southbound123

My son survived his Pacific Coast ride last summer and will be going cross country this year. For those that remember our bike searching adventure, he ended up with a Cannondale T2000 (new, but prior year model). The bike was great, except for the rear rack, which broke en route. He rode with Shimano PD-M324 pedals (clipless on one side and platform on the other).

Folks on this forum recommend upgrading to Shimano M520 or M540 pedals. Others insist on having a clipless with platform to distribute the weight and recommend Crankbrothers Quattro sl.

My son will be riding 80-100 miles per day for six weeks.

Would appreciate advise from people who do this type of touring.

Thanks.

enigmagic

I'm a big fan of the crank brother's candy model, the platform seems to help. Very easy to get in to and certainly keep-it-simple design. The quattros have a similar platform so I'd expect them to work as well or better.

cyccommute 

You can't go wrong with the Shimano. Rugged, long lasting and cheap. They release well and are easy to get into and out of. There's nothing wrong with the Crankbrothers, however. I like their design but, due to the expense of replacing at least 4 pairs of pedals (at one point it was around 13 sets), I've never tried them.

If you ride in stiff shoes, I don't really think that load distribution in the pedal is important. I do, however, ride in the stiffest mountain bike shoes I can find.

matthew_deaner

If you want to stick with MTB-compatible pedals that have some means of load distribution, you might want to have a look at Shimano A-520 "touring" pedals. I have these on two of my bikes and really like them a lot.

I also have three pairs of the Shimano M-520 pedals, and you really can't go wrong with them either. They're about $30 with cleats from Probikekit.com.

mtnroads

I agree with Matthew regarding the A520. One of my bikes has the two-sided (M-324) pedals and I get hotspots on long rides (happened again this weekend), something that never happens with the A520 pedal on my other two bikes, apparently due to the small platform that helps to spread the load. It must make a difference, even with my stiff Sidi Dominators.

Bacciagalupe

Y'know, I picked up the M324's a long time ago for general use, and wasn't thrilled with them. Now I'm thinking about using them for my next tour, so I can get around easier with normal shoes every once in awhile. Go figure.

Anyway. I think the key question here is: What, if anything, is not working about his current arrangement?

If he is getting hot spots, new pedals won't fix that situation. Stiff soles and/or moving the cleats back will do the job.

southbound123

There isn't a problem with his current pedals. He put them on a road bike to train with. Now he needs pedals for his touring bike.

We will try the Shimano A520. Looks like a step up from the M324.

Thanks to all for your suggestions.

martianone

Take a look at Shimano PDA530, new to their product line.
Like the 324 they are a combination flat and SPD,
they have a broader surface flat side than the 324 and are a couple
grams lighter.
My wife has the 324s on her T-2000.
I just ordered a set of 530s for my 520, Performance and REI both listed them.

Thasiet

You may wish to consider the dark age side and forego clipless altogether. I just did 73 miles on my touring bike after upgrading the pedals to this quality sealed cartridge BMX platform with set screw traction pins:

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...tform%20Pedals

They are toe-clippable, and the plan is to add them, but I was actually quite surprised by how well they held without them. I like the idea that I can get a good platform without having to use clipless and keep my feet tightly bound in a cycling shoe all day. The plats are far more comfortable than the quill pedals I was using before, and I'm sure that once I get the clips and straps hooked up, they'll be every bit as secure as my ATACs

Black Shuck

I use Shimano M520 clipless pedals and stiff mtb shoes with rubber sole surfaces and couldn't be happier. Yes gravel creaks under the shoes and you have to be careful around wooden floors, but the cycling bit of touring is a lot more comforable with a good connection to the pedals. Also helps if you happen upon rough roads, clipless pedals can act as a safety belt keeping you and the bike upright.

sykerocker 

I'm currently using Nashbar Rodeo pedals on my Bianchi, will probably get a set for the Magneet. Easy to get in and out of, seems to work well with my Shimano MTB shoes. I love the clip/platform alternatives, as I will usually use one pedal on the platform side during a steep climb if I'm in a fatigued condition - it makes it a lot easier to put the foot down if the body forces me to stop in mid-climb.

canadiangringo

Y'know, I picked up the M324's a long time ago for general use, and wasn't thrilled with them. Now I'm thinking about using them for my next tour, so I can get around easier with normal shoes every once in awhile. Go figure.

That was my experience, except it wasn't once in a while, it was nearly every day. Steel-soled bike shoes are clumsy gear for everything but a bike.

