Mara789

I'm training for a sprint triathlon the first week of June. Just bought a 2021 Jamis Ventura A2. I believe the pedal it has currently is a Shimano PD-RS500 SPD-SL. But I've never tried cycling with my shoe attached to the pedal, so I'm planning to race with platform pedals/my running shoes in order to keep things simple. I'm stressing myself out trying to decide what pedals to purchase. I don't want to spend much (incase I decide to go to clipless in the future?).

So there's $10-25 nylon options and $40+ aluminum options (that all have the traction pins on them). I don't know if the cheap nylon pedals are good enough (they are all highly rated), or if it's worth getting aluminum for more durability (such as "Rockbros 4 Bearing Mountain Bike Pedals Aluminum Alloy 9/16").

Also, I've only ever used more classic flat pedals (like from 1990's), so I'm unsure how the traction or durability are on these modern design pedals. They are so much thinner/less surface area than I'm used to.

I'm prone to overanalyzing everything, especially things I'm not familiar with, so I'd really appreciate some input

t2p

a plastic / composite pedal with molded studs (as opposed to metal pins) might be one of your best options

there are many pedals in this category - including two below :

Race Face Ride pedal - weigh 320g approx and cost around $30-35

Black Ops / VP 538 pedal - weigh 260g approx and cost around $20-30 (this pedal available from different sources with different names)

links below

and good luck !


Race Face Ride pedal

https://www.raceface.com/products/ri...31913987276882


VP 538 pedal ( Cool Planet Bikes VT )

https://coolplanetbikes.co/shop-bike...lastic-bmx-mtb

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10 Wheels

These Work Fine.

Amazon.com : Zefal "Cristophe" Mountain Bicycle Half Toe Clip : Mini Toe Clips : Sports & Outdoors

tyrion

I have some rock bros extra large pedals (nylon composite, $25) and I like them. I don't think they have ball bearings, so they're not going to last forever, but they still spin freely. The traction screw-pins are shorter than similar Race Face pedals. I prefer composite pedals because they're a little less jarring than metal pedals when they scrape the ground or a hit rock.

Search for "rock bros extra large pedals"

LesterOfPuppets

My favorite cheap plastic pedals are Cult Daks. Great grip, comfortable shape. Out of the ordinary in that they take a 17mm wrench to install/remove.

https://www.universalcycles.com/shop...s.php?id=88762

seypat

What are the plans after the tri? Are you interested in trying clipless in the future? Here's what I did. I bought the cheapest set of flat one side/SPD the other pedals I could find. Used will work for the shorter term. Search your local CL, Ebay whatever. You can use the flat side for the tri. Find the cheapest SPD shoes you can to try out clpiless. I went to REI and found a used/damaged pair. I only used them for a couple of weeks while I was giving clipless a try. Go out with one foot clipped in and the other on the flat side. Ride and rotate. Ride some more. Clip both feet in, or not. You'll find out if clipless are for you/not and still avoid most of the crashes. If you like them, then you can invest some more money. Contact your local tri club. Tell them what you're doing. Someone in the club might have some used shoes/pedals you can use for the process. Good luck.

icemilkcoffee 

If you don't want to use clipless pedals, I would say the next best thing would be platform pedals with traditional toe clips. It allows you to push the pedal forward at 12 o'clock.

Troul 

the axle design of it makes for how "good" or "bad" it'll holdup.

Trakhak

Whatever you buy, give yourself a few weeks before the first triathlon to ride with the shoe/pedal combination. I wouldn't be able to ride very far in running shoes before I'd be whining about feeling the pedal through the sole. Cycling shoes have hard soles for a reason.

VegasJen

I've done several triathlons now. I have given up on the clipless pedals myself. I tried them, didn't like them, won't bother again. Just a personal choice.

Having said that, I highly recommend the Venzo flats offered on Amazon. They have some that have a platform on one side and and SPD compatible on the other side. Best of both worlds. Also, unlike so many MTB platforms, the platform on the Venzo pedals is plenty big enough to fit your foot, but noticeably smaller than your average MTB pedal. They also have small, metal studs for grip. I can wear a conventional running shoe and have no problems with my feet moving around on the pedals.. Plus, they're under $50. I have them on my Roubiax now and will put a similar set on my newly purchased Ridley when it shows up.

caloso

I have some Race Face Chesters on one of my bikes and they’re a great deal for the money. For a sprint tri, I’d probably use them anyway just to eliminate a shoe change.

VegasJen

Per my post above, look up "Venzo dual function platform" on Amazon.

And make sure to post over in the triathlon section as well. We need to get that section moving!

veganbikes

I wouldn't recommend any cheap pedals or Jeff Bezos knockoffs. I would recommend Crank Bros Stamp Pedals. They all have decent bearings and bushings the 1s give you a thermoplastic pedal and the 7s which I run are a nice metal body and everything is repairable and of really excellent quality.

