Riding a mountain bike to work

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My SPDs are reasonable with shoes for a leisure pedal. I can't ride without snapping in anymore, I'll try to jump up a curb and end up bloody on the sidewalk. There are platforms that clip onto clipless pedals, more necessary with Egg-Beaters and such designs. There are pedals with one platform side and one clipless, not for serious riding, haven't tried them. Cheap clipless pedals are really more hazardous and frustrating than clips, don't go cheap.
 
My singlespeed, at least my best one.

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It's got a rigid fork on it now. I'll be 45 in a couple weeks and this is my favorite bike over my pricey Titus because the full suspension bike is so easy to ride everything that it gets boring. The rigid SS is more like a video game that requires concentration and skill, where the FS with gears is more like sitting on the couch watching TV. Does that make sense?

BTW, this bike is worthless for commuting. It's way too slow on the street.
 
tonkota said:
Last evening on my ride home I experienced why clipless are good. While I was pedaling in a circle, like I've been practicing, my left foot kept coming out when I pulled my foot back and up. Then when I got home I stopped by the stairs to my house and my left shoe became caught on the metal buckle and I fell over onto the steps.

I'm going tonight to look at some shoes and pedals. I've done some thinking about them and I had wondered if they make a pedal for clipless and regular shoes in one. I like to ride with the kids, which isn't very serious and a regular platform is nice.

I found these:
Shimano PD-M324 Reviews
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My $.02- don't get SPDs. SPDs can clog when they get muddy making it very hard to get out of. If you want something you can use with regular shoes I'd recommend some Times: Time ATAC Z Pedals at Price Point These won't clog in the mud and they do have cages so you can use them with regular shoes (but once you get use to clipless you won't want to ride with regular shoes).
 
NorCal Cruiser said:
My $.02- don't get SPDs. SPDs can clog when they get muddy making it very hard to get out of.
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I've rarely had trouble clicking into my SPDs through mud and ice and whatever, but I've heard guys say some other pedals were better for clogging. Are there some side-by-side comparisons online?
 
Speedplay frogs work for me. Takes an extreme amount of mud or whatnot to mess them up. Can just wack your foot on the pedal and the mud clears enough to engage. Very serviceable too.
 
John Smith said:
I think many of you will find this entertaining. The "Stupidest Bike Lane in America" just so happens to be in my hometown. I pass it most everyday in a car or on a bike. Default Viral Title Player
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That's a bunch of stupid bike lanes! I just ride with the cars - sidewalks and bike paths are suicide for bikers.
 
scottm said:
I've rarely had trouble clicking into my SPDs through mud and ice and whatever, but I've heard guys say some other pedals were better for clogging. Are there some side-by-side comparisons online?
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I'm not sure if all SPDs are the same for clogging but I had some Shimano M545s that were terrible. Any sand, grit, or mud on the peddle or cleat and it would be a bitch to click in or get out. Times and Crank Bros don't really have any moving parts, just the bars, so they won't clog.
 
I ride a Cannondale R400 to and from work.

It is equipped with bmx pedals.

Each trip is about 3.5 miles.

There are NICE bike lanes each way, allowing me to ride a road bike.

A buddy of mine found this bike in dumpster and gave to me!
 
mel lowe said:
I ride a Cannondale R400 to and from work.

It is equipped with bmx pedals.

Each trip is about 3.5 miles.

There are NICE bike lanes each way, allowing me to ride a road bike.

A buddy of mine found this bike in dumpster and gave to me!
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What?? No fancy pedals??? How can you ride without fancy pedals???????

Sounds like a perfect commute. :cheers:
 
NorCal Cruiser said:
I'm not sure if all SPDs are the same for clogging but I had some Shimano M545s that were terrible. Any sand, grit, or mud on the peddle or cleat and it would be a bitch to click in or get out. Times and Crank Bros don't really have any moving parts, just the bars, so they won't clog.
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I suspect it's the cleat that clogs, the little recesses front and back. My Epic came with M520 pedals, and they seemed worse than my worn out M737 pedals. I switched to another cleat and they've been excellent.

