Mountain Biking - Freeride pedals...clipless?

Well I'm building up a Surly Instigator for a Ag. XC/Freeride. I kinda wanna go clipless just because thats what I feel good with. I would be willing go to platform if ya'll can sway me. I have been looking at Bebops and Speedplay Frogs. Anyone know anything about Bebops? they look pretty awesome and strong as hell. Let me know.

I can't help you with this one. Never ride clipless on skinnies, it kills :d

Know any good platforms?

truvativ holzfellers

Syncros makes a nice pair, can't remember the model name though.

A cheap pair of welgo platforms would do fine. Although im not exactly a freerider i can see clipless as being a proeblem because there may be time when you want to bail and you'll find yourself forgetting how to get out as you teeter on the edge of a skinny thats over 10 feet off the ground heh.

wow..10 foot fall b/c you didn't remember how to unclip...oww.

go with a 40 dollar pair of wellgos, you wont be dissapointed

I use a pair pf BMX pedals, Odesy twisteds, they hurt like hell, but gripp like #$%^& and only cost me about 30. PLUS they are HUGE which helps my big feet.

A cheap pair of welgo platforms would do fine. Although im not exactly a freerider i can see clipless as being a proeblem because there may be time when you want to bail and you'll find yourself forgetting how to get out as you teeter on the edge of a skinny thats over 10 feet off the ground heh.

Yep I go cheap. I destroy pedals. I get wellgos or azonics. My feet stick to them and they don't break and if they do I don't fall to the ground crying cause I wasted 150$ on a sealed bearing Ti spindel POS.

I use a pair pf BMX pedals, Odesy twisteds, they hurt like hell, but gripp like #$%^& and only cost me about 30. PLUS they are HUGE which helps my big feet.

These are nice too. Got a set free in the summer.

steer away from bebops and frogs if you intend any type of skinny/techy stuff. they are very hard to ride on unclipped; feels like your foot is resting on an ice cube.

if you want a good combo, i'd suggest the:

shimano 545 or 646 models (large platforms with clipless setup in them)
crank bros. and time also make similar versions. nice, as you can be clipped out if you get to something you want to be clipped out for. not as stable that way as pure flat pedals, but better than being clipped in allthe time.

i've been using the 545 shimano models for quite a while now. no problems with them. if you do go clipless, leave the tension loose. you want to be able to get out fast........

i'd say, if you are purely riding stunt stuff, go for the flats. if it's a do it all bike, and more of the riding is not on stunts, go clipless.

try both, then decide what you like.

well we dont have any stuff around here like NS, no skinnies or ladder bridges. Mainly drops and what not. I'm just going to call my bike an All-mountain bike.

then a good pair of combo pedals may do the trick. i don't know hwo much climbing you have to do to get to your good stuff, either.

long climbs with flat pedals suck.

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product.aspx?i=PE707A08

i love these now. once they eventually die, i'll probably replace them with these:

http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product.aspx?i=PE608A03

only reason i haven't yet, is that all five of my bikes with clipless pedals have SPD compatible version -so i can use any of my shoes with cleats. no "oops; grabbed the wrong shoe" moments at the trailhead that way.

I run a set of Odyssey South Gates on my trail bike
http://img158.exs.cx/img158/5408/odysseysouthgate.jpg
good solid pedals and reasonably priced.

I've seen some pedals in my LBS that have been coming stock on bikes that have one side with a clip-in bit and the other side a flat pedal. Couple that with some shoes with recessed cleats and you're away for anything

well Crank Brothers Mallet pedals has a decent size platform, i have not personally ridden with them but looking at the size of the platform im sure you will do fine unclipped if the situation calls for that

Heres a better question. Who makes a clipless pedal thats easier to disengage than Shimano? Are bebops quick disengage?

man, I have the m505's from shimano, I can set them loose enough to almost just yank my foot out of.

