Cleats and shoes, and clothes for an entry level cyclist

[starvingstudent]

Hey guys,

First post, forgive the total newbieness!

I thought I'd try and clear up my three main questions here, rather than messing up the forum.


1. Currently I'm riding with with pedals which are these style which are basically flat pedals with a fabric foot cage on them (for lack of better way of describing!)

Anyway I want to upgrade to cleats, and get a pair of cleated shoes (is that what they are called?), I had a look on the the Cell bike website combo deals, and they look like decent prices to me (I think shimano is a good brand) so are these what I'm looking for? Can anybody impart some advice for me?

2. I have a pair of knicks (the hard seat forced me to buy some) but I dont know if they are right, they tend to ride up my front a bit, and I'm constantly readjusting them! Have a brought wrong? What should I look for with knicks when purchasing? Any recommendations.

Also, Im looking to buy a top/jersey whats the go? I have heard speak of it not being kosher to wear a team/club jersey if I'm some newbie rider, so should I go with a blank one for safety! Any advice about buying these also? Being winter what should I be getting?

Sorry if this has just been a massive flood of annoying questions, but any advice which people can give would be awesome!

Thanks heaps

SS

[kukamunga]

Check out the Kathmandu clearance store in Smith Street, Collingwood for clearance and seconds cycling gear that doesn't make you look like a mobile advertisement for foreign financial institutions! Also, keep eye out for upcoming Kathmandu winter sale, and the Mountain Designs clearance store in same street. Also Uno Cycle clothing in Glenhuntly Rd, Elwood have some decent cheap-ish gear. Abbotsford Cycles (AT) Richmond Station have a good range of 'Episode' 2nd hand retro European cycle jerseys, and are a good honest shop to keep cyclists on a limited budget up and running!

Bayswater Cycles out my way have a good range of discounted Lake, Merida and Shimano shoes. Shimano M520 pedals can be got online for as little as $40 (+postage). Bicycle Recycle in South Rd, Moorabbin sell a whole range of 2nd-hand cycling parts.

There are plenty of online stores, Oz and o/seas, that can be great sources of heavily discounted gear. Worth subscribing to a few of their email newsletters to get latest deals (Torpedo7.com.au, Cell Bikes.....)

[mikesbytes]

The knicks at cell bikes are excellent value for money.

What kind of bike do you ride? which shoe/pedal/cleat combo are you looking at?

[Hawkeye]

Nah, you can't ask questions here. Shtrickly forbidden!

ebay for pedals. I use Shimano M520s both on- and off-road and find them to be good. Don't go the single-sided (flats one side, clipless the other), they're just a nuisance. If you need flats (eg, learner off-road), buy or keep them as a second set of pedals and swap as needed.

For clothing, Torpedo7 is quite good. Get yourself on their mailing list. If you buy off the Oz site, their prices are in AUD and GST inlcusive. They have weekly specials they advertise by email and you'll pick yourself up some bargains. I have found their budget KeeWee brand knicks (pants) with the Coolmax chamois to be a lot more comfortable for riding distances than some much more expensive ones I have that were given to me. Ignore their RRP comparison figures, though. I think they give those just to keep us amused. We all know they're utter BS. They have an excellent returns policy as well.

With fit, you want err slightly on the tight side for the reasons you have discovered. For jerseys I have an unbranded KeeWee jersey, a Scody jersey that is quite good, and one that advertises a local Business Intelligence consultancy. Nothing pro tour.

Long sleeves are good for this time of year along with an undershirt. A lot of Sydney cyclists use summer jerseys teamed with arm- and/or leg-warmers as a substitute. I have a set of Skins I use as an underlayer as needed, along with a visibility vest and a breathable Netti rain jacket for when it's wet and/or bloody freezing. Full-fingered gloves are next on my list.

With cycling shoes, they need to be a snug fit, so you'd usually pick one size less than you'd go with street or athletic shoes. Must try first. I saved a bunch buying on ebay as I knew exactly the right size for that brand, and they've been excellent: $220 shoe for $70.

