Exercise R Us

Question:

: If you want float the Onza’s have tons of it, which is one of the : reasons I bought them.  (The other is that my LBS had a pair for $80 : on the day that I was buying a new rear tire.  Damn that was an : expensive tire. I’m using only the 6 degree setting and I can’t : believe how much freedom I have. : One big problem with the Onzas is that the pedals are so wide that : they interfere with the sole of many recessed-cleat shoes.  I bought : Nike Poo-Bahs (I didn’t plan to spend that much but the fit was just : too good) and two of the nubs on each shoe needed to be trimmed to : half-height in order to get a positive lock and allow float. I have never found this to be a problem, but I do have size 49.5 pooh bahs !! Could this be my first encounter with an advantage to having huge feet? Miles : jim frost : — : http://world.std.com/~jimf

Response:

>> If you want float the Onza’s have tons of it, which is one of the > reasons I bought them.  (The other is that my LBS had a pair for $80 > on the day that I was buying a new rear tire.  Damn that was an > expensive tire. I’m using only the 6 degree setting and I can’t > believe how much freedom I have. >snip< >I have had my onza’s for about a year and a lot of the time you don’t >here the click.  But for me that hasn’t mattered b/c after a while you >get to know when your locked in regardless!  It just takes a while for >you to get the feel!  hang in there

Yup, that’s one of my two complaints about the pedal, although I’m not having a real hard time determining if I’m locked in at this point. The other problem is that the pedal is wide enough that many shoe soles contact the pedal and impede clip performance.  I had to trim away half of each nub to the left and right of the cleat on my Nike Poo-Bahs. Neither problem is a big deal to me; I’m very satisfied with the product. I hear rumors that the pedals were redesigned this year to correct several problems and that there will be an upgrade kit for current pedal owners.  I can’t wait to see what they did. One last note on Onza: my pedals were the last pair the shop had and they didn’t have the instructions.  I called Onza and they were extremely friendly and dropped the instructions in the mail that day, along with a handful of stickers.  That’s so much nicer than the companies I usually get to deal with…. jim frost — http://world.std.com/~jimf

Response:

> If you want float the Onza’s have tons of it, which is one of the > reasons I bought them.  (The other is that my LBS had a pair for $80 > on the day that I was buying a new rear tire.  Damn that was an > expensive tire. I’m using only the 6 degree setting and I can’t > believe how much freedom I have. >snip<

I have had my onza’s for about a year and a lot of the time you don’t here the click.  But for me that hasn’t mattered b/c after a while you get to know when your locked in regardless!  It just takes a while for you to get the feel!  hang in there -Jason

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>>I’ve >heard mixed things about Onzas (especially here on the net) but my friend has >some and swear by them.  I tried them, and had problems gettig a definitive >click.  The shimano’s always click in and feel super secure. >I have the Onza’s now, only had ‘em a week but I agree about the >click-in.  If you use the stock-installed elastomer there’s nothing at >all (and the pedals release *way* too easy); I switched to the >medium-hard elastomer (blue) and it was a lot better but still easy to >miss.

I’ve had my Onza’s for about a week too. Bought them on the recommendation of a fellow biker here at work. Ditto on the lack of a definitive click. These are my first clipless pedals, so I’m sticking with the softest elastomers until clicking out becomes a reflex – at this point I’d rather accidently step out (which hasn’t happened yet) then not be able to get out when I want. For the same reason, I’m using the 6 degree float position. >One big problem with the Onzas is that the pedals are so wide that >they interfere with the sole of many recessed-cleat shoes.  I bought >Nike Poo-Bahs (I didn’t plan to spend that much but the fit was just >too good) and two of the nubs on each shoe needed to be trimmed to >half-height in order to get a positive lock and allow float.

I bought the Nike Ngubas – no clearance problems on them. I’ve got the cleat as far rear as it will go, centered L-R, and "pointing" toward the toe. This was my first guess as to the right position, but it feels very natural and comfortable. The pedals & shoes together cost $150 at Colorado Cyclist. Jeff Gauvin, Design Engineer, Symbios Logic Inc.           *** Opinions are my own ***

Response:

>  >Can y’all help me with info on "knee friendly" clipless pedals. >  text deleted

I have a pair of Specialized Ground Control shoes and love them…I use them with Performance MC-4 clipless pedals…there is quite a bit of float with the Perf. pedals ~8 degrees.  The design of the pedals is quite a bit like the Shimano SPD (a design ripoff to a certain degree) Perf. uses a slightly different (slightly larger) cleat design.  The pedals allow you to enter front first or back first…quite flexible and VERY comfortable….just my $.02….   good luck.

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>I’ve >heard mixed things about Onzas (especially here on the net) but my friend has >some and swear by them.  I tried them, and had problems gettig a definitive >click.  The shimano’s always click in and feel super secure.

