Crank Brothers Pedals...

Guys (and gals) I'm getting ready to switch over to the dark side and I have a question on the pedals...whats the difference between the Acid and the Quattro pedals from Crank Brothers...is the weight difference between the two really going to make that much of a difference...there's about 3 ounces difference between the two...is one made for a different riding style...I pretty much just started riding and will not be doing any comp's...although I will be doing some time trial stuff in the near future...just waiting on my lungs to heal from all those years smoking...basically weight won't be a factor for me...bike is around 21#'s (entry level Giant OCR3)...and I need to lose weight more than the bike does at this point in time...

Thanks,

 

Well, I don't have either of those specifically; but I do have Crank Brothers pedals on both of my bikes. One has EggBeater C pedals and the other has Smarty pedals.

They both work about the same when I am clipped in; yet the EggBeater is A LOT easier to get in and out of. It seems that the platform on the Smarty gets in the way a little bit. This isn't a huge deal with a road bike; but if you do want to be able to get in quicker get a set of EggBeaters.

 

Acid looked to be thicker, fatter, less aero and heavier. The Q-factor may also be greater. And it probably doesn't come with a road shoe pontoon/cleat setup.

 

Don't quote me on this but I'm sure I read the Acid pedal was designed to fall between the Candy and the Mallet. The platform is smaller than the Mallet but larger than the Candy. FWIW I have both the Candy and Mallet and find clipping and unclipping to be roughly the same. I also have Eggbeaters and Quattro pedals and find the Eggbeaters the easiest to clip in/out of with the Quattro being easier than the Candy and Mallets. Whatever the case I like all of these pedals and personally find them to be better than the Shimano MTB and road pedals I have owned.

 

The large diameter inner bearing on the Quattro can interfere with the tread of some MTB shoes. The acid will work fine with all shoes that can accomodate the cleat.

The quattro has a slightly lower Q-factor.

 

That's correct. I had to do a tiny bit of shaving work on my MTB shoe with no adverse effect on shoe grip and gait. No problem with road shoes.

 

Ok well I went to the LBS and they recommended I go with a Shimano SPD SL type pedal...one sided, adjustable, and they set it up free of charge of course...by setting up I mean adjusting the cleat on the shoe to fit my riding style and adjusting the tension on the pedal...what I was worried about was having to flip the pedal over to get into them which he assured me was not the case with the SPD SL types...The other thing about the Shimano's is that their website is not up-to-date on the model numbers...if you go to their pedal section its still the 06 models...

I was looking at them on Ebay and it really made me worry that Shimano did not have those model numbers on their site...then I started looking at the shoes and some of the pedal model numbers popped up...would you guys buy them off Ebay and trust you were getting the real deal or are their alot of fakes out there...we are really only talking $20 or so (plus tax) but heck money is money...
He also recommended a pair of Shimano road shoes...bout $100...so we are talking $200 bucks total for pedals and shoes...

 

I've tried both the SPD-SLs and Quattros over the past few weeks. If you're stopping and starting frequently, I would go with the double sided Quattros. My experience with the SPD-SLs was not great. I frequently had to flip the pedal over and there is no platform to use when you don't clip in right away. The Quattros provide a platform which allows you to push off and pedal in case you don't clip in instantly. I did find the Quattros harder to clip in and out off compared to a previous pair of Shimano mountain bike pedals I owned.

 

Personally I've had the opposite experience with the CB design much easier to clip out in particular. The engagement motions b/n SPD and CB are slightly different too. Maybe that's what you've experienced.

 

+1
I've had SPD-SLs and LOOKs and find the Quattros easier to clip in/out of. Also agree with the double sided being a boon for those using them for commuting purposes. I can race off at the lights and pedal away merrily even if I haven't clipped in; no worry about not getting clipped in straight away.

 

My previous Shimano PD-647 pedals were VERY easy to clip in and out of with multi-release cleats. Much easier than the CB Quattros. I do agree the engagement is different between the two but the Shimano PD-647's were much easier to clip out of than the CB Quattros.

 

I hear that multi-release cleats are more associated with accidental pull outs. Not fun.

 

I am seriously considering the PD-M647 pedals. How did you like them overall? Anything I should be concerned about (like shoe compatability)?

 

The PD-M647 pedals were fantastic. Great for a beginner to clipless pedals like I was at the time. The platform is very helpful in case you don't clip in right away. With multi angle release cleats I NEVER had a problem getting out quickly when I needed. And I NEVER released accidently while pedalling as one poster suggested may be a problem with multi release cleats. Not with these pedals. The pedals are heavy (well over 600g for the two) so if you're a weight weenie they wouldn't be suitable. I used Shimano mountain bike shoes but you should contact Shimano re other shoes compatability.

 

Thanks jk for the info. I went ahead and ordered the M647's. My only concern is whether the platforms would interact with the tread on my shoes (not Shimano although SPD compatible) to make it difficult to clip in. A little weight doesn't bother me at all.