Best (SPD?) pedals?

"Curt Bousquet" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

OK, here's the lowdown. I've had SPD pedals on all of my bikes for years
(though I just switched to Look on the road bike). My right pedal just
fell apart, so now is the time to make a change if I am going to.

My requirements are;

Durability (I am well into the 'clydesdale' category @ 6'1" and 215lbs
and have never been gentle with equipment)

Ability to 'shed' mud, Ice and other stuff (I do a lot of mud/snow/ice
riding). The main reason I dislike the SPDs I have now is that once they
get muddy or iced up I spend the rest of the ride fighting to get clipped
in.

Ability to adjust the release... I like my pedals VERY loose.

I was just about convinced by some fellow riders to go with the Time Atac
pedals until I found out that the release can't be adjusted. So unless
somebody can suggest something better I guess I am looking for an SPD
pedal that has good mud/[censored] shedding ability. Is there a particular
pedal that has a more 'open' design that might be better in dirty
conditions?

Thanks for any suggestions.

--
Curt Bousquet

http://www.crankbrothers.com/

e g g b e a t e r

--
DTW .../\.../\.../\...

I've spent most of my money on mountain biking and windsurfing.
The rest, I've just wasted.

Curt Bousquet said:

OK, here's the lowdown. I've had SPD pedals on all of my bikes for
years (though I just switched to Look on the road bike). My right
pedal just fell apart, so now is the time to make a change if I am
going to.

My requirements are;

Durability (I am well into the 'clydesdale' category @ 6'1" and 215lbs
and have never been gentle with equipment)

Ability to 'shed' mud, Ice and other stuff (I do a lot of mud/snow/ice
riding). The main reason I dislike the SPDs I have now is that once
they get muddy or iced up I spend the rest of the ride fighting to
get clipped in.

Ability to adjust the release... I like my pedals VERY loose.

I was just about convinced by some fellow riders to go with the Time
Atac pedals until I found out that the release can't be adjusted. So
unless somebody can suggest something better I guess I am looking for
an SPD pedal that has good mud/[censored] shedding ability. Is there a
particular pedal that has a more 'open' design that might be better
in dirty conditions?

Thanks for any suggestions.

--
Curt Bousquet

The M520's and M540's are a more economical version
of the M959's, and meet ALL your requirements. I have
both of them on 2 separate bikes.

--
- Zilla
Cary, NC
(Remove XSPAM)

Curt Bousquet wrote:
<snip>

Quoted message said:

Ability to adjust the release... I like my pedals VERY loose.

I was just about convinced by some fellow riders to go with the Time Atac
pedals until I found out that the release can't be adjusted. So unless
somebody can suggest something better I guess I am looking for an SPD
pedal that has good mud/[censored] shedding ability. Is there a particular
pedal that has a more 'open' design that might be better in dirty
conditions?

Thanks for any suggestions.

--
Curt Bousquet

I was about to suggest the ATAC until I read that. Technically the pedal
isn't adjustable, but you can change the float amount (which kind of
affects release tension) by swapping your cleats from one shoe to the
other.
So based on your comments, your choices are (IMO) the best clipless
pedal (ATAC), or any of the inferior ones.

Matt

"Curt Bousquet" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

My requirements are;

Durability (I am well into the 'clydesdale' category @ 6'1" and 215lbs
and have never been gentle with equipment)

Ability to 'shed' mud, Ice and other stuff (I do a lot of mud/snow/ice
riding). The main reason I dislike the SPDs I have now is that once they
get muddy or iced up I spend the rest of the ride fighting to get clipped
in.

Ability to adjust the release... I like my pedals VERY loose.

FLATS

1) Durable
2) No problems with mud or horse [censored]
3) Sticky to VERY loose.

I own Eggbeaters and Candy pedals. Normally I would recommend them,
but I just can't now with how many people I've seen bust them. Yes,
Crank Brothers has top notch customer service and they readily will
mail you a new pedal, but I still feel it's better not to have to
replace the pedal to begin with.

I have a friend who swore by the Shimano SPD pedals (mostly 959s) for
the last 12+ years or so and he just made the move to Time ATACs and
thinks their great. I have never used them, but I'll be trying them
out in this coming year.

So yea, basically I think your choices are a set of 959s or moving over
to Time ATACs. I moved away from SPD pedals simply because they
couldn't shed mud/snow/ice well enough for me and I ended up riding
essentially super small flat pedals when they clogged. That was enough
to never go back.
DT

Quoted message said:

http://www.crankbrothers.com/

e g g b e a t e r

MattB said:

I was about to suggest the ATAC until I read that. Technically the pedal
isn't adjustable, but you can change the float amount (which kind of
affects release tension) by swapping your cleats from one shoe to the
other.

I was a bit worried about this when I went to Egg Beaters, but I've found
it to be a total non-issue. There's a load of float so they feel loose
compared to spuds, but there's a gradual increase in tension as you twist
out (in much the same way with ATACs).

Thanks for all the suggestions. After lots of reading on
mtbreview.com and a visit to the LBS, I picked up a pair of
Ritchey Comp V3 pedals.

The LBS had these, Shimano 520, 540 and 959, as well as Time in
stock, so I was able to compare them all side by side. The
Ritcheys looked more durable (and were lighter) than the 540s,
while being less than 1/2 the cost of the 959. I ended up paying
only $45 for them and didn't even have to change the cleats on
my shoes. 🙂

The design is a lot more open than the older SPDs I took off, so
should shed mud much better. In fact, I went out for a ride in
snow and ice last night (15 degree night ride) and never had a
problem clipping in or out.

