Pedals for MTB

Vélo

I've gone on a couple of MTB spins and I just don't like the Crank Brother clipless pedals I have. I can't disengage quickly enough and was thinking of changing to Shimano A530's which I have on 2 of my bikes as I'm more used to them. I'm also thinking of getting some flat pedals and was looking for some advice.

Does anyone have an opinion on these?

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/DMR_V12_Flat_Pedals/5360030591/

Lumen

Aquinas73 wrote: »

I just don't like the Crank Brother clipless pedals I have. I can't disengage quickly enough and was thinking of changing to Shimano A530's

Consider a swap? I never use the flat side of my A530s and fancy something different.

kenmc

I use these on my mtb
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/p/cycle/7/Shimano_M545_Free-Ride_Pedals/-985728531/
the platform gives you a bit of an edge if you miss the engagement, you can still pedal a bit until you find the position.

Vélo

My problem is when I want to disengage, I can't get my foot on the ground quick enough and end up falling over when I try get over an obstacle. It doesn't happen all the time but when it does it's leterally a pain in the ring!

kenmc

tried loosening off the release tensions i presume? Mine are set very soft, never had any problems disengaging.

blorg

Personally I would definitely go for double-sided pedals for MTB, there are plenty of situations where you will need to just stomp down on the pedal and have it engage without looking. A530 would be a very bad choice IMO for off-road.

All the double-sided Shimano SPD pedals work pretty much the same functionality wise and are excellent, I have both bottom-of-the-range M515s (now M520s) and one-off-the-top XT.

Adjustable tension which I believe Crank Bros lack, no problems disengaging and easy to enage. Reasonable mud-shedding (although not as good as Crank Bros I believe) - have only really had problems with lots of caked snow.

Disclaimer: I am a beginner on the mountain bike.

blorg

kenmc wrote: »

tried loosening off the release tensions i presume? Mine are set very soft, never had any problems disengaging.

Eggbeaters don't have adjustable release tension, Crank claim the design doesn't need it but some riders do find it difficult to disengage.

rob1891

The flat pedals you linked to (OP) will eat you calves and shins for breakfast. There is an argument towards learning mtb technique on flats instead of spds, but if you want to go that way budget for shin guards and 5-10s (shoes with a sticky sole).

Jumping off your bike is about all that is easier on flats, you can get away with a lot of stupid stuff when you are locked into the pedals ... the counter point being you never learn how to properly traverse said stupid stuff. Stick to SPDs if you want a quick initial progression.

Ciaran500

Go for these if you want flats: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=665
or these if you want to give clipless another go: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=3759

rob1891

Also, have you checked to see if you are using your Crank Brother's cleats in the 15 degree or 20 degree orientation? If you are not using the 15 degree release angle give it a go before replacing your pedals.

Enduro

The Egg Beaters will loosen a bit after the cleats wear down with usage. They are usually only very tight for the first few spins, I find.

The bigger problem you're having is thinking that you should be releasing from the pedals. When I first started using clipess (With Time pedals) I found I was falling over a lot as I wasn't able to get my feet out fast enough to stabalise myself. The problem wasn't with the pedals... the problem was that I had developed crap technique and was relying far far too much on putting my foot down to stabalise myself. More patience and learning was required to develop better skills so as to not need to unclip so often. Basically that's what you need to do.

Vélo

Enduro wrote: »

The Egg Beaters will loosen a bit after the cleats wear down with usage. They are usually only very tight for the first few spins, I find.

The bigger problem you're having is thinking that you should be releasing from the pedals. When I first started using clipess (With Time pedals) I found I was falling over a lot as I wasn't able to get my feet out fast enough to stabalise myself. The problem wasn't with the pedals... the problem was that I had developed crap technique and was relying far far too much on putting my foot down to stabalise myself. More patience and learning was required to develop better skills so as to not need to unclip so often. Basically that's what you need to do.

I thought as much. I'd rather stick with clipless as I'll only have to learn at some stage. I do like being clipped in while travelling at speed as you do feel more secure. I might go with the shimanos as you can change the tension on them. With the Crank Bros I even find it harder to disengage than the Shimanos while cycling on the road. I thought the flats might be ok as they have pins coming out of them and you might have decent grip with them.

Vélo

rob1891 wrote: »

Also, have you checked to see if you are using your Crank Brother's cleats in the 15 degree or 20 degree orientation? If you are not using the 15 degree release angle give it a go before replacing your pedals.

I made sure of that when I was putting on the cleats

Turbulent Bill

rob1891 wrote: »

The flat pedals you linked to (OP) will eat you calves and shins for breakfast. There is an argument towards learning mtb technique on flats instead of spds, but if you want to go that way budget for shin guards and 5-10s (shoes with a sticky sole).

Jumping off your bike is about all that is easier on flats, you can get away with a lot of stupid stuff when you are locked into the pedals ... the counter point being you never learn how to properly traverse said stupid stuff. Stick to SPDs if you want a quick initial progression.

I have DMR V8s on my commute/MTB bike, similar to the V12s that the OP linked to. These were replacements for the POS plastic pedals originally fitted, which were slippery with any amount of water or mud. They're very grippy (will bite/rip into flexible soles), but it's instant tattoo if they hit your ankles. I suppose you have to balance the consequences of slipping off them with the likelihood of it happening.

No experience of clipless, but as a beginner / rubbish MTB-er I find being able to bail off the bike in an instant very reassuring. There have been many spectacular dismounts when I lost the front wheel on a slippery surface, without any serious damage to me. I don't know if even experienced clipless users could react fast enough.

DirkVoodoo

I have the Wellgo V8 copies, about 15 euro from CRC and apparently they are nearly as good as the DMRs they imitate.

I tried clipless on a MTB on my second spin, thinking I was fairly handy with them now. Big mistake, I was clipping out going around every bend or through narrow gaps, which usually meant I would come to a halt on the steeper parts to clip back in.

I guess it depends on how good your mountain biking skills are, although a bikeradar article there recently pointed out the benefits of flats for improving technique.

donal_mcg

Turbulent Bill wrote: »

I have DMR V8s on my commute/MTB bike, similar to the V12s that the OP linked to. These were replacements for the POS plastic pedals originally fitted, which were slippery with any amount of water or mud. They're very grippy (will bite/rip into flexible soles), but it's instant tattoo if they hit your ankles. I suppose you have to balance the consequences of slipping off them with the likelihood of it happening.

No experience of clipless, but as a beginner / rubbish MTB-er I find being able to bail off the bike in an instant very reassuring. There have been many spectacular dismounts when I lost the front wheel on a slippery surface, without any serious damage to me. I don't know if even experienced clipless users could react fast enough.

I use the V8's, they have really good grip. But as mentioned above, I fell Saturday in Djouce, this is what you can expect when it happens. Didnt like SPD's on first few goes, maybe time to go back and give em another go.

concussion

I would definately reccomend DMR V8's over V12's because of their grease port - just take out the grub screw and fill it up with grese and your sorted. You can get the Wellgo copies for half the price but they don't have the grease port.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=3177
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=563

When I don't use flats I have bog standard M520s. Don't be tempted by the combo clipless/flat pedals, they're the worst of both worlds - the flats aren't grippy enough and the mechanism is difficult to get at.

Like others have said, be careful with V's - they can shred you
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/3MWqYfZDYcOrmbhW5r5jJw?feat=directlink

(May be a little gruesome)