chainzawz

Hey guys, I know I know, I keep coming back! I just can't get enough of the clyde forum!!!! I am probably driving you all crazy, I am just trying to make sure what I want to get is somthing that is going to be worth my money...(don't want to be buying and returning, want to get it right the first time ) Ok, so I am rehabing my bike (pretty much buying all new stuff for it...) Anyways I am here to see what you all would recomend for pedals. I am really thinking about getting a pair for SIDI's because I hear such great things about them, and I also belive in pretty much everything Italian (and of course I am half Italian, and Irish, guess the Irish is why I always yell at people who cut me off on the road )

Ok, so I have seen good things about Crankbrothers pedals, they look like they would be solid. But I am not sure if they would work. Just curious as to what everyone uses here, and what you suggest.

Tom Stormcrowe

That's the Italian side that makes you yell, the Irish side would go and beat the tar out of em

Crank Brothers is the pedal I'm looking at. Simple and reliable and the best float to protect the knees

chainzawz

yes and the knee issue is very important for me, I have a bad right knee, I dislocated my kneecap and it was "out of socket" for about 4 months, the doctor couldn't be anything since it was so swollen and out of place...and we didn't want to performe surgery. I have heard good things about crankbro. Sounds like that might be where to go!

Tom Stormcrowe

Crank Bros, or Speedplay Frogs. If you mash a cleat though with the Frogs, you can't engage.

Air

Depending on how you step you may want to look into kneesavers.

Texas_Trek

Tom, I really like the look of those Crank Brothers pedals. How in the world does a newbie decide which pedal is right for him? Thanks for the ideas!

Tom Stormcrowe

Listen to others experience, experiment, learn what works for you......

It's a process we all go through. I'm an old school clip and strap rider, and the Crank Brothers will be my first clipless pedals.

rickyaustin

I love my Crankbrothers Eggbeaters.

With that said - I've never used any other clipless pedal.

Will you be riding on road? trail? mountain?

jaxgtr

I've never used the Cranks Bros, but have used MTB based Shimano SPD, road based Ultegra SPD-SL's as well as the Look A3.1. I like the SPD's, but on long rides I have had hot spots, but using shoes I can walk around in is nice and I don't have to worry about bringing covers with me. I was never comfortable with the SPD-SL's as I had a hard time locking in. The Look A3.1's have been fantastic, but I do have to carry cleat covers so I don't tear my cleats up if I need to walk around. The A3.1 use the Look Delta cleat, which was replaced with the KEO model. I have ridden on the Keo pedals by Look and they are sweet.

I think it all depends on what type of riding you are going to do and what kind of cash you are looking to layout.

flip18436572

I think it will depend upon whether you will only be using the shoes for biking or if you will get off and walk around a lot. If you are riding to ride, and will change shoes just for that, I would say get road shoes and the Shimano Ultegra series. If you are getting off the bike or doing mountain bike riding, eggbeaters.

jyossarian

I have Candy's on the fixie, Mallets on the mtb and Eggbeaters on the roadie (which I haven't ridden, long story). I switched from SPDs for a couple reasons:

1. Aesthetics. I liked the simplicity of the design and the look of them.
2. Design. They're simple springs. Once you clip in, if you pull straight up, the clips actually get tighter so you don't pop out accidentally. With the SPDs, you had to experiment w/ the tension screw to dial in the tension.
3. Price. They were on sale.

So far, I'm glad I switched. No hot spots w/ the Candys or Mallets (haven't ridden the Eggbeaters). Easier clipping in and out and no accidental pop outs when skidding/skipping on the fixed gear. I'm sure that'll change as the cleats wear, but that's to be expected. If you're used to clipless pedals, there's no learning curve. Just clip in like you always did and twist your foot to disengage.

The only drawback is the Crank Bros. cleats wear faster than the SPD cleats (Crank Bros. cleats are brass and SPDs are steel), but that's no big deal since I'd change the SPD cleats every 10 - 12 mos. If you see a sale on cleats, stock up. So far, I haven't changed the Crank Bros. cleats because I got them this summer.

andymac

Tom
You indicated you were looking at the Crank Brothers pedals as they had the "best float"? Crank Brothers only has 6 degrees of float, most SPD are 4 or 5 degrees, Time are around 5 degrees as well. I doubt the 1degree difference is noticeable. Speedplay are the ones with heaps of float, 20 degrees I believe.

