Pedal predicament

[red913]

The pedals that came with my iron horse are plastic and dont offer much grip when they get wet. So I want to upgrade but dont really understand too much about whats out there. There are the standard ones I'm used to seeing...

Then there are the "egg beaters"...

Also the clipless....


So whats the point of all these pedals? Why would I want to LOCK my foot down. Seems that in an emergency situation i'm really screwed.
Also clipless vs egg beaters...?
All I do is just xc and nothing too crazy there. So I suppose the platforms would be best for me right?

(Also this topic I would have assumed to have been covered a thousand times over. I didn't find it in the search...hmmm)

[allison]

What kind of bike is it and what rides do you do? If you're doing DH/FR, then platforms are best. Any climbing, go with clipless.

[sailcalifornia]

to begin with, eggbetters and the shimano spd's that you have are both different types of "clipless" pedals.

i am sure other people will chime in with more valuable input. But i agree with alison, for all but serious DH I would go with clipless

[J_Sims]

cross country is where the some format of clipless (Shimano SPD or Crank brothere egg beaters) really shine. You will notice that once you adapt to clipped in feeling you are able to climb much better and you actually have more control over the bike at any given moment. You will also learn to clip out without even thinking about it. It becomes a natural movement just like putting your foot down when you stop...


Clipless on everything except that which only goes down hill

[red913]

I noticed the platform pedals can sometimes weigh around a pound or more! The clipless seemed to be about half that. Clipless gets major points just for that right there.

[foofighter]

do what is comfortable for you but to truly maximize your pedal stroke you would have to go w/ clipless

[Dino Brown]

RED- I believe the platform pedal (image) you posted is a WELLGO MG-1. They happen to be the pedals I run. Super light (375g/pair). Super strong. Super sticky. I will let you pedal my bike around next time you make it to The Loop!

With that said, I believe you should give clips a try. Efficient. Foot won't slip off the pedal. Can improve climbing. Can pedal on up AND downstroke if needed etc....

[rmb socal]

Start yourself out right and get a set of clipless pedals. Time or Crank Brothers are typically going to be easiest for most to learn on (I learned on shimanos, not recomended, thou many like those pedals as well) Then find yourself a large grass field at your local school (not recomended when kids are in school, you may get some weird looks) or some type of ground that will not hurt to fall on, and practice, practice, practice. Once you feel comfortable there, take them to the trail. Once you have some time on them, it becomes second nature, really. Clipless help with your overall riding, it works on your spin and you learn to use more of your leg muscles then with platform pedals. Hope this helps.

[Ladd Jasper]

Originally Posted by red913

(Also this topic I would have assumed to have been covered a thousand times over. I didn't find it in the search...hmmm)

It has. What was your search term, "ham sandwich?"

Try "clipless pedals." It'll return a stack of results, at least one of which was posted earlier today.

Just playin', mostly. The search is hella useful, though.

[jayman_29]

Originally Posted by Dino Brown

RED- I believe the platform pedal (image) you posted is a WELLGO MG-1. They happen to be the pedals I run. Super light (375g/pair). Super strong. Super sticky. I will let you pedal my bike around next time you make it to The Loop!

With that said, I believe you should give clips a try. Efficient. Foot won't slip off the pedal. Can improve climbing. Can pedal on up AND downstroke if needed etc....

I have the same exact pedals (Wellgo MG-1's). Those pedals are great and like Dino said, they're really lite. You don't even need any special shoe to wear (I have the Five Ten Impact Lows) when you're riding them. Almost any shoe with a soft, firm sole will stick like glue. I know Jenson has some and you can also find them on eBay. My brother got his on eBay from a guy in Chino and they were reasonably priced. Try Dino's bike or if I see you first, you can try mine.

[JOx2]

you will feel that you are more efficient rider when your clipped in, and the benefits of pedaling up-stroke (pulling up your pedal) when going uphill. Plus no wasted energy just trying keeping your foot on the pedal.

