Is that why I keep finding myself laying on the ground in a puddle of drool??
-
Welcome to AlpineZone, the largest online community of skiers and snowboarders in the Northeast!
You may have to REGISTER before you can post. Registering is FREE, gets rid of the majority of advertisements, and lets you participate in giveaways and other AlpineZone events!
What type of MTB pedals? Why?
- Thread starter Greg
- Start date
Is that why I keep finding myself laying on the ground in a puddle of drool??
Marc
New member
No, that, I'm pretty sure, is from the alcohol.
Ah, thanks!
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2001
- Messages
- 31,154
- Points
- 0
My Shimano M424s are just about dead. One side of the left pedal doesn't clip in at all anymore. Time for an upgrade. I kinda like the hybrid platform/clipless style. Not married to SPDs per se, but I don't know if the other brands make a hybrid. Any recommendations?
I'm leaning towards the M647. Good reviews on MTBR, but they're pricey and heavy. Thoughts?
I'm leaning towards the M647. Good reviews on MTBR, but they're pricey and heavy. Thoughts?
o3jeff
New member
I still have the ones you recommended to me last year, they are getting really beat, plastic cage hanging off on one, another barely keeps you clipped in. Really liked the hybrid type pedals and I think the cage helps you clip in quicker.
o3jeff
New member
Give skidmarks a call/pm if you want something quick. I know he had the shimanos with the metal cages in his show case for iirc around $100, minus the AZ discount it could be a good deal. I can also pick them up on my way home if you want and get them to you on the weekend ride..
drjeff
Well-known member
I got these babies (in theory based on the e-mail notification I received this AM) waiting at my hosue when I get home today!
Still way too much of a noobie to even fathom clipless and how many bumps/bruises/blood they'd cause me
Still way too much of a noobie to even fathom clipless and how many bumps/bruises/blood they'd cause me
gorgonzola
Active member
i'm on my second pair of m545's, same pedal just alum cage - holds up much better than the plastic. a few guys i ride with ride the time atac z's and love 'm.
marcski
Active member
- Joined
- Jan 10, 2005
- Messages
- 4,576
- Points
- 36
one of my buddies has been riding the Times for years and also loves them.
I find the basic shimano spd to be pretty durable....they do get clogged in ice and snow though.
gorgonzola
Active member
x2, that and mud is the biggets complaint that i hear but iv'e never really had any issues
MR. evil
New member
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2007
- Messages
- 3,547
- Points
- 0
I got these babies (in theory based on the e-mail notification I received this AM) waiting at my hosue when I get home today!
Still way too much of a noobie to even fathom clipless and how many bumps/bruises/blood they'd cause me
I ride flats and love them. But you need some grippy shoes and shin protection isn't a bad idea. Those pins can shred your shins if your feet come off the pedals, hence the need for grippy shoes.
To keep things cheap go to Walmart or Target and get a cheap pair of skate board sneakers with flat / soft soles. Regular sneakers are not that great for platforms
I started with SPD's this year but switched over to a Crank Brothers pedal when the new bike arrived and much prefer this setup. Although the release tension isn't adjustable I find the CB's much easier to click into especially when the trails get a little muddy.
i totally forgot i still have your old pedals. i'll give them back the next time i see you. at this rate, sometime in november on stinger. :lol:
Flats. Only way to go for technical New England trails. I just run DC Skate shoes and I am good to go, no shin guards. I have been riding trials at a high level for close to 11 years and can control my bike over anything on trail just as well if not better than someone running clipless pedals... I can usually keep up on climbs as well. Only thing I do not like is the lack of rigidity for power transfer to the pedals. However the softness of a skate shoe allows me to feel the pedal better so I can have much greater control over where my weight is.
Marc
New member
False.
It's about personal preference, type of riding/terrain, bike etc. and there are trade-offs to each (when talking about mountain biking), most of which have already been discussed in this very thread.
MR. evil
New member
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2007
- Messages
- 3,547
- Points
- 0
Marc, I miss your old avatar.
Bring back Bill
Bring back Bill
If you plan on powering through technical sections with speed then yes clipless is the way to go (like you said - personal preference). But if you want to learn to ride your bike correctly over technical trail features and be able to ride through/over them regardless of speed flats is the best way to get it done. Remember I am a trials rider... I can handle a bike very well on most trail features with out any help of having my feet strapped to my bike, so my opinion is a bit skewed.
