Fixed/SS commuter pedal

[jbl]

Folks - A shiny new Raleigh One-Way will be on its way to me in a few weeks. I intend to ride it as a singlespeed for a few weeks while I get into the habit of bike commuting, and then maybe try riding it as a fixed gear.

I need to choose pedals, though. I've never been comfortable with clips and straps, having started riding in the age of clipless pedals. I do want some form of retention on this bike, but still want to be able to use it with plain shoes. How do people feel about the "campus" pedals that are SPD on one side and platform on the other? Do I need to worry about the pedal size or foot retention when riding fixed gear?

[bagochips3]

I have the platform/SPD pedals on my fixed gear bike. I like 'em. I prefer to be clipped in, but it's nice to be able to just jump on it in normal shoes for a quick errand or whatnot.

I think when learning to ride fixed, you are better off being clipped in, though. I think the advantages of being able to apply force in any direction no matter where you are in the pedal stroke outweigh the disadvantage of not being able to get out of the pedals quite as quickly.

My 2 cents.

[bironi]

+2 cents to what bagochips said. I don't do it, but it seems like sound advice. :beer:

[dvancleve]

I do a fair amount of fixie riding. When I ride to ride, I use Look pedals like I do on any other road bike. When I commute, I use flat MKS RMX double sided BMXish pedals and a lower gear (41/17 with 35mm tires). I don't find the lack of retention to be an issue at all, but then I'm not doing sustained high RPM pedaling for the most part. I think the campus type pedals seem like a reasonable way to go.

Best wishes,
Doug

[rcnute]

MKS Touring. With PowerGrips.

[Ray]

I took a nice chunk out of my leg with the Shimano version of that one sided clipless, one sided beartrap pedal. I think I was just walking the damn bike, IIRC, and the sharp part came around and was feeling no mercy.

I'd recommend that when you first start riding fixed, put some double sided SPD pedals on it. You won't have to think about which side is looking up at you and you can worry about all of the other funny little things about riding fixed. Once you get really comfortable at it, try the one sided deals and see how you like'em, but I wouldn't do it at first. And I really don't recommend no retention until you really have a feel for riding fixed. They're fine for a single speed, but if you're going downhill on a fixie, you can be pedaling at 160-170 rpm or more and that's not a time you want a foot losing contact with a pedal.

When I worked out of the home and commuted by bike, I had some fairly normal looking shoes with SPD cleats on them that I rode around in and usually wore through the day. I also stashed a pair of dress shoes in a desk drawer at work so I'd have 'em when I needed something nicer. I ride in street shoes all the time, but usually not for any distance and not on a fixie, which is often my favorite around town bike.

-Ray

[gman]

Ditto to what Ray said. I ride quite a lot of fixed gear from November through February. I use Looks exclusively on all my bikes, but I put double sided SPDs on the fixie and use a pair of Shimano shoes that resemble a simple trail shoe/sneaker. Great for commuting and quick rides here and there.

As another poster pointed out, gearing is important on a fixie to get the most out of the "tool" (that is mostly what it is for me). Something in the 65 to 70 inch range is optimal, imo. 39x16 or 42x17 are most common and easily obained.

Take it out on some rolling hills once you are comfortable and...Have fun!

[Steelhead]

Egg Beaters. :)

[dogdriver]

Yeah, what all these guys said.

I had a limited, but generally negative experience with the platform/SPD setup. The SPD side mechanism is recessed into the structure of the pedal deep enough that it was difficult to clip into, and the platform side is just a platform (duh).

To wit, two possible suggestions:

First--For the price of the double, you could score a used set of SPD's (ask your LBS if they have any in the tip jar if you can't find any in your garage) and get either a set of those "regular" shoes (or flip flops)that are made with an SPD slot in the sole; or use an old set of mtb shoes-- you can walk on them and swap them with your "adult" shoes in 15 seconds. If the commute destination is always the same place, you just keep shoes there.

Second--SPD's (see above), a set of traps (I like BMX pedals with the little nubs that stick into your shoe sole), and a decent pedal wrench. Put on appropriate pedals at the house (2 minutes) in the AM and stick with it for the day.

The combos are expensive for what you get and just don't seem to work as well as one would hope-- kind of in the "it seemed like a good idea at the time" category.

My $.02, Chris

[hansolo758]

Egg Beaters. :)

I second that. Egg Beaters have no "up" or "down" side, so you can clip in without any fussing to get the pedals level -- especially important if you're riding fixed. I would add that the original Egg Beaters work fine for me; although I also have tried the Candy version, the additional platform space hasn't made any noticeable difference in practice.

[William]

I second that. Egg Beaters have no "up" or "down" side, so you can clip in without any fussing to get the pedals level -- especially important if you're riding fixed. I would add that the original Egg Beaters work fine for me; although I also have tried the Candy version, the additional platform space hasn't made any noticeable difference in practice.

