A couple of simple clipless questions.
 

I'd like to get back into mountain biking and would like to start by putting some clipless peddles on my bike. Are the platforms on the Cankbrothers Candy line of peddles (or maybe even the smarties if I decided to cheap out even more) substantial enough for some casual riding in street shoes? I'd be clipped in for any serious riding, but lately I've been using this bike heavily as my "hop on and ride a few blocks in whatever shoes in have on, 'coffee getter' bike" and I'm hoping I wont have to give that up.

Also, are there any clipless shoes that can serve decently for both mountain and road riding? I don't do either extremely avidly, so I can make some compromises in either direction, and it would sure be nice to simplify my stash of gear in that regard.

Thanks so much!
Tom

I wasn't 100% sure if this was that best place to post this...

Tom-

Can't address the Crank Bros. stuff, since I have no experience with them.

As far as shoes go, all my bikes (MTB and road) have clipless MTB pedals and hence I ride all with MTB shoes. No problems. I like. I also like being able to walk in them much better than road shoes, which have no cleat recess.

Hope that helps.

the candies will give more supprot than just egg beaters, and are a great pedal, however they still arn't great for riding in normal shoes, i def goof off on my bike in normal shoes or even flipflops on my eggbeaters, and its totally doable, just far from preferable, you have to kinda keep in your head to not slip off the pedals, basically the issues with the candy is that even with the cage, the mechanism still sticks up. I was supprised at how much longer i coudl trackstand on big platform pedals

as for shoes any mtn shoe will work on the road as long as you use mtn pedals on your road bike, this is basically what i do, i run eggs on my mtn bike and ss, and quattros on my road bike cause they are stiffer for better power transmission, i'm sure candies would have basically the same effect. This setup is not as stiff as a good road shoe and pedal, but its been fine for me (and my road bike is far from somthin cheap where you wouldn't notice pedal flex)

If you use SPD's you have the option of the snap in platforms that clip into the pedal jaws that will give you a platform for regular shoes. If you want to be clipped in for mostly commuting ,imo, the SPDs again are hard to beat as they are cheap, the cleats re tough as nails and last a lot longer than many other cleats,especially when walking round on pavement.
Frog cleats wear out damn fast if walking on pavement.
Keep in mind that the cleats for Crank bros are brass :)

the plastic thing the clips into the pedal to give you a platform is designed for testriding a bike at a store and should wear out really fast, fyi crank bros also has those, shimano does however make a pedal that is clipless on one side and platform on the other. But IMO crank bros pedals are better

Imo, Frog pedals are the best,ever :)

i've only used crank bros and generic SPD pedals. i dont have the broadest knowledge of clipless pedals, but i love eggbeaters through and through. they dont gunk up with mud. they have just the right amount of float for my goofy knees. they are so easy to get in and out of but i have never had a mis-hap with them. i have bashed my egg beaters on rocks before with no problems

just about any mountain shoe will be suitable for any style or genre of riding. i road cycle about as much as i mountain bike and i would never ever buy road shoes. many of them that i have seen are not even made to be walked in. i've actually heard stories about dudes getting flats and having to walk barefoot.

my advice is to buy normal egg beaters and mtn shoes. from my experience with eggbeaters, i would not recomend buying the uber expensive ones. the more you pay the lighter they get and the less beef they have to them. the cheap ones are much heftier than the ones i paid twice as much for. they both perform the same. im no weight weenie so i will gladly take the stronger, heavier ones.

i believe the quality of metal used on the sl version is stronger than that of the c or mxr/smarty level i think the wings are also machined vs stamped. the c level is still fine, but the only downside of getting the fancier pedals is the price, but price is a big deal (at least for most of us)

My advice is to buy Shimano M520 pedals and mountain shoes unless you constantly ride in the mud. I've used both Crank Brothers pedals (Eggbeater, Candy) and Shimano SPD pedals. Shimano pedals have adjustable release tension and require much less heel twist to release than Crank Brothers pedals. In addition, the Shimano SH56 multi-release cleat makes unclipping even easier than with the standard cleat.

Buy Crank Brothers pedals if you need lots of float to keep your knees happy, or you often ride in muddy conditions. Despite all their supposed improvements, Shimano SPD pedals still aren't great at clearing mud.

I have Candy C's. The platform is not good for a non-SPD shoe. The cage protrudes too much.

+1

I've been using SPDs for ages, but I tend to like the 'ski binding' type feeling. I totally lost it on a trail once with eggbeaters because I actually had to take 1/4 sec to make sure I was clipped in... I like how SPDs audibly let you know that your feet aren't going anywhere.

That said, the eggbeaters have lots of float, and are super quiet. You really do need some degree of faith to ride them though.

I've heard good things about Time ATACs. A buddy of mine would only run these. I've seen a few too many pieces of Time pedals strewn about on the trail though, so I guess when they fail, they explode?

Never had a problem with my Shimano A530s. They're not exotic, but damn solid.

I am using the Forte Campus pedals. They are cheap and pretty good so far. Platform on one side if you decide to take a ride in regular shoes. Best of both worlds in my opinion.

My Shimano Mountain shoes work perfect for both road and mountain.

I also run SPD's on my bike, love em!
reasurring click, and I know I'm locked.

Thanks everyone! This gives me a LOT to go off of.

Tom

Not to keep this thread alive any longer then need be, but what do you guys think about these shoes? They seem crazy cheap to me...

http://cgi.ebay.com/NIKE-LIGURE-MOUN...3A2%7C294%3A50

Tom

Buying shoes off the internet (especially ebay) is gonna be a crapshoot as far as fit is concerned. I don't know about Nike MTB shoes. I have used Shimano MTB shoes and have always been happy w/them. I recommend getting shoes from an LBS where you can try them on. My 2cents.

+1. Got caught myself, luckily the seller was good for a refund.