What Pedals ?

rokt
rokt Posts: 493
edited February 2018 in Cyclocross
I’m currently looking for some pedals and would be interested to know what everyone’s using for cyclocross and or gravel.

Comments

  • fat daddy
    fat daddy Posts: 2,605
    shimano pd m520s

    £22 a pair double sided and shed mud like no other .... although a lot of people I ride with use eggbeaters .. apparently they are better, but I never have issues with the 520s so in no hurry to change
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    SPD - almost everyone has them. Cheap. Nightmare in snow.
    Time ATAC - less prone to clogging. Less cheap. Nightmare in snow
    You're lucky to encounter snow once a season, so it may not be a factor.
    Eggbeater - reputedly don't have the snow issue. Reportedly less robust/reliable. I have no direct experience of either, but have heard both comments direct from (different) users.

    I race with ATAC. Next time I have a snowy race that I care about, I may consider clips & straps on the pit bike (mental note to check they don't cause me problems on dismounts!)
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • animal72
    animal72 Posts: 251
    I use XTR SPDs.
    The Mrs uses Egg Beaters.

    I've had one set of SPDs die on me in years of MTB, so was the obvious choice for my Grave, bike.

    Tried SPD with the Mrs and she didn't like the clip-out consistency in mud/snow. She much prefers the Egg Beaters.
    Condor Super Acciaio, Record, Deda, Pacentis.
    Curtis 853 Handbuilt MTB, XTR, DT Swiss and lots of Hope.
    Genesis Datum Gravel Bike, Pacentis (again).
    Genesis Equilibrium Disc, 105 & H-Plus-Son.

    Mostly Steel.
  • kentphil
    kentphil Posts: 479
    Shimano spd m540, great pedal. Reliable and lasts for years.
    1998 Kona Cindercone in singlespeed commute spec
    2013 Cannondale Caadx 1x10
    2004 Giant TCR
  • VamP
    VamP Posts: 674
    TGOTB wrote:
    SPD - almost everyone has them. Cheap. Nightmare in snow.
    Time ATAC - less prone to clogging. Less cheap. Nightmare in snow
    You're lucky to encounter snow once a season, so it may not be a factor.
    Eggbeater - reputedly don't have the snow issue. Reportedly less robust/reliable. I have no direct experience of either, but have heard both comments direct from (different) users.

    I race with ATAC. Next time I have a snowy race that I care about, I may consider clips & straps on the pit bike (mental note to check they don't cause me problems on dismounts!)


    I've been racing eggbeaters for years. Seem to be lasting less and less time to the extent that I killed two pairs last season, which prompted me to invest in some ATACs. Can't speak for those as I've barely raced this season.

    I think slushy snow is a problem for all pedals as you get compacted ice around the cleats, and they don't clip in. I spray loads of GT85 on soles/cleat area before a snowy race (cause they happen so often!) and this seems to delay the clipping in problem.

    People I know who race SPDs generally moan about mud clogging more than non-SPD users. Maybe they're just more moany :-D
  • Chris James
    Chris James Posts: 1,040
    VamP wrote:
    People I know who race SPDs generally moan about mud clogging more than non-SPD users. Maybe they're just more moany :-D

    I think because SPDs are so ubiquitous then Shimano users have often just ended up using them because that is what they are used to - and in a lot of cases because they are cheap and indestructible.

    People who have made a positive choice to opt for an (often more expensive) alternative manufacturer have a greater commitment to their choice - i.e. possible confirmation bias.

    As you can probably tell from my tone, I use M520s. They do clog up a bit, I clear them by whacking my shoes against the crack arm. That usually works. Occasionally I encounter a nightmare combination of mud, gravel, sand and all kinds that makes it very difficult to clear, but these are few and far between.

    In that case, I moan as it is cheaper than getting new pedals and gives me an excuse for my poor performance!

    Most of the pros use SPDs, but often 'prototypes' that offer better clearing. I know a few years ago Jonathon Page was using basic M540s though, so even cheap pedals have been raced at the top level.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,576
    Chris James wrote:
    Most of the pros use SPDs, but often 'prototypes' that offer better clearing. I know a few years ago Jonathon Page was using basic M540s though, so even cheap pedals have been raced at the top level.

    If I was getting a clean bike every lap, I'd use whatever the highest bidder wanted me to.
  • VamP
    VamP Posts: 674
    andyp wrote:
    Chris James wrote:
    Most of the pros use SPDs, but often 'prototypes' that offer better clearing. I know a few years ago Jonathon Page was using basic M540s though, so even cheap pedals have been raced at the top level.

    If I was getting a clean bike every lap, I'd use whatever the highest bidder wanted me to.

    Every half lap to be fair :-)

    Generally speaking though, cheap pedals are fine for cross, the only real penalty is weight not function. And weight is a bit of a moving target in cross.

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