While in this mode of rehab I have been kicking around the Idea of putting clipless pedals on my Trek. Currently I have Anzonic Aframes, but I am not liking the 'disconnected' feeling while riding. I've read up on the various pedals out there and am leaning twards the Shimano M545's. I'm not too worried about weight seeing that the Aframes weight in a 685g (1.5 lbs each) and pretty much any change wil be lighter. Any body use these or have a better Pedal in mind?
I prefer the Shimano PD M424 Pedal. It has a plastic cage instead of the metal cage, and therefor weighs much less. If you routinely bash pedals on rocks etc., you may want to stick with the 545's.
I gotta say that I'm a fan of the simplicity and affordability of the Crank Bros Egg Beaters. ...and the Mallets have a platform, if you are into that.
I've never tried anything else, so I can't compare but I think they feel plenty sturdy. I originally got the mallet to ease with the transition into clipless but since then I swapped them out for the pure egg-beater on my mountain bike (I got the candy series on my dusty road bike). The mallet definitely feels "thicker", but I prefer the light-weight "cleaner" feel of the solo-beater...but that is probably just all in my head! :lol: And slipping? :?: What do you mean by that? If you mean that you "pop out" of them, then yeah, I occasionally do that, but a) it doesn't happen so often that I consider it a problem, and b) I can't say it is because of the degree of technicality of the terrain. I would imagine that sort of thing could happen with any type of clipless pedal. The only adjustment you can make with them is on degree of release. I've always run mine with the minimum amount. If you need more "float" they suggest that you add the 5 degrees, or whatever it is. To change it you simply flip around the cleats on your shoe.
My 2 cents: I think one thing you really want to ask yourself is: "how many times do I actually clip out and for what reasons?" & "what type of riding do I mainly do?" The main thing is: if you're going to be going down super technical stuff or riding where you'll be clipping out often then get the pedals with the cages so you can use them as regular platform pedals. But if you'll be riding stuff like Turnbull Canyon and other XC/FR type rides where clipping out is very minimal then minimize the pedals to something like the PD-M540, PD-M520, Egg-Beaters, or Time MTB pedals without the cages. As for myself, I've been using the Shimano SPD's since '93 and they've served me just right, no problems so far (i use them cranked as tight as possible and almost never accidentally clip out on the technical stuff going up or down). I've heard great things about the egg-beatters, and never heard a complaint about Time pedals. Hope this helps & good luck
I've been using Time pedals exclusively on all my bikes, never had 1 problem and I love the feel of them. They have a nice amount of float and I rarely have ever accidentally come unclipped. If you want a big "platform" type pedal the Atac Z control pedal is nice. I use those on both of my "bigger" bikes and use the Atac XS pedals on my other bikes.
I've had my 545s on 3 bikes now and love them! They take a beating, I can ride in my Vans if I'm just going to 7-11 or something, and they have never failed me-staying clipped in when I need and popping out when I need that too!
