BTM87

I bought an entry level CX bike as a more versatile option to ride around town, hit crushed limestone trails in parks/forest preserves near me, that sort of thing. I don't have any immediate plans of getting into racing or anything.

I really miss being clipped in though. I have an old pair of road shoes and look pedals/cleats - for my use is there any major reason not to use these that I'm missing? I know eggbeaters / spd seem to be preferred, but I'm not really racing, or encountering mud. I've searched a fair bit, and it seems the main concerns are being able to clip in on more than 1 side, and ability to clip in all clogged with mud, etc (which I don't really encounter too much of).

Thanks for reading.

Barrettscv 

Looks work great. Try-em.

If you are Cyclocross racing, you might want another brand. However for general fitness and pleasure riding: Looks are great.

GrayJay

Much more versatile if you have shoes/cleats that are comfortable for walking short distances. Ive gone from 20+ years of using look cleats on road bikes to using SPDs for all my riding (on and offroad), the advantage of actually being able to walk far outweighs whatever tiny advantage that look road cleats confere for anything but full-out road racing.

BTM87

Thanks. I'm currently using looks for the road and like them. I agree they're not great to walk in (though the ones with rubberized cleats are much better) but the vast majority of my riding is fitness. If I'm dying I might walk a few feet into a walgreens if I need something, but that's really only happened a few times. One day I might change, but for now I don't really feel like going through that.

Just wanted to be sure there wasn't something obvious I was missing here, and since I have everything already it's NBD to put them on the new bike. Cheers

jimc101

Wouldn't want to use Look/SPD-R pedals off road, as they are slippery enough just walking a short distance when using them a road bike.

If you are going to need to walk anywhere and you want clipless, you really want a SPD/Eggbeater/Time Atac pedal, as others have noted, they are easy to walk in.

fietsbob

Just be prepared to change shoes when you stop, since walking damages the cleats quickly..

Spud recessed cleat shoes may be better in the long run,

SPD-r will get you started , get the MTB pedal , and the separate cleat
with wing pontoons for your roadie hard soled shoes.

BTM87

Thanks. I rarely stop since I'm paranoid of leaving my bike, when I do it's not like I'm grocery shopping. By riding around town I just meant being a little more versatile when it comes to gravel lots, busted up alleys, jumping curbs, stuff you can't really get away with on a roadie - I didn't mean running errands and the like. I'll get new pedals/shoes eventually, but since I have all this crap laying around anyway I'll use it as a stop gap measure.

fietsbob

Lake had spinning class shoes, they built up the toe and heel so falls on waxed floors is less likely.

jimc101

You massively underestimate the capabilities of a road bike, this is all ridden by a trial pro, but give the idea of what a road bike with off the shelf kit is capable of

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZmJtYaUTa0" target="_blank">

Bekologist

of course you can put road pedals on a cross bike -

That's why they call them 'cross'. It's your bike, right? and your pedals? Unless you're concerned about image on group rides, who cares?

go for it.

contango 

I use a cyclocross bike for much the same things as you, and put a pair of Shimano A530 pedals on it. SPD clips on one side and platforms on the other side, so I can either wear my SPD shoes or just about anything else suitable for riding in (I did find it suboptimal the time I wore my flipflops to ride it to the bike shop, but since it's a 5-minute walk it wasn't an issue).

SPDs are also handy when I'm out on a ride that involves hills I can't climb. It doesn't happen very often but when it does I'm thankful for the ability to get off and walk without looking like I crapped myself.

BTM87

LOL I'm sure I am - I've nearly eaten it a few times however simply trying to ride across damp gravel where the front wheel digs in...stuff like that. I'm sure a better rider makes a bike much more capable, but I'm just out there for exercise and to have fun.

Nah I don't really ride in groups, or care about image all that much (I probably have some of the hairiest legs out there). Just curious if there was a fundamental reason of "function" I shouldn't be using these pedals, since everything I came across said to use mountain pedals.

This is kinda an interesting idea. As weird as it was riding on platforms and not being clipped in, it was kinda nice being able to just get on/off. I do prefer clipping in but this is something to think about when I get pedals for this guy.

fietsbob

Marketing has anything with a wider 700c wheel called a 'Cross Bike',
its already like the current era's 27"X1.25" wheel bike ..

in the US putting straight, riser bars it's a " hybrid ", Europe Its A Cross Bike.

I note: the actual racing has been removed to a separate Forum,
since so few people who actually do Cyclocross have anything for them, here.

Mods (Hint) maybe this one should be moved, to the touring forum..

contango 

Personally I found the platform sides a bit disappointing, they aren't particularly grippy and having seen how I prefer to clip in (these are the first pedals I had that let me clip in) it's pretty rare that I want to ride any way other than clipped in. That said the first time I rode them in anger was on a 200k brevet and after about 150k my feet were a little sore so I appreciated the chance to flip the pedal over and get some respite (I subsequently tweaked my cleat positioning). Some folks, including a couple of the guys at my LBS, like to be able to use the flats when riding in heavy traffic or in the centre of town so they can put a foot down quickly, but I found it's become second nature to unclip before putting a foot down so don't feel the need there.

