I know many triathletes mtn bike in off season. Any recommendation for pedals"clip in of course"? New to this side & thinking abut giving Xterra a try next year. Thanks in advance!
Nothing wrong with the basic Shimano SPD pedals.
There will be a lot of opinions. I’ve raced mountain bike (everything from UCI style X-C with multiple laps to 100k and 100 mile races) and done about a dozen XTERRAs (my favorite triathlon pallet), and I use the simple egg beaters. They are simple, they shed mud better than anything out there, they are reliable, they are durable, and they are light. I can’t really say anything bad about them.
I’ve used both eggbeaters and shimano SPDs. Both are great and you won’t go wrong with either (I’ve swapped back and forth several times). The eggbeaters have more float (you foot moves around more before disengaging) so that could be a determining factor - I’m back on the Shimano’s for that reason.
I use Crank Brothers egg beaters on my cross and mountain bikes. They have various versions with different sized platforms. I like having at least some platform arund the pedal to help me pedal a little if I can’t clip in immediately. I use candy’s for cyclocross with a small platform, and some old mallets similar to the current mallet dh for my mountain bike.
Shimano SPD’s work well too.
Borrow some from friends to see what you like.
Else buy cheap, used on ebay or craigslist, see what you like.
I prefer SPD over the crank brothers pedals. I like the positive feeling “click” on SPDs. My crank bros didn’t have that.
Shimano XT’s - 70 bucks on chainreaction, not as light as eggbeaters but far more reliable/durable! I’ve had 3 pairs of eggbeaters fail due to sprint wear, but my XT’s are amazing.
+1 for the eggbeaters
.
Check out the time atac xc pedals. SPDs you have to get the point of the cleat centered just right on the pedal and egg beaters have no platform, I haven’t tried the candys. The atacs are awesome, small platform and easy in and out, shed mud, lightweight if you get the carbon model, all around awesome.
Crank Bros sells zero float cleats. They take away the annoying float in the regular eggbeater pedals. Don’t be fooled by the name though, these aren’t like zero-float track cleats. I was about to switch back to Time ATAC when I discovered the zero float option.
Check out the time atac xc pedals. SPDs you have to get the point of the cleat centered just right on the pedal and egg beaters have no platform, I haven’t tried the candys. The atacs are awesome, small platform and easy in and out, shed mud, lightweight if you get the carbon model, all around awesome.
http://www.time-sport.com/pedales/atac-xc_15_m19.aspx
+1 for ATACs. Run them for 'cross and love them. Shimanos are hugely popular, but I wasn’t a fan and love my times.
I use Eggbeaters, which are the best with mud shedding and engagement. You just need to know they are disposable…meaning…not the best quality anymore.
Shimano.
I have used both eggbeaters and shimano. I like the feel of the engagement and disengagement better with the Shimano. But I am also not an expert perhaps 1-200 miles per year.
Very happy with Time Atacs… Have used them cross and mtb for many years. I like the 3 dimensional float. Good engagement in snow and mud. David K.
Hey all,
Here is a breakdown of the major pedal brands. These are XC focused pedals. Meaning a smaller pedal platform and better mud shedding. Most companies put out some kind of all-mountain, DH, or enduro pedal with a larger platform surrounding the clip retention mechanism. However, that usually almost doubles the weight of the pedal. As an XTERRA or XC rider you don’t want that added weight, particularly as it is rotating weight.
Since, we’ve done this research I’ll probably go ahead and do a more in-depth look at mtb pedals in the next few days for DirtTRI.
** Free float means, non-spring/tension effected float, which is the float up to the release angle.
Time-
ATAC XC models
248g - 302g per pair
Free Float- 5 degree rotational, 6mm lateral
Spring Tension Adjustment - Yes
** Time and Mavic paired up on pedals and shoes last year, so you may find “Mavic” branded pedals which are actually ATACs.
The Time ATAC design sheds mud well and have release/float tension adjustment, 5 degrees of float and 6mm lateral movement.
The ATAC takes a bit of getting used to. The click in is pretty subtle, and release takes a bit more rotation than some other brands. However, the float has very little resistance and the lateral movement could be good for people with knee tracking issues.
**Look **
S-Track Models
244g -290g per pair
Free Float- 6 degree rotational, 2mm lateral
Release angel- 15 degrees
Spring Tension Adjustment- Yes
A similar design to the ATAC but with less lateral “slide”. The S-Track is unique in that it you can add/remove a composite or alloy cage. Cages are not included with the pedals.
Crank bros
Eggbeater
179g (max of 200lb) - 290g per pair
Candy
234g (200lb max) 282g pair
Free Float - up to 15 or 20 degrees
Release angel- 15 or 20 degrees depending on direction of cleat
Spring Tension Adjustment- NO
By far the most popular MTB pedals currently. Click in is very intuitive. Release is smooth but predictable. The simplistic design sheds mud very well. Eggbeater and Candy are identical other than the small cage around the Candy. Eggbeaters platform can be too small for some riders, myself included. I use the Candy. They offer the lightest pedals on the high end, and the cheapest on the low end.
Xpedo-
215g-348g per pair (the heaviest is a different design)
Free Float- 6 degree no lateral
Release- not sure
Spring Tension Adjustment- Yes
Shimano-
XTR 310g - PD-M520 (LX basically) 380g
Free Float- 5 degree no lateral
Release- 15 degree
Spring Tension Adjustment - Yes
The classic SPD is a dependable, intuitive platform. If you don’t like the resistance free float of the bar loop design pedals (ATAC, S-Track, Crank Bros) you will probably want to go with Shimano. The Xpedo and Ritchey are fine options, but the cleat design does take breaking in and can be sticky when new. Shimano seems to have this issue solved.
**Ritchey **Paradigm
Ti-242g Comp-340gpair
Free Float- 5 degree no lateral
Release- 15 degree
Spring Tension Adjustment- Yes, and the greatest range of adjustment
The Ritchey is a more open design than the SPD, so, may shed mud better, although I’ve not had much issue with SPDs. The clamp area is slightly peaked and a bit smaller to the Paradigm take some getting used to in order to find the click in area. But you should adapt pretty quickly.
Speedplay Syzr
275g - 321g
Free Float - 10 degree
Spring Tension Adjustment - Yes
These are new this year. I’ve not been on them. It is a completely new design from the Speedplay Frog, which I hated, so I’m eager to try them.
Hope that helps, let me know if you have any questions
Jimmy