Pedals - Cartridge bearing Vs Bushes

oms
oms Posts: 13
edited January 2017 in Road buying advice
Hiya,

I'm after some pedals for use on the road - with a two bolt recessed cleat.

I have some lightweight carbon MTB shoes which are super stiff - as far as efficiency/hotspots go, they're up there with road shoes with the benefit of being able to walk into cake shops etc (cycling is all about the cake in my world).

I'm therefore keen on an SPD compatible pedal.

I have two options:
Shimano SPD type pedals (M540, A600, or XT)- which have a cartridge type bearing (I assume ball bearings on both ends of the spindle).

SPD compatible pedals - which have a bearing at one end of the spindle, and a greased plastic bush on the other (almost identical to how Crank Bros set their pedals up). I have plenty of experience with using/re-building this type of pedal.

As far as those bearing types are concerned, is there any real difference in efficiency as far as road riding is concerned? What is the general consensus RE buses vs ball bearings?

Ta v much.

Comments

  • Bobbinogs
    Bobbinogs Posts: 4,841
    I wouldn't overthink it. Just buy the pedals you like/are used to and ride your bike.
  • Hinaultscrapcousin
    Hinaultscrapcousin Posts: 647
    If cycling is all about the cake I can't really fathom why you would care about the potential tiny differences in efficiency between the two options? I'd do what Bobbinogs says, or I'd look at float (angular and lateral) and make my decision based on that.
  • meanredspider
    meanredspider Posts: 12,337
    Bearings are more efficient than bushes. Bushes tend to be more resilient to crap getting into them as there's no point loads. Personally, for road, I think I'd go for bearings.
    ROAD < Scott Foil HMX Di2, Volagi Liscio Di2, Jamis Renegade Elite Di2, Cube Reaction Race > ROUGH
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    I have M520s on one road bike and M540s on another. I've regreased the bearings once in 10 years, and that was out of curiosity rather than need. They appear to be for all practical purposes indestructible.
  • lesfirth
    lesfirth Posts: 1,382
    Get some M520 or M540. The only thing you need to know about the bearings is that they seem to last for ever.
  • oms
    oms Posts: 13
    Thanks for the replies.

    I had never ridden on decent bearing pedals, so wondered if they were any better/smoother. I do the occasional 80/100 miler so I thought it was worth exploring before buying anything...

    ...that said, I just went ahead and bought a set of these after work:
    http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-pa ... -pro-pedal

    Same rebuild style as my egg beaters, but with the benefit of a cleat release adjustment screw. Plenty of float too.

    If I don't like them on the roadie I can always stick them on the CX bike (current pedals are due a rebuild at £15 anyway).

    Regards.
  • keef66
    keef66 Posts: 13,123
    They look like a copy of the M540s!
  • oms
    oms Posts: 13
    keef66 wrote:
    They look like a copy of the M540s!

    They certainly do on the outside!

    I took them apart - definitely one plastic bush on the inside, plus one wee bearing on the outside (which I already suspected for the price and weight)... so not the same bearing construction as shimano pedals.

    There's more float too - I'm not sure whether that's due to the cleat or pedal design (I have no Shimano pedals to make a direct comparison).

    There's a good amount grease in there (they'll weep a bit from the seals while they bed in).

    Let's see how long they last. :)

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