I have Grip Kings on both my bikes. I have RBW's "spikes" on one face of each pedal on one bike, no spikes on my newer bike's pedals. It is on the list of things to do to put the spikes on one face of each pedal on my newer bike. Unless it's really wet or snowy, I prefer the absence of the spikes; it lets me position my foot most freely, which I like very much. When it is very wet or snowy, I flip to the spiked face for secure footing; those conditions do make the pedals somewhat slippery. I find the Grip Kings nearly ideal for all the riding I do on trail and pavement. Just for context (which matters a lot given the huge variety of riding done by the folks on this group): Most often my rides are 5-10 miles at a stretch, every week or so 30-40 miles, never more than 60 miles (yet). I ride in Keen leather or Keen canvas shoes or Keen sandals. Sometimes I consider trying other pedals. But the Grip Kings provide no compelling reason for me to do so. Same with the Keen footwear (both for riding and in general). The big Keen toe box will keep me a Keen customer until they do something to screw it up. Yours, Thomas Lynn Skean
On Tuesday, July 17, 2012 1:53:07 PM UTC-5, stevew wrote: > I highly recommend the pedal spikes that Riv sells. I found that the Grip > Kings became much less grippy when they got wet. After adding the spikes > (which really aren't spikes, but more of a flat topped screw) my feet do > not slip one bit when riding in rain, dry, whatever. > > FWIW, my riding shoes are the cycling version of the Keen Coronado, which > are a bit like firmer, wider Chuck Taylors - flat rubber bottoms. > > Steve > > On Jul 17, 2012, at 1:57 PM, Rex Kerr wrote: > > I had some 5% back store credit burning a hole in my rivbike.com account, > so I recently made a "purchase". (Thanks guys!) Part of my order was a > pair of King Grip pedals. Did my first ride with them today and thought > I'd share my thoughts for those who are considering them. > > The ride was my normal 10 mile commute, unseasonably cool with a slight > breeze. Rode in my size 14 Chaco sandals, with socks (fashion at its > best!) due to the cooler temperatures. > > Last night I installed the pedals. They were surprisingly light. They > look very bulky and heavy, but when I held them I was pleasantly surprised. > Too lazy to find the grease, so I put a dab of wax based chain lube on the > threads and figured the existing grease in the crank arms would be > sufficient. The spindles have both hex flats for a 14 mm pedal wrench and > recessed holes for an allen wrench. I used the flats since I already had > the pedal wrench in hand from removing the MKS touring pedals. > > The MKS touring pedals were bothering me in that I was constantly > suffering from pedal strike. I tried, seriously, to teach myself how close > they were to the ground, but it seemed that even on the most subtle of > turns they would touch the ground. The King Grip pedals, on the other > hand, had amazing clearance. I pedaled through every turn, even some that > I shouldn't have and couldn't get them to hit the ground. I tried standing > with one foot low and swerving back and forth on the bike trail trying to > get them to touch, and they didn't. They had GREAT clearance! (Grant > responded to my previous complaints about the MKS pedals, indicating that > the King Grips had the best clearance of the pedals they sell) > > On the MKS pedals I have been using powergrip straps. I didn't miss the > attachment at all with the King Grip pedals as the platform held the shoe > in place well. > > Overall they were good pedals. My concern, though, is that they felt too > narrow. I felt like I had to keep my feet in just the right place to keep > them centered over the pedal, and yet I was still pushing against the > straps of my sandals as my foot wanted to migrate outwards. It may be > because I tend to pedal somewhat toe out, and on my old Speedplay Frog > pedals I always special ordered them with extra long spindles, but I think > that I'd also prefer a longer spindle with the King Grip pedal so that I > could feel like my foot was actually on the pedal. Maybe I should try them > with a set of those "knee saver" spacer, but I don't have any available. I > also quickly understood why some here have been adding an extra support > along the outer edge and am somewhat tempted to go back through the > archives and see who was selling those and try to modify these accordingly. > > Anyhow, hope that this quick review is helpful to anybody considering > these pedals... > > -Rex > > > > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msg/rbw-owners-bunch/-/TpXgvdfUvVcJ. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
