Clipless Pedals and Shoes and Cleats…help.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Subby 40912 wrote:

I was thinking about trading in my platform pedals and toe clips for a set of clipless pedals. I started looking around but realize I have no idea what I am doing. I am mainly a 20 mile per day bike commuter (on a Trek hybrid), although I may take slightly longer rides on weekends.

Any recommendations? Should I just stick with what I have?

Thanks!

Shimano A530 SPD pedals with a set of MTB shoes are perfect for commuting and learning clipless. The platform side lets you use the bike without cycling shoes or in traffic when you might not want to be clipped in. I think this is a pretty popular setup among forum members, and the A530s can be found at pretty much any shop in the area (or, admittedly, much cheaper online). I have a pair of Specialized Mountain shoes that I really like for commuting. Really easy to walk in since the cleat is recessed, but the sole is semi-rigid so you get good pedal response. Personally, I hate riding without cycling shoes, but others prefer platforms or cages…different strokes for different folks, and neither is really “better” in any objective way. I like being clipped in because I feel it forces me to pedal in a circular motion, rather than up and down, and it also means I don’t have to adjust my foot placement on the pedals, which I find is helpful particularly when climbing or quick bursts of acceleration.

[jabberwocky]

I’d personally hit your nearest performance and get a set of their generic MTB shoes, and grab a set of Shimano SPD MTB pedals (M520s or similar). Excellent beginner setup.

[KLizotte]

I have the same setup as TwoWheelsDC and have been very pleased with it. Occasionally I’ll flip the pedals to use the flat side when I’m on something really slippery and don’t want to be clipped in or if I know I’m really going to have to mash the pedals to get out of a tricky intersection.

[mstone]

SPDs are good for being able to walk. For a commuter I’d definitely recommend combo pedals–sometimes you just don’t want to clip in (or need to wear a different pair of shoes). Shimano has them in a couple of styles (M324, A530, T780).

There’s also a new option, the Click’R line which is supposedly a lower-tension mechanism marketed toward people not already using clipless. It has a couple of pedals (T400, T700) and a variety of normal-looking shoes (SPD compatible). This might end up being a great option for commuters, but I haven’t tried them yet.

[vvill]

One other option for pedals is Crank Brothers. Their Candy model is my go-to pedal because it’s so easy to clip in and out with 4-sided entry (although SPDs are pretty easy too), and the platform is also big enough to ride casually unclipped as long as your shoes have some tread. I’ve also never destroyed a Crank Bros pedal yet – I can’t say the same about SPDs (although they were not Shimano branded pedals). They also clear mud/debris pretty well (which is why they are so popular in CX racing).

For shoes, they use the same 2-bolt mount as SPDs (the cleats are similar but not really compatible). I have Specialized MTB shoes and Shimano commuter shoes and they’re both walkable yet reasonably stiff.

I don’t like combo pedals myself because you have to flip them.

FWIW I went from platform => toeclips => SPDs => Crank Bros

[mstone]

@vvill 40926 wrote:

I don’t like combo pedals myself because you have to flip them

With the A530s at least, they’re designed to end up hanging down the same way. Put your toe on top of the pedal and push forward/down and you’re clipped in. Put the middle of your foot on top of the pedal and push back/down and you’re on the platform.

[ShawnoftheDread]

I was thinking of getting crank brothers Mallet 1 pedals. The clymb has them for $30 with cleats. They’re listed as downhill pedals but seem like they’d be good for commuting.

[jrenaut]

Another vote for A530 + mountain bike shoes. Flipping the pedals is rare – once the pedals break in a bit, I think I have to flip them maybe 3-5 times a week, and that’s averaging 30-50 miles entirely in downtown DC, so plenty of stops and starts.

[bluerider]

I have always been a Crank Brothers Eggbeater kind of guy with mountain shoes. They just work….consistently everything regardless of conditions.

[JimF22003]

Just to be a teeny bit contrarian… first I agree that starting out on mountain bike pedals is the way to go, even if you eventually move on to full-blown unwalkable roadie pedals like speedplay or looks.

I tried to like the dual-purpose SPD/platform pedals but I found them a bit annoying. I never ride in tennis shoes or non-bike shoes though, so maybe that’s why. I hardly ever used the platform side, and I found it more trouble than it was worth to keep flipping to the clip-in side.

