Winter Cycling - Im stuck on the pedal wall

I keep going back and forth on what pedal to use on my winter bike im building, i keep coming up the pro's and con's for both and have gotten to the point where i think i need out side help.
So i already have both spd's and cage pedal with clips and am not sure which i wanna use, what do you guys run?

It's really a personal preference matter.

I prefer clipless (SPD) year-round. I use use Lake MXZ302 winter cycling boots in the winter.

Other people prefer other pedals.

For every pro I can cite for clipless, others can cite the very same thing as a con. And I can do the same with platforms.

None of us can tell you which you prefer. Since you already have both kinds of pedals, pick one, ride a while then switch to the other. You'll figure out which you prefer.

Im really getting used to having spd, but the one con i cant get around is i have no real winter shoes, and im not really in the market to buy some right now so maybe ill try the cages that way at least for now i can wear warmer shoes. And yeah i know its a preference thing was just curious to see what everybody else is runnning for the snowy goodness.

It really is just preference. I run plain-old-pedals on my three upright bikes, and clipless on my 'bent. I'll switch to plain pedals on the 'bent if I do any long rides on it in cold weather, as I don't have winter cycling shoes, and don't want to spend the money on them.

Ride what you got. If you like it, great. If not, try something else.

I run with platform pedals in winter. I like that 'detached' feeling.

I keep going back and forth on what pedal to use on my winter bike im building, i keep coming up the pro's and con's for both and have gotten to the point where i think i need out side help.
So i already have both spd's and cage pedal with clips and am not sure which i wanna use, what do you guys run?

There are a couple of models of platform pedals with SPD bindings in them. Then you can have both worlds. This is nice for a winter bike if you do short errands that you don't want to put your bike clothes on for.

http://www.speedgoat.com/Catalog.aspx/Browse?Prod=2940

http://www.amazon.com/Wellgo-WAM-D10-Clipless-Platform-Pedals/dp/B001CJXDVQ

http://aebike.com/page.cfm?action=details&PageID=30&SKU=PD9432

http://www.treefortbikes.com/product/333222333109/88/Shimano-PD-M324-Clipless-and-Platform.html

In the winter, I use Shimano M324s, which have SPD on one side and platform on the other. That way, if the weather is really nasty, I wear regular boots on the platforms, but have the option to use SPD shoes on the other side. They add around 200g over the dual-sided SPDs, so I only use them in the winter. Also, in snow, I don't like to be clipped in all the time in case I need need to put a foot down quickly.

egg beaters all year round for me, I use some neoprene overshoes and sometimes thicker socks. Thinking about getting some winter shoes, but for now my shimano mt41 shoes have been fine.

Daven

If it's really, really cold, I use platform pedals with cages and hiking boots. Otherwise, I use Crank Bros Eggbeater or Candy pedals with cycling shoes and neoprene booties. One of my bikes will get studded tires and platform pedals for the winter. My other bikes stick with clipless pedals and normal tires.

atac or bebop.
much better when you go off road.

putting your foot down in a pile of fresh powder snow is a sure fire way of getting snow into the shoe cover and icing up the cleats, but the two I mentioned do a good job at clearing the jam.

I don't feel safe with platforms while riding on unplowed, but paved roads.

Powergrips and hiking boots for me.
http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRjxqWUkpjcHxw8UakoA0_1tzjKBDCCwuGS-mmdTLfcTspoNad2yw

I think im gonna run the cage pedals and clips, mainly because we got mostly rain in the winter here, and i already have some water proof hiking boots rated to 10 below 0 and i dont really like the prices of spd winter shoes but thanks for the input, i may actually try the dual purpose spd plat forms sound like a nice in between

I run with platform pedals in winter. I like that 'detached' feeling.

+1

You can wear anything with platforms.

I run with platform pedals in winter. I like that 'detached' feeling.

I'm the complete opposite - I hate feeling like my feet could slip off the pedals.

After a day of -12C riding last week it was obvious shoe covers and heavier socks wasn't going to cut it. At the very least I would have needed to go to a larger shoe to make room for thicker socks, but my then my shoes covers probably wouldn't fit.

I briefly considered clipless sandals, with felt Sorel liners and some sort of wind / water proof cover for the boot liners. It probably would have required a very large sized sandal.

In the end I decided to bite the bullet and order a pair of Lake MXZ302's. Not having to mess around with shoe covers before riding will be nice.

The shoe cover thing is why i think im gonna stick with the platforms, its already a pain getting the layers on in the winter then adding one more thing to put on eeek.
Plus i went digging into my "winter suitcase" and found my old goretex mid hiking shoes i had forgotten all about them, for only being mid height they are WARM plus i would imagine they would still be easy to pedal in.

Powergrips. When it's too cold for sneakers I just ride the flat side with Doc Martens.

