In article
<9be8e75c-c660-4f3c-96fd-e298283d9554@u69g2000hse.googlegroups.com>,
landotter <
[email protected]> wrote:
> On Mar 25, 10:42 am, "[email protected]" <[email protected]> wrote:
> > On Mar 25, 11:31 am, landotter <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >
> >
> > > On Mar 25, 9:48 am, Mike Rocket J Squirrel
> >
> > > <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > > For some reason, probably cost, my first clipless pedals were SPDs.
> > > > When I
> > > > got a second bike, it was less expensive to add SPDs to it than buy two
> > > > pair of some other pedal as well as the cleats. That was many years
> > > > ago,
> > > > another wife, a bankruptcy, another life. Now, in the 21st century,
> > > > there
> > > > are two shoes and six bikes between us, all with SPDs; and a bunch of
> > > > unused pedals and some spare clips in the toolbox. And we ride roads,
> > > > not
> > > > trails. I'd really like to find something easier to get into and less
> > > > clunky than SPDs, and I'd like the changeover not to cost a fortune.
> > > > Because of a banged-up ankle and knee, they have to be easy to unclip
> > > > from
> > > > -- no major torque when twisting out, and butt-simple to get into w/o
> > > > looking so we don't get run over from behind by other, faster, cyclists
> > > > when leaving a red light on a sunny weekend morning here on Coast
> > > > Highway
> > > > in San Diego's North County. Being the lightest on the planet is not so
> > > > important.* I don't think we need big platforms, our feets don't
> > > > complain
> > > > with the SPDs.
> >
> > > Then stick with the SPDs, maybe get some fresh cleats, and overhaul
> > > all the pedals. I run el cheapo Wellgo 535 clones on the road off the
> > > road, wherever, just stompngo. Overhaul yearly and they keep on
> > > truckin'.
> >
> > > What's buggin you about spds? Clean them up, lube them--and maybe put
> > > some nice flat pedals on a couple bikes for a change--there's your
> > > stupid cheap and elegant for ya.- Hide quoted text -
> >
> > > - Show quoted text -
> >
> > Amen. I love my SPDs. The ones on my road bike are super tight, and
> > the ones on the MTBs that I do technical stuff with are real loose -
> > easy as pie to get out of. The only reason I ever consider switching
> > is ease of use in the mud. Then I look at the cost to refit my bikes
> > and shoes and I deal with a little mud stickiness.
>
> A basic set of 'beaters is only $50 these days, and what I'd go for if
> I was playing around in peanut butter more often. That said, I just
> encounter a little mud when I take the fixie on fire roads and a
> little Dupont Wax/teflon spray lube before a ride keeps everything
> slick and happy.
They're less than that when the sale-ing is good. I have seen Crank
Brothers Smarty pedals advertised online for $35, and personally picked
up two sets for $12 ea. at the last Boxing Day sale. Mind you, Smarty is
their "value leader" pedal, a bodied, non-rebuildable pedal with a
sleeve bearing on one end. It's a super-cheap reinterpretation of the
Candy.
I converted to Crank Brothers pedals for all uses from SPD for the sole
reason that I race cyclocross. In those conditions, the Egg Beaters will
clear mud and accept entry in circumstances where the SPDs get very
clogged indeed. Some CXers use Time pedals, and a few serious riders use
high-end SPDs: the latest design has a more open spindle area that looks
like it would shed mud better. I don't know what they're like in
practice.
If I had not started racing cyclocross, I would not have bothered
changing from SPDs. SPDs are almost always the right answer.
In theory, the Crank Brothers design has no vertical release mode, thus
allaying Andrew Muzi's concerns about that issue with SPDs (in practice,
premature release for me was rare, and almost always brought on because
my ankle was doing something funny).
I tried Look Delta cleats (using Shimano-branded pedals) and a
non-compatable Look-like from Exustar. Both worked fine, but appeared to
offer no performance benefits versus SPD or Crank Brothers. Given that,
I went back to two-bolt designs, because unwalkable shoes are a pain.
Now, I'm happy. I have three active sets of shoes (old faithful AXOs for
every day, fancy new Adidas for race day, Exustar winter boots for the
rain; btw, winter boots are something I should have bought years ago)
that work for any and all rides. I use the same set of fairly racy shoes
for road, crit, CX, and MTB. I can get off my bike and walk around after
the race.
For users of Crank Brothers pedals, the Egg Beater is light and elegant,
but for everyday use I prefer the Candy/Smarty design, because it is
more forgiving when you miss pedal entry and because it works passably
well while ridden with normal cleatless shoes.
Crank Brothers pedals are slightly notorious for wearing the soles of
shoes: in theory the egg bars are not supposed to press hard on your
sole, as the main point of contact is between the middle of the cleat
and the spring around the spindle. In practice, Crank Bros includes
little plastic sole shields (they go between the cleat and the sole)
with every cleat, and after a bit of use, you will see substantial wear
on that shield which would otherwise be your soles wearing out.
Egg Beaters seem to offer lots of rotational float almost to the release
point; I perceive it as floatier than the SPD.
In sum: I recommend SPDs to everyone, Crank Brothers to people who spend
a lot of time running through mud and sand, and three-bolt cleats to
people who like rapid cleat wear and falling down when walking.
--
Ryan Cousineau
[email protected] http://www.wiredcola.com/
"In other newsgroups, they killfile trolls."
"In rec.bicycles.racing, we coach them."
