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What type of MTB pedals? Why?

Greg

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What type of pedals are you running? Clipless, platforms or maybe even toe clips? Why?

Clipless here. I'm still probably 80%+ XC with some small all mountain riding here and there. I still feel clipless give you better pedaling efficiency. I also like being "one" with the bike when bunny hopping or taking small drops. I can see how platforms help with the confidence, but I'm slowly becoming bolder with the clipless as my skills are improving. Most of any "trapped" feeling you might have is really just in your head.

You?
 

gmcunni

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platform. but during our last ride i was really starting to think about clipless, i kept slipping off the pedals at worst possible time and was getting frustrated. i'll keep platforms the rest of this season and see how things are in the spring.
 

Greg

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platform. but during our last ride i was really starting to think about clipless, i kept slipping off the pedals at worst possible time and was getting frustrated. i'll keep platforms the rest of this season and see how things are in the spring.

The platform pushers are going to tell you to get some shoes with more tacky soles. As I understand it, skate shoes are pretty good, but I would prefer something with a bit more foot protection.
 

MR. evil

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As you know I am a recent convert to platform pedals after riding clipless for almost 10 years. I like the freedom and confidence the platform pedals give me. And you right about the shoes, you need shoes with a tacky rubber sole like skate shoes. But there are some MTB shoes for platfom pedals.


My skate shoes stick to my pedals like velcro.
 

Gremf

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I ride with Crank Brothers. Started out with SPDs and they were nice but too much to maintain and awful in snow and mud. CBs are really easy to maintain, work great in all conditions, nothing beats their platform clipless - best of both worlds if you ask me.
 

MR. evil

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The platform pushers are going to tell you to get some shoes with more tacky soles. As I understand it, skate shoes are pretty good, but I would prefer something with a bit more foot protection.

Do clipless shoes have more protection? If anything they will have even harder soles than skate shoes and offer less protection.
 

MR. evil

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I ride with Crank Brothers. Started out with SPDs and they were nice but too much to maintain and awful in snow and mud. CBs are really easy to maintain, work great in all conditions, nothing beats their platform clipless - best of both worlds if you ask me.

Agreed on the CB's. I rode SPD's for years and switched the CB Acids for the first half of this year before I switched to plarforms. I found them much better than SPD's. The extra float in the CB's also helped clear up knee pain I was having from riding.
 

Greg

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Do clipless shoes have more protection? If anything they will have even harder soles than skate shoes and offer less protection.

I'm talking more about around the foot than the sole. Skate shoes seem to be pretty thin canvas, but maybe I'm wrong there.
 

Grassi21

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platforms here. i feel the same as gmcunni. sick of slipping off the platforms at the wrong time. the gash i received on our last ride got me thinking about switching again.

any thoughts or experience with the dual pedals (platform on one side clipless on the other)? the lbs has a set by shimano for 68 bucks.
 

Gremf

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Do clipless shoes have more protection? If anything they will have even harder soles than skate shoes and offer less protection.

661 BMX shoes are pretty sturdy from what I have read.

Agreed on the CB's. I rode SPD's for years and switched the CB Acids for the first half of this year before I switched to plarforms. I found them much better than SPD's. The extra float in the CB's also helped clear up knee pain I was having from riding.

I was using acids on my rigid SS and they rocked. I have the CB Platform clipless on my fully and every time I clip in, I feel much more secure and the nice thing is I can unclip for a skinny or a roller and still have a lot of surface area for control. Not sure if there is anything out there that is similar.
 

tjf67

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I have both platform and clipless. I like the clipless much better. There have been many times with the platform that I got stalled when I would have made it with the clipless. My platform have about 16 little spikes on them much like the carbon peice on the bottom of a ski pole. They grip the shoe very well but they are shin wreckers. Am healing from them now.

The clipless I can thorw the bike around better. My feet are attached and when I jump they pull the bike up. platform not so much.

If I am downhilling at whiteface platforms are my choice any thing else clipless.
 

MR. evil

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any thoughts or experience with the dual pedals (platform on one side clipless on the other)? the lbs has a set by shimano for 68 bucks.