Heres a better question. Who makes a clipless pedal thats easier to disengage than Shimano? Are bebops quick disengage?


they, and the frogs, aren't any quicker or slower than shimano pedals. the frogs and bebops aren't working by spring tension, it's how far you move your foot when attempting to get out. they take more foot movement than many other pedals do.

however, if you are even contemplating wanting the thought of platforms......i'll reiterate and say the frogs and bebops are NOT what you want in a clipless pedal. just look at the cleats, and pedal size and imagine that. no room on them to be clipped out and still have much of a platform to have your foot on.

if you want to build a bike for xc/light freeride, and want to stick with clipless (as in your original post), something with a platform is the way to go.

shimano, crank bros, and time all make what you might want. check 'em out.

shimano http://www.speedgoat.com/product.asp?part=100388&cat=240&brand=226
crank bros http://www.speedgoat.com/product.asp?part=47674&cat=240&brand=60
time http://www.speedgoat.com/product.asp?part=46284&cat=240&brand=255

best bet? get thee to you LBS and see if they will let you demo/test ride whatever kinds of pedals they carry.

Just loosen the spring tension and file down the cleats if you want to disengage more easily. SPDs are generally easiest to disengage because spring tension holds the cleat in. Egg beaters aren't like this, so you actually have to rotate your foot to get out instead of pulling up or to the side.

My personal recommendation, if you're doing mostly trail riding with occasional jumps and stunts, is to go with something like the Shimano 646s or Crank Bros Mallets. Ride with cleated shoes for trail riding, then if you're only going dirt jumping or whatever, ride with normal shoes. I have Mallet Cs, and the grip is good enough with normal shoes. Yes, I know they're not designed for it, but they work fine.

I think I might just go with some plats and get a nice skate shoe. It seems so much easier to just bail on the plats than an a SPD. I really like the azonic ones. Can anyone recommend a badass skate shoe? I was looking at the adidas, they look nice but how stiff are they? what about vans?

Vans or DC are what most skaters I know are wearin these days.

my friend swears by DC.

A buddy of mine is a hardcore skater and he swears by DC as well. They just look so...ugly. I wonder what the pro-freeriders are wearing. It could give us a sense of what is nice and what isnt. Maelstrom will be by and let us know ;)

I think I might just go with some plats and get a nice skate shoe. It seems so much easier to just bail on the plats than an a SPD. I really like the azonic ones. Can anyone recommend a badass skate shoe? I was looking at the adidas, they look nice but how stiff are they? what about vans?

I've got a pair of sixsixone 'Launch' and they can be used as skate shoes, bike flats or clipless (I run 'em with Time ATAC Z's). I like 'em. Super comfy yet plenty of stiffness for biking and very reasonably priced.

Vans XL2s. They have a nice waffle grip that my azonic pedals stick to quite nicely. They're comfy too.

I have always wore Dc's but they seem to wear very fast. A lot of my bmx friends ride either Duffs or Osiris and love them, they seem to last a lot longer than my Dc's.

I liek dc's but I agree they wear quick :)

i like the vans rowley xlt

I prefer Vans for shoes.

Hey Kona, you set your Stuff up for Ag. XC right? How does it feel riding Ag. XC with flats?

Feels fine.

I love flats for jumping and playing around, but I can ride considerably faster and farther over trails with clipless. Just depends upon my mood. I recommend having both and swapping when desired.

Also, regarding shoes, Five Ten is re-releasing their Impact, which has a large cult following and is supposed to be an excellent grippy shoe.

Yeah, the 5-10's are my next set of shoes.

Heres a better question. Who makes a clipless pedal thats easier to disengage than Shimano? Are bebops quick disengage?Time ATAC

Now to find a company that does size 15...

Now to find a company that does size 15...
In bike shoes sizes that's quite small. :D I'm a size 47.5

whats thast in usa sizes?

In bike shoes sizes that's quite small. :D I'm a size 47.5

Sorry...wasn't sure if they used euro...I am a 50

whats thast in usa sizes?

13ish.,..been 15 years since my foot was that small so I forget

In bike shoes sizes that's quite small. :D I'm a size 47.5


What's with biking shoes seeming to run so small relative to stated size? I wear a 10.5 US street shoe. That's a 45 metric (which is supposed to be 10.5 - 11 US). Seems almost every 45 biking shoe I try is like an inch or more shorted than my street shoes and as narrow as a banana peel! What's up with that? :eek: