royphotog

I recently bought off Craigslist a mid-90s Rocky Mountain Sherpa, and I'm not sure what to call this bike, a mountain bike or a hybrid? It's a hard tale, no suspension and I ride mostly on pavement but do plan to take it on some gravel roads. I do not plan to do any serious mountain biking with it. No single track stuff. I have set it up so that for me it rides well except the peddles. What came with the bike when I got it were some small, kind of ratty, metal paddles. They may have been what came on the bike, but I am not sure and it doesn't really matter. One question I have is for this type of riding that I do and plan on doing, do I want to get toe clips? I have them for an old road bike and really like using them. (I don't want clipless peddles as I like wearing my regular walk around shoes), I don't want to have to get special shoes for riding. I see a lots of wide mountain bike peddles for sale and think they look cool but looking cool and working good is another question. any recommendations?

Jeff Neese

Look at the MKS Sylvan.

willibrord

They are spelled pedals not peddles.

I'd just get some flats that you can ride with any shoes. If you can get them in these weird times.

Reflector Guy

I thought it was a tale about peddlers.

BikeLite

nice petals dude

JanMM

Good pedals that can be used with or without toe clips. My spouse uses them with half clips/mini clips.

Moe Zhoost

Nor are they "paddles".

Moe Zhoost

Like in "peddling crack"?

JanMM

Looking at images of 90’s Sherpas, those were MTBs. But not too different from similar-vintage hybrids.

ofajen

You can ride with or without toe clips. Some flat pedals work with clips, and some don’t. If you want to try clips, make sure the pedals have a place to attach the clips.

I personally have put a lot of miles on the cheaper, plastic version of Odyssey Grandstand pedals in recent years. I find them comfortable with ordinary shoes. They are flat only with no way to attach clips.

Otto

redcon1

Your hard tale indicates that you were peddled a hardtail without adequate pedals.

I like pinned flat pedals, something like Crank Bros Stamp 1

royphotog

Thanks for the replies; I never did catch onto that spelling thing in school. Even with a Grammarly subscription, I still mess it up at times, but it looks like it gave some of you a little smile. I check your suggestions today.

Kapusta

IMO large platform MTB pedals with pins are fantastic for any style of riding, unless you feel the need to be clipped in (which you stated you do not). The bigger the better. My wife and several friends have put the massive Kona Wha Wha 2 pedals on their road/gravel bikes and love them. I have been running a set of Chromag Synth on mine and I just got a set of larger sized Deity Deftraps to replace them. All of these are composite (nylon-ish), which IMO is a really great option these days. All have replaceable metal pins. These are not cheap plastic pedals you may be used to seeing. All are around the $50 price point.

The really large platforms help make up for less stiff soles of non-cycling specific shoes, and the traction pins provide a ton of grip and let you pedal over the top of the stroke and back across the bottom. They give up nothing to clipless unless you are sprinting hard.

I have not used toe clips in 22 years and if I never do again it will be too soon.

royphotog

Ah, nice wordplay. I was peddled a bike with old pedals, along with a couple of broken spokes and one worn chainring. I didn't know what I was doing when I bought it, having not bought a bike since 1979, but that Rocky Mountain taught me a lot and it's a fun bike to ride. I was kind of leaning toward pedals like the Crank Bros.

Ironfish653

For a budget upgrade, I like the plastic-bodied BMX pedals like the Animal 'Hamilton' or Odyssey 'Twisted'
Light-ish, decent grip, and serviceable bearings. You can find them all day long for $20, sometimes as low as $10, if you don't mind funky colors, although the plain black are good if you're trying to keep the bike low-key.

royphotog

I like these, thanks for the info. The prices are right and I like the plastic grips instead of the one with screws. Keep reading about people getting cut with the metal screws.

fietsbob

looking for someone who peddles pedals I suppose...

the ones using tiny grub screws for traction pins, in aluminum , you can screw the grub screws in to where they don't stick up at all

molded in pins can be filed off, but the screws can be raised, again, if the feet feel slippery, when wet for example..


Plastic pedals & pegs are mandatory to use the BMX bikes in the town's skateboard bowl to do tricks there ..






...

royphotog

yes, I found a pedal peddler on eBay and just ordered a set of the Odyssey Twisted. Thanks for the info, they were only about $23 delivered so if I don't like them I not out much.

BoraxKid

On my touring bike, I had some wide platform pedals with pins from Nashbar that I rode for about 8 years, until I replaced them with clipless pedals last week. Nashbar doesn't make them anymore, but this is similar (although it has fewer pins):

https://www.nashbar.com/wellgo-b087-...b1-b01/p479169

I ran platforms + Hold Fast straps and put thousands of miles on my touring bike while wearing a variety of shoe types. I highly recommend straps over toe clips, since the clips can mar the outside of your shoes or be really uncomfortable with shoes that have soft exteriors.

royphotog

I have only used toe-clips with a strap, and I have found that I have one pair of tennis shoes that I need to wear with them as my other pair is too big for them. I am getting back into biking after many years off a bike. I didn't even know the straps existed until a couple of weeks ago when I was watching a Youtube video. I have ordered a set of the Odyssey Twisted peddles that Ironfist653 recommended earlier, looks like I could use straps with them. I'll check them out when I get the pedals. Thanks for the recommendation.

ramzilla

XLC Retro pedals. Hard to find but, worth it.

cyclist2000

I like Race Face Chesters for this type of application.

Race Face Chester

Kapusta

I have to ask: in light of all the newer flat pedals with much larger and more supportive platforms ..... what it the appeal of these older style quill pedals? Is it because you can use toe clips with them?

ramzilla

First off, these are called platform pedals. Some old timers may even call them rat trap pedals. Not quill style. Quill style pedals have a curve that tapers to a point. They're very uncomfortable if you have big feet. And, a quill pedal only works in one direction. Quill pedals necessitate the use of toe clips & straps. And, that's why I get rid of them on all my bikes. Platform pedals are what you need if you just want to put on a pair of athletic shoes and go for a ride and, not worry about your feet slipping off the bike.


Fuzzy photo of a "quill" pedal

Kapusta

Call them what you will (Rat trap) but you have not answered my question.

Replace “Quill” with “Rat Trap” and re-read my question.

I am asking about that particular style of flat/platform pedal (Rat Trap) as opposed to many of the newer flat pedal offerings (Race Face Chester, Diety Deftrap,, Kona WhaWha, CB Stamp, Chromag Contact, etc...). These are all much more supportive and at least as grippy with any type of shoe.