pb_toronto

giving cross a try, getting mixed messages about pedals. double sided or egg beater style? first race is going to be pretty muddy...
crank brothers? shimano? thoughts?
THANKS

Kopsis

Time ATAC. Handle mud as well as Crankbros and much more durable. I did a season on SPDs and had all kinds of problems with cleats packing with dirt/mud. No such problems since switching to the Time ATACs.

justin1138

i've had the egg beater's and now the candy's. the egg beater's cleared mud better, but the candy's offer a better platform if you miss the clip in right away.

Andy_K 

I'm a big fan of Crank Brothers. I use Candy's on my road, mountain and commuter bikes, but for CX racing I prefer the Egg Beaters. For some reason the platform just feels like it's in the way to me.

I will say that Crank Brothers pedals require regular maintenance. I used to ride them until they seized, but after having had a couple seize at inopportune times I've taken to rebuilding them at around 2500 miles even if they don't show signs of needing it. I've had a pair start to seize in as little as 1000 miles, but those saw a lot of mud.

My biggest complaint about Crank Brothers pedals is the cheap dust caps that they use on their low end pedals. It may sound silly to complain about dust caps, but since the pedals require regular rebuilding it becomes an issue. They're made of soft plastic and I haven't found a way to remove them without completely destroying them and having to more or less chip them out bit by bit. The rebuild kit comes with replacement caps, but I've taken to replacing them with metal ones the first time I rebuild. If you buy the '3' level or above they come with alloy dust caps. </rant>

Whatever pedals you get, put them on a bike that you ride often so you can get used to the feel of clipping in and out. You really need it to be automatic when you're racing because your brain just won't have enough oxygen to think about it.

knobster

I switched to Speed Play Frog pedals a couple years ago. Ended up switching my road bike and mountain bike to them as well. EASY to clip in and out which is important when you've got to jump on a bike and get going again. Does very well in mud also.

grolby

For all the sturm und drang about mud clearance and blah blah blah, Shimano SPDs are still the best balance of durability, affordability and performance for most people. Lots and lots of the top professional cyclocrossers are using SPDs. They're fine, and they're damn near indestructible. If you want a set it and forget it pedal, you really don't have any other option.

fietsbob

Time Atacs have 1 adjustment.. the cleat with the Star can be right or left shoe, depending on what release angle you want.



BITD it was Lyotard 460D.. you just learned the knack of jumping back on and flipping both pedas over at once .

check out the old CX Race Videos .. didn't slow them down much at all.

gamby

I'm on board with that logic at the moment. I ride SPD's on the road, clips and straps on my MTB and platforms on my CX bike. I simply can't get in and out of SPDs fast enough. My first and only CX race had a bit of snow on the ground and I saw way too many people having issues with getting in and out of their pedals. I also want to be able to get out of them in a nanosecond (like when I went over the bars in that race--glad I wasn't attached to the bike).

Sure, it takes away a bunch of pedaling efficiency, but I make it up by never worrying about my footing. Plenty of mountainbikers ride platforms, so I find it odd that no crossers do.

fietsbob

[ not young and racing] expect: pack mentality .. peer pressure.. just guessing pop psychology

The kit was double toe clips, straps cut and screwed to the ends of the pedals (so mud falls through)
https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8104/8...80c5887c90.jpg

of course the shoes were different too https://www.ebay.ca/itm/NOS-NIB-70S-8...-/261616183591

gamby

We used to call those "rat trap" pedals back in the day.

fietsbob

But that was the kit the Pro's raced on , and were still WAY Faster than you.

gamby

Being faster than me is a VERY low bar to set.

idc

I use Candys because I love the little platform, and the ease of entry/exit. I've had Candy 1s for years but recently bought a couple of Candy 2s and they seem more solid. I've heard plenty of durability issues with Crank Bros (they usually end up on Time ATAC) but I've never had issues myself.

pb_toronto

what a wealth of knowledge you've all provided!

thanks for all the advice, i think i am gonna give the shimano xtr's a go. i usually ride SPD-SL, and while the egg beaters might drop mud better, i think i take solace with a bit of a platform--- that way i can slam down on the pedal if i don't clip in the first time.

Jiggle

I don't like Eggbeaters because you can't adjust the tension. On SPDs you can.