twahl

My wife rides an EZ Sport. We switched her over to "campus" pedals that are SPD on one side, and after her obligatory falls, she has said that she can tell they help, particularly on climbs. She didn't want to spend much on shoes until she was sure she'd like them, so she's wearing Performance shoes...sorta like sneakers, but they aren't real comfortable. She also has trouble clipping in sometimes.

I switched from SPDs to SPD-SLs on my DF, and within a couple of rides I felt that they were much easier to get in and out of than the SPDs. Much more secure feeling as well.

So my question to the 'bent riders is what do you guys ride? If clipless pedals, what type? What did you try before you decided on what you've come to prefer and why do you prefer what you ride now?

Thanks in advance for any guidance.

cjs1948

My wife and I use Shimano SPD M324--platform on one side, clip on the other. We've had the same four sets for years as we've moved them from bike to bike. They are excellent and work perfectly. They cost more than the pedals you refer to and are easily worth the difference. Clipping in does take practice. I occasionally apply a bit of paste wax to the mating metal parts. Makes clipping in easier and maintains the full amount of float that is available.

Chip

Northwestrider

I tried Froggs on my Strada, but on occasion had a problem unclipping. I have since switched to Eggbeaters, and find them easier to clip into and more importantly for me, to unclip from.

Acorn22

used to use Frogs, but they wore out really fast. The new ti ones would last longer but they are expensive. now I use SPD and I like them. They can be tough getting out of though. That is why I liked the speedplay so much. They just slip off

bkaapcke

I ride an EZ Sport and recently put a pair of Speedplay Drillium platform pedals on it. They are great. Wouldn't use anything else. bk

aikigreg

I've tried several, including quattro/eggbeaters by crank brothers, and SPD. Nothing, and I mean nothing, beats bebops, imo. Easy on, easiest off of any pedal, and tons of float. It's definately the simplest mechanism of any pedal I've seen, and the cleat doesn't seem capable of wearing out. Mine still look and act as perfectly as they did a year ago.

BlackSwan

I recently got eggbeaters and they attach perfectly to my Louis Garneau cycling shoes (on sale at Team Estrogen right now I believe). Easy to get in and out of, and keep me from losing the pedal when I hit big bumps or rough patches. Had a spectacular crash from losing my pedal which prompted me to go clipless.

The Garneau cycling shoes are the most comfortable I've ever worn. I don't have to haul an extra pair of shoes to wear on tours because they are comfy enough to wear walking through shops and restaurants. So if she's looking for shoes, I highly recommend those.

sch

If I were starting over I would go with egg beaters as the cleats recess allowing shoes that are not too bad to walk in and they are not pendulums and have multiple angles to access from. At present I use Speedplay X (older models) on my road bikes and Frog on the bent. The Frogs are upto 13Kmi with occasional greasing and I am on my second set of cleats. The frogs are easy to clip in and out of in my experience and being recessed the shoes are easy to walk with. X cleats are a PITA to walk with. Pedals like Look are a hassle on bents with high BB as positioning the pedal is more difficult and hard soled road shoes can slip off more easily.
Steve

twahl

Wow. I posted thanking everyone for their input, but the post appears to have disappeared. I got her a pair of eggbeaters, and if she decides they work well then I'll try some different shoes than what she has. She rode them this evening, had a little trouble the first couple of times but didn't do too bad. We'll see!