Texas_Trek

I'll be road riding. That's it. The mountain bike is collecting dust for a while. I want to ride for as far and for as long as I can. Saturday was 4 hours, my longest ride to date. The running shoes and clips just aren't cutting it for me. I'm not sure what you mean flip, will I be walking around or getting off of the bike a lot, why would I do that? What type of riding involves that?

Ricky, can I clip in from either side of those eggbeaters? That is appealing to me as a beginner.
Tom, which Crank Brothers will you be purchasing. Does my size matter in this decision process?

I certainly am not wanting to be spending a lot of money. Thanks guys.

Tom Stormcrowe

I'm getting the Eggbeater SL model.

Shoes will be either Specialized or Sidi.

jcbryan

Speaking of float.....
I got a new ride last year and got a set of Speedplay Zeros. Looked good, felt good, nearly wrecked my old, not real good knees.
Got to hurting so bad I thought about giving up cycling. You kow ride our bike, hobble around for a couple of days. Really thought my knees were giving up on moving the old , fat guy around on a bike. Talked to a chiropractor cycling friend (Cat 3 rider). Set me up in a trainer and immediately said. "Too much float" . What the heck? Never heard of that, but he was right. He said my knees couldn't hold the downward stroke to keep my ankle kinda straight. THink narrow oval if you look at your heel going thru the entire cycle. After a lightly trained winter, rode most everyday with about 4000 miles this summer, no problems.
I ended up getting new Time pedals and all is good once again. I use the lower end Sidi shoes that can be found fleaBay for around $50. Never had an issue with them, great shoes.
My two cents....
Best, John

The Zeros can be adjusted for the amount of float you desire, but I was scared of them by this point. Good product, just not for me.

Nola_Gal

I just started with Sidi shoes and Look Keo pedals a couple of weeks ago. As it turns out, the shoes are too big for me but I didn't decide that until wearing them several times...I guess their not supposed to fit loose like running shoes. I've ordered a smaller size road shoe on-line so if anyone is interested in a 'gently used' pair of 42.5 Sidi road shoes, just email me off line.

v1k1ng1001

If you want a nice road pedal with lots of float, I've been having a great time with my speedplay Xs.

If you want a mountain shoe and pedal, the crank brothers in Performance seem like a pretty good deal. I know a lot of riders that swear by the Time Atac pedal too.

Caution, some mountain bike shoes are more walkable than others. I love my Sidi dominators but they are not the most walkable.

nowheels

I've just moved from shimano road SPD/L's to crankbrother for the winter. I got a pair of candy's for one bike and quattro's for the other. I can use my MTB shoes or my road shoes with either (Though the road shoe requires a special cleat). They have enough play and are easy to get out of.

nowheels

My vote is the Specialized.....

v1k1ng1001

Sidi just flat out makes a better shoe in my opinion. But ultimately I can get way more shoe/$ by going with Specialized and nowadays they're not that far behind Sidi.

jaxgtr

Other than the fact that the Quattro is basically the Eggbeater with a platform, is there any real difference? What was the benefit of going with the Quattro?

nowheels

Got the Quattro's from a friend that did not like them.........could not beat the price.

nowheels

They fit my feet well......and took care of my chronic left knee pain. The SIDI's did not do it for me.

thaetviking

I had a pair of eggbeaters and I found my feet hurt because the contact area was to small. I switched to some candies and I have a lot less problems. I know that my mashing my pedals is a part of my problem but I am working on that. I usually pick up some Sette shoes from pricepoint.com and I love them. $60.

rickyaustin

The Crankbrothers Eggbeaters allow 4 sided entry... which I liked as I was learning. They are not a "road" pedal, but they can be used for road just fine. I originally used road shoes, but have moved to mountain shoes so I can walk in them. I ride a Cross Check so it isn't weird, lol.