Spd and mountain biking!

martyc5674

Hi there,
I used spds for the first time off road the weekend.
Anyway it ended in a disaster clipped a rock and destroyed a pedal which made it quite tricky to keep going... Ended up having a bit of a fall as a result and did myself an injury!!!(foot kept slipping off pedal)
So 2 questions...are they worth persuing? And if so recommend a pair that don't fall apart the first time they clip a rock!!
Cheers,
Marty.

-Chris-

Definitely worth pursuing.

Anything by Shimano or anything above €30 should do you just fine (as a generalisation).

angry_fox

would go with the shimano dx spd pedals

fenris

Having started mountain biking on a rigid bike, I found that when I got back to it and bouncy bikes were the norm, I was smashing pedals approx every 6 weeks (sag, lower bottom bracket, lack of skill), first I went for the better (more expensive) pedal route, but they still got smashed, then I tried the buy cheap, buy twice route (BBB) a bit stiffer to get in and out of but lasted just as long as the "proper" pedals but were half the price.

Then came the Shimano 424 - resin cage, good platform (even without SPD shoes), easy to get in and out of, no problems with mud clearance so far so good and not too pricey. There is a version with a metal cage but apparently the mud clearance is not as good as there is not as much space between the cage and pedal mechanism.







Crank Bros. Candy or Acid are nice pedals too, I have a set of last years Candy-C's as my backup pedals, But this years Candy 3's look good!

Greyspoke

Definitely worth sticking with the spds. I think everyone has their own stories of falling off when they first start using them but honestly, clipping in and out does become second nature very quickly. Clipping a rock though and the pedal breaking was maybe just bad luck that could happen anytime.
Best really to do a bit of practice with the pedals at home first before venturing off-road and set the tension on the clipping in mechanism quite light so your feet will come out quite easily. After a while though you might want to then increase the tension a bit as otherwise you 'll find yourself unclipping unintentionally which can cause falls too.
As the others above said, you can't go wrong with Shimano pedals (I know you'll tell us now that that is what you had!) - the basic 520 model can be got very cheaply if you shop around.

martyc5674

Cheers lads.... Have used them already heaps on the road on the mtb and always on my road bike.
It was just first time not using flats on trails. I'd be handy enough off road but clipping pedals is so regular on an mtb I'm wondering if it was bad luck or are they fragile in any case. I like the look of the caged pedals linked above!!
Cheers
Marty

ednwireland

might help if you tell us which pedals you had

i just slid down the road with one of these (ok prob less of an impact than hitting a rock)
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=3759
which were dirt cheap so survived better than i expected them to

martyc5674

http://www.discountbicycles.co.uk/biz/product.php/4458/0/vp_m11_off_road_clip_in_pedals

These were them RIP!!!!

ednwireland

as saidbefore ihave had several shimano spd's and only destroyed them by taking tham apart or the earings giving up after years of abuse (and thats offroading)

those i linked to are only 20 odd euro (caged ones are 30 odd ) on chain reaction so worth a punt

fenris

No protection for the mechanism there!

I have a new set of Crank Bros. Smarty's that you can have for €15, but you would probably be better off with the 424's

A pedal with some form of cage will help you find a platform for pedaling even if you are not fully clipped in, letting you clip in at you leisure a rotation or two later.

martyc5674

Ordered 424's...cheers for the help
Marty.

mtbireland

no don't use them..that's why 100% of XC racers use them..!!!!

Serioulsy though... everyone has a few problems at first. Not sure the flats with spd's are the best option but if you think they might help go for it. Although within a couple of rides you will be used to the spd's so not much reason for the flats.