Conference noted::bicycle

    What ever you do tell Santa NOT to get you Sampson pedals !!!!!
    I own some and I hate them, I ride about 10 - 15 hours a week and
    the cleats seam to wear out really fast and I don't even walk on
    them (triahlete I leave my shoes in the pedals most of the time)
    The inside part of the cleat wears where the back half of the pedal
    meets the plastic, this could be solved by using a harder plastic
    but Sampson is making too much money selling the replacement cleats
    at about $12.00 for the pair. My suggestion would be to good the
    very reliable Shimano's or try the Avenir pedal. As for shoes tell
    Santa to spend the money and get you the top-of-the-line Avenir
    shoe, its the most comfortable shoe I've EVER had.
    
    
                                  ERIC 
    

    	I did a DIR/TITLE="pedal"
    
    	I got the following notes:
    
    	213, 297, 554, 796, 952, 1052, 1154, 1168.
    
    	Scott

    GERRY:  MAVIC MAKES THE BEST LINE OF CLIPLESS PEDALS: LIGHTEST WEIGHT,
    ENCLOSED BEARINGS, AND THE BEST GRADE OF BEARINGS.  CHOOSING A SHOE
    TO MATCH A CLIPLESS PEDAL IS LIKE CHOOSING ANY OTHER SHOE: THEY
    ALL FIT THE FOOT DIFFERENTLY, E.G., LOTTO RUNS NARROW, NIKE RUNS
    WIDE, ETC.  
    CLIPLESS PEDALS GIVE YOU A TREMENDOUS ADVANTAGE BY ALLOWING YOU
    TO CONTROL YOUR SPIN THROUGHOUT ALL PARTS OF THE MOTION, HOWEVER,
    THEY SHOULD BE PROPERLY FIT BY A KNOWLEDGEABLE BIKE MECHANIC (SHOE
    TO PEDAL, I MEAN).  
    HAVE FUN ON THE HILLS WITH YOUR NEW PEDALS: YOU'LL BE AMAZED AT
    THE IMPROVEMENT!
    
    REGARDS,
    SAM
    

    	I did a DIR/TITLE="shoe"
    
    	I got the following notes:
    
    	321, 331, 496, 611, 840, 1154
    
    	Scott

    I don't know too much about clipless pedals, but I would recommend 
    caution when you first get used to them....I did a bike tour this
    summer with a couple of friends one of whom had just purchased
    a pair of Sampson pedals.  He crashed in the middle of the road and
    literally could not get out of them ( perhaps they weren't adjusted
    correctly ).  We had to drag him to the side of the road to get him
    out of the way of an oncoming truck.
    
    ( Perhaps the fact that we were just leaving a winery had something
      to do with the incident too :)
    
    
    /scott
    

    Here's another vote against Sampson clipless pedals. I got a pair
    this spring and had a lot of trouble getting the tension adjusted
    correctly so that you didn't have to be King Kong to get in and
    out of them. Somewhere in here is a reply of mine on how to adjust
    the insert/release pressure on these pedals. Even adjusted, they
    are still harder to get into than LOOK pedals. About halfway through
    the summer, they came out of adjustment to the point where an incident
    as described in -.1 happened, I couldn't get out of the pedals without
    laying the bike down.
    
    Needless to say, I have switched to LOOK and am much happier.
    
    -tom			
    
    

    note 1194.30 describes how to adjust the insert/release pressure
    for Sampson pedals
    
    -tom

    Gosh, am I the only person around who _likes_ her Sampson pedals?
    
    I never had a problem with the pedal adjustments/tension.  My shoe
    cleats have yet to wear out - about 1600 miles on them.  
    
    Sometimes I have slight difficulty getting into the pedals, but it's
    more that for some strange reason I don't know how to center my foot on
    the pedal.  The only time I have difficulty getting out is after a long
    ride my right ankle fatigues from a previous injury, and I have to
    remember to kick my left foot out first or else I fall.
    
    	-Nancy

    Well, I like and recommend Looks.  I have 9 pr of them installed -- all
    but 2 of my 10 bikes have them.  I have worn out many pairs of cleats. 
    I even broke on 20 miles into a ride but it'll b a long time before I
    see any reason to use anything else.  Actually a few are Mavic's a few
    are the original Looks, a few are the Look Performance and 1 pr is the
    Shimano Dura Ace Look compatible, I like these latter ones the least
    because I you cant ride them upside down very easily (you slip a lot).
    
    ed

     Don't ask Santa for TIME pedals either! They're way over priced along
    with their shoes (BTW you've got to buy their shoes unless you buy an
    adapter). The shoes and the pedals are quality. I believe other systems
    deliver the same stuff a heck of a lot cheaper. I  currently have  5k
    miles on the TIME system with no problems. From what I've heard, I'll
    throw my vote in for Mavic (my next choice/purchase).
    
         Chip

    	I like my Looks - they are the old white ones.  I don't think
    about them very much and they work just fine.  Based on that, I would 
    get the Shimanos if I were to do it again because the mechanism is 
    essentially the same and because (let's be honest) "they LOOK 
    Maaaahvelous."   Don't forget value for Santa's dollar, either.  A
    Dura-Ace step-in pedal is a much cheaper piece of bike jewelry than a 
    C-Record crank, right?  What more could Santa care about?   Besides
    the Delta brakes, I mean... 

