Once you have gotten your bike, chances are that you have been riding it a lot! That is good news, everyone should ride more. Once you are comfortable on your current bike, it may be time to look into upgrading to get more efficiency. How do you do this? You get the best bike pedals you can find and put them on your road bike which will benefit you in multiple ways including increasing your speed.
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How do Road Bike Pedals Increase My Speed?
Finding the perfect pedals for your bike is going to increase the efficiency of your pedal which will lead to faster times, but also can help you feel better by sitting in the correct riding position which will lead to less stress on your back and legs.
If you think about it, when you first start cycling, you probably hopped on and started pedaling in average running shoes. These shoes tend to have soft soles which will take away from your pedaling efforts as some of your force is absorbed. Right there, that is a power loss, causing you to slow down. Not only that, but soft soles will put too much pressure on the arch of your foot which can lead to foot pain.
Now think about getting a clip less bike pedal that is properly fitted. This is going to support your foot a lot better and not put the pressure on just your arch but distribute it to your entire foot. This will give you a lot more power with each pedaling stroke and increase your speed.
Now when you first started riding, the only power that you produced was on the down stroke as you were pushing the pedal. If you get some bike pedals, they will allow you to pull the pedal on the upstroke as well, almost doubling your power. Not only will this make you faster and feel better, it will burn more fat because you are working harder!
Choosing The Perfect Bike Pedals: Road Bike Versus Mountain Bike Pedals
The one big difference between the pedals are actually the shoes you will be wearing. The clears for road bikes are a lot bigger than mountain bike shoes. These large shoes will give you a bigger space in contact with the road bike pedal to allow you to create the maximum power. I recommend that you with road shoes and clips if you are going to be going long distance. Keep in mind that these are a little hard to walk in but overall seem worth it for long rides.
Mountain Bike cleats only attach to a small part of the pedal. While this creates less power, these are great for biking in the mountains where half the time you are not even pedaling anyway. These can be clipped in and out much easier and I think are actually more comfortable for commuting between my home and work.
Each type of pedal will work fine with your new road bike!
Out Pick For The Best Road Bike Pedals For Beginners
Affordable road bike pedals are plentiful on the market today. Almost everyone is going to get their first pedals the time they buy their first pair of bike cleats so normally you will not need to pay anything extra.
This being said, a lot of people have opted to upgrade to a better performing pedal. Road bike pedals are follow basically the same design but some are higher quality than others. The pair you might have gotten with your shoes are not going to be that great. In fact, I have heard of many of them failing and not even lasting a single summer.
For this reason, I like to recommend the Shimano SPD-SI road bike pedals. These are my favorite choice for almost all riders because you can adjust the tension it has on your shoe. This makes clipping in and out of your bike super simple! My buddy who uses this pedal has had his for 7 years now and still going strong!
For the price, you will not find much better if at all. I would highly recommend you check this one out!
Click here to see the Shimano SPD-SL Pedal
The Best Road Bike Pedals Period!
The SPD-SL Pedal is a great beginner pedal, but if you have been a cyclist for a long time, then you are looking for the best and you will not find anything better than the Look Blade Pedal which is used by professional teams today.
This pedal is incredible easy to clip in and out and is one of the lightest pedals on the market today.
These pedals are typically a bit hard to find since most local retailers will have deals with Shimano to stock their shelves with their product only. If you were to compare this Look pedal to a Shimano, the look pedal would win, hands down, time and time again.
The carbon fiber makes the Look Blade Max pedal very light but also comes with strength and durability that you would expect in a bike pedal costing this much. Weighing in at only 190 grams, these are 70 grams lighter than its Shimano brother.
Have a look at Look Pedals but only if you are serious about your sport.
Click here to see the Look Pedal and customer reviews
Perfect Mountain Bike Clears For Road Bikes
Some people just prefer using mountain bike clears when using their road bike. This is not me, but I know a lot of people who do. A lot of them really like the Shimano PD-A520. These are great if you want to be able to clip in and out of your bike fast, but also walk around in your shoes without stumbling around, meaning more comfort.
Shimano did a great design for this pedal by putting a platform on the outside of where you clip in. This helps distribute the pressure from the force of your pedal giving your more power but also taking away from pain in your arch. I like this pedal because it blends a typical road bike pedal with a mountain bike pedal giving you the power but also the comfort you desire.
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