[drive_angry]

Doc, hope you are awesome and well. I have finally decided to up the game by moving into the ‘cleats’ world. There are numerous pedals available from Shimano and Look. I don’t know which should I go for, need your expertise too. Also, the road shoe also range from 5k to 50k what’s up with that? are basic Shimano ones okay?

For the time being, I have bought these.. should I return these and get a shimano 105 ones?

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by MinivanDriver

Hi all, I am starting out on riding. Purchased a Riverside 500 recently. I have a rather heavy 17 inch laptop that I need to carry to and from office. Any recommendations on a good paneer rack ( luggage carrier) that would fit the riverside500 would be of great help. Thanks

Backpack only. Did this for over a year, even during the hot summer days of Pune for a 15km ride one side. A good deo and an extra pair of clothes in the office for those odd really sweaty days would suffice your requirements, given most offices would have AC and any discomfort post ride would be only for first 15 mins max.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by drive_angry

Doc, hope you are awesome and well. I have finally decided to up the game by moving into the ‘cleats’ world. There are numerous pedals available from Shimano and Look. I don’t know which should I go for, need your expertise too. Also, the road shoe also range from 5k to 50k what’s up with that? are basic Shimano ones okay?

For the time being, I have bought these.. should I return these and get a shimano 105 ones?

Yes please return them. The same LOOK Keo pedals are made and sold by Decathlon for 2,500 bucks.

And while the original cleats are for close to 2000 bucks (more than Shimanos too), Decathlon copies are available for 600 bucks. Very affordable, especially for guys who tend to mangle the cleats.

However, as purely pedals go, in terms of build quality, serviceability, and performance over time, Shimanos are by far the best and superior to the Looks. The spring clamp is also the most secure.

Shimano cleats also give you the widest and most stable engagement base for the best power transfer.

Shimano cleats however are very tall and will make you walk like a penguin on your heels. Look cleats are much flatter and better to walk in.

But then you are not spending mega bucks on pedals, shoes and cleats to walk in them, so ....

I have the 5500 Shimanos and Shimano RP5 shoes.

Shimano shoes tend to have the widest boxes (like the hyper pricey Lake) so are best for guys like me with broad feet.

















Cheers, Doc

[drive_angry]

Originally Posted by ebonho

I have the 5500 Shimanos and Shimano RP5 shoes.

Thanks for the elaborative post Doc. So, as per your feedback, i’ll be returning the LOOKs and will get shimano. There are number series written on them like 5500, 8200, 7000 what do they stand for?

Also, the shoe color is pure love, is there a way I can get my hands on one? I have narrow feet and EU45 is the shoe size.

lastly, is there any trick to get the right shoe size? one size larger or small? do I need to walk in them to know how would they feel when clipped in and pressure is applied?

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by drive_angry

Thanks for the elaborative post Doc. So, as per your feedback, i’ll be returning the LOOKs and will get shimano. There are number series written on them like 5500, 8200, 7000 what do they stand for?

Also, the shoe color is pure love, is there a way I can get my hands on one? I have narrow feet and EU45 is the shoe size.

lastly, is there any trick to get the right shoe size? one size larger or small? do I need to walk in them to know how would they feel when clipped in and pressure is applied?

I got these on sale from Australia. But you get Shimanos here now, pedals and shoes, at barely any premium. In fact the same price I got them for. Lol

Shimanos are good shoes. Try them on. They have a very sexy dark blue shade too. Very cheap. Under 5k.

I wanted white. All the pro tour riders (90-95% at least) wear white. And contrary to traditional opinion, they are not difficult to maintain. A wet cloth, with or without a bit of mild soap (they are synthetic uppers), and they shine like before. Of course scuffs show up more than on black shoes, but they still rock.

This is how they look after 2 years and 8000+ km, you decide ...





The pedal series numbers I think match with the different groupsets (105, Ultegra, DuraAce, etc).

The 5400 are narrower and have less metal plate reinforcements on the base compared to the 5500, though I think the new 5400s are nearly the sane now. Check.

These two are much cheaper than the series pedals.

