Al K

Hello MTBers,

I've used clipless pedals (spd) on roads for years and love 'em. But on muddy trails, getting in and out is a hassle. (By the way, I follow mtb trail rules. But some trails have muddy sections almost always.)

I'm experimenting with mtb half toe clips, and they have held well on the limited tests I've done. What do you think about mtb half toe clips? (These half toe clips cover front half of foot and have no strap.)

I've seen the spiked pedals that BMXers use. Are these a good option on muddy trails?

What other recommendations do you make?

At this point, I plan to use clipless on dry trails, and half toe clips on muddy trails.

Thanks.

phantomcow2

Wait wait there is a solution which is the best of both worlds....


Any egg beater really, i like this one because it has a small platform which i feel gives more leverage than regular egg beater. These things because of their simpler design than SPD stuff are practicly immune to mud and all that crap. You can clip in regardless and the price is right. I payed just 60.95 on ebay for those pedals. I would go with the SL version for rust resistance. Plus the pedal is lighter than SPD stuff.

mtnbiker66

I hear the Time mtb pedals are very good as well.

iamthetas

Time ATAC all the way.they let you clip and unclip no matter what you got in them plus they have a little bit bigger platform than straight eggbeaters.they have gobs of, but not slippery, float. Ive had mud,sticks ,horse crap,snow,ice and leaves in mine at one time or another(sometimes more than one at a time) and have yet to have trouble getting out or in.

PWRDbyTRD

I am a crank bros fan...what can I say.

jallen

I've slogged thru mud on foot, through some sand, and then jumped right onto the bike and clipped into my Time atac's. Without cleaning off shoes that is. Pretty swell.

Not recommended for longevity for ANY clip system though... I clean 'em as soon as I can!

Raiyn

I love mine

XzEn54321

I give another vouch for the time ATACs, very good when caked in mud.

jeff williams

Freeride, jump, crazy trials dangerous stuff = platforms = toss the bike.

anthonaut

Agreed.

notfred

I have these, and I've been perfectly happy with them:

scrublover

what's your budget? go by that. and what do you ride? if you like riding clipless now, stick with them. if you are doing alot more drops and stunt type stuff, maybe try flats. knowing what kind of stuff you ride would help us alot in guessing what to suggest.

enough to get eggbeaters or times, and you'd like to not swap pedals all the time, that'll work fine. eggs or times, can't really go wrong with either one.

if you don't care about swapping pedals, then nearly any flat will do. from a $20 pair of cheapies, to however much you want to spend. good bearings and replaceable pins are going to had on the middle to higher end price range, and are pretty nice features to have if you run flats.

Al K

Guys,

Thanks for excellent comments. I'm going to try pinned platform pedals and Time ATAC pedals.

Although I try not to do wild and crazy stuff, I occasionally find myself in a difficult position where bailing out quickly is a good option.

TimB

Time A.T.A.C.'s all the way for me.
USed the Crank Bros Egg beaters for 6months but the bearings did not hold up well so I ditched them and put the Times back on the bike.

EB's are nice and light though an the 4 sided entry i find dis not make life any easier but rather made life more difficult through rock gardens where hit a ock resulted in my foot being ejected form the pedal. loss of control = fall = annoyed rider = flying bike

Raiyn

See I knew we'd agree on something eventually.

iamthetas

I switched from platforms to clipless. if you go platform, remember that you are not clipped in. it takes a little getting used to as my shins can attest to. Ive switched to clipless on both bikes now

jallen

I get frustrated. I want clipless when I am riding platforms. When I am riding platforms, I want clipless. I am never happy.

cryogenic

I don't think I could ever go back to platforms... I ride clipless all the time and love it. I'm not a big fan of my SPD's, but they work fine overall. Then again, I don't really do much jumping and whatnot.

XzEn54321

Yea, as long as your not jumping or the like, you will never consider riding without them.

Raiyn

I like my platforms when I'm off road I'm guessing it's largely due to the fact that I test ride bikes using platforms constantly

Maelstrom 

Really...never...interesting perspective.

Gotta say though, I don't like clipless, those crankbrothers are HOT...dang

Maelstrom 

From my perspective they are fine. I ride in a rainforest on some technical terrain and never 'bounce' out of my bike. Ht, Dually whatever once you learn control with flats you will be fine. However, on climbs, I get smoked. I don't have the power or push/pull to really keep up, and on extended climbs I find technical area to be tough because I end up having to energy to hop up stuff. I have even begun to consider them on my Kona Roast...but alas, I ride to many skinnies to take a chance, I see a log ride and I hit it, if I were on clipless, that could hurt.

Raiyn

<Forrest Gump Voice> Momma always said nevah say nevah, they's always someone who doesn't folla the same ideas as you.</Forrest Gump Voice>

I like clipless on road, hate it off. 'nuff said