School me on pedals and shoes
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Texas
Posts: 49
Bikes: Specialized Venge
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 24 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
School me on pedals and shoes
I'm going to give a couple new disciplines a shot: cyclocross and gravel. I picked up a crux on the used market but I'm a little lost on pedals and shoes. Is there a pedal and shoe combo that I could use for both gravel and cyclocross racing? I'm assuming I can't just use my road set up due to the mud, having to get off the bike and carry it, etc.
#2
Non omnino gravis
Any MTB pedal and shoe combo will do you fine, pick what suits your eye and wallet the best. I'm one of the seemingly very few that doesn't like Shimano SPD, so I have to look elsewhere. A lot of folks like Crank Brothers Eggbeaters/Candy, but I don't like those either.
Most "good" MTB shoes will have bolt-on front studs for better grip in muddy conditions. My Giro Code Techlaces have a very stiff sole, but are super comfortable and can easily be walked in.
Most "good" MTB shoes will have bolt-on front studs for better grip in muddy conditions. My Giro Code Techlaces have a very stiff sole, but are super comfortable and can easily be walked in.
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: 25 miles northwest of Boston
Posts: 29,549
Bikes: Bottecchia Sprint, GT Timberline 29r, Marin Muirwoods 29er, Trek FX Alpha 7.0
Mentioned: 112 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5224 Post(s)
Liked 3,581 Times
in
2,342 Posts
I like spd compatible mtb shoes w flat soles but you might like the ones w knobby edges for better grip for worse terrain than I ride for pedals there are lots of choices but I’ve been happy with big platform types with the cleat on just one side
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Left Coast, Canada
Posts: 5,126
Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2236 Post(s)
Liked 1,314 Times
in
707 Posts
Maybe not your thing but if you look to platform instead of clipless consider a trail runner with a pinned pedal. The runner has knobbies like an mtb tire and sits in place well on the pins.
I use this combo off road as I also trail run and love the capabilities and comfort of the shoe but I don't race cyclocross so..?
I use this combo off road as I also trail run and love the capabilities and comfort of the shoe but I don't race cyclocross so..?
#5
FLIR Kitten to 0.05C
Join Date: Sep 2014
Location: Lincoln, Nebraska
Posts: 5,331
Bikes: Roadie: Seven Axiom Race Ti w/Chorus 11s. CX/Adventure: Carver Gravel Grinder w/ Di2
Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2349 Post(s)
Liked 406 Times
in
254 Posts
I'm going to give a couple new disciplines a shot: cyclocross and gravel. I picked up a crux on the used market but I'm a little lost on pedals and shoes. Is there a pedal and shoe combo that I could use for both gravel and cyclocross racing? I'm assuming I can't just use my road set up due to the mud, having to get off the bike and carry it, etc.
-SPD, say M9**0 or 8**0 (cleats are cheap, can get them anywhere; and are rebuildable easily at any shop. you can abuse them and they'll work)
-TIME ATAC (Like SPD, but with more float, not as common out in the boonies)
-Speedplay Frogs
There are other options, but they aren't that common in the wild either due to being new, or just plain expensive compared to the above Old Faithful:
-Look (Just saw them listed...not cheap, kind of an SPD LOOK-A-Like yuck yuck yuck)
-iSSi (another SPD look-a-like)
-Speedplay Syzr (not cheap, also can get clogged with crud)
Mention to Crank Bros....because it'll come up....IMHO they're a great race-day pedal for CX due to shedding mud; but durability long term is frequently a gripe (either the bearings got to crap, or the X-wing cracks, or both). Your shoes need protector plates--as the pedals shred soles otherwise.
Last edited by Marcus_Ti; 07-21-19 at 02:11 PM.
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2018
Location: VA
Posts: 1,437
Bikes: SuperSix Evo | Revolt
Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 733 Post(s)
Liked 815 Times
in
414 Posts
Absolutely love my SPD pedals/shoes, so much easier to use than the SPD-SL pedals on my road bike, and you can actually walk in the shoes. Get mtb shoes, the road SPD shoes don't usually have much, if any, tread on them. I went with Shimano XT Trail pedals and they've been great.
#7
Member
Mention to Crank Bros....because it'll come up....IMHO they're a great race-day pedal for CX due to shedding mud; but durability long term is frequently a gripe (either the bearings got to crap, or the X-wing cracks, or both). Your shoes need protector plates--as the pedals shred soles otherwise.
They did mess up my Garneau shoes but my Mavic Crossmax's seem to be holding up well. When you buy the Eggbeaters they come with protection plates.
Best thing I like about them is that clipping in and out is a breeze. Just put your foot on them and roll it forward. Easy peasy.
#8
Senior Member
I've been using CrankBros Doubleshot 3s for quite a while and love them. So much so that they're on mt trail and gravel bikes, as well as on the GFs cross bike.
#9
noodly appendage
I've been enjoying Frogs for about a year, very easy to get in and out. Then I went on a 100 mile gravel ride this weekend and there was one little muddy patch. I had to put a foot down to get through, and my cleat kept popping out of the pedal for the last 50 miles. First thing I did this morning was put SPDs back on the bike. I hate to put 3 pairs of perfectly good pedals into the parts bin, but if one little dab in the mud is going to cause that much havoc, they are not the pedals for me. I've resisted SPDs for years, but it's time for me to admit that they just work.
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Michigan
Posts: 4,863
Bikes: too many of all kinds
Mentioned: 35 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1147 Post(s)
Liked 415 Times
in
335 Posts
shoes with boa are kind of nice (typically not cheap though).
https://www.boafit.com/en-us/cycling
Gravel and CX are basically the same - you need to be able to hike a bike - although good shoes will have removable spikes so you can run up that muddy hill...
https://www.boafit.com/en-us/cycling
Gravel and CX are basically the same - you need to be able to hike a bike - although good shoes will have removable spikes so you can run up that muddy hill...
#13
Fredly Fredster
I've been enjoying Frogs for about a year, very easy to get in and out. Then I went on a 100 mile gravel ride this weekend and there was one little muddy patch. I had to put a foot down to get through, and my cleat kept popping out of the pedal for the last 50 miles. First thing I did this morning was put SPDs back on the bike. I hate to put 3 pairs of perfectly good pedals into the parts bin, but if one little dab in the mud is going to cause that much havoc, they are not the pedals for me. I've resisted SPDs for years, but it's time for me to admit that they just work.
#14
- Soli Deo Gloria -
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Northwest Georgia
Posts: 14,779
Bikes: 2018 Rodriguez Custom Fixed Gear, 2017 Niner RLT 9 RDO, 2015 Bianchi Pista, 2002 Fuji Robaix
Mentioned: 235 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6844 Post(s)
Liked 736 Times
in
469 Posts
The only time people seem to have a problem with them is when they buy the wrong cleats. Sometimes people get multi-releast cleats thinking they are single release or vice versa, or don't know the difference and get the wrong kind for their riding style. Mostly its aggressive riders who get multi-release cleats and pull out or people who like to ride to bars with single-release cleats and fall over because unclipping requires more coordination.
-Tim-