Cheers, Doc

[docmoya2007]

Just when I thought "there ought to be some updated discussion on cycling shoes and cleats" while cleaning my pairs just a few hours ago. I love my pair of Decathlon cycling shoes which retails for INR 5000/- and INR 3000/- for the clipless pedals and the cleats.

What I love most about them is the fitting. I have failed to buy shoes online that fits my foot in the past about 4/5 times. This cycling shoes from Decathlon fits my foot like a glove. And the power transfer to the pedals is so good that when I occasionally remove them when I plan to go rough trails, I miss them.










When they were newly bought.

My left foot is more toed in than my right foot. I did a lot of adjustments, seeing and learning from Cam Nicholls' YouTube video on bike and cleat fitting.

[docmoya2007]

After 1 year/1000 kilometers of usage

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by docmoya2007

My left foot is more toed in than my right foot. I did a lot of adjustments, seeing and learning from Cam Nicholls' YouTube video on bike and cleat fitting.

Cam Nicholls is great.

Check out bikefit Tuesdays of Francis Cade too.

His suggestion of all the way back and all the way in changed my life.

And I've done my bit from then forward to change the lives of a few of my struggling friends as well.

Cheers, Doc

[indian21r]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Sunday was a rest day after a (relatively, compared to last 15 months) hard week of running. Decided to take the Brommie out for some easy cruising around the Bandra area. It’s a really FUN little ride and surprisingly capable for such a compact package. Followed through with coffee with some runner friends.

Dropping some pics of the bike here. While my other bikes are in the bedroom this one sits sweetly in the living room almost like a small piece of art. It’s just such a marvellous piece of engineering. I know it was an outright fun indulgence and not for my more serious riding but so far I don’t regret this purchase one bit!

That is one Sweet ride man.

I am keen on getting the Brompton but not sure how much I will use it. Primary use case is to ride in the apartment community with my kids. Apart from that for shopping at nearby stores. The area I live in has slopes all around. So 6 speed seems like a good bet.

How easy is it to maintain Brompton in Indian conditions. how regularly does one need to service. Seems like procycle is the only seller that too in Bengaluru.

I was shell shocked seeing the price though.

Only thing on my mind. Should I really spend so much or should I start with a Btwin Tilt 120 (Have a Decathlon close to home and chance of getting parts is easy.)

By the way I am 174cms.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by indian21r

Only thing on my mind. Should I really spend so much or should I start with a Btwin Tilt 120 (Have a Decathlon close to home and chance of getting parts is easy.)

By the way I am 174cms.

Perfectly fine starting or even staying on with the BTwin Tilt. Its a decent little product and will achieve the same result. The Brommie was really a pure indulgence and I’d struggle to even try and justify it by any measure. Specially since it does not get used as heavily here in India given traffic weather etc as compared to how many are able to use in EU / UK etc.

[indian21r]

Originally Posted by Axe77

Perfectly fine starting or even staying on with the BTwin Tilt. Its a decent little product and will achieve the same result. The Brommie was really a pure indulgence and I’d struggle to even try and justify it by any measure. Specially since it does not get used as heavily here in India given traffic weather etc as compared to how many are able to use in EU / UK etc.

Ha ha Thanks mate. I have been drooling over the Brompton since Couple of days. This video almost made me close the deal. Lack of store in Hyderabad was the only deterrent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6bm...yDwdLQ&index=3

I guess better sense is prevailing now (Still want to the brompton :( ).

I rode the Tilt 120 and it was easy to ride. Though it was a little heavy to carry around. The folded size is not as small as I anticipated it to be.

I used to ride a Fuji Sportif Road bike. When I tried a few other cycles with MTB tires, I was disappointed. Only the TRIBAN with road tires felt good. Road bikes are so easy. Do not know how I managed the MTB's when I was kid.

With hardly any Folding options, I may order the Tilt 120. People seem to rate it as decent product in the budget foldie segment. Hope it delivers

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by indian21r

With hardly any Folding options, I may order the Tilt 120. People seem to rate it as decent product in the budget foldie segment. Hope it delivers

Please do some research before pulling the trigger. I think there are some other folding options being sold in india that sit between wide range of the Tilt and the Brompton. Do try and google search. I cant recall which ones - maybe Dahon maybe some other I just cant recall.