[92se-r]

The Wellgo MG-1's rock. I just read some reviews that only the Azonic A-Frames are slightly better(durable), so I'm trying those out. Haven't installed them yet. With the MG-1's, I can actually pull up on my leg and the pedal will follow, they are that sticky. Watch the shins though.

[Dino Brown]

Originally Posted by 92se-r

The Wellgo MG-1's rock. With the MG-1's, I can actually pull up on my leg and the pedal will follow, they are that sticky. Watch the shins though.

Tell me about it!

[katonk]

For a first pair of clipless pedals, may I recommenced the Crank Bros Smarty Pedals. They are cheap, light, easy to get out of, and mostly maintenance free. Don't expect them to last much more than a season. Of coarse the higher end models are more durable and/or lighter. For a few dollars more you could get the slighty more durable candy c's. They're a little heavier at that price point and will require some maintenance, but they should last two years.

Crank Bros. site:

http://www.crankbrothers.com/smarty.php

Pricing:

http://www.qbike.com/cgi-bin/find.cgi?ord=p&st=smarty

[bighit8]

I have the wellgo b-27 and I am happy with them on the DH/FR bike

[mottmcfly]

Originally Posted by red913

The pedals that came with my iron horse are plastic and dont offer much grip when they get wet. So I want to upgrade but dont really understand too much about whats out there. There are the standard ones I'm used to seeing...

Then there are the "egg beaters"...

Also the clipless....


So whats the point of all these pedals? Why would I want to LOCK my foot down. Seems that in an emergency situation i'm really screwed.
Also clipless vs egg beaters...?
All I do is just xc and nothing too crazy there. So I suppose the platforms would be best for me right?

(Also this topic I would have assumed to have been covered a thousand times over. I didn't find it in the search...hmmm)

Choosing to ride clipless (AKA stuck to bike) can be a seriously unnerving process. In the end if you decide to "clip in" you will ultimately increase your pedal power and control over the bike. You say that you are only doing XC, what better application. Egg beaters are not the way to go to transition yourself. You want a "clipped in" pedal that allows you to unclip when you are just not comfortable but still allows pedal control. I recommend the Mallet C pedal for this. You should not be worrying about weight at this point there are more important things at hand. Once you have mastered being clipped in you can choose whatever you want.

Hope this helps and best of luck.

Mott

[mazer75]

I started out on clipless from the get-go, and I've been pretty happy with that decision. When I bought my Enduro SL I got Shimano SPDs to go with it, and haven't ridden platforms since. At first I was a bloody mess (literally) out on the trails, due in part to the pedals. But you learn quickly to pop out of the pedal immediately... probably took me a month before I was really comfortable in them.

Though I didn't even know about them at the time, Shimano makes a "multi-release" SPD cleat which gives you more options to pop out. I started with the regular ones, but learned to pop out the only way I can! Either way, if you are planning on XC and maybe some moderate DH then I think clipless are the way to go.

[BoingBoing]

+1 on the Crank Bros Mallet C

I am also transitioning and I like the fact that the Mallets are just like platforms when I'm clipped out. Jenson has them on sale for 1/2 what I paid!

[klutter]

I'm currently running Time pedals on my bike. If you decide to pull the trigger and go with clipless, you'll also want to look into something called float. (I stole the following blurb from a search on google)

"Float" is defined as the degree of movement offered by the cleat within the pedal before release begins. A fixed-position cleat does not allow your foot to swivel, and can cause injury to your knees by forcing you into a pedal rotation that is not natural for your specific knee alignment. To prevent knee injury, Most clipless pedal systems have "float". Float allows your foot to swivel a few degrees laterally to ensure that you don't injure your knees. The amount of float can vary from 0 to 15 degrees. The greater the float, the more you will need to twist your foot to release your shoe from the pedal.

Just another bit of info to chew on

[red913]

well I'll have to take you up on the offer Dino/Jay. I'll definitely try that out. Clipping in sounds kinda scary to me. I'm still very timid on my bike. I would probably be more comfortable for now knowing that at any time I could put my feet down at any moment. The trick will be just finding some time to go riding. Got some family coming in from outa town for a week...they would be quite upset if I ditched them for a bike ride.