I started on the cheapest possible Wellgo SPD-compatible pedals and they worked perfectly well.

[GuyContinental]

@vvill 40926 wrote:

One other option for pedals is Crank Brothers. Their Candy model is my go-to pedal because it’s so easy to clip in and out with 4-sided entry (although SPDs are pretty easy too), and the platform is also big enough to ride casually unclipped as long as your shoes have some tread. I’ve also never destroyed a Crank Bros pedal yet – I can’t say the same about SPDs (although they were not Shimano branded pedals). They also clear mud/debris pretty well (which is why they are so popular in CX racing).

For shoes, they use the same 2-bolt mount as SPDs (the cleats are similar but not really compatible). I have Specialized MTB shoes and Shimano commuter shoes and they’re both walkable yet reasonably stiff.

I don’t like combo pedals myself because you have to flip them.

FWIW I went from platform => toeclips => SPDs => Crank Bros

I’m a huge fan of crank brothers, the four sided clip can’t be beat and IMO is the best there is for clearing muck off road and in CX. However, off-road I do break them. A lot. Like a set a year. Probably have gone through 8-9 sets, learned early just to go with the chromoly ones. Usually from high speed contact with big pointy rocks breaking one of the cages. But they are cheap and now I have lots and lots of spare parts so I can constantly re-build them. They are also easy to service (if you bother), free floating (some people don’t like that, but my knees insist), and the shorter release threshold set-up makes sense for beginners. My wife uses the Candy- the little bit of platform gives her a touch more feel for the pedal and added confidence- I prefer the standard pedal, I like the way that even unclipped it catches on the lugs of a MTB shoe- the Candy feels weird to me, not enough platform to use, too much to catch in your lugs- YMMV.

One note on the Mallets- I bought a set for my kid-hauling bike but never liked the feel of the clip under a street shoe. It’s fine but not ideal.

Whatever you buy, try and get the stiffest shoe your budget will allow (I know others will disagree) it makes a big difference in pedaling efficiency and will spread the contact are over more of your foot. I use Specialized MTB Carbon Pro shoes (overkill for commuting) and honestly can’t feel much of a difference in efficiency vs my Speedplay road pedals + road version of the same shoe. In fact I’m all sorts of annoyed with “road” pedals- tons of maintenance, squeaks, low lifespan and I end up walking like a duck for little appreciable gain.

[jabberwocky]

@JimF22003 40955 wrote:

I tried to like the dual-purpose SPD/platform pedals but I found them a bit annoying. I never ride in tennis shoes or non-bike shoes though, so maybe that’s why. I hardly ever used the platform side, and I found it more trouble than it was worth to keep flipping to the clip-in side.

I agree 100%. I personally would do clipless or flats and not bother with some in-between. The last thing I want to be doing while getting moving at a light is trying to flip my pedal around so I can properly clip in.

I recommend Shimano SPD mtb pedals for beginners because they have adjustable tension, and on low tension are very easy to get out of.

[Tim Kelley]

I’ve heard that Crank Brothers can be finicky if you don’t maintain them on a regular basis. Has any had bad experiences with this?

I’m going to be in the market for new mountain biking pedals and shoes and was thinking SPD. Anyone have recommendations?

[jabberwocky]

@Tim Kelley 40959 wrote:

I’ve heard that Crank Brothers can be finicky if you don’t maintain them on a regular basis. Has any had bad experiences with this?

I’m going to be in the market for new mountain biking pedals and shoes and was thinking SPD. Anyone have recommendations?

I have several MTB friends who ran Crank Brothers pedals for a while, but almost all have switched to something else due to reliability issues (bodies breaking or bearings exploding). I actually knew one guy who had two sets; he would run one, when it finally exploded he would send it off for warranty work and put the second on, when the first came back it became the spare, repeat a few times per year. Their warranty service is very good at least.

I’m a fan of Time ATACs. I have several sets (ATAC XS’s on a few bikes, and several sets of Aliums).

[vvill]

I have heard that off road Crank Bros are not the toughest but I don’t ride MTB much. I have about 5800mi on a pair of Candys used mostly for commuting and road riding with zero maintenance that work fine. I also have one pair from the previous generation that’s about 6 years old with zero maintenance that also works fine. I’m not particularly hard on my gear though – I rarely break parts.

I’ll second that notion about float on the Crank Bros – my knees and I like it a lot.

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