Hope this is useful.

John

[Aushiker]

G'day

My two cents worth and biased two cents worth when it comes to Kathmandu: (1) As a bushwalker I would never buy gear from Kathmandu that I need to depend on (I value my life/experience more than the "saving" from them) and (2) as a cyclist I have two jerseys from Kathmandu. That was a mistake I have learnt the hard way. One jersey is of a material which I drown in within minutes and does not dry quickly (another good "special"). I should have known better.

You are better off in my view picking up a jersey or three on eBay. I got a Ventou jersey yesterday for $16.00 (brand new with tags) and you can often pick them up for under $50.

On shoes I use MTB (SPD) cleats which I think j.r.hawkins is also suggesting. I have done over 5,000 km with mine without dramas other than a screw dropping out of the cleat on a MTB tour. They are also great for walking in, well compared to road shoes.

Andrew

[kslim]

As a bushwalker and cyclist (predominantly road), I will heartily second Aushiker. Kathmandu is fine for non mission critical gear, but I wouldn't buy any of their technical gear (including tents, sleeping bags, packs, hardshells).

I have heard good things about the Cell clothing though.

I have got some stuff from Torpedo 7 - and these seem OK.

Regarding the shoes and cleats. I personally use SPD's on my road bike (as well as MTB) as you can actually walk in these. As someone else said though - you've got to try the shoes on for fit.

[Andrew69]

I got some knicks and a couple of jerseys and base layers from probikekit and Im really happy with them (all cheapies)

[miss min]

Everybody's different, but I actually appreciated having one side of the clipless pedals being platform as it helped allay anxiety when starting on a hill. I found these helpful, and you can always remove them later: link




edited to tidy link

[Mulger bill]

Everybody's different, but I actually appreciated having one side of the clipless pedals being platform as it helped allay anxiety when starting on a hill. I found these helpful, and you can always remove them later: link

Don't buy 'em, I've got a few pairs in the shed for postage costs if anyone wants.

Shaun

[Aushiker]

Don't buy 'em, I've got a few pairs in the shed for postage costs if anyone wants.

Plus a lot of the models come with a set anyway, which I suspect is why Shaun has some

Andrew

[Jean]

2. I have a pair of knicks (the hard seat forced me to buy some) but I dont know if they are right, they tend to ride up my front a bit, and I'm constantly readjusting them! Have a brought wrong? What should I look for with knicks when purchasing? Any recommendations.

If you are doing a lot of riding (and are a bloke) bib shorts are often much more comfortable than knicks, but it's a personal thing. I have a fairly good set (bottom end Nalini) from PBK which cost $50 to get here and there are plenty of discounted ones around online. Whatever you buy makes sure they have 'leg grippers', that is a an elasticised band on the legs usually with rubber or silicon beading, that means the cuff of your knicks grips to to your leg and doesn't ride up.

Cheers

[moosterbounce]

I think Jaggad still has some jerseys an knicks on sale on their website - very good prices and the quality I've found is 2nd to none

[SLH]

(Edit).....

Spoke to a Sidi sales rep and my problem is solved.

[mikesbytes]

Which model shoes did you get? Which cleats are you fitting?

[SLH]

Sidi genius 5.5 and SPD-S cleats.

[Aushiker]

G'day

Cell have their "sprinters" jerseyon special at $24.95. No idea of the quality sizing etc.

Andrew

[kukamunga]

Some Shimano road shoes and pedals on special (supposedly) now at Dean Woods Direct

[kukamunga]

oops

[kukamunga]

661 Expert Shoe/Candy C Combo '08 - $110 USD + post

$39 Swift
Sport road knicks for men

[Aushiker]

661 Expert Shoe/Candy C Combo '08 - $110 USD + post

+ US$40 postage. At least the exchange rate is running in our favour at the moment.

Andrew