Mountain Biking - To SPD or not to SPD

I am considering fixing SPDs to my fisher. My brother says that nothing beats them and that you can pedal much more efficiently with them. I was having second thoughts as at the moment I am using my bike in a lot of traffic. What u think??

get single sided ones( cage on one side, spd on the other), or ones that have a cage around them. That way, you can not clip if you find yourself in a dicey situation.

I use the Shimano M-324. These have a SPD cleat on one side and a regular flat pedal on the other. These just might be the ticket for you. With them you can unclip and still have a reasonable surface to be able to pedal with or clip in for more efficiency. I keep mine set to a lower tension and never had a problem unclipping in even panic situations.

SPDs also seem to have problem clipping in when they're heavily loaded with mud and dirt.

959's do well in the mud.

Originally posted by DANTE
I am considering fixing SPDs to my fisher. My brother says that nothing beats them and that you can pedal much more efficiently with them. I was having second thoughts as at the moment I am using my bike in a lot of traffic. What u think??

I can't speak to the MTB side, but I commute thousands of miles a year on bikes with SPD's (I use Ritcheys) and I think they're not just more efficient but actually safer.

Properly adjusted and with a practiced rider, there's less possibility of the foot unintentionally leaving the pedal with clipless than with anything else but clips/straps, while at the same time getting unclipped becomes so instinctive and natural that it's just not a problem.

You need to develop some new habits, of course: automatically unclipping one foot when slowing at intersections, for example, and doing the routine maintenance that keeps the system reliable.

There are plenty of SPD MTB or touring shoes -- and even SPD sandals -- that you can walk around in and wear all day if you want to.

For me, the bottom line is more security than efficiency; I like clipless because they keep my feet where they belong.

RichC

I started out on clips and straps and can never understand why anyone would not want to switch to clipless pedals. If I were you, I would put them on as soon as possible in order to begin learning how to get in and out of them. It will take a little time to get used to them, but you will be better off in almost all situations because you are clipped in. Rich is right on all counts and, as I said, there is a learning curve associated. But find a park and start clipping in and out and you'll be great in no time.

As for mud clearance, eggbeaters are often suggested because of their open design. I have yet to ride them in mud, but it makes sense that they would shed it quickly.

technical mtb - flats
trail riding - clipless
commute / road - clipless
dh - varies
Trials - clipless=death

Pretty general but it works. I don't wear clipless as I don't want to attached. I want my feet to come off and For certain hops and tricks I need my foot to twist. I couldn't imagine doing any of thise attached. :)

*Road - clipless
*Commuting - clipless
*Cross Country - clipless
*Dual - clipless if you are confident and need more power; flats if you want to play it safe
*Downhill - clipless if you're REALLY good, flats if you tend to crash or if you ride tech terrain
*Freeride - flats
*Trials - flats (!)

Crank Brothers Egg Beaters are your friend. Well, they should be.

Egg Beaters just seem so expensive when you look at what you're getting. Spare no expense for the spiffy looking bike I suppose

Egg Beaters are cheaper than the 959 pedals and clear mud better, plus they're considerably lighter. I prefer their action as well. Stack height is on par with the best of the road pedals as well-I use 'em for both. Why are they a lousy buy? :confused:
If you get any of the Ti variants they get to be expensive, but it's not really necessary to do that. I could see your point if you were talking about these versions, but not the ss.

I got my eggbeaters for 49 bucks. Rode them last weekend in muddy trail conditions. No problems, bottom of my shoes were caked and I hammered right into the pedals - no problem. Even on portions that I needed to quickly release, I was able to not even think about it, my foot was out before I ever went down. I was also able to clip in on up hills before getting any movement going - never able to do that with my old spd peds.

Time Zcontrol!!!! i had the same issues...they solved them!

bmx spikey flats, is what i like but if i was to go back to clips i would go eggbeater's. I used to ride with shimano m somthing or other ( red cage bmx style platform with cleats both sides) but i found they got clogged fast and i spent to much time tring to click in and out, i was constanty cleaning and adjusting, falling over for no reason at all, so i went to the bmx platforms. The eggbeaters are so open mud cant get stuck!

I gave up on SPDs two years ago and switched to Time ATACs. I've never been happier. I also contemplated the Eggbeaters at the time and decided I liked the ATACs better although I did prefer the Eggs over all the SPD variants I've tried in the past. I'll second what math2p14 said and would recommend looking at the Z-Control pedals if you like the Time bindings with a larger platform.

I have never tried spds to be honest. I went straight for Time Z series. I am currently riding in UK...full of mud...they know no fear of mud. i can clip and unclip on an instant and i usually slam them on rocks but they refuse to damage themselvels. Go time Z.