Best Pedals

Lots of attributes to consider: Cost; Weight; Double or single sided; Float; Stack height; Platform size (load spread on the sole of the shoe); Shoe compatability; Walkability; Resistance to clogging; Durability. The best pedal for you will be determined by which of these attributes are most important to you. I personally use Bebop Deluxe pedals which, while very expensive, IMHO provide an optimal combination of all other criteria. What the hell are Bebops? None of the major catalogs or retailers seem to carry them so relatively few people have heard of them. But lots of converts among the group of riders I hang with. Well worth considering. http://www.bebop.com/

LOOKS fell to bits ..... mate, what the hell are you doing to them ? I have a pair of LOOK 'Originals' that have done, as best I figure, somewhere in excess of about 16,000 km ...... they have never been apart, still lock fine and have every sign of lasting a lot longer yet !

Agree!

I have a pair that's approaching 7 years and there still great!

Yours "fell to bits TWICE", I don't understand!

As dirtrider suggests, it's necessary to know how much you value each of those attributes before coming to a decision.

For general road cycling use, I really like Shimano's new SPD-SL pedals. They're very similar to Look pedals, except the cleats have rubber standoffs integrated onto them, so you don't slip when walking (don't be fooled into thinking they're a complete "walkable" system though, the cleats are not recessed.)

Don't know why people think LOOK's can't wear out - I'm finally replacing mine - the front locking edge has worn out and I keep coming unclipped. Things wear out - it happens.

I bought the new SPD-SL pedals - everyone I've talked to raved about them. The wide platform should make them very comfortable, and the hinge design prevents any possibility of unclipping. At 350 g they're not the lightest pedals, but they're certainly not clunkers. I considered Speedplay, but the small platform concerned me, and several people commented they felt like they were pedaling 'ice cubes'. LOOKs are comfortable, but I didn't want the unclipping problem to return. Don't know much about Time or Ritchey.

Thanks Guys problem solved in the most basic way
Complained to LOOK and they sent me a top class pair free. These wont fall to bits!

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by BugMan
I considered Speedplay, but the small platform concerned me, and several people commented they felt like they were pedaling 'ice cubes'. LOOKs are comfortable, but I didn't want the unclipping problem to return. Don't know much about Time or Ritchey.

Bugman,

I considered the speedplay pedals myself, but like a small majority of riders the "free" float actually caused me significant knee pain instad of the reverse. I think in my case, the muscle tension involved in stabilizing the "floatiness" of the pedals caused my problem, but from canvassing other users I think I am a rarity rather than the norm.

On the issue of small contact area, I had that impression looking at the pedals as well, but actually the contact area is greater than that of the SPD-SL and Look pedals... What happens is that the small cleat engages in a very large, solid "platform" (the Speedplay cleat platform) to become a single unit of connection whose mounting surface is spread over a large area beneath the shoe.

Think of it like screwing a small steel disk onto a large steel plate and bolting that to the side of a building 🙂

The speedplays that I borrowed felt incredible solid, far far more so than the SPD-R's I was using before, but my knees just couldn;t handle the freefloat well... and I do much better with restricted float of about 6-7 degrees. I guess I'm tailor made for SPD-SLs 🙂

Have a good one!

Feanor

I think the guy is wanting recommendations on a MTN bike pedal.