I'm a beginning mountain biker. I ride a Gary Fisher Marlin (hardtail) mostly on mildly technical singletrack and the occasional bike path/city street. I ride just fun and fitness - I'm not a racer or anything like that. I like to tweak as much performance from my bike as I can, but I'm also poor (college student).
I decided to look into adding clipless pedals to my bike so I cruised over to the Nashbar website. HOLY CRAP! They have a set of clipless pedals for $20! I also noticed that there are some Shimano clipless pedals (PD-M525) for about $30.
Bearing in mind that I still have to get some shoes to go with these, which pedals will be the best value? I'm kind of tempted to get those $20 Nashbars, but I'm wondering if the Shimano might not be a better buy simply because of the brand name and possible warranty. I also want something that will work with whatever shoes I end up getting. And, of course, I've never ridden on clipless pedals before.
Also - these things come with cleats, right?
I'm trying to keep the total expense to around $100 or so (shoes and pedals). Yeah, I know - the budget sucks. I can spend a little more, I suppose, but remember - I have to EAT!
Anyhow, any recommendation on clipless pedals? I don't want something that's crap - just basic, good performance. Weight isn't really a priority, but price obviously is.
I suppose the other option is to wait until I can afford some really GOOD pedals and just stick with the stock platforms for now. That's fine too, but I was hoping there'd be a good, cheap pedal that will work for what I need and won't fall apart after two months.
Reid Priedhorsky 10 March 2005 23:42:51 [ permanent link ]
On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 11:24:27 -0800, Bill H. wrote:>
I decided to look into adding clipless pedals to my bike so I cruised> over to the Nashbar website. HOLY CRAP! They have a set of clipless> pedals for $20! I also noticed that there are some Shimano clipless> pedals (PD-M525) for about $30.
I have these Nashbar clipless pedals and like them.
That is quite a good deal on the Shimanos, though.
Also - these things come with cleats, right?
Yes.
I'm trying to keep the total expense to around $100 or so (shoes and> pedals). Yeah, I know - the budget sucks.
I think this budget is tight but realistic. My advice would be to not buy the shoes mail-order, so you can try them on.
Don't wait; buy now.
I can spend a little more, I suppose, but remember - I have to EAT!
Eating, shmeating. How are you gonna be a skinny biker dude if you eat all the time?
On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 13:42:51 -0600, Reid Priedhorsky wrote:
On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 11:24:27 -0800, Bill H. wrote:>>
I decided to look into adding clipless pedals to my bike so I cruised>> over to the Nashbar website. HOLY CRAP! They have a set of clipless>> pedals for $20! I also noticed that there are some Shimano clipless>> pedals (PD-M525) for about $30.>
I have these Nashbar clipless pedals and like them.>
That is quite a good deal on the Shimanos, though.
If you can get shimanos for 30--do it--the bearing are a lot nicer than the Nashbars.
That particular model of Nashbar pedal isn't completely compatible with standard spd cleats. Not a big deal--especially for 20 bucks, but fair warning.
and they're just fine. Again, the bearings could be smoother, but the build quality is excellent. I got mine on sale for a twenty.
I've also bought shoes of the Nashbar house brand. They're actually rebranded Lake cycling shoes. Lake/Nashbar shoes fit pretty darn true to size in my experience if you feel like taking a chance. Perhaps slightly narrow, so if you have a very wide foot, get the wide model.
"Bill H." <billjitsu@charter.net> wrote in message news:1110482667.423970.15510@g14g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...> Bearing in mind that I still have to get some shoes to go with these,> which pedals will be the best value? I'm kind of tempted to get those> $20 Nashbars, but I'm wondering if the Shimano might not be a better> buy simply because of the brand name and possible warranty. I also> want something that will work with whatever shoes I end up getting.> And, of course, I've never ridden on clipless pedals before.>
Also - these things come with cleats, right?
New pedals at a bike store will always come with cleats, however used ones on ebay do not always include cleats. I just picked up a pair of used Shimano M-535s on ebay for $17, so that would be a great place to check if you're looking for a good deal. You can also quite often find shoes on ebay. You will probably want SPD type pedals and shoes, so just look for SPD on both the pedals and shoes and you'll do fine. I have a pair of Answer Impact shoes. These are great shoes for the price and would be perfect for mountain biking. They are much more comfortable than my last pair and are not bad at all for walking. They will cost you around $100 in a bike store, so this may be out of your price range, but IMO they are far superior to anything cheaper in price.
maxo <maxo@nospamhome.se> wrote:> On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 13:42:51 -0600, Reid Priedhorsky wrote:>> On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 11:24:27 -0800, Bill H. wrote:>>>
I decided to look into adding clipless pedals to my bike so I cruised>>> over to the Nashbar website. HOLY CRAP! They have a set of clipless>>> pedals for $20! I also noticed that there are some Shimano clipless>>> pedals (PD-M525) for about $30.>>
I have these Nashbar clipless pedals and like them.>>
That is quite a good deal on the Shimanos, though.>
If you can get shimanos for 30--do it--the bearing are a lot nicer than> the Nashbars.
I'll chime in with some agreement. The M525 are good pedals, I think I've put about ten thousand miles on them since my last pair of pedals died. I would certainly go with the Shimano ones for $10 more.