For learning to ride technical sections flats is the best way to go. My girlfriend just got a mountain bike this year and I have her on flats. She is learning the proper way to bunny hop, control the bike, and be fluid when climbing technical sections. From my personal experience working in bike shops and riding in the woods 90% of people who ride clipless do not know how to control the bike over technical sections of trails without their feet strapped to their pedals. Any ways I don't want to sound like HighwayStar does with his skiing, so yes, clipless are useful in certain situations. However I personally do not deem it necessary to use them.
Marc
New member
There is also a reason that the vast majority of roadies (that ride regularly) use clipless. These reasons do not dissappear when riding over dirt and rocks instead of asphalt.
Yes, clipless can be used as a crutch. I don't disagree new riders should start on platforms, and should learn certain skills on platforms. I started on platforms years back. I don't doubt your experience, you sound as though you have much more than me. It sounds like it makes your opinions one sided and heavy handed, though. Or it could just be your personality.
I just want everyone reading this thread to know that your statement:
is categorically and demonstrably false.
You can "deem" anything you want. Some people will ride better and have more fun on flats, some will ride better and have more fun on clipless. It will change from person to person, trail to trail, etc. ad naseum. Both are versatile enough to be used for a wide range of riding.
So please stop the condescending tone... just because one rides clipless does not mean one has not learned to ride one's bike "correctly."
And you don't have to say "clipless are usefull in certain situations" only so you don't sound like HS, you can say it because it's truthful.
Yes, clipless can be used as a crutch. I don't disagree new riders should start on platforms, and should learn certain skills on platforms. I started on platforms years back. I don't doubt your experience, you sound as though you have much more than me. It sounds like it makes your opinions one sided and heavy handed, though. Or it could just be your personality.
I just want everyone reading this thread to know that your statement:
is categorically and demonstrably false.
You can "deem" anything you want. Some people will ride better and have more fun on flats, some will ride better and have more fun on clipless. It will change from person to person, trail to trail, etc. ad naseum. Both are versatile enough to be used for a wide range of riding.
So please stop the condescending tone... just because one rides clipless does not mean one has not learned to ride one's bike "correctly."
And you don't have to say "clipless are usefull in certain situations" only so you don't sound like HS, you can say it because it's truthful.
Marc
New member
And just in case we've missed the virtues of riding clipless since you've posted all the reasons you ride flats, here's why I prefer clipless:
-allows the use of stiff soled shoes which means higher efficiency, the ability to ride longer, faster, get less tired and make fewer mistakes
-the pedalling itself is far more effecient, see above for benefits of efficiency (especially useful for climbing, and other sustained efforts)
-sometimes getting off the bike and humping it up a hill is unavoidable- I find the low traction situations in which this occurs often calls for the treaded/lugged sole of a clipless shoe rather than flat, soft soled skate shoes (made for gripping skate boards, not mud/dirt), same goes for slippery bridges, boards, log crossings, etc.
-clipless will hold your foot to the pedal better if you've ridden long enough to get very tired and will prevent some painful mistakes... although being extremely tired really should be the only excuse for using the pedal like this, and everyone's ability suffers when tired, whether you're you, me, Lance Armstrong, Hans Rey, etc.
-once you find the optimal cleat position for producing maximum power, best anatomical motion, you know your foot is always in that position as long as you're clipped in
There are probably more. I'll post them if I think of them.
-allows the use of stiff soled shoes which means higher efficiency, the ability to ride longer, faster, get less tired and make fewer mistakes
-the pedalling itself is far more effecient, see above for benefits of efficiency (especially useful for climbing, and other sustained efforts)
-sometimes getting off the bike and humping it up a hill is unavoidable- I find the low traction situations in which this occurs often calls for the treaded/lugged sole of a clipless shoe rather than flat, soft soled skate shoes (made for gripping skate boards, not mud/dirt), same goes for slippery bridges, boards, log crossings, etc.
-clipless will hold your foot to the pedal better if you've ridden long enough to get very tired and will prevent some painful mistakes... although being extremely tired really should be the only excuse for using the pedal like this, and everyone's ability suffers when tired, whether you're you, me, Lance Armstrong, Hans Rey, etc.
-once you find the optimal cleat position for producing maximum power, best anatomical motion, you know your foot is always in that position as long as you're clipped in
There are probably more. I'll post them if I think of them.
I like using clipless just because of the cool clicking sound the shoes make when walking over hard surfaces like rocks. Anything else is a bonus.