Re lack of store, he has tie ups with service across most major cities so will have in Hyderabad too. Please dont let the lack of city put you off. Sale is a one time affair and anyway he box couriers it so no issues there. Also see if he can work some discount for you - I believe he’s reasonably stocked up on inventory so maybe you can get a decent deal.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by indian21r

Though it was a little heavy to carry around. The folded size is not as small as I anticipated it to be.

Why not just buy a lightweight road bike?

I can easily sling mine on my shoulder and walk around, or sit on a bike as pillion as well (though here its even easier with only one bottle cage instead of two). And if you are moving it in a car, the wheels come off, and it fits easily in even a Nano.

I do not think its going to take all that much more of space parked than the folded up foldie is going to. So is it just the novelty/cool factor or is there a strong logistical reason that makes a foldie the only option here?

Cheers, Doc

[babayaga]

I would be paid 25k from my employer to spend on wellness by next month. Among the list of eligible activity is buying exercise equipment including a cycle or cycle trainer. I am seeking opinion on what would be a better spend ? A road bike or a cycle trainer. I am leaning towards a trainer as I find road bike not VFM currently. Also I do not think my current fitness would help me extract the value from a roadie.

For the trainer I am partial towards the wahoo snap (investing the differential 25k) .I had conflicting information on the decathlon trainer, with one store attendant stating I cannot use the trainer with zwift to automatically change the resistance. In which case it may not be useful for me. While the other store attendant said I can use it with Zwift and the trainer will automatically change resistance. The website itself makes no mention on this aspect. Would esteemed members please guide me on better options or cheaper alternatives. I am open to suggestions on better ways to spend this money also.

Thanks in advance.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by babayaga

I would be paid 25k from my employer to spend on wellness by next month. Among the list of eligible activity is buying exercise equipment including a cycle or cycle trainer. I am seeking opinion on what would be a better spend ? A road bike or a cycle trainer. I am leaning towards a trainer as I find road bike not VFM currently. Also I do not think my current fitness would help me extract the value from a roadie.

For the trainer I am partial towards the wahoo snap (investing the differential 25k) .I had conflicting information on the decathlon trainer, with one store attendant stating I cannot use the trainer with zwift to automatically change the resistance. In which case it may not be useful for me. While the other store attendant said I can use it with Zwift and the trainer will automatically change resistance. The website itself makes no mention on this aspect. Would esteemed members please guide me on better options or cheaper alternatives. I am open to suggestions on better ways to spend this money also.

Thanks in advance.

A trainer makes sense only after you have evolved into a serious cyclist and are now looking for that added edge, evolution, moving your fitness up to another level via structured training (TrainerRoad, Sufferfest/Wahoo Systm, etc). Yes there are many who use it as an interactive tool for racing indoors (Zwift, Ful Gaz, etc.), or riding known routes virtually in the (dis)comfort of your (pain cave)home (Rouvy) due to weather, traffic, even equipment wear-n-tear (I've actually been told this as a reason, so ...), but for me personally an indoor trainer is a means to get a really focused structured training workout in the most targeted, efficient and time compressed manner possible .

So if you do not have a road bike, or are currently a recreational hybrid/MTB cyclist, then in my opinion your money would first be better spent in picking up a road bike first and getting into serious riding on the road, developing your aerobic base engine first(very difficult getting that volume in on a trainer indoors, for the traditional high volume low intensity approach to base training, because of essentially heat, pain, fixed ergos, and boredom).

Once you are into it, and have the base miles in your muscles and cardio, then investing in an indoor trainer and a structured plan subscription makes a lot more sense.

This is of course what I think. You should hear out others too, and take a call based on what you think would work best for you and your mental makeup and level of motivation.

I is much easier riding outdoors consistently over an extended stretch of time than riding indoors.

The fear therefore always is that if you fail the latter, you may actually land up ditching cycling as an activity altogether based on your negative experience, whereas actually the reality is that it is tough for even seasoned riders and you probably bit off too much too quick.

Cheers, Doc

P.S. Are you Rags (Raghu?) from the RD forum and group associated with a Parsi tuner based out of Bangalore? Pretty active in the early to mid 2000s ... Just wondering. The name and Bangalore "might" be a coincidence, but the older I get the smaller the world seems to get.