J-McKech

Well I'm building up a Surly Instigator for a Ag. XC/Freeride. I kinda wanna go clipless just because thats what I feel good with. I would be willing go to platform if ya'll can sway me. I have been looking at Bebops and Speedplay Frogs. Anyone know anything about Bebops? they look pretty awesome and strong as hell. Let me know.

Maelstrom 

I can't help you with this one. Never ride clipless on skinnies, it kills :d

J-McKech

Know any good platforms?

arboc!

truvativ holzfellers

skunkty14

Syncros makes a nice pair, can't remember the model name though.

chris_krueger

A cheap pair of welgo platforms would do fine. Although im not exactly a freerider i can see clipless as being a proeblem because there may be time when you want to bail and you'll find yourself forgetting how to get out as you teeter on the edge of a skinny thats over 10 feet off the ground heh.

PWRDbyTRD

wow..10 foot fall b/c you didn't remember how to unclip...oww.

shwa_rider

go with a 40 dollar pair of wellgos, you wont be dissapointed

snakehunter

I use a pair pf BMX pedals, Odesy twisteds, they hurt like hell, but gripp like #$%^& and only cost me about 30. PLUS they are HUGE which helps my big feet.

Maelstrom 

Yep I go cheap. I destroy pedals. I get wellgos or azonics. My feet stick to them and they don't break and if they do I don't fall to the ground crying cause I wasted 150$ on a sealed bearing Ti spindel POS.

Maelstrom 

These are nice too. Got a set free in the summer.

scrublover

steer away from bebops and frogs if you intend any type of skinny/techy stuff. they are very hard to ride on unclipped; feels like your foot is resting on an ice cube.

if you want a good combo, i'd suggest the:

shimano 545 or 646 models (large platforms with clipless setup in them)
crank bros. and time also make similar versions. nice, as you can be clipped out if you get to something you want to be clipped out for. not as stable that way as pure flat pedals, but better than being clipped in allthe time.

i've been using the 545 shimano models for quite a while now. no problems with them. if you do go clipless, leave the tension loose. you want to be able to get out fast........

i'd say, if you are purely riding stunt stuff, go for the flats. if it's a do it all bike, and more of the riding is not on stunts, go clipless.

try both, then decide what you like.

J-McKech

well we dont have any stuff around here like NS, no skinnies or ladder bridges. Mainly drops and what not. I'm just going to call my bike an All-mountain bike.

scrublover

then a good pair of combo pedals may do the trick. i don't know hwo much climbing you have to do to get to your good stuff, either.

long climbs with flat pedals suck.

https://www.jensonusa.com/store/product.aspx?i=PE707A08

i love these now. once they eventually die, i'll probably replace them with these:

https://www.jensonusa.com/store/product.aspx?i=PE608A03

only reason i haven't yet, is that all five of my bikes with clipless pedals have SPD compatible version -so i can use any of my shoes with cleats. no "oops; grabbed the wrong shoe" moments at the trailhead that way.

Raiyn

I run a set of Odyssey South Gates on my trail bike

good solid pedals and reasonably priced.

bikered

I've seen some pedals in my LBS that have been coming stock on bikes that have one side with a clip-in bit and the other side a flat pedal. Couple that with some shoes with recessed cleats and you're away for anything

phantomcow2

well Crank Brothers Mallet pedals has a decent size platform, i have not personally ridden with them but looking at the size of the platform im sure you will do fine unclipped if the situation calls for that

J-McKech

Heres a better question. Who makes a clipless pedal thats easier to disengage than Shimano? Are bebops quick disengage?

PWRDbyTRD

man, I have the m505's from shimano, I can set them loose enough to almost just yank my foot out of.

scrublover

they, and the frogs, aren't any quicker or slower than shimano pedals. the frogs and bebops aren't working by spring tension, it's how far you move your foot when attempting to get out. they take more foot movement than many other pedals do.

however, if you are even contemplating wanting the thought of platforms......i'll reiterate and say the frogs and bebops are NOT what you want in a clipless pedal. just look at the cleats, and pedal size and imagine that. no room on them to be clipped out and still have much of a platform to have your foot on.

if you want to build a bike for xc/light freeride, and want to stick with clipless (as in your original post), something with a platform is the way to go.

shimano, crank bros, and time all make what you might want. check 'em out.

shimano https://www.speedgoat.com/product.asp...=240&brand=226
crank bros https://www.speedgoat.com/product.asp...t=240&brand=60
time https://www.speedgoat.com/product.asp...=240&brand=255

best bet? get thee to you LBS and see if they will let you demo/test ride whatever kinds of pedals they carry.

enduro

Just loosen the spring tension and file down the cleats if you want to disengage more easily. SPDs are generally easiest to disengage because spring tension holds the cleat in. Egg beaters aren't like this, so you actually have to rotate your foot to get out instead of pulling up or to the side.

My personal recommendation, if you're doing mostly trail riding with occasional jumps and stunts, is to go with something like the Shimano 646s or Crank Bros Mallets. Ride with cleated shoes for trail riding, then if you're only going dirt jumping or whatever, ride with normal shoes. I have Mallet Cs, and the grip is good enough with normal shoes. Yes, I know they're not designed for it, but they work fine.

J-McKech

I think I might just go with some plats and get a nice skate shoe. It seems so much easier to just bail on the plats than an a SPD. I really like the azonic ones. Can anyone recommend a badass skate shoe? I was looking at the adidas, they look nice but how stiff are they? what about vans?

seely

Vans or DC are what most skaters I know are wearin these days.

PWRDbyTRD

my friend swears by DC.

J-McKech

A buddy of mine is a hardcore skater and he swears by DC as well. They just look so...ugly. I wonder what the pro-freeriders are wearing. It could give us a sense of what is nice and what isnt. Maelstrom will be by and let us know