Pedals for mixed terrain

[cgolvin]

(Moved from wrong forum)

Will be doing more mixed terrain rides in the future and thinking about pedal alternatives. I mostly ride Speedplay on the road and like them very much but don't think they're practical when the terrain includes sand and the possibility of walking. Would love to find a pair of their paves but no luck to date.

My road alternative is a set of Campy Pro fit, which don't have the mud problem of Speedplays but aren't suitable for walking (much). I also have a pair of Ritchey MTB pedals that I like but to use regularly I'd need to invest in a new pair of 2 bolt shoes, so might as well consider alternatives.

Curious about Crank Brothers (egg beaters or the model with surrounding plate) — whether you love or hate them, if you have first hand experience I'm interested in your opinion.

If you consider other options good I'm all ears. Thanks

[Ken Robb]

Crank Bros. are good for mixed terrain because their small cleats don't interfere when walking and they are quite immune to jamming with mud.

[prototoast]

It sounds like you're trying really hard to avoid the obvious conclusion of Shimano SPD pedals. They're really good, come in lots of varieties that basically all work the same, but some are lighter and cost more, and they're the easiest to find replacement parts for. Any good reason not to go with them?

[cgolvin]

Originally Posted by prototoast

It sounds like you're trying really hard to avoid the obvious conclusion of Shimano SPD pedals. They're really good, come in lots of varieties that basically all work the same, but some are lighter and cost more, and they're the easiest to find replacement parts for. Any good reason not to go with them?

No, and not excluding them, they just seem very similar to the Ritcheys, which I have in hand. But if you think Shimano are superior to Ritchey I'm interested in the reason(s).

[zennmotion]

One reason people like speedplays is for the generous amount of float. Between Crank Bros and Shimano, CBs offer easier clipping in and more float than SPDs. SPDs are arguably more durable and they're ubiquitous, walk in any shop in the world and you can find replacement cleats (that are steel vs brass in the CBs). CBs used to have a reputation of being high maintenance, with frequent bearing and other issues. I think this is largely in the past, I have a lot (a LOT) of sets of CBs going back the the original eggbeaters and the quality difference to current models is night and day. I have a set of Candy 3s that I use on a CX bike that's 90% offroad/gravel that have held up fine for at least 4-5 years of hard use and little maintenance (a few drops of oil a couple times a year at the most), with a decent large platform for more flexible touring/gravel shoes, super easy to clip in/out. The brass cleats need occasional replacement. I have another pair of Shimano SPD , large platform, one-sided touring pedals A600s that I love for my all-road because they feel as planted as a road pedal, but harder to clip in and less float. Shimano steel cleats don't need to be changed often. Horses for courses...

Edit: between Crank Bros models, eggbeaters are minimalist and light, with a smaller platform that you may or may not notice depending on how stiff your shoes are, how much you weigh, and how much princess in peapod OCD you have in your DNA. I loved them for cross racing because of the mud shedding and super easy exit/entry (2-3 times per lap X 8-11 laps per race = up to 30 clips in/out per hour. ridiculous!). Candies offer a bigger platform at slightly more weight, slightly less mud friendly, still easy to clip in/out but 2 sided instead of 4. Obviously lots of Shimano models as well in different sizes and shapes. But no need to overthink. You already own the Ritcheys. Unless you have an issue with them (e.g., they don't play nice with the soles on your shoes) just use them until they wear out. They're just pedals...

[zennmotion]

Originally Posted by cgolvin

No, and not excluding them, they just seem very similar to the Ritcheys, which I have in hand. But if you think Shimano are superior to Ritchey I'm interested in the reason(s).

If you have the Ritcheys then use them unless you don't like them. No reason to shop around and compare until they're worn out.

PS, the bigger question is whether or not to buy a set of 2 bolt-mount MTB shoes. Answer: yes. Like many of us, you may find, to your chagrin, that you like them better for 90% of your riding (everything except competitive road). You can find inexpensive shoes that work great for your adventure rides that include sand. I have several pairs of 2 bolt shoes, my favorite inexpensive ones are Giro Rumbles, flexible enough for comfortable hike-a-bike but stiff enough on CB Candy platform pedals. Definitely more Fredly than the latest high end Sidis (which I also have but don't actually use as often as the Rumbles, gofigure...)

[buddybikes]

What kind of shoes, you appear to be talking about road shoes and answers are 2 bolt. Of course no road shoe is going to have walkability of SPD or similar

[AngryScientist]

As most know I'm a campy fanatic.