I dont do the power grips i prefer the good ole plastic toe clips, my two pairs of boots i ride with seem to have too much agressive tread on the sides of the soles and the last set of power grips i had only lasted about two months

Shoecovers sometimes suck, both from the time spent putting them on and off and from the cleat-hole-snow-jam issue.

Thus, before I got winter SPD shoes I would often use platforms, now I only do it rarely.

Boise seems to have a relatively mild winter climate and if you only have to deal with temperatures around the freezing mark you could probably get by nicely with mtb or touring shoes with a few little winter mods.

I have sealed the bottom of my day to day shoes and added a felt pack to the bottom and with a wool sock and a shoe cover I figure I could handle -15C quite nicely and when it gets colder the 50/50 pedals can be used with my winter boots which are good to -40 C and beyond.

I wonder if Lake would send me a pair of their winter riding boots to see how good they really are... I'd be happy to test them here.

We generally have pretty mild winters, but there usually ends up being a few weeks where the "inversion" gets bad and it'll stay pretty cold 10-20f. Plus im weird the only things that ever get cold on me is my feet and ears, ill be riding around in snow wearing shorts complaining about my feet being cold:) And i really wish me and wool got along better, even when i dont wear it directly on my skin i still break out in hives, ive had some luck with the really soft stuff i dont remember what it's called. But the biggest problem to overcome in boise is the below freezing temps mixed with the ample amounts of rain we get in winter.

It's only a dilemma if you want to buy $200 winter clipless shoes...

Personally, I would avoid toe clips no matter what. Winter riding periodically requires me to put my foot down to the side very quickly (happens mostly when I'm riding on snow), and I can manage it with platforms, I can manage it with clipless (now that I've gotten used to it), but trying to pull my foot out backwards while my bike tilts to the side seems much more tome consuming to me (couldn't get my foot down in time). If it doesn't to you - that's cool, it's your call. I find it especially difficult because I'm used to the side action with both platforms and clipless, so pushing to the side is the first thing my foot wants to do.

I ride clipless all winter myself, with the neoprene shoe covers. I've never had problems with cold feet, so between that, my regular shoes, and wool skiing socks I've never really had a problem. I've heard of people riding with clipless 95% of the time, then putting on platforms and using warm boots for the 5% of the time it's really, really, really freezing out (though I've personally never needed to, I live in Minnesota).

I usually suggest people use either clipless (if they're already used to them), or platforms. I really like the pedals with pins to grip the bottom of your foot -
http://www.specialized.com/ec/en/bc/SBCEqProduct.jsp?spid=57621&gold_ses=
http://www.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/equip/0919-2085_l.jpg

BMX pedals with pins or flat pedals with teeth are my preference.

Pins / teeth will keep your feet from slipping off, cold / wet / snow / ice or not.

This question will also warrant some pretty varying answers based on the winter climate people live in. Here, you wouldn't want to use normal SPD shoes through most of our winter, not unless you were layering lots of extra socks and using booties too because it can get much colder than what a normal pair of shoes should really be suitable for.

I don't know about Idaho though.

the metal plate on the shoe does act as a good heatsink, and the holes in the SPD shoes can let snow and water in.
so don't put your foot down in snow or slush. :)

The booties from MEC aren't that good when it comes to keeping snow out of your foot and angle either. Well, they're good at keeping you dry from the water kicked up by the front tire, but if you step in snow, they'll pick it up and it's not pleasant to have snow trapped on your ankles.

mmm...I just wrestled with this same question. I usually ride with SPD or egg beaters...but I thought that I could get away with platform pedals and I had laying around so that I could have the ease of getting off should I take a spill. But, as it turned out...the pedals made me feel fairly unstable, and since my winter bike is a singlespeed, I couldn't get up a steep hill to save my life. So, I put on clips, and found that my boots really don't work in toe clips. So, I bought a new pair of egg-beaters to put on my fair-weather bike, and I put my old pedals on the winter bike. I assume some good wool socks and neoprene booties will make the -20ºf bearable...

Cheers,

Josh

If it's really cold, you don't want anything over/on your feet that will constrict or suck heat away. So no toe clips, etc. That leaves either platform or clipless. I ride Lakes on SPDs myself, but can see the argument for double sided pedals.

the only things that ever get cold on me is my feet and ears, ill be riding around in snow wearing shorts complaining about my feet being cold:)
Your feet feel cold because your body is trying really, really hard to keep your bare legs warm. Cover up your legs and your feet will stay warm.

Just a tip for using neoprene booties, - don't take them all the way off your shoe. Have a pair of shoes that you basically dedicate to riding and leave the booties on most of the time. Just roll the booties down far enough to let you get your foot out. Otherwise booties are a real pain to get on.

My first booties were the the kind that were basically open on the bottom. They wore out after a season and a half of commuting. That was with the aid of duct tape. Then I got a set of Performance booties with a zipper on the back (rather than velcro) and a thin rubber sole. They've been much more durable but you need to order them about 2 sizes bigger than your shoe.