pedals and riding position (2 part question)

T

the thrill

Member
so I'm sure this debate has all but been beaten half to death... The pedals on my bike were just some beat up, laying around Halter's pieces of garbage they threw on because I complained that a $1200 bike didnt' have pedals... that being said, i'd like to replace mine. I'm just a casual rider at the moment but I've seen much about platform vs. clipless over and over and I'm not sure which route i'd like to go... I also don't want to break the bank on a set of pedals because I'm just a casual rider hoping that the mean trails and occasional late night road ride will help me shed this darn belly of mine...

I also notice that in the position I have my bike currently that my hands take a real beating from the amount of weight I have on them constantly... I have the saddle adjusted to where the balls of my feet touch the ground when i'm sitting on the bike but i'm not sure if i should move the saddle forward a little and ride a little more upright or what...

any suggestion from those that have ridden much longer than I have?? and yes, I ride a 29er mtb on the road sometimes... sorry :p
 
Santapez

Santapez

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
The 520 pedals mentioned are really the cheap ticket. Not too heavy, last forever, inexpensive.

I'm not a big fan of the multi-release cleats, however they are nice to get you started out comfortably. If you're doing a lot of road miles, I wouldn't bother with the multi-release. Practice with the regular ones enough on the road and you should be happy.
 
G

GodBear

New Member
I had cheap caged pedals on my MTB and they weren't worth their weight in scrap metal. I use Platforms mostly cause I'm used to them, and took my DK magnesium off my BMX. They grip just fine for me, and I didn't have to buy special shoes to ride my bike. There are plenty of platforms out there that give more grip than you will probably ever need. I am sure you will get praise for Clips also, which I'm sure many of them are valid but You don't sound like the kind of rider that needs clips.

And, Your seat seems low, what I understand is, you aren't supposed to be able to touch the ground while sitting.
 
T

the thrill

Member
GodBear said:
I had cheap caged pedals on my MTB and they weren't worth their weight in scrap metal. I use Platforms mostly cause I'm used to them, and took my DK magnesium off my BMX. They grip just fine for me, and I didn't have to buy special shoes to ride my bike. There are plenty of platforms out there that give more grip than you will probably ever need. I am sure you will get praise for Clips also, which I'm sure many of them are valid but You don't sound like the kind of rider that needs clips.

And, Your seat seems low, what I understand is, you aren't supposed to be able to touch the ground while sitting.
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yea the pedals I have flat out suck... I've always had platform pedals back when I rode BMX bikes as a kid and in some cases I can see where being clipped in would be more harm than good - especially where I ride... I put my feet down a bunch for sand and large stumps I can't clear and such so i'm not sure...

I was told you should just be able to get the balls of your feet to touch the ground *shrugs* shows what I know :eek: . I'd think that with my seat higher, I'd have more weight on my hands than I do now, though... I get home from a ride and my palms kinda hurt from all of my weight being shifted onto them (i'm guessing due in part to the slight tinge of carpel tunnel i'm getting as well)
 
G

GodBear

New Member
Carpel Tunnel? sounds quite uncomfortable.But, it Might be a good idea to experiment with different seat heights? Just ride around on the street, see what feels best?
 
pooriggy

pooriggy

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
the thrill said:
The pedals on my bike were just some beat up, laying around Halter's pieces of garbage they threw on because I complained that a $1200 bike didnt' have pedals...

I also notice that in the position I have my bike currently that my hands take a real beating from the amount of weight I have on them constantly.

any suggestion from those that have ridden much longer than I have?? and yes, I ride a 29er mtb on the road sometimes... sorry :p
Click to expand...

The Solution
You spent $1,200 on a bike, go back to Halters and spend a few more dollars on clipless pedals and get a bike fitting by J, otherwise you won't be using your bike to its full potenetial and will have sorness issues.

Also don't worry about belly fat and ride your bike for the fun of cycling. Embrace riding and you'll loose the gut without even knowing it.
 
Dr Superb

Dr Superb

Active Member
pooriggy said:
The Solution
You spent $1,200 on a bike, go back to Halters and spend a few more dollars on clipless pedals and get a bike fitting by J, otherwise you won't be using your bike to its full potenetial and will have sorness issues.
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We have a winner! I'll also second the M520 pedals as well though...
 
walter

walter

Fourth Party
the thrill said:
I have the saddle adjusted to where the balls of my feet touch the ground when i'm sitting on the bike
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I'm no expert, but this seems off to me. Im pretty sure that when Im sitting on all of my bikes I cant touch the ground at all.

And dont complain about your $1200 bike not coming with pedals, my $900 frame didnt come with pedals. Or wheels, or brakes, or cranks, or a headset, or a seatpost, or a chain, or a seat, or bars, or grips, or a stem, or tires, or tubes, or cables, etc.


Or is a funny word.
 
