Review: Crank Brothers Acid Pedals

I have been using Crank Brothers eggbeater pedals for a handful of years now. Prior to that I used Eggbeater Candy pedals on all of my recumbents.

I originally ditched the Candy pedals due to an inability to get that "instant unclip" on my two-wheel recumbents. A few super steep climbs I did the very sad "stall and fall" as I was unable to unclip in time. Sigh... the issue was my show tread catching on the surround part of the pedal. Well, that and inexperience. Either way, switching to regular eggbeaters caused that problem to go away. But after several years on the minimalist eggbeaters I have noticed that on the really long and steep sections I get a bit of pain in the bottom of my foot. Since I do not ride uber-stiff CF soled road shoes, I decided to get something that would provide a bit more support.

Good lookin' pedals!

Enter the Crank Brothers Acids  2 pedals. It was a decision between the new Candy, Acids, and Mallets. Seeing them in person, the new Candy pedals are really really nice. The Mallets looked huge to me. Larger than even good size BMX platforms. The Acids fell somewhere in-between. As a bonus, they came in red that was a perfect match for the QNT. Sweet bling!

The pedals provide a great amount of support for my shoe. The first ride where I hit any incline made this quite obvious to me. I was able to put a bit more power down without "feeling" the pedal at the bottom of my foot. The clip in and release action is not as clean as the plain eggbeaters, but this is really a non issue on the trike. No stalling. No falling.

Acids: FSM approved!

How about riding without clipless shoes? I tried this, and the Acids really do not fit this use very well. Too slippery and not enough "real estate" for use with the ordinary tennis shoes. Maybe if going down the block... but on a trike it is best to have your feet clipped in anyway to avoid the dreaded "leg suck" should your foot slip off. Maybe Mallets would be better for the non-clip use.

So if you are looking for a bit more support for your feet but not a pedal that looks like a massive fly swatter attached to your cranks, the Acids are worth a try, especially if you already are a fan of the CB eggbeaters!

Bell Citi Helmet - The Right One

Finding a cycling helmet that works for you is a very personal thing. It is likely that one brand will fit your head, while another will make you feel like your head has been shoved into a vice. For this reason trying on helmets before you buy is a wise idea. A while back I decided to try out a Bell Citi helmet - and after a few months of use I am glad to say I tried it.

The first bonus of this helmet is its rounded shape. There has been some reports that pointy helmets, while very flashy looking, can increase the incidence of rotation injury in an accident, as the pointy shapes catch on the road surface, etc. See this link for a great resource on all things bike helmet.

A second bonus of this helmet is that I can fit my small ipod speakers right into two of the front vents. In the picture above you can just see one in the vent. Having some inspirational tunes on th eroad without the need for headphones? Priceless. The ability to have this sort of setup right on the helmet to easily go from trike to bike? Icing on the cake!

The helmet I went for is super high visibility yellow. Definitely plus points in the "dork" factor but if that means more visibility then so be it! This helmet has adequate vents without feeling too wide open, and thats even with me clogging up a few of the vents for tunes. the visor is a great addition and goes on and off the helmet with ease and is easily stored. On my past helmets I have usually pulled off the visor and lost it in the toolbox, but for the Citi I decided to leave it on. I was quite surprised how effective it is in keeping the rays (when they are shining!) out of the eyes.

Other notable features are a great head strap adjusting ratchet that works well and a rear mount for a blinkie. It should be noted that this helmet is slated to be DISCONTINUED, so get one now - BUT it is going to be replaced by a model named the Muni, which will have an even better adjustment system than the Citi.

For a closer look at these new helmets take a peeky peek here:

Overall a great helmet for commuting - but good for weekend warrior and or club riding as well. It won't net you any "Lance points" for style, but oh well. Plus, it's much more satisfying to pull up alongside the full kit guys in a bright yellow rounded lid like the Citi before slamming it into the big ring and taking off anyway!

Northwave Cycling Sandals

Cycling shoes are a pretty personal thing - the fit needs to be just right, especially if you are looking at long days of riding - and especially for multiple days. For many years I have used sandals, specifically a pair of Nashbar Ragsters and recently a pair of Sette cycling sandals. (The Ragsters and the Sette's are basically the exact same sandal, with the only difference being an adjustable heel strap on the Ragsters)

I recently came across a new pair of cycling shoes on ebay. They are the Northwave "Shark" cycling sandal. I had not heard of this brand before, but had actually been on the lookout for something with a closed toe. These seemed to look OK, though I found very few decent reviews on this specific sandal.

I decided to take a gamble and order a pair. After a handful of weeks using this new footwear I am quite impressed. They have a great fit and are of decent quality. They are comfortable to walk in and are reasonably stiff. They have a bit of odd flash to their appearance but not any stranger than some sneakers out there today. I have not had any point pressure issues using Eggbeater pedals with these, either.

One note is that with the Eggbeater pedal cleats I had to use the shorter length mounting screws.

Now, these things are not meant for the criterium, so we are talking casual riding here, or possibly some decent club riding use. The best thing is that they breathe quite nicely, and as sandals with a lot of open area are nice and cool in the summer. I can see that I will be using these exclusively when that (finally) gets here. Durability will be "too be determined" but so far so good.