Pedals for CX

Nickelodeon

Hi
I would like some advice on pedal and tyre choice for CX .I entered my first race on Sunday and although I came in 6th from last I really enjoyed it ! It was the most exhausting event I've done to date having completed a number of sportives and charity rides this year. Nothing prepared me for it not even my weekly spinning and circuit classes!! But even though its early days I would like to have some ideas on pedals as my SPD's just stopped working once the mud had built up in them ( are look quarts any good?).Also I am riding a scott cx comp with continental cx pros (25) on are they any good ?? or should I be using some other make of tyre as they seemed to get very clogged up quickly . I dont think I'm at the level to use tubs just yet :!: Thanks

Pseudonym

most pedals will clog in mud to some degree or other. I use Time Roc Atacs which were clogging up towards the end of my race on sunday - a lot of people seem to rate Crank Bros' Eggbeaters, but I've not tried them as mostly the Atacs seem to work fine.

Tyre choice is another of those difficult areas. I've just switched to a pair of Challenge Grifo 32s which seemed to work well on Sunday (very muddy), but Michelin Muds or Schwalbe CX Pros also get good reviews. To be honest, in deep mud, you will struggle on any tyre regardless. Tyre pressure is also critical in those conditions...

hammerite

I use these http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/mtb-bmx-bike/Pedals-MTB-Ritchey-V4-MTB-Pedal/RITCPEDM200 I think I bought them because I just needed a new set of SPD pedals, but when they came and I saw the pedal had big holes in I decided to use them for cross hoping they wouldn't clog up as much. They still do clog up at times, it's unavoidable in some conditions.

Sometimes the clogging up is a combination of the pedal and your cleat, so you also have to scrape the mud off your cleat (you probably worked this out though!).

Like Pseudonym I use Challenge Griffos too, I really like them. They've been perfect for the dry races we've had all season. If it gets muddy then go for something like Schwalbe CX Pro - which can be picked up really cheaply. As I've been so pleased with the Griffos, I might get Challenge's mud tyre too, called the Limus.

alien

I use speedplay frogs, they coped with a bit of mud last weekend with no problems - they self clean.

http://speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.frog

FransJacques

Hammerite those Ritchey pedals look sweet, indeed they have big gaping holes for mud passage. Does the bottom of the cleat rest on the axle where it says "rictchey" or is the axle somewhat concave? It appears so in the pic. Reason I ask is where is your leg power delivered? On the 2 raised round dots above the bearings?

A lot of people talk about platform size for power delivery which is why the Candys are popular in the States.

The new XTR/XT pedals were touted as being better for power delivery due to their large contact patch: http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/mtb-bm ... 0000000000 or indeed http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/mtb-bm ... 5000000000 (see the 2 silver platforms) but many racers found the mud shedding is worse than the outgoing Shimano pedal. (can't find a link)

Has anyone tried these? http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/mtb-bm ... OOKPEDM201 They look light and not too expensive, but look like mud-catchers.

Supernaut

Eggbeaters are, for me at least, the perfect cx pedal. Light (very if you go for the expensive ones), never clog, simple to maintain, easy entry/exit.

hammerite

I'll be honest Frans, I've never checked to see where the bottom of the cleat rests. I'd guess it's on the raised 2 dots, but not sure. If I remember I'll check it out tonight.

Nickelodeon

Hi
thanks for all your advice I will take a look at your recommendations and drop big hints to the wife ! I keep coming across eggbeaters so I think they are top of my list. I've got another race this Sunday so I'll have to make do for now on the pedal front. As for the tyres I was wrong mine are continental cyclocross plus (700,35) not cx pro 's so I might purchase some schwalbe cx pro's as I think it might get a bit muddy this weekend if the forecast is correct, actually what am I saying the forecast is never correct but its a good excuse to get some. My will is weak when it comes to saying no to new stuff!! Ah well thats all for now thanks again.

xixang

another vote for egg beaters here, but make sure its the egg beater version and not candy's or any other with a body like mallets etc. Over the years I've tried SPDs and others plus recently some crank bros candys but now have EB on both my cross bikes and have never had any issues with clogging or clipping in as the design lets any mud in the pedal squeeze out when clipping in, the candys have gone onto mtb as I found the clogged in cross due the body/wings not allowing mud to squeeze out

VamP

I also like eggbeaters, but beware they're not the most durable pedal out there. I am currently taking a pair back that's got grinding bearings after 500 miles (including 6 races), which does seem to be a bit of a sudden demise.

I do like them enough to have bought a replacement pair though

MikeWW

Agree the egg beater are great for mud shedding
But they do make a mess of you shoe soles unless you put the protective plates in-but if you do then it makes clipping in harder
I just settled back on Shimano 520's in the end. Only about £20 inc cleats-not quite as good re sticky muddy but don't have much of a problem

Monty Dog

Whilst the Ritchey are nice light pedals, the don't like mud IME making remounts tricky when it's sticky! I also had the bearings go in a pair in 6 months - no-user serviceable. I've since switched to Look Quartz as they have excellent mud-shedding ability.

DavidBelcher

Pseudonym wrote:

most pedals will clog in mud to some degree or other. I use Time Roc Atacs which were clogging up towards the end of my race on sunday - a lot of people seem to rate Crank Bros' Eggbeaters, but I've not tried them as mostly the Atacs seem to work fine.

Atacs every time for me. Rarely, if ever clog, to the point of being unusable, whilst the cleats and the bearings last forever. The only annoying thing is that some of the older models don't have flats for a pedal spanner on the axle, so you have to use an allen key to fit/remove them which is not so effective.

David

FransJacques

Monty Dog wrote:

Whilst the Ritchey are nice light pedals, the don't like mud IME making remounts tricky when it's sticky! I also had the bearings go in a pair in 6 months - no-user serviceable. I've since switched to Look Quartz as they have excellent mud-shedding ability.

What are the Quartz's like or power transfer? Can you tell and difference? Also, they look quite dense, are they really good at shedding mud?

How's pedalling on top of them w/o clipping in? That's one thing with ATACs that ones does at one's own risk...

Pseudonym

FransJacques wrote:

How's pedalling on top of them w/o clipping in? That's one thing with ATACs that ones does at one's own risk...

I think the same could be said for most pedals - I can do it on my Atacs - I had to several times on Sunday.....

Monty Dog

The Quartz are a distict improvement on Ritcheys or SPDs for packed mud - they have raised bars like Attacs so it just gets squeezed out. No problems on remounts when unclipped either and can easily wiggle to engage, unlike the Ritcheys which are a bit fiddly. At £40/pr and about 250g a pair they're a bargain in comparison to Time too.

Teach

Monty Dog wrote:

The Quartz are a distict improvement on Ritcheys or SPDs for packed mud - they have raised bars like Attacs so it just gets squeezed out. No problems on remounts when unclipped either and can easily wiggle to engage, unlike the Ritcheys which are a bit fiddly. At £40/pr and about 250g a pair they're a bargain in comparison to Time too.

Had a look at these and they look good for £42. Really silly question. Will my normal spd shoes fit? Or will I need different shoes? If I do? What do I need?

Monty Dog

They use standard SPD 2 hole fittings i.e. any MtB shoe