Ditto on mine.



William

[Ray]

I also have tried the Candy version, the additional platform space hasn't made any noticeable difference in practice.
Eggs-actly. Which is why ANY two-sided pedal that you're already comfortable with will work fine. SPD, Speedplay, Time, Eggbeaters, whatever. One sided pedals are a little harder because you have to find the right side and they don't always hang right, particularly when the crank is moving (as it pretty much always is for the second foot on a fixie). And even those are not that hard. But any two sided pedal is insanely easy to find one of the two sides without trying. While I think going from one side to two sides represents way more than doubling of the ease of use, I think that going from two to four makes no practical difference. I've used eggbeaters - they're fine, but no better than the Candy version, which is effectively a two sided pedal, as you said. And, thus, no better than any other two sided pedal that you like.

-Ray

[jbl]

Thanks for the advice guys. Looks like I need to figure out how much I'll be riding fixed...and maybe get some plastidip for my pedal wrench so that I don't keep taking chunks out of my knuckles.

[Ken Robb]

I have the Campus pedal on a couple of bikes and they work fine both ways. The flat side comes to the top due to the weight of the SPD side. When I want to clip in it's easy to flip the pedal 1/2 turn with my toe. Of course I ride in mtn. bike shoes so I can pedal clipped in or not. That would not be the case in a shoe with a rigid sole.

I also use Eggbeaters, pure SPD, and MKS Touring pedals without straps.

You may be surprised how securely your feet will be on the touring pedals if you wear shoes with fairly smooth rubber soles like Topsiders. Really knobby soles can "lock in" to the pedals in positions you don't like.

I'd try the MKS plain. If that doesn't work for you you can add Power Straps.
The next step would be Campus pedals but by then I would be questioning your real need/desire to have the option of riding in "regular" shoes at all.

[jbl]

I'd try the MKS plain. If that doesn't work for you you can add Power Straps.
The next step would be Campus pedals but by then I would be questioning your real need/desire to have the option of riding in "regular" shoes at all.

This is a good point. I envision using the bike mostly for commuting during the week, and then running around doing errands and visiting friends on the weekends. It's the latter that I think I'd prefer the option of riding in regular shoes for. The commuting bit I could absolutely do with clipless shoes. As others have noted, I could just leave some shoes at work.

[maximus]

SPDs or some generic form.

Double sided - super easy to get in and out - has a nice "click".

I was nervous about riding clipless at first on my fixie - then realized that the toeclip/pedal combo was just a bit harder to get in and out of.

Campus pedals are a good recommendation too.

[maunahaole]

I put a set of these (http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=NP07524) on my one-way. Not exactly light or stylish, but versatile - can be ridden clicked or with sneakers or sandals.

[rex]

I like Shimano PD-A530's

[Ray]

I like Shimano PD-A530's
Those look much improved over the 520s. IIRC, the 520 didn't have the platform leveled out for street shoes on the flat side. And on the SPD side the mechanism was more recessed which gave you a bit more supportive pedal but I always found interfered with the float of the pedal. The new one looks better in both regards.

Not necessarily the best choice for a fixie, but certainly good for a single speed or any geared bike - I believe they're a good deal lighter than the double sided SPDs too. Thanks for posting the photo.

-Ray

[jbl]

Has anyone tried "half clips?"

http://www.velo-orange.com/mkslemicl.html

[fiamme red]

Has anyone tried "half clips?"

http://www.velo-orange.com/mkslemicl.htmlHalf clips (I use the plastic ones from Nashbar :eek: ) work fine if you don't need to pull up when climbing. Lately, I've been commuting on a fixed-gear with hiking shoes (grippy soles) and no foot retention on MKS Touring pedals. Works surprisingly well.

[tuscanyswe]

Having double sided clipped pedals is probably a good idea for learning fixed.

However if your gonna cheat on the plan and still use regular shoes sometimes with whatever double sided clip pedal u choose, i would recomend not buying eggbeaters as they are possibly the worst pedal to have with regular shoes. They just spin around on you if you are not clipped in.

A larger size flat double sided spd would be a better choice in my opinon, something like an xt pedal.

I also never liked the spd/platform pedals. They always got the wrong side up no matter what shoe u have on (thats how it feels anyways) and are quite large and heavy.

I use xpedo mtb pedals for my bikes, i like them, they work with regular spd clips and are quite nice looking. Also quite affordable.

[cadence90]

Another option (although I've never tried it) is to use your regular pedals/shoes for real rides, and snap in Winwood Decksters (http://www.winwoodbike.com/pedal.html) (these are only spd-compatible) when you want to use regular shoes for commuting.

I can't speak to the durability, etc. of the Decksters, but they have been around for quite awhile.