For any cyclists visiting this page, please read the last two paragraphs.
With all the snow swirling around, in most circumstances, I would never have left my office unless it were time to go home. That’s not entirely true. I might go out for a beer, or food–basically what I am trying to say is that I really didn’t plan to out this afternoon between my elective and core classes. I had a crappy book to read, or YouTube videos to watch, or if worse came to worse, lessons to plan.
Instead, I laced up my boots, donned my toque, wrapped a scarf around my neck and headed off into the snow to go look at bike stuff. I am considering getting mountain bike shoes and pedals to take on my trip–if any of you have any thoughts on this I would love to hear it. More on this later.
What makes this Today’s Perfect Moment is not so much getting out in the snow, but rather defeating inertia that would have kept me inside. I could easily have put off my pedal search for another day. I could easily have made a cup of coffee and read at my desk or searched for some random nothing (like I did before I started composing this post) on the internet. The snow could have been seen as a deterrent, but it wasn’t. Isn’t that what it’s all about?
For most of you struggling to stick to your New Year’s Resolutions, just beat the inertia–bodies in motion, stay in motion. Bodies at rest, stay at rest. I got wet but I got some exercise. I didn’t stay cooped up. Just something to think about.
As for my pedal quest, any and all cyclists, I would love your opinion. If you know a cyclist, please ask them to weigh in. Send them a link if you can. I would appreciate it.
I am taking a cycling trip in Vietnam. We are going to be on Trek mountain bikes. The temperature is going to be around 18 degrees C. Obviously, I can wear sandals, but we are going to do between 40 and 90 kilometres a day. I am thinking pedals and cleats just to make it easier and to avoid any blisters. It is a bit of an investment, but it might be worth it.
Abso-freakin’-lutely. I would never ride a bike without clip-in pedals again. Now, if you aren’t absolutely used to them before the vacation, meaning you practiced enough they’ve become second nature, that might be a different story. In that case, you can get dual pedals (I gave a pair to my wife). Clip-in on one side and a platform on the other.
Let me know if you have any questions.
I was planning on dual sided Shimano pedals–like the ones in the picture.
They’ve got a pair that’s a little more grippy on the other side non-clip side. Shimano PD-M324. They’re a little heavy but they stand up to a lot of abuse and rough terrain.
Are these mountain bike pedals? They look pretty good (like my old ten-speed pedals).
Thanks for the recommendation.
Yes, they’re absolutely mountain pedals.
Oh, and they match the cleats from the original pedals you posted too. 😉
That’s good to know…but I don’t have the cleats or the shoes yet. This is something I have been investigating since Sunday. I don’t know if shoes and pedals are absolutely necessary….but I am sure I would appreciate them.
Gotcha… The cleats should come with the pedals. Mountain pedals (and their cleats) take a two bolt shoe (or sandal if you wish). A decent pedal and shoe combo will keep your feet centered exactly in the right spot on your pedals, you won’t have to worry about your feet bouncing off the pedals when it gets bumpy, and you’ll feel more connected to the bike. The only downside is you actually are connected to the bike! Happy shopping, man. And enjoy your trip!
I have clipless pedals for my road bike…just never had them for a mountain bike before.
Ah, gotcha. Mountain bike pedals aren’t all that impressive. I’ve actually thought about putting my road pedals on my mountain bikes more than once. On the other hand, unlike anything on a road bike, the mountain pedals are nuclear bomb proof!
Oh, and btw… they make clip-in sandals too. A buddy of mine wears them all the time.
I will check into this thanks.
You bet.
LOVE my cleated sandals!!!! The tan is great too. My wife has the dual sided pedals and really likes them.
Which dual sided pedals did you get her?
Some from Performance. I’m not real impressed with the quality, but she likes them. A bolt holding the back clip in place has come out and haven’t heard back from them on repair/parts.
Thanks.
Anthony!!! This post is AWESOME!!!! I LOVE that you got outside in the snow, and that you are inspiring others to get moving, despite the weather or any other excuses!!
As for pedals – I would definitely say YES to pedals and shoes that clip in if you are doing up to 90 km a day. You will be so much more efficient. I don’t know anything about mountain biking, but coming from road cycling, clipping in will make things so much better for you. Also – do you know how much climbing you will be doing each day? Clipping in really helps with climbing.
If you need more input – pop me a note (powerpuffjd@gmail.com).
🙂
I definitely love my clip ins when I am on my road bike.
We will be doing different distances with as little as 25 but days of 80, 90 and 100kms.