (MTB) and have had a few silly low speed falls when off roading. Not had one yet on the road though :touch-wood:

If you need to do a bit of walking in the shoes I'd say look at MTB shoes rather than road, as they tend to have a sole built up around the cleat area.

[Magic919]

I chucked the road SPDs in the shed and just use normal SPDs. Much easier to walk in and I wouldn't go back for the commute. One foot out is plenty, unless I can lean on something stable instead.

[Japsteeze]

Learn to trackstand and life at lights will become much easier!

[ewenm]

I use MTB clipless (Time Atac) on both my MTB and my road (commute) bike as the recessed cleats in the shoes mean walking is easy (also means I only need one pair of cycling shoes).

I usually unclip my left foot when waiting at lights etc, sometimes trackstand if I can be bothered (and the consequences of it going wrong aren't too bad ). It's good practice to ensure you're equally happy unclipping either foot in a hurry though - a common "accident" is to unclip the left (for example) and then topple right

[rockandrollmark]

This forum needs a 'Like' button, Dizeee. I love it when you have days like that in the saddle.

I'm getting some new disco slippers to replace my £20 Sports Direct jobbies and making the change from SPD to SPD-SL tonight so hoping to experience the same result.

20mph average over 20 miles? Is it all downhill

[Johnny]

Good work!

I think the right pedals make a huge difference personally.

[Magic919]

When my commute goes quicker and easier than usual, I generally find it was a tail wind.

[BMWBen]

Magic919 said:

When my commute goes quicker and easier than usual, I generally find it was a tail wind.

I once went from Canary Wharf to the wrong side of kingston at an average of 21mph. Easterly wind, 15 knots
(Yes I stopped at all the lights)

[Steve vRS]

I've had SPDs for 4 months now and fell off yesterday for the first time whilst showing off! I skidded to a halt behind my wife in the middle of our road (Fnarr, fnarr), unclipped my left foot but then leaned right and over I went!

What made it worst was that my right foot was still clipped in and I had to writhe on the floor to get it out of the pedal.

Bent my Shimano 105 rear derailleur

Steve

[jjones]

not made the switch yet as i am too tight, have done over 30 miles this week at average speed of 18.8 mph (trek 1200 on 105 and ultegra) so maybe i should consider it.

[Accelebrate]

How long does everyone else find the SL cleats last? I go through about 3-4 sets a year and generally only walk up and down a carpeted stairwell to and from my office in them. However my commute does go straight through a city centre with more traffic lights than I'd like to count.

Seems to have been a good month for cycling, my average speed is at its highest since I started recording my cycling activities daily in early 2009, but I know I'm not as fit as I was a couple of years ago, and I haven't done any cycling other than my short commute since the London to Oxford on the 1st July.

Edited by Accelebrate on Thursday 23 August 08:58

[TonyHetherington]

Accelebrate said:

How long does everyone else find the SL cleats last? I go through about 3-4 sets a year and generally only walk up and down a carpeted stairwell to and from my office in them. However my commute does go straight through a city centre with more traffic lights than I'd like to count.

I've gone through 3 sets in a year.

Thing is, on a Sunday morning I'll clip in and then (more often than not) clip out only once or twice in 60 miles.

On a commute to work 5 days a week I'll be clipping in and out many many times over just 6 miles and so I find my left (I always unclip my left at lights/crossing etc) wears out quicker, though I replace them both at the same time of course.

[Accelebrate]

I'm the same, although I started saving the right cleats and using them to replace worn out left cleats every so often.

I've never replaced the plastic bits on the top of the pedals, I think I read somewhere that they need to be replaced as well?

[okgo]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Solid tailwind yesterday. Did you manage the same average on the way home? Its been a tailwind for a few days now, is today again too.

Edited by okgo on Thursday 23 August 15:34

[LighthouseTrait]

I'd been out of the saddle for 9 days due to illmess.. Got back on the bike on Monday and thought that my time off the bike had little effect...until I turned a corner and back the other way only to realise I'd had a lovely tailwind which had now turned into a headwind!!

[okgo]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Just mentioned in case you hadn't thought about it. But a 10-15 mph tailwind helps a lot, I too get the benefit on the way to work, but I have to go back into it in the evening most of the time sadly.

[okgo]

Did one of your types of rides tonight Dizzie (as in Brooklands, Chertsey etc), lovely and flat, just about managed to break the 20 mph avg myself

[okgo]

swerni said:

you should have popped in for a coffee

Didn't come out quite as far as your neck of the woods I don't think.

Have a look at my route dizzie, its a good training route for the evening. Better to go later than I did really, but still a fast and mainly UN-interupted route.

[okgo]

He is quick yeh. Does most of his riding on a tt bike though so always hard to get near his times on a road bike.