George

Bacciagalupe

For those using the M520's or PDA530's -- can you ride those pedals OK when wearing normal shoes? The thing I don't like about the M324's is that they clip in OK but I always have to fuss to get the platform side.

Black Shuck

I can ride my PD M520's just fine with normal shoes, takes a bit of adjusting to thoguh. I've ridden shorter disances i.e. under 10km several times wearing thin soled sneakers. Even worked well with my winter hiking boots
.

niknak

I'm a big fan of the Speedplay Frogs. The design is very simple and it works great, and despite what people have said in the past, the new cleats last a long time even with lots of walking.

positron

I may get run outta town for this, but I'm going to suggest platform pedals and well-adjusted powergrips straps plus normal shoes.

cyccommute 

I've been down that route long ago. If you think hot spots are bad with stiff shoes, try it with a 'normal' shoe after about 6 hours in the saddle...he says while warming the tar and plucking the chickens

smurf hunter

+1 on the candy

I commute and mountain bike on the plain old egg beaters, as the 4 sided entry is nice. For longer rides with fewer stops the platform does help a bit.

jibi

Riding extreme long distance tours has led me to choose the Shimano PD-M647

https://www.freedommachine.com.au/ite...Start=0&ID=263

slightly cheaper is the m-424, but there is also the reduction in quality.

Both have a cage and dual side clip in, the 647 cage is resin and the 424 cage is plastic.

The 647's I have have lasted well over 3 years of some harsh treatment , unsealed roads, sandy deserts, bogs. rivers etc etc.

The cage means I can cycle down to the shops wearing normal footwear too. And it stops " Hot Foot" I get with pedals like the 520

george

teamcompi

I love the crank brothers, have tried the candy and the huge platform style, name escapes me. I still prefer the plain eggbeater with decent shoes. I had problems with getting out of the shimano system especially when cleats were dirty and wet, the eggbeaters seem easier to exit but still enough to hold, the extra float also seems to help the knees. have a good ride....

tmac-100

I have burgundy colored Odyssey pedals that have little screws (from inside to outside) protruding through the platform. I used these pedals while bicycling for 6 weeks in outback Australia along the Savannah Way from Cairns to Darwin. I just checked them and they are still in excellent shape. I bought them new on eBay before my trip.

Platform type pedals were my only real choice because I wear a right foot shoe with a leg brace built into/onto it - I need it because of a fused right ankle (that happened after a rock climbing accident a decade ago).

YMMV, but I like those pedals - first time lucky I guess ;-)

Lake_Tom

The Rivendell bike-types claim the only reason a cyclist needs a "stiff sole" is if they are using a (clipless) pedal with a small bearing surface. I presume that the small pedal would be the origin of the hot spots that you cite. Am I right?

positron

howdy,

I am reccommending the platforms plus powergrips based on a good amount of long distance riding and experience... I used to wear sidi dominators paired with time ATAC alium pedals, which were very good. However, I got hot spots about 8-10 hours into brevets with this setup, and would occaisionally (overnight rides or cold wet weather) get a sore knee. After faffing around with microadjusting the cleats, I found that slight periodic readjustment during a ride would relieve my pain... for a while, then i would need to slide the cleat back to the original spot.

After reading kent petersens rationale behind powergrips for his race down the continental divide trail, I was intrigued. I found this pedal setup allowed me to shift my feet forwards and backwards slightly, thereby releiving any pain I experienced.

I still use the sidi's and clipless for mountain biking, but not long rides...

cyccommute 

No. A 'normal' quill pedal, like those used for years by many of us like this:
have a very narrow back and front plate. Those were designed for use with a very stiff soled shoe and cleats. Many of us rode them without the cleats and often with soft shoes. The plate...especially the rear one...can cause a severe hot spot on the sole of your foot with a soft soled shoe. Riding for more than an hour or so in those pedals could be painful. No clipless pedal I've ever ridden has given me the pain one of those pedals have given.

Lake_Tom

Thank you. I rode on such pedals for about five years until I "discovered" clipless. I salvaged the bowling shoes that I wasn't wearing and used them because I read that "you want stiff soles". The bowling shoes kept my pedals from biting me. The longest rides I did were 30 to 40 miles.

I am imagining a pedal/shoe combination where I use those "smallish" toe clips. I would put velcro inside the toe clip and a piece of velcro on the toe of my shoe so that they wanted to stay together. Anything to get away from having that "SPD hole" that just invites rain. And that sound when I walk on gravel.