Clickity-Clack

Promised an update and a photo or two of my attempts to cheap out on a pair of clipless shoes. First off I had to abandon my experiment of bolting my old shoes to my existing pedals. They worked but:

1. The peels of laughter at the coffee shop watching me disengage, walk in in my sock feet, walk out and remount was too disturbing. You have to remember my friends are of the mental capacity that prohibits them from driving and chewing gum without getting a distracted driving citation.
2. Hanging a spare set of sneakers by the laces around my neck was no better and that old set was way to close to my nose.
3. My sweet wife, The Pearl of the Orient, informed me I would be dead meat if I ever again brought in a pair of socks in that condition.
4. It took too long to get out of the shoes to answer the call of nature. I'm a country boy
5. It took too long to bend over and get my feet in the shoes

But they worked fine. Here are the picts. Quit laughing!

So following Trikester Hal's advice I searched the lbs for a cycle shoe that would fit. With size 49 feet you don't ask the colour, make or style. Simply a pair that will fit that I don't require a 2nd mortgage for. I found them at MEC- Mountain Equipment Co-op at Portage and Donald in downtown Winnipeg, MB. The sales people were super friendly and helpful I got a pair of Pearl Izumi X‑Road Fuel IV Cycling Shoes- $125, a Set of WellGo M17C pedals, dual type (clip one side) and SPD clips $44. They put the clips on and gave me a couple of tips about shims and cautioned re over-tightening the clips. That's Canadian Pesos (.75) not U.S.

At home I installed the pedals and took them for a spin. Clicking in took a bit of doing as I was warned the fit might be a little tight and a shim might be needed. I fashioned a shim out of a piece of strapping and voila, perfect. Here's the picts.

The cleats positioned as far to the rear of the shoe as possible

The Well Go  clip pedals. Other side is platform. Note the pedal extensions installed earlier

The strapping material used to make a shim to place between the shoe and the clip

 I installed the clips as far to the back of the shoe as possible. For some that may be a no-no, but I needed that to prevent heel strike. The platform on these shoes is very stiff with little flex. The back of the heel is tapered to ease walking and the tread is okay, but I would not want to take any extended hikes in them.

On the trike they are great. Secure with enough wiggle room to move the angle of your feet. The security and ability to 'pull' on the pedal was quite noticeable under heavier load. My knees like them.

Spring-sort of- finally arrived today so I went for a nice long ride after a 5 km warm-up around town, I headed for the country for a 49km circuit. I was bushed when I got back to town, but it was a blast.
After supper I did another 5 km around town. I decided to do this blog up tonight as any new muscles I may discover tomorrow morning may preclude me from getting out of bed

Spring! Wherefore art thou?

Brrr! Seems spring will not come Minus 20C this morning with 4 inches of new snow and a stiff north wind. This is the second day I have not been for a ride and Sunday promises another touch of snow, wind and unfriendly temps. Time to tinker and get the Income Tax filed.

Been thinking about 24 inch tires and wondering should I make the $400 leap. Time to cheap out a bit.

First I found some 24 inch rims with 6 speed freewheel sprockets (not cassettes) at the local bike emporium a.k.a. the dump, I serviced the wheel bearings and made sure the freewheel was working properly and with the help of a couple spacers hooked it up to Rover II. I adjusted the derailleur so it only shifted up to the 6th gear sprocket (14T) and took it for a quick spin. The tire itself was so rotten I was afraid to go more than a block, so I spent fifteen bucks at the local hardware store for a new tube and tire.

At the same time I cleaned and lubed the chain and did a bit of work on the chain tube hangers to give them more flexibility to guide the chain straighter regardless of which sprocket gear I was using, front or back. A bit of a Rube Goldberg fix, but it works for now.

I wanted to see how much problem heel strike was on the pedals with the larger rear wheel and my big clod-hoppers. It was noticeable, but with my feet secured more centrally on the pedals it was not a real problem.

And then it struck me!

I only very reluctantly throw out a pair of comfortable shoes, no matter how worn. I have a pair of Rockaport velcro loafers with worn out heels, but very comfy with good stiff platforms and arch supports. Two 1/4 inch carriage bolts and nuts, four big flat washers, and a drill and I have new cycling shoes. Eat your hearts out, you clipless weenies. And if I'm hanging upside down in the deep ditch cattails, there should be no problem extracting my feet before I drown.

My first couple of rides with this new setup was very positive. The shoes have enough wiggle room on the pedals to let my feet sit at a comfortable angle (I tend to toe-in my right foot a bit). The washer and the carriage head bolt under the insole are not noticeable. The laughter when I mount and dismount at the coffee shop is loud and sustained.

The 24 inch wheel does seem to smooth the ride a bit perhaps with no noticeable change in handling or lateral stability. With only 14T on the sprocket vs 11T on the stock cassette, I have not gained much top end, but I do find it necessary to use the 38T chainring for some of my hills. Still doing this by flicking the chaintube to the left with my fingers to down shift and using thumb and forefinger to lift it onto higher chainring to shift up. No danger, quick, easy, and works flawlessly. The adjusted rear derailleur worked just fine 1 thru 6 with the min R setting making 7/8 doing nothing but not interfering with the operation.

Overall I am pleased and will now see if I can find a 24 inch w cassette hub - inexpensive, but not cheap. Best positive price for a Wilson double wall is just over 80 bucks on Amazon.

The Raniaco Bike Computer worked great until it didn't

Replacement promised

RoverII hibernating in its position of honour on the pontoon deck with 

temporary 24 inch wheel installed. Derailleur now well up, out of dirt

Picts of 'new' clipless shoes next post