I'm tired of float/engaging issues with the Wellgo WPD-823s that came stock in my Dakar Sport. After trying some other pedals, it's obvious I'm suffering for no reason. I'm a big guy (245 lbs), so I need something that will hold up under my weight.

The two models I'm really looking at are:
Shimano PD-M520 ~ $50
Shimano PD-M540 ~ $75-90

Anyone with experience with these care to shed some light on what they extra $ gets you with the 540s?

I've also toyed with the idea of getting something like a Candy C pedal, so any other suggestions are welcome.

Thanks :)

I have the PDM-520's and I like them quite a bit... Checking on beyondbikes.com, the only difference I can find is that the 520 has a resin axle locknut vs the 540's alloy locknut. Both have cr-mo axles with sealed bearings. I'd go with the 520's from what I'm seeing. I find my 520's to be super smooth and easy to clip in and out of. I paid $55 for them at my LBS the other day and am still working on the spring tension such that I don't fly out of them when hammering on the pedals but can still get out of them whenever necessary.

I've been using the 520's since the beginning of the year. Great pedal! Easy to engage/disengage, good mud clearing design, adjustable tension, good price. See also www.mtbr.com for rider reviews of products. They're not a fancy/flashy pedal that will impress other riders, but they WORK reliably. Some complain about the weight, but that's not a concern with me. Shop around, I think www.jensonusa.com or www.universalcycles.com has them for about $40.

Time pedals no matter which one you get will be reliable, predictable,shed gunk well and will take the abuse a big guy gives them even if you are an aggressive rider and start @ around $ 70 or higher depending on which ones and where you get them. no adjustments need to be made. they work as advertised period

I second the Times pedals. After using a few Shimano products, they just dont compare to the Times.

I've heard of a lot of problems with mud clogging the Shimano pedals. I've never used them personally, but I ride with Specialized brand pedals that have a similar design. They are manageable in the mud, but could probably use some improvement. I like the design otherwise.

I think you will find that Wellgo is a knockoff SPD and if you go with Shimanos you may have the same problems you have now. ATAC will be trouble free for you IMO

I ran SPD's for awhile and recently switched to Time ATAC Z's to see how they differed. It's (very) unlikley I'll go back to the Shimano's, although I have plenty of friend's who like 'em (a lot of them run the 520's). The ATAC's are super simple, always a solid in and out and they don't have the fussy personality of the SPD's. The Z's are somewhat heavy if you're counting grams but the heavyweight build makes them practically destruction-proof. Depends on what you ride and what you are looking for in a pedal.

Candy C's have a good rep if you don't want the larger platform of something like the Z or Crank Bro's Mallet.

Thanks for the feedback, everyone. Seems like Time's stuff is pretty popular.

I'll do some shopping around and see what I can come up with. :)

a quick question about the Time pedals... my friend is getting a bike (possibly a Kona Hoss Dee-Luxe) that already has clipless pedals on it... Problem is, he weighs 450.. I sorta wonder if ANY pedal would be able to take such abuse. Are the Time pedals built that much more sturdy than the Shimanos that they might be able to handle such a load? The bike comes spec'ed with Shimano M-505's (it's a used 2004 model).

I'd have to say a set of BMX platforms.

I will post a review of what I think of the Crank brothers Mallet C's when I get them.

I first used Shimano pedals back when they first came out about 12 years ago. They worked okay but they clogged often and of course there were problems associated with the coupled tension and release angle design. A few years ago, I switched to the original Time ATACs for MTBing and have never been happier with my pedals. The new ATAC XS look awesome. I'd love to have an excuse to switch to them but my current ATACs work so well. If you want a bigger platform then go for the ATAC Z-Controls. The Eggbeater/Candy/Mallet lineup is also well regarded but I don't have any long term experiences with them.

If DH bike pedals can take DH duty, and BMX pedals can take the crap they get, than I bet there is a pedal for your friend. remeber on a jump a pedal can easily see many times the rider's weight due to inertia.


Or you can have him call Kona and make sure, and if not if they could reccomend something that would.

The way I see it, a decent set of DH pedals with strong axles should do him fine since he won't be taking it off-road just yet. If they can take a 250 lb rider nailing a 6 ft drop, they can surely take a 450 lb rider cranking on the pedals a little bit.