That said, i concede that shimano makes the best pedals, both road and offroad. you literally buy a set of pedals, ride them for a million miles and never, ever think about them again. they require zero maintenance and spin smoothly forever.

It depends on just how much walking you need to do. for years i just rode my dura ace pedals on everything, including gravel and unless you get into mucky mud, or have to walk really far they are fine. XTR pedals are similarly bulletproof and more appropriate for offroad conditions. for real "mixed surface" riding that realistically included a bunch of tarmac with some offroad sectors, i personally stick with road pedals.

[cgolvin]

Originally Posted by steveandbarb1

What kind of shoes, you appear to be talking about road shoes and answers are 2 bolt. Of course no road shoe is going to have walkability of SPD or similar

Yes, sorry for being unclear. I have 4 pairs of shoes, two have Speedplay cleats, one has Campy (these 3 are 3-bolt), and the other is a beat up old pair of Shimanos on which I have mounted the 3-to-2 bolt adapter to use with the Ritchey pedals.

I recognize that going with 2-bolt pedals will mean buying replacements for the Shimanos, my question assumed this.

However, Angry's answer makes me think that for the moment I might just use the Campy pedals since they function similarly to Shimano road pedals, the cleats are pretty worn already, and I really don't expect to do much walking. Or maybe buy a beater pair of Shimano road pedals?

[prototoast]

Originally Posted by cgolvin

However, Angry's answer makes me think that for the moment I might just use the Campy pedals since they function similarly to Shimano road pedals, the cleats are pretty worn already, and I really don't expect to do much walking. Or maybe buy a beater pair of Shimano road pedals?

I have similarly used Shimano road pedals for mixed terrain riding. I'm not as familiar with Campagnolo pedals, but comparing Shimano road pedals to Look and Time pedals, Shimano pedals are much, much, much, much better for walking in. The cleats have a wider platform, they're more durable, and have much better traction. Looking at pictures of Campagnolo cleats, they look much closer to Look than Shimano, and as such, I would expect them to perform much worse for this particular task. There's not too much harm in trying if the cleats are old and you don't care about ruining them.

[SDJ]

I would also try out the Ritcheys first

Eggbeaters had waaaay too much play for me but were great to start out with on the cyclocross in rough terrain - on the road I did not like them at all

even though they have had some production issues in the first generation I am very happy with my Time Cyclo "gravel" pedals - use them on my Road+ and find them great for mixed terrain

(Also switched over to Time atac mtb pedals on my cyclocross to have the same cleats replacing Shimano Spd and very happy with the atacs as well)

[tellyho]

I have never seen a reason to use any pedal other than spd. They are on all of my bikes - MTB, fat, road, gravel. I've never paid more than $30 for a pair.

Honestly, the only impediment to walking in the shoes is the crazy narrow trade in my Sidi drakos.

[jtakeda]

Originally Posted by SDJ

I would also try out the Ritcheys first

Eggbeaters had waaaay too much play for me but were great to start out with on the cyclocross in rough terrain - on the road I did not like them at all

even though they have had some production issues in the first generation I am very happy with my Time Cyclo "gravel" pedals - use them on my Road+ and find them great for mixed terrain

(Also switched over to Time atac mtb pedals on my cyclocross to have the same cleats replacing Shimano Spd and very happy with the atacs as well)

+1 on time atac

It’s been a really long time since I’ve had the opportunity to crank bros bash so I’ll 2nd the nay on crank bros. Too much float for me and also incredibly unreliable. I’ve broken probably 10-15 eggbeater pedals and conceded and switched to time and since then I’ve broken exactly 1 time atac pedal.

The little spring in the crank bros pedal is not the strongest

[BRad704]

I used Crank Bros Candy's for 1 CX season and I could never get used to the mushy clip-out feeling. I grew up on SPDs and I value that positive Click/Snap when you're coming out of the pedal.

For regular gravel rides/races, I don't expect to really need to walk any more than a road ride. I've used my Garmin Vectors very successfully many many times on mixed surface and pure gravel rides.

TLDR... I would just use the road pedals, unless you just want something new, then I would get the XT's with the platform.

[Alistair]

I have nothing good to say about Crank Bros. I had several sets fail over 4 years of use. The outboard bearing is a cheap bushing, not a real bearing - ****e design that can't take any abuse - and when the bushing fails, it tends to take the end of the spindle with it. If you go this route, plan to rebuild them annually and carry spares.

So, I went back to the tried and true Shimano SPDs. I use the XT level on most of my bikes, and XTR level on my gravel bike. I think the Ritchey is SDP-compatible - probably no reason not to use them, since you have them.