Originally Posted by
aggiegrads
Don't put words in my mouth. I didn't say that everyone moves on from SPDs - I said that many do.
Your second argument may have some merit, but the exact examples that you use are bogus. All of their teams were sponsored by Shimano at the time. If they were paying me to do so, I would ride XTRs too.
I have the luxury of riding the equipment that I choose, as do most amateur riders. I doubt that most world tour riders get to choose each component that they ride.
Semantics aside, I disagree with the notion that SPDs are not preferred among experienced CX racers (amateur or pro). SPD's are ubiquitous at the highest levels of the sport, and it goes way beyond sponsorships.
I don't think Shimano is paying Hyde to ride these XTR pedals with no visible logos on them, on an otherwise SRAM/Zipp equipped bike:
Stephen Hyde Cannondale SuperX 2019
Wout Van Aert similarly switched from ATAC pedals to a Look SPD knock-off before joining Jumbo Visma (a Shimano sponsored team) in 2019:
Wout's Stevens Super Prestige 2019 Worlds