Flippin' clip-in nightmare: Bike fitter's disbelief at client's upside down AND backwards cleats; Fixed-gear epic Festive 500...in one England-crossing ride; 'But cyclists' Christmas special; 2022 in cycling; Mechanical mishap poll + more on the live blog

Those things really are archaic and useless.  Explains a lot really. 

Surprised you haven't mentioned your shoehorn. 

BIRMINGHAMisaDUMP wrote:

Those things really are archaic and useless.  Explains a lot really. 

I'll give you archaic but they are definitely not useless. Full marks for the clever dig though.

With pedals it's what works for you. And with three bikes with that set up it must really work for you.

I always wanted double or even triple beartraps back in the day, I thought they looked good.

Single cage platforms were pants, I added Power Grips to keep my foot planted. Then I discovered the DMR V12.

Yeah, I originally bought them many years ago because of the looks and found they give great grip and support to my size 12's so I've used them ever since. The only downside is the damage they've done to my leg when walking the bike a couple of times. 

My Carrera came with generic DMRs which seemed pretty good but my favourate strapless clips didn't fit so I didn't keep them on for long. I imagine the proper versions would be great.

Rendel Harris wrote:

The cleats are horrific but not sure bike shop guy is right about the pontoon adaptors as the shoes are already drilled for both SPD and SPD-SL. Suspect these are very old shoes that did have glued rubber bumpers around the sides that have peeled off. Doesn't quite explain the upside down and back to front though...

Yeah so it's nerdy, it's Twixtmas, not much else to do!

I used to have a pair of Shimano shoes that had both sets of holes and a flat bottom. They looked similar to the ones above. They were my first pair and I thought it was just normal.

Same - I still have some shimano road shoes with both cleat fixing options in my box of bits 

I have a far more shameful story: when I got my first pair I was so ignorant I didn't realise there were different sorts so I bought SPD-SL pedals by mail order (it was that long ago!) and SPD shoes from the LBS, I had to do a walk of shame back and ask to exchange them and explain why. They were very kind but still my most embarrassing moment in a bike shop (and I've had a few!).

I'm sure you are not alone there. Given how interchangable Shimano products are (e.g. 105 and Dura ace being fully interchangeable) and the similarities of the names, I would have done the exact same if it weren't for a friend explaining what to get.

Rendel Harris wrote:

I have a far more shameful story: when I got my first pair I was so ignorant I didn't realise there were different sorts so I bought SPD-SL pedals by mail order (it was that long ago!) and SPD shoes from the LBS, I had to do a walk of shame back and ask to exchange them and explain why. They were very kind but still my most embarrassing moment in a bike shop (and I've had a few!).

I bought a road bike 11 years ago not having owned one since the mid 1960s.

It was from Halfords and I collected the bike as it was and rode off.   After struggling for a few hundred yards I took it back to complain that the brake levers were loose and they had forgotten to fit the shifters onto the down tube.

Audi S3, prat mobile. Say no more. Only ever driven by dickheads who 'think' they can drive. 

0-60 in 4.3 seconds. 

Prat mobile as you say. 

Says over 3 gardens and hit another car. How fast was the driver going to 'achieve' all he did ?

Roundhay Grove - car left road on ice? Driver left senses on snow, more like.

Still at least they weren't doing something risky and selfishly tying up the emergency services, like going cycling...