What you can also get is a gizmo that clips into one side so you can put it on and take it off, and it will convert one side of a SPD pedal to a platform, and comes with reflectors etc.

tlash

Ditto. Except I went with the Shimano M324, more weight, but more grip surface on the platform side.

fietsbob

QBP 'Problem Solvers' owns the distribution of the Decksters, an aluminum piece
that takes a Spare cleat of what ever SPuD pedal you have, and creates a platform
that can be removed when the double sided pedal makes more sense..

https://problemsolversbike.com/produc..._pedal_adapter

contango 

I specifically didn't get the M324 for two reasons.

Firstly they are silver, which would look bad against a bunch of dark components.

Secondly it seems you need a custom tool to be able to get at the bearings to overhaul them and from what I gather the custom tool costs more than the pedals do.

I'm thinking I might dump the dual-sided pedals and go for pedals with SPD on both sides.

tarwheel 

I use Shimano SPDs, PD-M540s, on my touring and commuter bikes. They work fine and are much easier to clip in and out of than single-sided SPDs. I wouldn't worry about the platform size if you have decent shoes.

Sean Gordon

I use SPD's every single day, and I am a huge fan. I use them on all my bikes except my road bike, where I use Look Keo 2 Max (which are awesome)

A lot of people poo-poo shimano SPD's, saying they're heavy, or they clog with mud too easily, and are difficult to service.

The reason SPD's are different from all the other double bar-based MTB pedals is that Shimano was first on the scene, evaluated the problem tabla rasa, and developed (in my opinion) the most elegant, durable, and reliable design, and patented it. Its essentially a miniaturization of a Look road pedal or ski binding. Everyone else on the scene has had to work around Shimano's patent. Time, Look Quartz, and Crank Bros pedals all essentially the same mechanism, with a spring loaded bar engaging a detent on either side of the cleat.

Mud - Yes, they can get clogged with mud, but most of their bad rap comes from the early '90's before they went to an open platform design. Time and Look Quartz pedals, and Cank-Bros Candy are no better at shedding mud. Crank-Bros Egg Beaters are definitely better at clearing mud because of their completely open design, but have other issues. This and their light weight make them popular with cross-racers.

Cleats - SPD pedals are built with smooth steel ramp surfaces with excellent draft, facilitating easy entry. This allows them to use durable, steel cleats. many of the other 2-bar designs have less favorable draft at entry due to the round section of the bar. To combat this, Egg-beater style pedals require soft brass cleats, which are more lubricious but wear faster, especially if you walk in your mtb shoes OR if you just ride daily.

Durability/reliability - I've seen quite a few broken Egg beaters. All of your pedaling forces go directly into the integrated retention spring. Candy's have a small platform for support, much like Time and Look Quartz pedals. All SPD pedals have a platform that the cleat rests on, much like a road pedal, whereas double bar designs generally put a lot of force directly from the bars to the shoe outsole, which eventually wears out and causes slop in the connection.

Adjustability - SPD's have adjustable release tension, which is great for learning, or riding in traffic, or, for cycling right after a knee surgery

Servicing - Yes, there is a special splined tool to remove the pedal spindle. However, you can get them apart just fine with a pair of pliers. The steel spindles are very high quality and you can't mark them up appreciably - also, by the time you find yourself repacking the bearings, they won't look so pretty anyway.

Best part about SPDs or any MTB pedal system, you actually CAN take your bike to the grocery store.

Germanicus

I use a CX bike for the same thing you do and I use Crank Brother Quattros which are a cancelled road platform with an eggbeater. You can check out the Candy pedal which is pretty much the same thing:
https://www.crankbrothers.com/pedals_candy.php

Workss great as a road pedal but you can take it into the muck if you want too.

ICBiker

I switch between SPDs and Power Grips.
Power Grips can be surprisingly good and will accept almost any shoe. They are not for everyone, but I like them.
https://www.bikeforums.net/archive/index.php/t-6204.html

Opus.girl

I watched this video yesterday. AMAZING

Null66

I LIKE CANDIES!

on my "tourer", coupled with klein sandals I can walk w/o the hassle the usual cleats present.

ModeratedUser

I kinda like being clipped in all the time too. What I've found to work is to use MTB shoes, preferably Sidi and also some Shimano MD76, and all with SPD cleats. I have a ton of cleats that I've collected from various sources, but they just gather dust. I never really wear any out. I use this setup for my road bike cause I really like being able to walk after riding, and very rarely am I just riding. This setup is used for my CX and MTB too. I didn't want to have a differing collection of shoes/pedals for different rides. I use bikes to get around as I'm car-less. Been that way for over 5 years. I don't see myself changing this setup for a long time, if ever.

del690

Get some pedals that are SPD on one side and flat on the other side. I have Wellgo's on my commuter bike so I can wear regular shoes to work or my cleats if I am going for a longer ride.