Hi gang. I’m new to all this and am looking for a bit of advice.
I have recently started commuting to work a couple days a week (27 mile round trip through Surrey / Richmond Park & along a big towpath section – lovely route).
I feel like I could do with upgrading a few of the stock items, namely:
Saddle
Pedals
Grips
I’m riding a Trek Dual Sport 5 Gen 3. I’m wondering if anyone has any advice on flat pedals vs clip, decent grips and a comfy saddle?
Cheers in advance.
by PinkerBlues
10 Comments
For pedals, personally I prefer flats especially for commuting/errands. I like being to wear any comfortable walking or cycling shoe and not change out of SPD/clipless footwear. My go to is Race Face Chester pedals…inexpensive, durable and lots of color options. For grips, look at the extensive choices from Ergon. I have the GP3 model since it’s really easy on the hands but plenty of styles to choose from.
Throw some drop bars on that thang
I’m a fan of [these inner bar ends](https://a.co/d/duWAxWf) they’re pretty simple, but let you bring your hands in when you want to.
I also have [these grips](https://a.co/d/ci8q7dq) on my commuter and am a fan.
Saddle is totally up to you. I have a [brooks c67](https://a.co/d/6LMiqYr) on my commuter and love it. Might not be for you though.
A handle bar or stem swap is pretty easy and relatively cheap if you’re trying to dial in your fit at all.
I haven’t seen this generation of dual sport though, I like the look!
go tubeless tire set-up. biggest game changer you’ll have, and you’re right about upgrading the contact points ( saddle, pedals, and grips). also, a good front and rear light would be worth it 👌
Saddles are personal, since not all butts are the same shape. Usually, large and soft is comfortable for a short ride (like 15 minutes), but longer than that and things can start to chafe.
Saddles come in many shapes and sizes (widths). Check to see if your store can measure sit bones, that’ll at least help. Some bike shops will also do credits or demo saddles for you to try. I’ve even seen one shop that has a saddle library, where you can join the library and check out a saddle to try for a period of time (like weeks). Once you find something you like, this particular shop will credit your library “dues” to the saddle purchase.
Just to add on to what others have said, maybe look into bar ends. An extra hand position can go a long way.
And definitely pedals. Someone else mentioned chesters and I’ll second them. Your feet will thank you.
For flat pedals I have tried
Raceface Ride Composite
Oxford Loam 20
Bontrager Line Elite
And so far the Bontrager ones are best in terms of how the pins grip on the soles of some Shimano MTB shoes I have
I need to sort a new set as I have 1 more bike than pedals currently, and the Oxford ones are too large and are getting some pedal strike when cornering (bike has a very low BB drop)
I’m considering looking at Magped which is some kind of magnetic coupling for the shoe, as I’m a bit apprehensive about going to SPD.
You might also consider playing around with the position, angle, and bite point of the brake levers, angle of the grips, saddle position and angle. The angle of the levers looks a bit steep to me, but you have to figure out what’s most comfortable for you.
One more thing, I couldn’t help but notice your rear reflector is misaligned. Shop should have adjusted it so that it’s perpendicular to the ground.
Flats are better, for commuting clipless pedals would have a very marginal benefit in terms of power and not worth it. I prefer simple grips not shaped but bar ends can be nice. I believe Steed Cycles in NV has a thing you sit on ti determine an optimal seat shape. Get some fenders.
I’ve always ridden clips. I keep a second pair of shoes at work. It’s so much more efficient on pavement.