JohneeOxford

JohneeOxford

Shop: Marty's, H-Town
Shop Keep
walter said:
my $900 frame didnt come with pedals. Or wheels, or brakes, or cranks, or a headset, or a seatpost, or a chain, or a seat, or bars, or grips, or a stem, or tires, or tubes, or cables, etc.


Or is a funny word.
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Maaaan! ....... you totally got rolled. :D
 
Frank

Frank

Sasquatch
walter said:
I'm no expert, but this seems off to me. Im pretty sure that when Im sitting on all of my bikes I cant touch the ground at all.
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Yep, that stuck out for me too

pooriggy said:
The Solution
You spent $1,200 on a bike, go back to Halters and spend a few more dollars on clipless pedals and get a bike fitting by J, otherwise you won't be using your bike to its full potenetial and will have sorness issues.
Click to expand...

That is the best advice...just do it!!
 
I Ride Bikes

I Ride Bikes

Well-Known Member
As far as pedals go, if your just a casual rider, I would probably just stick with platforms. If you really get into riding you can always get clipless later. I rode bmx for a while too and used a lot of different brands. I happened to pick up a pair of sun rigle octanes and they were the nicest pedals by far. Lightweight, good traction and no play in the bearings after almost six years. Not that there arent other good pedals out there. Just my experience. I think they discontinued the octanes but my friend has the zulus and there just as nice.

I also recommend getting fitted on your bike. You did get the right size frame right? Jay did a good job fitting me. My bike feels perfect. He swaped out my stem for a little taller one to get me more upright. Less pressure on my hands than my other bikes. Glad I listened to him. He knows what hes talking about.
 
T

the thrill

Member
i'm going to take it in for a service as soon as i get some free time after work... been tough the past couple weeks. When I went there, I dealt with Joe who was very good to work with but he wanted to leave before it got dark and I got the deal finished by one of the other guys there. He (the other guy who's name I didn't catch) said everything was set and ready for me and when I got home I discovered that the handlebars were loose :rolleyes: hopefully when I go back, the owner is there because while i'm happy with the bike, the loose bars kinda shook me the wrong way...
 
soundz

soundz

The Hat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
The palms kind of hurting probably has more to do with not being loose than some kind of fit issue. You're supposed to hold your body up with your core muscles and not lean on the bars with a death grip. It takes a while to get used to being loose as much as possible .. then it become more natural.

As far as grips go, in terms of hand/palm comfort, most people seem to have good luck with either Ergon grips or ESI Chunky grips. Note that these 2 grips are at the opposite side of the spectrum. People who like Ergon's usually hate ESI's and vice versa. I used to ride Ergon and they worked well for me, but they gave me too many callouses, so I went to ESI's. In order to work with the ESI's, I had to change my riding style to be more loose on the hands and upper body, but I don't think that's a bad thing.
 
T

the thrill

Member
i love/hate having so many choices about things... I find it hard to make up my mind when i'm presented with too many options... like, when I started making guitars it was "hmmm... what pickups should i use???... screw it, i'll make my own". Unfortunately I can't do that with bike tires, saddles, grips, handlebars, etc... I used to make my own hardened axles and pegs in highschool for my GT Vertigo ;)
 
soundz

soundz

The Hat
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I would say first to keep what you got (other than the pedals) and try to tweak things little by little to see if you can get more comfortable. Also work on your technique. If it's just a little discomfort, that's normal, esp if you are just starting to ride. For example, I could barely stand up after my first mtb ride ever due to a sore butt, but now I can ride almost any saddle because I now have buns of steel and I changed my technique to move around more on the saddle to relieve pressure.. As you get more used to your bike you will start to feel the nuiances of the parts and you can experiment (i.e. find the perfect saddle for you, etc..)

The other option as others have been pointing out is to get fitted at the bike shop .. it's a 1 shot fix. I got fitted on my road bike and Halters and it did wonders.
 
T

the thrill

Member
yea i tend to ride toward the back of the saddle anyway to keep pressure off of "the goods" and because I the extra padding back there (on me, not the seat) seems to help when things get a little tender. I only ride for an hour or two a night anyway and i'm still granny gearing through a lot of stuff trying to find the perfect gearing for things... hell, i was astonished to find that i could up shift in both directions with the triggers and that the down shifter would actually skip like 3 gears at a clip if i pushed far enough... mind you, i figured this out on like my 4th ride :rolleyes:.

I have some issues with my mid/lower back and sciatic nerve so coming home from a ride i'll tend to move pretty slowly for a bit... I'd sure hate to see where i'd be if I weighed more... i'm 5'8 and 200lbs and i can tell that i need to lose a few... i tell ya there's nothing graceful about aging gracefully... and i'm only 30 (at least until next week :( )... i'd hate to see where i'll be at 35 :confused:
 
pooriggy

pooriggy

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
CrankDat said:
BTW anyone know place near me i can go get fitted?
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I believe the closest place would be High Gear. They have locations in Millburn & Stirling...but I'm not sure if Millburn does fittings, it would be best to call ahead. There # is in Bike Shops tab at top of page.
 
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