let's talk pedals

[AngryScientist]

to start with, i am very happy with spd-sl on the road. 100+, 7hr+ rides, no problem.

i'm putting together a d2r2, dirt road style bike. made to run wider tires, and go off the pavement. lots of great roads that are worth exploring with tires wider than 23c.

i'm torn, on my cross bike, i run crank bros candy pedals, and mtb shoes. i like that set-up OK enough, but really, for looong rides, i certainly prefer road shoes/pedals at this point.

that could be because my mtb shoes arent the best.

for those of you who have bikes like i'm describing, to run road or mtb pedals, that is the question??

:confused:

[jr59]

I run candys on almost all of my bikes. Eggbeaters on 1 and Look like shimmano on another.

I use Sidi s-pro shoes and have no problem at all. for any distance.

I'm sort of mad at myself for buying another set of the look style here on the forum. Not that there is anything wrong with them, yet I should have bought more crank brothers just for the shoes.

Maybe if I raced I would want/need something else, but I don't and this set up really works well for me!

[mtechnica]

Just get MTB shoes with a stiff sole, SPD pedals, and crank up the retention spring tension. Crank bros have too much float and not enough tension compared to road stuff. I did a criterium with my MTB shoes and pedals and I assure you there was 0 disadvantage compared to my SPD-SL setup. The stiffness and fit of the shoe is more important than anything else. On the bike there isn't really a difference so you need to ask yourself whether you are going to be walking around off the bike or not. I tend to ride places and walk around / do things a lot so I just use SPD pedals now, it hasn't impacted my ability to do long rides, sprints, or anything.

[rice rocket]

What's wrong w/ road pedals for D2R2?

[AngryScientist]

What's wrong w/ road pedals for D2R2?

I don't know, that's why I'm asking :)

[mtechnica]

What's wrong w/ road pedals for D2R2?

nothing at all

[rice rocket]

Do it. :)

Seems like you're more comfortable w/ your road setup than your MTB setup. Unless you need to unclip and hike, you should be fine. And my uninformed opinion, based on what you post about your rides on this forum, is that you'd be fine fitness-wise.

[cp43]

What's wrong w/ road pedals for D2R2?

If all goes well, nothing. However, if you have to walk, it's not fun. Here's a bit of a story, with shoe content at the end.

The first year I did the ride, I was on the 100K route. One of the cues was "Turn left, take in the view, turn around and continue on the same road you just turned off of." All that on one line. I was in a group of ~5 or 6 people. It was hazy, and none of us noticed the view. The road we weren't supposed to be on was a fairly steep, long, dirt descent. We stopped before the bottom when 2 guys flatted. As we were fixing flats we realized we had gone the wrong way, and we had to go back up the hill. We're getting turned around, and one of the guys who flatted takes a look at his front tire. He decided it didn't have enough air, and gave it another shot of CO2. BANG! Blew out his side wall.

Here's the shoe part. He was wearing brand new, carbon soled, $400 road shoes. He decided they weren't suitable for walking up a dirt road, took them off, put his shoes in his jersey pockets, and walked up the hill in his socks.

Moral of the story, wear road shoes if you want, but wear ones that you don't mind walking on a dirt road in. If all goes well, it won't matter. If you blow out a tire somehow, you'll be much happier with MTB shoes.

My 2 cents.

Chris

[cat6]

Takin' It 2 the Next Level is the fourteenth album by the jazz group the World Saxophone Quartet and their second on the Canadian Justin Time label. The album features performances by Hamiet Bluiett, John Purcell, Oliver Lake and David Murray, with a rhythm section of Don Blackman, Calin Jones and Ronnie Burrage.

[dustyrider]

This is where I'm at with shoes and clipless pedals.
Time ATAC, have had them for over ten years; just starting to hear bearing play.
Shimano MTB shoe, can walk Five Miles of Hell in Utah no issues.
If you're going to stay on the bike I understand the road clipless, but in my experience what I plan and want happens rarely coincide especially if I desperately need them to!

So plan for the worst and be pleasantly surprised!

[AngryScientist]

alright i think i'm convinced to stick with a mtb style set-up for this bike. maybe a shoe upgrade is in order.

[crownjewelwl]

alright i think i'm convinced to stick with a mtb style set-up for this bike. maybe a shoe upgrade is in order.

Try the trail version of the shimano MTB pedals...

Which bike are you riding?

[Vientomas]

Shimano A520:

http://bike.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/products/pedals/road/product.-code-PD-A520.-type-.pd_road.html

with a touring shoe such as Carnac M1:

http://www.ochsnerusa-store.com/proddetail.php?prod=CR-6232-40

[zuzu27]

Use Shimano XT SPD pedals...they're bomb-proof (unlike Crank Brothers), and you can get a carbon fiber shoe that's incredibly stiff. For my feet, I like Shimano and just got another pair recently...the Custom Fit shoes, and they're incredible.

BTW, on the road I use Speedplay and they're much easier on my finicky knees compared to everything else I've used over the years (Look, Time, Shimano SPD-R).

[thwart]

Frogs and Sidi Dominators.

Done. :cool:

[dustyrider]

I'm thinking of trying the sh-mt53. Most likely wont happen till summer.

[559Rando]

Shimano A520

Or it's big brother, the A600.

[cp43]

The problem I've had with MTB shoes and long rides is that some shoes have an indentation to allow the insertion/removal of the plate that the cleat bolts to. So, there's a big gap right under the ball of my foot in the midsole of the shoe. On a long ride my feet will tend to extrude into this gap, and cause foot pain.