I'd still like to try the ATACs some time, but at the price I
paid for these Ritcheys, I can afford to buy something else
later on if I get a chance to test them.

--
Curt Bousquet

Road & Mtn biking in Southern VT and Western Mass.

My 2004 bike log:
http://www.scanline.com/bikelog/2004.html

I recently switched to ATACs as well, after getting a pair on a used bike.
At first I didn't like the lack of adjustability (I also like my pedals VERY
loose). My prior pedals were all SPDs, Ritchey's and knock-offs as well as
515s.

After some sage advice from this group, I gently filed a shmidge off the
cleat for the one sticky ATAC pedal. Now both pedals release beautifully at
low tensions. Like 'em better than SPDs by far.

"MattB" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Curt Bousquet wrote:
<snip>

Quoted message said:

Ability to adjust the release... I like my pedals VERY loose.

I was just about convinced by some fellow riders to go with the Time

Atac

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

pedals until I found out that the release can't be adjusted. So unless
somebody can suggest something better I guess I am looking for an SPD
pedal that has good mud/[censored] shedding ability. Is there a particular
pedal that has a more 'open' design that might be better in dirty
conditions?

Thanks for any suggestions.

--
Curt Bousquet

I was about to suggest the ATAC until I read that. Technically the pedal
isn't adjustable, but you can change the float amount (which kind of
affects release tension) by swapping your cleats from one shoe to the
other.
So based on your comments, your choices are (IMO) the best clipless
pedal (ATAC), or any of the inferior ones.

Matt

The ATACs are good. I'm 210, so I'm around Curt's size. I've had the
low end Aliums for a few years and like them. It feels more solid under
foot than my old 747s, clipping in/out during a muddy ride hasn't been
an issue.

/s

[email hidden] wrote let it be known in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

The ATACs are good. I'm 210, so I'm around Curt's size.
I've had the low end Aliums for a few years and like them.
It feels more solid under foot than my old 747s, clipping
in/out during a muddy ride hasn't been an issue.

/s

The more I hear about the ATACs, the more I'm pretty sure I'll
give them a try. But for now, I was a bit hesitant about
experimenting with something that different to me in the middle
of Winter, where getting out of the pedals easy on ice may make
the difference between a fun ride and a trip to the hospital.

I think I'll ride the Ritchey's I bought last night (see my
other post) until Spring since I needed an immediate replacement
for my broken SPDs, then try the ATACs out starting with easier
terrain until I get a feel for them.

I haven't heard anything at all bad about the ATACs yet, so I'll
probably end up being happy with them. If not, though, I'd
rather make that discovery on a dry trail in warmer weather
instead of in the middle of the woods when it is below zero!

--
Curt Bousquet

Road & Mtn biking in Southern VT and Western Mass.

My 2004 bike log:
http://www.scanline.com/bikelog/2004.html

Curt Bousquet said:

The LBS had these, Shimano 520, 540 and 959, as well as Time in
stock, so I was able to compare them all side by side. The
Ritcheys looked more durable (and were lighter) than the 540s,
while being less than 1/2 the cost of the 959. I ended up paying
only $45 for them and didn't even have to change the cleats on
my shoes. 🙂

Watch yourself. Although they work, they're not the same cleat. I seem to
recall stories of them occasionally locking. Best to put on the Ritchey
cleats.

bomba <[email hidden]> wrote let it be known in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Watch yourself. Although they work, they're not the same
cleat. I seem to recall stories of them occasionally
locking. Best to put on the Ritchey cleats.

Thanks for the tip. I'll do that before the next ride.

Curt Bousquet said:

[email hidden] wrote let it be known in
news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

The ATACs are good. I'm 210, so I'm around Curt's size.
I've had the low end Aliums for a few years and like them.
It feels more solid under foot than my old 747s, clipping
in/out during a muddy ride hasn't been an issue.

/s

The more I hear about the ATACs, the more I'm pretty sure I'll
give them a try. But for now, I was a bit hesitant about
experimenting with something that different to me in the middle
of Winter, where getting out of the pedals easy on ice may make
the difference between a fun ride and a trip to the hospital.

I think I'll ride the Ritchey's I bought last night (see my
other post) until Spring since I needed an immediate replacement
for my broken SPDs, then try the ATACs out starting with easier
terrain until I get a feel for them.

I haven't heard anything at all bad about the ATACs yet, so I'll
probably end up being happy with them. If not, though, I'd
rather make that discovery on a dry trail in warmer weather
instead of in the middle of the woods when it is below zero!

I rode atacs for a couple of years, and they are slippery as a bar of
soap until you clip in. Wear a cup :-)
The platform version may be better, but then you lose a lot of the mud
shedding ability.
I got a pair of the new magnesium mallet eggbeaters and they broke in a
month, so I traded them in for some shimano DX, which are basically the
949's with a cage. They are really nice. Positive click engagement, with
the eggbeaters totally lacked, and adjustable, which the time's lacked.
I've ridden in wet clay with these and they're no worse than anything
else I've tried.

-Bruce

THe Shimanos from 424 up are all pretty good. I would have the DX if I could afford it, but I swear by my 545s.