Originally Posted by
jrickards
I am considering switching to either Candy3 or SPD downhill (eg Shimano PD-M545) pedals because of the larger platform than my XT pedals.
Keep in mind that many "downhill" pedals are deliberately designed to be more difficult to clip in and out of.
Originally Posted by jolly_ross
Time Z Controls are pretty broad too. The engage easily - but have a very large amount of float.
Maybe you have a slightly different model, but I bought that Time Z Controls for that same purpose, and I found that they were definitely more difficult to clip in and out of. When I bought regular Time ATAC's, I found them much easier.
I think they're more "normal" pedal with a platform is the Time X Roc Platform ATAC Pedals (but I'm not 100% sure) -
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...pf_rd_i=507846
OP - "So I would like something semi casual so that I would not need to carry around a second pair of shoes with me."
Are you going to keep a pair of shoes to change into at work?
My bike shoes are fine for walking into work to my desk, walking through a grocery store, etc etc. But I wouldn't want to wear them for an 8 hour workday. I had to do it once when I forgot my shoes at home, and hadn't figured out that I could just leave a pair at work yet, even at a desk job they become uncomfortable.
So if you cannot leave a pair of shoes at work, or carry them with you, I'd just stick with platform pedals. While some are more comfortable than other, in my opinion none are comfortable enough to wear around all day. I use regular mountain bike shoes, but I also tried "casual" shoes, and didn't like them - the less-stiff connection to the clip definitely seemed to gave me more knee pain than with mountain bike shoes (or regular street shoes and platform pedals).
I personally prefer the Time Atac pedals for commuting, because:
- Reputation for being reliable (unlike the old Crank Brothers pedals, though new ones might be different)
- Free float (unlike some SPD models)
- Can tell by feel when you're clipped in or out (unlike the Crank Brothers models)
- Very good reputation for shedding dirt/mud/snow/ice (only really a concern if you're riding in the winter like I sometimes do)
- As good as you can get for not clicking when walking on hard surfaces (no pedal is perfect, just as good as the Crank Brothers, better than the spd's I had)
This looks like the modern equivalent of the model I use -
http://www.amazon.com/TIME-ATAC-XC-P...ords=time+atac
They've been great - they just work, no drawbacks (as I mentioned, unlike the other styles I tried).