I would highly recommend going for a clipless pedal for long rides especially racing I want a good stiff shoe so I can get good efficient power transfer and more comfort while riding. Riding and running are two very different pursuits and having good stiff cycling shoes will help on the long ride. It is quite easy to learn how to use clipless pedals and if you take some time to try them out before you do the Triathalon which you would do anyway you will learn them and figure it out. The nice thing with a Tri you aren't going to be unclipped more than once as it is generally a single portion on the bike and since you are racing you won't need to stop.

Russ Roth

I've got a set of the Rockbros, they're just cheap knockoffs of the Crankbrothers stamp pedals and not good knockoffs. Get the stamp if you want platforms. Some of the people talking about stiff soles on clipless shoes are missing the level of support a platform pedal provides. GCN has done a couple of shows comparing how much of the pedal stroke riders use and one on the speed difference between flats and clipped in. Clipless basically didn't use much more of the pedal spin than platforms, and the difference might be even less with pinned pedals, and the time difference was there but not significant over a short difference. It reinforced the view I had when I was younger and doing sprint tri; the ability to move easily through the transition areas with sneakers was more of a time saver than clipless shoes for the short distance you have to ride, people just took too long getting into and out or road shoes and couldn't move quickly to the start areas at the end of the transitions.

ofajen

I have these on both of my bikes. They work great. I never think about my shoes, feet or pedals when riding. And I ride I shoes I can run in (Lem’s), though I actually run in much more minimal/barefoot shoes that are too thin for cycling (Splay or Tadeevo). I guess in a combined race like this I’d run in the Lem’s to save time. Not that it would matter because I run slowly.

Otto

beng1

I agree with the Stamp-1 pedals, they are quality, light and very reasonably priced. More and more there is a lot of info and research out there showing that clipless pedals are a waste of time and money. If I was doing the local triathlon which is very short, 13-mile biking, 10k run and only a third-mile of swimming, I would absolutely just run some plain flat pedals.

MinnesotaSteve

I don't do triathlons, but I've put the Race Face Ride on all my bikes, and I am very impressed with them. Just regular shoes, they give good grip to your shoes, much better than say the old Wellgo metal framed pedals from 80s/90s.

The platforms with metal pins are better if you will be riding in rain or mud. Just don't slip and whack your shins on them as it hurts.

I've ridden SPD pedals in the past, and I don't know that I'd argue they give you more stroke, but they certainly do keep your foot in place right over the pedal spindle consistently. I would not recommend the dual platform style that have SPD on one side and regular shoe on the other except for casual riding. Those tend to be hard to use as whatever side you want will be on the other side and so you'll have to fumble a bit getting your foot back on the pedal, which I think would be annoying for a race.

Trakhak

Big clipless fan, but the people posting here have made flats like the Stamp pedals sound like they're a good idea.

Again, just be sure to do some rides using your running shoes to make sure that works for you. Could be that taller/heavier/stronger riders are more likely to feel discomfort with running shoes/flat pedals.

Chandne

I have tried a lot but keep coming back to alloy pedals with pins. I find they have better grip and help me pull up a little more. They are also wider in general. I only use them for fat biking in the snow but I have used them with different types of shoes- mainly hiking, running, and flat-pedal-specific shoes that have a stiffer sole and tend to have more predictable grip.

Iride01 

When your cadence gets somewhere over 80 maybe 90 rpm you'll probably have difficulty keeping your feet on the pedals unless you just happen to be able to put a very smooth and even power all throughout the pedal stroke.

When that happens, I'd recommend SPD type pedals and shoes. I feel that they are the easiest and more forgiving clipless pedal. More commonly referred to as mountain bike shoes/pedals, but many road bikers use them as they typically are easier to walk in and have float that doesn't lock your foot into a fixed position. So IMO, they'd be good to learn with at least. Then as you get confidence with them then you might choose to try a SPD-SL type pedal and shoes, commonly called a road bike pedal or shoe. I've not tried them yet. I don't feel there are enough pro's to make it worth changing what I already have since I do no serious competition. Their only minor con might be that from what I've read, shimming to get your foot in the correct position is sometimes necessary for some people.

Some people like toe clips or straps. I'm not one of them.

livedarklions

Keep in mind that clipless requires a change of shoes when doing a triathalon as the OP is doing.

Mara789

Thank you for the recommendations!!! 😊

Mara789

Thank you for your input, and nice pfp! I finally watched Game of Thrones for the first time ever this year!

Mara789

That is a very interesting point you make about sprint triathlons, and I believe I agree. I've previously done one sprint triathlon and my T2 time ranked #1 in the entire field thanks to cycling in my running shoes 😆

Mara789

I'm definitely hoping to get some ASAP! I've been riding with my running shoes on the clipless pedals. I haven't tried any pedals with traction pins, but I've never before had an problems with feeling the pedals through my soles.