The Pain of the 290 lb. Cyclist

Replaced Pedal
Originally uploaded by sethsdisciple.

So lets talk pedals. I'll be brief.

Pedals lock into cleats (cleats are attached to your shoes) to make sure your feet to don't slip around. Max power transfer, slipping leads to chaffing. Enough reason to lock in right there.

I use Speedplays. There is a grove in the front and back of the pedal that thick wires on the cleats snap into.



Well, I break the damn things. Notice the wire broken in the cleat and the hunk out of the pedal (there is another hunk on the other side of the pedal that is gone).

The physics goes like this. Most cyclists go maybe 180-200 pounds (Tour de France riders go 130-150 pounds). They need to generage a certain amount of force to move them along. I need to generate 50-100% more force to go the same speed (sloppy, but ballpark). And at least for short periods, I can! But it all has go down through the cleats and pedals.

Before replacing the pedal, I checked to see if there was a weight limit in the docs. Nope. But the talented wrench at Fat Frogs, John, had advised Shimano pedals (no delicate little bars in their version). I stupidly didn't listen. And now look at the repacement:



To quote the emporer, now I'm going to pay for my lack of vision. Never second guess John. Or you end up with this:



And nobody wants that. But you can help! And it will be fun! Go here. They are giving away 50 sets of the pedals I need (they ain't cheap) as a Tour de France promotion. I'll make it worth your while! Plus, you get rub that junk off of the game cards with magnets and voodoo idols and whatnot.