I have the Onza’s now, only had ‘em a week but I agree about the click-in.  If you use the stock-installed elastomer there’s nothing at all (and the pedals release *way* too easy); I switched to the medium-hard elastomer (blue) and it was a lot better but still easy to miss. If you want float the Onza’s have tons of it, which is one of the reasons I bought them.  (The other is that my LBS had a pair for $80 on the day that I was buying a new rear tire.  Damn that was an expensive tire. I’m using only the 6 degree setting and I can’t believe how much freedom I have. One big problem with the Onzas is that the pedals are so wide that they interfere with the sole of many recessed-cleat shoes.  I bought Nike Poo-Bahs (I didn’t plan to spend that much but the fit was just too good) and two of the nubs on each shoe needed to be trimmed to half-height in order to get a positive lock and allow float. >Before I get a bunch of Onza supporters on my butt, yes I did try >the pedals with the Onza cleats, there was enough clearance on the >solde, and I was using the blue elastomers (are these the firmest?).

The black are the firmest, just bend ‘em and it’s pretty obvious: translucent is the weakest then grey, blue and black. jim frost — http://world.std.com/~jimf

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Can y’all help me with info on "knee friendly" clipless pedals.  Ive been looking at the Onza HOs and Shimano 747s.  Are these the best for knee protection or is there another I dont know about.  Im currently using cages and the last time I went down I really racked my left knee.   Since I want to keep walking as well as riding I am gonna buy some clipless pedals. Also, Anyone have any problems using Specialized "ground control" shoes with Onza HO pedals? Dan Swart Raleigh NC

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Try the Speedplay Frogs. They allow plenty of free rotation and are the lightest around. I really like mine. MTS

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I used to own the Performance pedals.  They do offer a lot of float, tbut there are other things to keep in midn: How well will they hold up on rough terrain? How easy are they to service? Like I said, I had the performance pedals and used them until my first offroad ride.  They got so clogged with mud that the shoes were impossible to release.  Aside from theat, the release tension did not go firm enough for my liking. I got the Shimano 535’s.  Love the, don’t clog with mud, and offer float (not a whoele bunch, but enough that it doesn’t bother my knees)  There i s some disagreement as to whether the float is intentional or not; whether it is or not, there is some on my pedals.  I also found the ePerformance pedals to be a pain in the ass to take apart.  The Shimanos come apart in about 10 minutes. I can’t in all good faith suggest the Performance pedals.  If  you are investing in pedals, spend the extra couple forty bucks and getsomething that you are not going to toss if you decide to take them off road.  I’ve heard mixed things about Onzas (especially here on the net) but my friend has some and swear by them.  I tried them, and had problems gettig a definitive click.  The shimano’s always click in and feel super secure. And they weren’t totally expensive, either.  I got mine for just over a hundred,which is about how much the Onza’s are. sorry about the rambling, but I just thought I’d put in my twocentsworth. Weegie Before I get a bunch of Onza supporters on my butt, yes I did try the pedals with the Onza cleats, there was enough clearance on the solde, and I was using the blue elastomers (are these the firmest?).  And for what it’s worth, the three guys I go biking with are all completely hardcore (WAY more hardcore than I am) and they all ride Onzas.   Coincidentally, they all ride Manitous, too.  I’m the only one of us with shimanos and Judy (maybe there is a correlation there…) for what it’s worth, the three guys  

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If you have any history of knee problems, I would highly suggest looking at the Speedplay Frogs.  They have lots of float (20+ degrees), are lighter, and simpler than any other pedal system on the market.  They are very easy to get out of when you need to, but they do not release when you don’t want to.  I have only fallen twice due to the pedals, which I think is much less than I would have fallen had I been using a more traditional (SPD) type pedal.   The only disadvantage is that you have to slide your foot forward into the pedal; you can’t step down into the pedal ala SPD type pedals.  Other than that, I love my Speedplays! -Alex- Carpe Lager (seize the beer)

Response:

>Can y’all help me with info on "knee friendly" clipless pedals.  Ive >been looking at the Onza HOs and Shimano 747s.  Are these the best for >knee protection or is there another I dont know about.  Im currently >using cages and the last time I went down I really racked my left knee.   >Since I want to keep walking as well as riding I am gonna buy some >clipless pedals. >Also, >Anyone have any problems using Specialized "ground control" shoes with >Onza HO pedals?

The pedals with the float for bad knees are either Onzas or Speedplay Frogs. I’ve used the Onzas and was very satisfied with them and their knee ‘comfort’. I used Shimano M0-51 shoes with them and had to carve out some of the sole to make entry and release OK. That seems to be consensus with them: that some shoes require modification. Bruce

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