There are a variety of things to think about when selecting a style of clipless MTB pedals for your MTB. Today there are a selection of clipless pedals designed for many varieties of riders and riding. The advantages of riding with clipless pedals make them one of the greatest investments you can make in your riding.
The two majors kinds of clipless off road pedals are what I call the conventional clipless and the platform type clipless. They standard kind of clipless features a smallish pedal body and are really engineered to be ridden only while clipped in. This is the most typical type and you probably have seen these many times. Crank Brothers Egg Beaters are likely the best example as they have nearly no platform and the rider must be clipped in at every point. Shimano, Time, Look, Ritchey, Speedplay, BeBop, etc all make standard type clipless MTB pedals. The benefits of normal clipless are lighter weight, simple clean design, direct engagement of rider and pedal and better performance in mud. On the down side you'll need a cycling particular shoe at every point for safety since the non existent platform provides no grip and can make a doubtless perilous interface between rider and bike. To paraphrase, your feet will slip off and you might get hurt!
Lately manufacturers have offered pedals supplying the solid engagement of being clipped in with a platform for those examples when you may not want to be clipped in. The Crank Brothers Candy is an excellent example of a platform clipless design Initially designed with the downhill racer in mind these varieties of pedals became very hot with commuters and casual cyclist riders who like to unclip while navigating challenging sections of trail. The big platform does permit riders to back out of cycling particular shoes when they are just taking a fast spin to the store for instance. There is a weight penalty with platform type pedals but for the added confidence they give many riders this is of small concern.
So the issue is which type is best? Not to sound like an senator nonetheless it actually does depend on the rider. I run traditional pedals on all my bikes. For the kind of riding I do (XC MTB, cyclocross racing) being clipped in at all times is best. I have been clipped in since '91 and back then platforms were not a choice.
I had no choice. If i were just making the move to clipless though i can see some real benefits in learning on a platform and then heading off to a conventional as my confidence grew or I changed into a racer. For most riders I suspect platforms offer the very best of both worlds.
The two majors kinds of clipless off road pedals are what I call the conventional clipless and the platform type clipless. They standard kind of clipless features a smallish pedal body and are really engineered to be ridden only while clipped in. This is the most typical type and you probably have seen these many times. Crank Brothers Egg Beaters are likely the best example as they have nearly no platform and the rider must be clipped in at every point. Shimano, Time, Look, Ritchey, Speedplay, BeBop, etc all make standard type clipless MTB pedals. The benefits of normal clipless are lighter weight, simple clean design, direct engagement of rider and pedal and better performance in mud. On the down side you'll need a cycling particular shoe at every point for safety since the non existent platform provides no grip and can make a doubtless perilous interface between rider and bike. To paraphrase, your feet will slip off and you might get hurt!
Lately manufacturers have offered pedals supplying the solid engagement of being clipped in with a platform for those examples when you may not want to be clipped in. The Crank Brothers Candy is an excellent example of a platform clipless design Initially designed with the downhill racer in mind these varieties of pedals became very hot with commuters and casual cyclist riders who like to unclip while navigating challenging sections of trail. The big platform does permit riders to back out of cycling particular shoes when they are just taking a fast spin to the store for instance. There is a weight penalty with platform type pedals but for the added confidence they give many riders this is of small concern.
So the issue is which type is best? Not to sound like an senator nonetheless it actually does depend on the rider. I run traditional pedals on all my bikes. For the kind of riding I do (XC MTB, cyclocross racing) being clipped in at all times is best. I have been clipped in since '91 and back then platforms were not a choice.
I had no choice. If i were just making the move to clipless though i can see some real benefits in learning on a platform and then heading off to a conventional as my confidence grew or I changed into a racer. For most riders I suspect platforms offer the very best of both worlds.
About the Author:
Art O'Connor has ridden clipless pedals since 1992. On his site he reviews many types of pedals for all types of riding.
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