denada

lbs told me the could take a few seconds off your race time. don't care about that. but what about feel? any reason to switch from my stock wellgo r199, or do they all feel the same anyway?

just wondering beccause rei is up to their usual marketing schemes. and some of them look so cool. also look like they'd take a bite out of your shine like a shark.

katsup

Wider flat pedals feel better and the pins help them stick to your shoe.

You don't want them to hit your shin, you learn that rather quickly.

denada

that's all? thought there was something about the bearings? i like the way my current ones stick to my shoes. if that's all there is to it, sorry, rei, your coupon is no good to me.

i got a permanent scar from a pedal taking a chunk outta my shin. shoe was full of blood by the time i got home.

base2 

While I like the idea of flat pedals, I found pedal strikes to be a problem. Usually it was when I needed to apply power to right myself during a turn. As a seasoned & moderately skilled motorcyclist I got in the habit of using the throttle to facilitate bike handling. I found the performance envolope of the bicycle being limited by pedal strikes was just unacceptable about the 3rd time I launched my self clean off the bike & into the bushes, the ditch, & lastly high sided myself on an incline turning into a parking lot.

Clipless pedals bring the lower outter edge higher/further inboard to facilitate deeper lean angles of the bike with out pedal strike.

Clipless pedals keep you planted to the bike, that makes them useful for bunny-hopping over manhole covers, potholes, speed bumbs, debris, etc...

I'm not convinced they have much to do with being "faster" or any other super performance hype. That's a matter of pedaling technique & habit. But just clipping in & knowing you are connected does wonders for confidence in your abilities. Just one less thing to worry about. Especially if you stopped in the wrong gear & need to pull/push to get moving again. That's a rare occurance, but one that being connected really makes a difference.

PDM540 pedals are cheap, reliable & durable. What's to lose?

denada

anything but flats on a commuter is a no go for me.

DorkDisk

There are several types of flats: quill, track, and touring, to name a few

The latest type is DH MTB style, and these are popular for hybrids as well.

Aside from bearing quality, bearing serviceability is important. Spindle quality is important, the nice pedals have a well finished cromo spindle, cheaper ones have black steel. Stack height is a thing, lower is biomechanically better and offers better cornering clearance; replaceable studs in different heights - you choose the length and locations to place them. Plastic vs metal for durability and impact

In the end, durability is the end result. SPDs are legendary for their durability. I have a 747 from 98 still in use.

My designated commuter now has EH500, which is a SPD/flat combo

denada

these are stock and like $10-15usd if you buy them separate ...


wasn't going slow when the pavement made contact. still work like a charm.

sounds like i got no real reason to waste money on fancy pedals. oh well.

unless they look cool. that's reason enough to buy anything.

Alzerbster

I got a pair of Shimano XT PD 8040 flats. They are just slightly concave, and for the riding I do the short pins are long enough to hold my foot in place. There are 10 pins per side, and you can get them in a couple different sizes for different foot size. I have rode 75 miles with them so far, and I like them a lot over the plastic stock pedals. The bearings are better, and my feet just feel better on them. Even though they were $75 I'm happy I got them.

Ferrouscious 

Sounds like you've already made up your mind. Flats are fine and clips (either kind) are cool.

denada

about flats vs clips? was never the question.

seem nice. not a lot of color to them though.

Cyclist0108

Before I broke my ankle, any old Nashbar cheap pedal was fine.

After that, XTR trail pedals are the only ones I am truly comfortable on.

DorkDisk

"Fancy" implies no function, all the features I explained are functional.

MRT2

The contact points on a bike are important. In the case of pedals, you want something that will inspire confidence when pedaling hard. for this reason, I went to clipless years ago and I would suggest trying it. If you don't, then go with a pedal that supports your foot with not slipping.

denada

^the latter is the point of advice i will take. i cannot do clipless. between chicago winters (boots), hunting (real boots), running, work, and normal life i've hit my max number of permitted shoes.

for road biking, which i do purely for exercise and challenging myself, i have toe-clip pedals (the kind you can wear sneakers with; the cage you put your shoe in creates the connection). they without question allow me to be more efficient. while riding around on my commuter, setting personal bests is not my priority. my father has some sort of pedals that require a special shoe to attach your foot to the pedal. he swears by them. i don't doubt him. i bet they are great, if you're willing to own another pair of shoes. he already had like 50 pairs of shoes so he's fine with that.

i also need my pedals to have reflectors. i cannot afford to have any moving part of my commuter not light up. which sucks, because as stated i value cool, and so many of the cool pedals -- including flats -- do not have reflectors.

JayKay3000

I prefer the pinned pedals on my flat pedals as means you can use it in the rain, snow & mud without any foot slip.

I've had clipless pedals and shoes in the past for road and mtb. In mtb they make you a bit lazy. Flats are harder to ride on. It's harder to bunny hop on a flat pedal bike if you've only ever been able to do it on clipless pedals.

Clipless are technically more efficient for riding as you have upward and downward power strokes. You can pull your feet up as well as pushing down and easily lift the bike over stuff. You only ever fall off once un-clipping. They do take an age to setup before you find the best position for your foot to be in while riding.

But you can't beat the convenience of throwing on whatever shoes you have and riding the bike and I personally like to move my feet around now and again while on the bike and use different parts of my foot which you can't do using clipless.

There are pros and cons to both. You'll only really know once you try both types.