-- Dane Jackson - z u v e m b i @ u n i x b i g o t s . o r g "Advertising is 85 percent confusion and 15 percent commission." -Fred Allen
On 10 Mar 2005 11:24:27 -0800, "Bill H." <billjitsu@charter.net> wrote:
I'm a beginning mountain biker. I ride a Gary Fisher Marlin (hardtail)>mostly on mildly technical singletrack and the occasional bike>path/city street. I ride just fun and fitness - I'm not a racer or>anything like that. I like to tweak as much performance from my bike>as I can, but I'm also poor (college student).>
I decided to look into adding clipless pedals to my bike so I cruised>over to the Nashbar website. HOLY CRAP! They have a set of clipless>pedals for $20! I also noticed that there are some Shimano clipless>pedals (PD-M525) for about $30.
I bought a set of the M525 been working great for about 300 miles. I just bought another set for another bike that I haven't put any miles on yet.
Bearing in mind that I still have to get some shoes to go with these,>which pedals will be the best value? I'm kind of tempted to get those>$20 Nashbars, but I'm wondering if the Shimano might not be a better>buy simply because of the brand name and possible warranty. I also>want something that will work with whatever shoes I end up getting.>And, of course, I've never ridden on clipless pedals before.>
Also - these things come with cleats, right?
They do come with cleats. The cleats with the M525 do not have any float, so they are a bit fussy to get just right.
The two hole SPD drilling is standard on all mountain shoes and pedals so that isn't an issue.
I'm trying to keep the total expense to around $100 or so (shoes and>pedals). Yeah, I know - the budget sucks. I can spend a little more,>I suppose, but remember - I have to EAT!>
Anyhow, any recommendation on clipless pedals? I don't want something>that's crap - just basic, good performance. Weight isn't really a>priority, but price obviously is.
The M525 worked well enough for me that I bought another pair, so of course I'm going to recommend them.
I suppose the other option is to wait until I can afford some really>GOOD pedals and just stick with the stock platforms for now. That's>fine too, but I was hoping there'd be a good, cheap pedal that will>work for what I need and won't fall apart after two months.>
On 10 Mar 2005 11:24:27 -0800, "Bill H." <billjitsu@charter.net> wrote:
I'm a beginning mountain biker. I ride a Gary Fisher Marlin (hardtail)>mostly on mildly technical singletrack and the occasional bike>path/city street. I ride just fun and fitness - I'm not a racer or>anything like that. I like to tweak as much performance from my bike>as I can, but I'm also poor (college student).>
I decided to look into adding clipless pedals to my bike so I cruised>over to the Nashbar website. HOLY CRAP! They have a set of clipless>pedals for $20! I also noticed that there are some Shimano clipless>pedals (PD-M525) for about $30.>
Bearing in mind that I still have to get some shoes to go with these,>which pedals will be the best value? I'm kind of tempted to get those>$20 Nashbars, but I'm wondering if the Shimano might not be a better>buy simply because of the brand name and possible warranty. I also>want something that will work with whatever shoes I end up getting.>And, of course, I've never ridden on clipless pedals before.>
Also - these things come with cleats, right?>
I'm trying to keep the total expense to around $100 or so (shoes and>pedals). Yeah, I know - the budget sucks. I can spend a little more,>I suppose, but remember - I have to EAT!>
Anyhow, any recommendation on clipless pedals? I don't want something>that's crap - just basic, good performance. Weight isn't really a>priority, but price obviously is.>
I suppose the other option is to wait until I can afford some really>GOOD pedals and just stick with the stock platforms for now. That's>fine too, but I was hoping there'd be a good, cheap pedal that will>work for what I need and won't fall apart after two months.>
Thanks for any input. >
-Bill H.
If you are willing to go to eBay, you can get the Shimano m520 pedals for $30-40. They are actually a newer design than the 525. Very nice pedal, standard SPD cleat with float, and holding up well for me.
I suppose the other option is to wait until I can afford some really> GOOD pedals and just stick with the stock platforms for now. That's> fine too, but I was hoping there'd be a good, cheap pedal that will> work for what I need and won't fall apart after two months.
Go for the Shimano 525 pedals. I just got a pair. I have been using SPD on & off road for almost 10 years now. I have a dozen or so family bikes set up with SPD. I have bought several pairs of Nashbar clones and several grades of Shimano. The Nashbar pedal on special is not Shimano compatible. That may not matter to you, but with so many bikes and shoes, I have to worry about it. They do make a clone which is compatible, which occasionally comes on sale for $20-25. If I remember right the pedal you linked has cleats which work with Shimano pedals, but the pedal won't work with Shimano cleats.
My impression of the 525 is that it's a very nice pedal (it does come with cleats). It should serve you well for many years. It is smoother operating than the clones (typicall Wellgo pedals). I've found Shimano, even the low end, more durable than the Wellgos.
Oh yeah, I was lucky enough to get a "one time" 20% discount, so I got them for $24. If you look around (Google) you may find a 10% discount code.
I am running Shimano spd type and I have Specialized shoes that are made for spin classes at my gym. The shoes work fine on th ebike also I paidabout $150 for pedals clips and shoes at my LBS.
