rut3556

I too just got back into biking after a 5 year hiatus and bought a new Giant Escape 2 Disc. At my age I determined my LeMond Zurich was more than I needed, so I sold it off. As for pedals, I just installed a set of flat pedals with the spikes. (actually set screws) I haven't tried them out yet but I feel they should provide enough friction to help with the wet shoe matter. Perhaps others will chime in on the matter as well.

Good Luck!

rdnzl

What is a good set of pedals, in the 30-50 dollar range?

big john

What type of pedals are you looking for? Flats, clipless?
Amazon.com: Ansjs 3 Bearings Mountain Bike Pedals MTB Pedals Bicycle Flat Pedals Aluminum 9/16" Non-Slip Alloy Flat Pedals: Sports & Outdoors

Amazon.com : Crankbrothers Stamp 1 Large Red : Sports & Outdoors

rdnzl

Flat. Clipless

big john

I put links to a couple flat pedals. Crank Brothers is a good name, don't know the other brand but they are cheap.

fyi clipless means the pedals you lock into with a cleat bolted to your shoe.

rdnzl

Clipless means something is bolted to your shoe? Now I'll be dipped. Thats weird. Seems like it would be the opposite.

scottfsmith

That’s funny I am recently back into biking and also sold my LeMond Zurich not too long ago. I got a Specialized Roubaix, still with drop bars but less extreme and with some springs for shock absorption.

I use the clipped-in shoes which are called “clipless” because there are some very stupid people out there... actually it is from toe-clip-less and the “toe” got cut off.

The cheap flat pedals on Amazon are pretty good, I bought some for my mountain bike. The little spikes give much better grip than old school pedals.

big john

Way back we used toe clips, the steel "cage" thing you stick your foot into and then pull a leather or nylon strap tight to lock your foot in. These were used with a slotted cleat on the shoe which fit onto the rear edge of the pedal. You could use any shoes to make them work. Many of us hated them as the most insidious foot torture device ever created.

When Look and other companies started making pedal systems that retained the foot but did not use toe clips they were dubbed "clipless". The act of engaging the foot to the pedal became known as "clipping in" which is unfortunate because it creates confusion.
The thing that bolts or is nailed to the shoe is called a cleat, regardless of what type of pedal is used.