I'm in the habit of slamming my feet into the pedals when I'm in snow or mud, maybe that's why I don't have much trouble.
 
scottm said:
I suspect it's the cleat that clogs, the little recesses front and back. My Epic came with M520 pedals, and they seemed worse than my worn out M737 pedals. I switched to another cleat and they've been excellent.

I'm in the habit of slamming my feet into the pedals when I'm in snow or mud, maybe that's why I don't have much trouble.
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I never tried different cleats. That might have fixed the problem.
 
i'm 42 and have ridden as much as possible for the last 37 years. my commute now is 300 feet of climbing through the woods followed by a downhill into the beautiful city of luzern.

nothing beats the breeze in your face, the sound of a ratcheting freewheel, of a 38 beat resting pulse and getting to eat whatever i want and knowing i'll just have more energy the next time i get on my 3 speed electra chopper, my trek oclv mtb, my rocky mountain element fully, my 1972 colnago super, or my newer colnago decor.

helps justify all the pollution the 40 spews out as well.
 
I've got a novara commuter with generator hub, rack and fenders for my commute, all 32lbs of bike plus another 20 with laptop etc.. 15 miles each way 3 days a week

when I jump on my 18lb roadbike on the weekend it feels like i'm flying
 
In the process of building my commuter/SS right now! Just spent to much $$ today on a freewheel BMX sprocket, lights and tires. It will pay for itself in the money I will save on gas though. Somebody gave me the bike. It felt nice strip all the derailers and shifters off.
 
atoyot said:
In the process of building my commuter/SS right now! Just spent to much $$ today on a freewheel BMX sprocket, lights and tires. It will pay for itself in the money I will save on gas though. Somebody gave me the bike. It felt nice strip all the derailers and shifters off.
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What do you do with all that "useless" gearage? I would be happy to take it off of your hands if it will work on my bikes.
 
I think it's all trash. Wouldn't even be worth shipping it. It's Shimano but it's been beat to hell. Looks like someone got a lot out of it as a geared bike now I'm going to give it a second life as a SS commuter. I've run in to troubles with the chain length since the bike has verticle drop outs in the rear. I think I may have to buy a chain tensioner. I could use the rear derailer but really don't want to. I go to the dumps a lot and see piles of bikes that people threw away. Very sad. I would take them all home and fix em up to give away but they don't allow it.
 
atoyot said:
I think it's all trash. Wouldn't even be worth shipping it. It's Shimano but it's been beat to hell. Looks like someone got a lot out of it as a geared bike now I'm going to give it a second life as a SS commuter. I've run in to troubles with the chain length since the bike has verticle drop outs in the rear. I think I may have to buy a chain tensioner. I could use the rear derailer but really don't want to. I go to the dumps a lot and see piles of bikes that people threw away. Very sad. I would take them all home and fix em up to give away but they don't allow it.
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I did exactly that with the bikes in the trash when I was in college. I even got credit for it. My buddy Bad News Bertler and I would fix up old bikes that we gathered over the summer and fix up the nice ones for sale and take the rest and make them ridable. We would paint them all yellow, tires, rims, frame, seats, everything but the gears. We would place them around town and people could ride them from place to place. Seven years later I think that it has evolved a bit, but they are still doing it.

We had an inside track with some of the legendary bike goof balls in this country. Roger Charley has fifteen thousand bikes stashed in his warehouses....
 
mattlock said:
We had an inside track with some of the legendary bike goof balls in this country. Roger Charley has fifteen thousand bikes stashed in his warehouses....
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Damn, I need a connection like that, I am dying for a mid-70s or so Schwinn Paramount road bike. White would rule! I just need the frame and forks to build a second fixie, but one with a fixed/free flipflop hub.
 
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