Conference noted::bicycle

>I'm looking to buy some clipless pedals for my road bike, any suggestions?  
>I would like to stay away from the big "S" if I could.  Thusfar their pedals 
>have proven unreliable for me in MTB'ing.

This is the talk I love to hear     ;>)

I took a pair of Looks apart yesterday and as an ex-bearing manufacturer 
employee I was really quite impressed with their construction.  I hadn't 
realised before that they had a set of needle rollers plus an ordinary radial 
bearing - makes me feel less bad about paying the money for them ... (of 
course I forgot to check if the bearings had "made in Japan" stamped on 
them!!).

>I'm looking to buy some clipless pedals for my road bike, any suggestions?  
>I would like to stay away from the big "S" if I could.  Thusfar their pedals 
>have proven unreliable for me in MTB'ing.

I like Time.  Found I released unintentionally too often for my liking w/look.
FWIW, I will never be able to repack or do any (not that I really want to)
maintenance on my Looks as I have mangled the outer nut thingy from scraping
it through to many corners.  (Theyre on my winter trainer now.)  My Times too
have been scraped, but I think you get at them from the crank side w/a u-shaped
lock washer (like a Mavic hub) holding the guts in.  I must admit I never
tried going into either, but I still like the retention and feel of my Time's.

Iam quite sure you will eventually here from a Sampson devotee, and Speedplay
too.  If you have access to people with different types of pedals, swap for
a ride or so, and see how you like them....

--roger

I like my Looks.  I've had them for about 4 years and 10,000 miles.  They're the
aluminum ones with the adjustable release setting.  I set mine on the second
lowest setting and haven't adjusted them or performed any maintenance on them
since the day I put them on.  They're very easy to get in and out of and I've
never had a premature release.  Been through a lot of city limit sign sprints,
too.  I use the red cleat which give you a little rotation, so you won't mess
up your knees if you don't set them up EXACTLY right.

-Buddy

re -.2

>FWIW, I will never be able to repack or do any (not that I really want to)
>maintenance on my Looks as I have mangled the outer nut thingy from scraping
>it through to many corners.  (Theyre on my winter trainer now.)  My Times 
>too have been scraped, but I think you get at them from the crank side w/a 
>u-shaped lock washer (like a Mavic hub) holding the guts in.  I must admit I 
>never tried going into either, but I still like the retention and feel of my 
>Time's.

The Looks I dismantled are only accessible from the crank side where the guts 
are held in by a plastic nut.  The others are the original old style (of 
which I have a pair going strong on the winter bike).  Never had any 
retention problems and I only like the black fittings, I find the reds feel 
unsafe.  The main criticism is the creaking you get after a time and 
repeated wet/dry rides, but that can be cured by spraying with silicone 
furniture polish.

>The Looks I dismantled are only accessible from the crank side where the guts 
>are held in by a plastic nut.  The others are the original old style (of 
>which I have a pair going strong on the winter bike).  Never had any 
>retention problems and I only like the black fittings, I find the reds feel 
>unsafe.  The main criticism is the creaking you get after a time and 
>repeated wet/dry rides, but that can be cured by spraying with silicone 
>furniture polish.

Yes, I know what you mean about the creaking.  It only happens once in a while
and it drives me crazy!  I've tried melting candle wax on it (bike shop
recommendation), but it only lasts a little while and makes the sole very
slippery to walk in.  I also tried a teflon spray (schwinn polytech) that I use
on my chain, but that doesn't last long, either.

Another pedal you might consider is the speedplay.  A friend of mine has these
and he loves them.  Plenty of rotational movement and very easy entry/exit.
I also like the lollipop design.  Very simple.  The pedal clicks into a
recessed cleat in the shoe.  Very light.

-Buddy

    I second Speedplay.  I've been using them since 1991, and they've
    gained enough popularity so they should be around for a while (watch
    for them on some of the US Olympic bikes in Atlanta this summer).
    
    Justin
    

    Another Speedplay fan.  Very llight, and I like the float.  The only
    negative I have experienced is they are very susceptible to dirt.  This
    has only been a problem during centuries when I needed to stop at food
    stops, which were in the dirst on the side of the road.  Occassional
    squeeks are fixed with lube.

    i just some RITCHIE's. can't tell you if i like em yet maybe someone
    knows more about them. 