I recently got a pair of Sidis, which will hopefully fix this problem. But, if you're in the market for MTB shoes for long off road rides, make sure to take out the insole, and look for a smooth midsole under the ball of your foot.

Chris

[pdmtong]

There is no way i am wearing my $500 sidi ergo's on a bike that is going off road. invariably, there is a section that might be nicer to walk or you might be forced to walk, and these are NOT the footwear to do any hiking in. the shoes will get thrashed in a way that would never happen on the road, and they will suck for walking. you could walk in socks like the other story, but that would suck too.

get a carbon soled mtb shoe nick. they are not soooo stiff you cant' walk/hike for a moderate distance, and they will put the power down in the way you are used to. my vote is either shimano or specialized. I have a pair of s-works mtb shoes...they are the lightest mtb shoe I have ever tried and they fit like a slipper. it's the closest thing to a road shoe for dirt I can think of. that said, they truly are made for a XC type of dirt ride...go fast, minimal armor. look into those. A shimano shoe will typically have more armor around the front of the shoe and deeper lugs/cleats - more weight but bomber for sure. I use my shimano shoes with carbon sole for CX racing in the fall so it is possible to run with a carbon sole. with either one I have no hesitation walking through a gravel mess or into water to cross a stream.

I would not choose sidi dom 5. not much armor, cleat not the greatest, sole not as stiff as it could be.

[nighthawk]

Mavic Alpine MTB shoes, and Speedplay Frogs for me. I ride a lot of dirt, and sometimes hike around a bit during rides... and I don't race cross.

[Ken Robb]

Performance Bike sells their "Campus" Pedal and they might be good for you. I have them on my Rambouillet and a mtn. bike. One side is flat with serrations and the other side is SPD style so I can ride in bike shoes or regular shoes. Even when I'm wearing bike shoes with cleats I sometimes end up pedaling a little on the flat side. This usually happens when I'm stopped on a steep hill or in a rough spot and don't have a chance to clip in right away.

[pdmtong]

Even when I'm wearing bike shoes with cleats I sometimes end up pedaling a little on the flat side. This usually happens when I'm stopped on a steep hill or in a rough spot and don't have a chance to clip in right away.

actually, that situation for me favors a std double sided mtb pedal...clip in on one side, stand and stomp down on the other side.

[Grant McLean]

Whatever shoes you ride in, do yourself a favor and try out
some custom moulded foot beds. With my insoles, I can wear
pretty much any shoe comfortably, and switching shoes is less
of a big deal when the variable of the foot bed is eliminated.

G

[luno]

time atacs are the best 2-bolt pedal design atmo.. reasonable amount of float, and problems with unclipping are much more rare than with SPDs in my experience.

For road, I prefer SPD-SL/Look to Speedplays or similar. I think having a larger surface area of contact on your shoe helps a lot with hot-foot as well as power transfer in sprinting.

[Nooch]

since we're looking at mountain pedals, probably, I'm really interested in trying the look s-track. I've heard and read great things about them, and think perhaps they might work well on my cx/commuter.

at the end of the day, I'm riding crank brothers and can't for the life of me get my heel where it'd normally be on my road bike -- my heels just come in way too much with that setup -- maybe it could be the shoes? (not to hijack.. but any input?)

[pinkshogun]

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10054_10551_1033476_-1_400936__400936

i use these on all my bikes. cheap. good. double sided. enough float

[Ken Robb]

actually, that situation for me favors a std double sided mtb pedal...clip in on one side, stand and stomp down on the other side.

Yep, that's half of the equation but double-sided mtn. pedals aren't so good for riding with regular shoes.

[pdmtong]

Yep, that's half of the equation but double-sided mtn. pedals aren't so good for riding with regular shoes.

true true...solve that one by getting a basic SS to roll around town instead of your mtb..

[scrubadub]

I used SPD-SLs for D2R2. I wasn't so happy when I had to walk up Pennel Hill but my custom shoes (and the cleats) held up just fine. I like Time ATACs too but my road shoes are just a lot comfier, so that's what I run on my all-rounder.

Everything wears out eventually, you might as well use what you enjoy the most and go from there. Sort of like how I babied my FMB 27s for awhile then said forget it, they're made to ride and wear out...

[DRZRM]

If you are going to put a lot of miles on a dirt road/CX frame, get carbon soled MTB shoes that fit well, whatever that is for your foot. There is more than just walking in them. I like Sidi Dragons with the protected toe cover. I love my Speedplay drilled Lake CX 401 shoes on the road, but there is very little at the front to protect my foot from branches, stones, etc.

Seems like the new Crank Brothers EG pedals are a bit more long lived than the old ones.

[572cv]

I actually like to be able to walk when off the bike. I also like Sidi's. I have dominators w/ made-for-me orthotic insoles and I use time ATAC pedals. I ride centuries on the setup. It is extremely comfortable, excellent support and good power transfer. I used to use eggbeaters, but have found the float on the atac's more compatible with my knees.

[happycampyer]

Most of the year, I have road pedals on my Strada Bianca (same for the RSL, which I rode on miles of dirt roads in Kent). But for D2R2, I switch to mountain pedals (Time Atac). There are several steep Jeep roads with mixed dirt and gravel and, even when I could clear them, frequently someone (or several people) in front off me could not, forcing me off the bike. D2R2 isn't your run-of-the-mill dirt road ride.