    	I started using Looks in August of '85 (they caused a 0 mph fall on
    a NEAR ride at Amherst a few days later). They are exactly what a
    recumbent rider needs (it's impossible to reach way out there for
    straps). I've since put the old white Looks on the winter bike and put
    the plastic ATB pedals on the Avatar - they were a lot cheaper, and
    lighter than the metal one [the carbon fiber ones may be lighter], and
    you can ride the flip side with street shoes. I think Look still has an
    ATB pedal (it is NOT in most catalogs, though) and it would be my #1
    recommendation.  If you do a lot of walking during rides, the
    Cyclebinding system which has special shoes with the attachment point
    recessed into the sole would be my recommendation. But for normal road
    use, the Looks (and their copies) are # 1.  I've seen too many people
    having trouble with Sampsons (including a certain lady noter), Kewins,
    Aerolights, etc.  The Looks are best.
    	One comment on getting out: you tend to twist out by swinging your
    heel outward. If this doesn't work well for you, try positioning the
    pedal so you can swing your heel *inward* to release. (most people have a
    larger range of rotational motion in the foot when swinging toes
    outward as compared to toes inward - try it). - Chris

    
    
    
    
>   If you do a lot of walking during rides, the
>    Cyclebinding system which has special shoes with the attachment point
>    recessed into the sole would be my recommendation. But for normal road
 
    
    A few people I know have looked at the Cyclebinding system, and were
    unimpressed with the construction.  I don't recall their complaints. 
    Also the fact that you had to wear the Cyclebinding shoe with the
    Cyclebinding pedal - kind of like TIME - limits your possibility.
    
    But, if you are looking for a shoe with the same concept of recessing
    the cleat, look at the AVIA shoes - I don't remember the model #, but
    Gamaches has them in the store for $65.  The shoe looks alot like a
    sneaker, and the sole is built up on the edges to recess the cleat. 
    Has teh 3 hole LOOK pattern drilling.  Unfortuneately, anybody who has
    a large foot has to wait until February for these shoes since AVIA is
    sold out.  George Gamache hunted for over a week to find a pair of size
    12 for me to no avail, meaning Santa will not be bringing these shoes
    to my SO for X-Mas.
    
    	-Nancy

    I've used the old white Look pedals for about four years, and recently
    went to the Shimano Dura Ace's on a new bike. Frankly, I can't see
    much difference between the two, although Ed is right about the
    relative ease of using the Looks upsidedown. But the Shimanos seem
    to offer a slightly more crisp action, and aren't so sluggish in
    getting ut of at the end of a hard ride. And the Shimanos are clearly
    (to me anyway) the better looking (;^) of the two. Have heard very
    few good reports on the Sampson, mostly from dealers. But *any*
    clipless system is safer and more secure than the clip style.
    
    Ken

    -.01,.06
    I have also had problems with Sampson.  The cleat is very cumbersome
    and more difficult to walk in than any other (bicycling magazine).
    They are also difficult to get into. They do release very well,
    but overall I was very disappointed: I even snapped off somes cleats,
    @ $12.00/set!!!   Most bike stores will let you test shoes/pedals
    before purchasing.  Try Look or Shimano............. 
    
    Keith
    

    
    After 6 months and literally *hundreds* of miles, my MKS are still 
    doing just fine.  So there!
    
    -john

    SHIMANO D.A. PEDALS: One other positive point ... they hold up great
    in a crash. I've scraped along the ground after 30-40mph crashes,
    and the pedals merely grind along the solid metal edge - not affecting
    the functionality (pedals work perfectly after crashes).
                     
    SHIMANO D.A. SHOES: I use these, and love the fit/feel. They are
    not the most durable shoes though. One inherent problem is that
    the head of the bolt (which is sandwiched in the sole) can start
    spinning when you decide to change cleates .... then the shoe is
    no good since there is no way to access the head of the bolt. This
    happened to me and Shimano sent me a new pair of shoes. Point is:
    whatever holds the head of the bolt in the sole isn't tough enough.
    
    Mark

    Mark, you forgot to mention that Shimano shoes and pedals make a
    a creaking noise that will drive some people crazy.  I can hear
    you on my wheel every time we ride together :-}
    
    Phil

    Thanks so far for all the help. One other question though, what
    is the cost for a pair of Shimano or Look pedals. The price up here
    in Canada is Durace $200, Shimano 600 $200, Look $175. I will be
    in the US near Christmas, and may get a chance to find a pair of
    pedals. All prices above are in Canadian dollars.
    
    Gigathanks-  Gerry O 8^>
    

    Get yourself a NASHBAR catelogue (man they rip you off in Canada).
    Right now, NASHBAR is offering the following:
    
          DURA ACE ---- $132.95
    
          SHIMANO 600 - $112.95
    
          LOOK PP76 CARBON -- $144.75
    
          LOOK PP96 CARBON PROS --$185.00 (new/top ogf  the line)
    
    
          SHIPPING AND HANDLING WILL RUN $3.95 (ground UPS) but there
          are other options.
    
          Hope this helped
    
          Chip

	I like my cyclebinding system...  Shoes/pedals are rugged, but
	are unique and cannot be mixed with other brands.  They release 
	quite well in crashes and require little expertise to enter/exit.
	Several places carry them;  Nashbar is one.  I've >>3 years with 
	my set.  /jk