    Another vote for Speedplay. I've got a good 12k-15k miles on mine
    without a hitch or cleat replacement (although they are wearing).
    
    Dirt is a problem, but I've never had a problem with functionalty.
    Of course, I've never packed them up with dirt either.
    
     Chip

I've heard that the Speedplay road pedal was hard to use.  I use their MTB Frog
pedals and wouldn't use anything else.  I'll have to give the road pedals a try.
 If they're anything like the Frogs then I'll love them.

    Yup Shawn, they're really hard to use. It took me about 5 minutes to
    get used to them :-).
    
    Different? Yes. Difficult? Not at all.
    
    Chip

    
    
    
        Love my speedplays (and they last too)
    
     -regards
     Wayne V
    
    

    Forget the Ritchey if you want a pedal to endure commuting.
    The sleeve bearing and the seal just can't take the rain.
    I was in the process of wrecking my second pair since last 
    September when I switched to XT because of the seals.
    So far, so good.
    

    I have LOOK petals.  My problem is snapping out.  I seem to have to
    twist my foot SO far that sometimes I can't snap out fast enough when I
    need to.  
    
    My question is:  For LOOK petals, is the (-) to make them looser to be
    able to snap out easier (less of a twist) or does the (+) mean tighter
    to be able to snap out easier (less of a twist).
         
    Linda

<pedals> nntm

(+) is generally to increase the tension. 

Chip

    + equals more tension.  Okay that makes sense...that's what I
    thought...mabye I'm not turning enough.  They're old pedals.... I need
    new ones...yeah....that's it! :)

-1 boy, if i had a nickel for everytime i used that line

                           :-)

    
    	RE: -1
    
    	... you'd be able to afford a pair of titanium tires?
    

yeah, Shawn. or maybe some titanium handlebar wrap or
titanium power bars or... :-)

    possibly the cleats are worn out? 
    -Larry

    It's definately not the cleats.  I just bought new shimano shoes and
    new cleats last July.  I'll keep turning toward the (+) and see if it
    makes a difference.  
    
    Thanks!
    Linda

Chip noted that (+) is more tension.  I agree.  However, I would suspect that
more tension will require more 'umph' to remove your foot.  A looser setting
should let you twist out with less effort.

The new cleats will definitely make it more difficult to release - the corners
have not be rounded off yet.

--Roger

    I took a closer look at my pedals and they are not +/- they are 
    S/M, S=single M=multiple release directions.  I turned it a few times
    to toward the Single direction since I generally just snap out with a
    twist motion.
    
    I have the intense fear that one day I'll be flying downhill pulling up
    on my pedals and 'snap!'....I'm no longer connected!!!  Over the handbars
    and down the hill and in the hospital......
    
    Do you think that by turning many times toward the Single release
    direction it will also give me more tension?  
    
    Anyone know a dealer with LOOKs on sale???  :) :)
    
    Linda

Linda, you'd need an extremely worn cleat or a broken pedal
to come out of them. Catastrophic failures like that are very
rare. If problems begin to develop with pedals/cleats the 
changes are generally noticeable prior to failure.

So... Pound away!

Chip

>>    Anyone know a dealer with LOOKs on sale???  :) :)


Fusberti's in Antibes ......

                                  ;>)    ;>)

    I've switched back to my original pedals.  They are Shimano PD6401.  I
    stopped using these last year because they are WICKED hard snap out of. 
    I know, I know...you're thinking....sheesh! Is she Never happy!!? :) :)
    
    These pedals don't have an option of +/-.  Does any know how they work?
    I'd like to make them a little (okay, a lot!) easier to snap out of. 
    It appears they might require a hexagon-type screw driver, but I'm not
    sure.
    
    Linda

    Try a bit of lubricant on the cleat and pedal.  I put White lightening
    on my wife's Times, and they release a lot easier than before.
    
    steve

    I think my Ultegras have the same hex nut; I'll check what their
    manual says.  But frankly, I don't think yer gonna find an easier
    pedal to get out of than those 105's tho; as is, they're by far
    the easiest to release of the four Look-compatibles that I drive.
    Kratz