I have been reading your blog since I was alerted to it by someone on the NEEPS forum and have to say; I am addicted!

Your musings are an absolute joy. I’m slowly working my way through all the archives too. My admiration for what you and your family are doing (and attempting to do) is boundless.

When I hear about all the unpleasant e-mails you receive, it really sickens me. Would people have the courage to say to your face what they say to you on-line? I think not. They should indeed get a life.

Off to read Confessions of an Eco-Sinner!

I’m not setting myself up as an uber-green eco prophet or anti-consumer guru. This blog is the musings of a crofter who tries to minimise his impact and that of his family. That’s it.

I needed better pedals that held my feet in place, the old pedals could not be refurbished (and didn’t hold my feet in place), and I decided to take the opportunity to buy pedals that make me more visible. They may not be made in Britain but they were designed here, they were packaged in just a single layer of cardboard, and they don’t need any energy other than that provided by my muscles.

It can be perilous blogging about trying to lead a moderately comfortably but low-impact life as the cynics perpetually try to expose your flaws and failings. Mel, of BeanSprouts fame, has written a good piece in response to this sort of thing—Confessions of an Eco-Sinner. Read it, then look at your own “eco sins” before pointing the finger.

I’m just back from taking the Wee ‘Un to nursery—in fairly damp conditions, more on which later—so have a few views on the Pedalites.

There is a slight but noticeable increase in the amount of drag from the new pedals, due to some of the mechanical energy being converted to electrical energy to power the LEDs. It’s no more drag than was coming from the old, damaged right pedal, but it is there and it means pedalling requires a little more effort on the steepest uphill stretches of my journey.

I’ll quickly become accustomed to the increased drag and in a week or two, I suspect I won’t even notice it—until I change to bike with standard pedals and find them delightfully light!

I’m also going to have to accustom myself to the new feet positioning. My muscle groups, particularly in my right leg, were feeling the strain of my feet being locked in a fixed position on the pedals. It’s definitely more efficient, but it does means a change in muscle use.

And that brings me to the one real problem with the Pedalites. The toeclip is non-adjustable and while they fit over my boots in width and height, they’re about 15mm too short for my size 10 feet. It means my feet aren’t in the best position on the pedal, although it’s much better than it was with the old pedals.

I can come up with a fix easily enough. All I need to do is fit a 15mm thick space block of metal or had plastic between the front of the pedal and the back of the toeclip, using longer screws to hold everything together.

But it is irritating that the manufacturers did not think to offer spacers and longer screws, either with the toeclips or as an accessory. After all, it’s plainly obvious that feet come in different lengths and a toeclip that takes a short to medium foot may not take a longer foot.

Finally, did the lights make a difference? Well, I had children pointing at them and shouting (they’re used to the bike by now so it was the lights—at least I hope it was and that I didn’t have the bum out of my trousers!), while several parents commented on the flashing pedals. A good result.