Those combo pedals suck! the clipless side is heavier and always rotates to the bottom. So you have to turn over the pedal to clip in.
 

tjf67

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Do clipless shoes have more protection? If anything they will have even harder soles than skate shoes and offer less protection.


My clipless shoes look like a light hiking shoe. I ride in to a peak then throw the bike in the bushes and hike up in the shoes.
 

o3jeff

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Those combo pedals suck! the clipless side is heavier and always rotates to the bottom. So you have to turn over the pedal to clip in.

My combos have clips on both sides, only problem is is that the clip is higher than the platform so it makes them pretty much useless.
 

JD

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I ride with Crank Brothers. Started out with SPDs and they were nice but too much to maintain and awful in snow and mud. CBs are really easy to maintain, work great in all conditions, nothing beats their platform clipless - best of both worlds if you ask me.

I disagree about the crank bros platform clipless. I really think the Time Attack Z pedal is the best out there. Shimanno and Crank Bros "body" are not as sturdy. Time uses a cast aluminum body that will never bend. Crank Bros and Time are WAY better the spd mechanisms, and I rode shitmano for over a decade. Never realized what i was missing until I went to Times. I get 2-300 days out of my times w/o any work, then replacing cleats and maybe a spring in the pedal (totally rebuildable) is a piece of cake.

I ride both flats and clipless. I think they are for different things. you can do everything on clipless that you can on flats, but it helps to learn how to properly control the bike being on flats. I would not recomend unsing your feet to pick up the bike and move it around so much. When your foot ejects unexpectedly as you pull up to get over something, it will result if a heinous situation. IMO.

If you have platform clipless pedals you should be using a soft soled clipless shoe. As the shoe flexes the sole will bite on the teeth of the body. if you have hard plastic soles like a Sidi or some other shoe designed to work with traditional clipless pedals, you will be contacting hard plastic on metal, and they won't really offer much advantage in terms of slipping a pedal.
 

Greg

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platforms here. i feel the same as gmcunni. sick of slipping off the platforms at the wrong time. the gash i received on our last ride got me thinking about switching again.

Well, to be honest, from what I gather, your platforms are shitty ones. Gary and Tim ride with the larger FR/DH type with the little spikes. Like mentioned above, those with tacky soled shoes would probably be far better than the ones you have and the everyday kicks. Get shin guards if you plan to stick with flats.

any thoughts or experience with the dual pedals (platform on one side clipless on the other)? the lbs has a set by shimano for 68 bucks.

Sounds kinda expensive.

Those combo pedals suck! the clipless side is heavier and always rotates to the bottom. So you have to turn over the pedal to clip in.

My combos have clips on both sides, only problem is is that the clip is higher than the platform so it makes them pretty much useless.

Right. Not all hybrids have the platform on one side and the clipless on the other. The ones on my hard tail and the ones Jeff and I think migs use are these:

http://www.backcountry.com/store/SH...-Dual-Platform-Resin-Mountain-Bike-Pedal.html

You might be able to score them on eBay cheaper. They work pretty well and are good for learning. Like Jeff said, the clipless mechanism is elevated off the cage so it's not as comfortable as a true platform, but if you can't get fully engaged while riding, there is a bit more surface area to stand on than a true clipless until you can get engaged. Some of the MTBR reviews claim the cage can break off, but it seems pretty strong in my experience.

There have been many times with the platform that I got stalled when I would have made it with the clipless.

I can totally see this. With clipless, you can pull up on a techy section which not only keeps the rear moving, but can unweight the bike which depending on the situation may or may not be a good thing...
 

cbcbd

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I have both now. Have been riding clipless for a bunch of years now and just recently got platforms.

One thing with platforms is that you need quality ones to have a decent experience. Stock platforms that come on non-DH or Freestyle bikes will probably not be any good for anything too technical and just be a shin-burgerring experience. Besides, when I ride platforms I have my shinguards.

I have SPDs and I'm just too cheap to switch to another system now - have them on the road and MTB.


And IMO, cages are worthless and annoying. I have a friend who "rides" and he still uses cages and is afraid of going clipless.
 
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