Giant Boulder SE MTB - SPD Pedals

[Aushiker]

G'day

I want to get my Giant Boulder SE MTB back on the road. Mainly for riding with Anne (partner) and my young fellow and maybe a bit of MTB riding on some of the local tracks. Nothing serious at this stage. Long-term goal - Mundi Biddi end to end.

Anyway at this point I want to keep it pretty stock but add some mudguards, pannier rack and clipless pedals.

Hence the question. Clipless pedals. I assume I can get SPD pedals for the bike. I have Shimano PD-M505s on the flat bar and want to use the same system. Would the M505s be better or is there something else?

I don't want to break the bank, but don't want rubbish either.

Suggestions?

Thanks
Andrew

[sogood]

Shimano SPD or Crank Brothers' egg beater/Candy models to choose from.

You can get CB pedals at much better prices online than in the shops. It's my choice after going through two sets of SPDs. The M540's bearing was shot after a few hundred ks. A515 was squeeky on pedaling. Greasing pedals' cleat mounts only led to temporary relief. No more Shimanos for me.

[europa]

The Shimano SPDs all use the same cleats ... sort of, some of the cleats are multi-release ie, in an emergency, you can reef them out of the clips from any angle. That's what I have and they are very good and, I would suggest, a good idea for your wife, your lad and when off road. The downside is that there is probably more chance of pulling out a foot accidentally, but I ride with my cleats pretty loose and have never had a problem though they have saved a couple of possible falls - I'd suggest accidental releases are a more an issue for aggressive riders.

Regardless of any other considerations, I would suggest you stay with the same system throughout the fleet - it just makes life a lot easier, allows you to leap onto any bike and be able to clip in. Sure, you can ride without clipping in, but for convenience, keep it all the same.

I've got two sets of M324 pedals - normal pedal on one side and clip on the other. There have been some problems with these though both my sets have served me very well. I'd suggest them for a pedal, or one of the other 'flat pedal one side/clip on the other' systems (seen them on bikes in the shops but don't know their name), because it just makes life a bit more flexible.

Or change everything to Crank Brothers (not a silly suggestion, have a look at your own pedals and if you find they could do with replacing, maybe a different system is worth considerting).

Richard

[Aushiker]

Damn. Thought I had replied. Thanks for the suggestions.

If I went to say Crank Brothers pedals would I still be able to use my shoes which fit my SPDs now?

Also Shimano M540 SPD seem to get good feedback elsewhere. Maybe a reasonable comprise?

Regards
Andrew

[sogood]

All the pedals I've bought came with a set of cleats. So yes, CB pedals would come with a 2 bolt cleat. Or their Quattro road pedal would come with a standard 2 bolt cleat as well as a 3 bolt conversion plate.

M540 was what I had. The bearing died of a short death on a road bike with normal usage. Shimano's warranty repair was hopeless and had to be returned twice. And it's still rough as hell.

[europa]

Sadly, sogood's experience has been echoed by others on the forum. I'm about the only one willing to admit to a trouble free run from my Shimanos

Richard

[MichaelB]

Sadly, sogood's experience has been echoed by others on the forum. I'm about the only one willing to admit to a trouble free run from my Shimanos

Richard

My 520's are still fine after 1,530km of road use

So far anyway's .....

[Mulger bill]

Sadly, sogood's experience has been echoed by others on the forum. I'm about the only one willing to admit to a trouble free run from my Shimanos

Richard

My hands up.

I have a tendancy to belt the bajingoes out of pedals on rocks, sticks, whatever killing them early, so I won't spend big. I've got 505s on Princess the MTB and 525s on Deni the roadie, give 'em a bit of a (recycled) toothbrushing whenever I clean the chain and a drop of lube on the springs and Bobs me uncle The 505s have over 4000ks without stripping and are still smooth, the 525s are still pretty new. They both came with a pair of clip on platforms for street shoe use Anybody want some?

Shaun

[Aushiker]

G'day

Okay looking at these Crank Brothers Smarty Pedal and these Crank Brothers Candy C. Pricing seems reasonable. Any thoughts?

Regards
Andrew

[sogood]

IIRC, out of the two, there's a preference on the net for the Candy model for durability. But please verify as I have not used either.

[Aushiker]

IIRC, out of the two, there's a preference on the net for the Candy model for durability. But please verify as I have not used either.

No worries. Thanks for your advice. Appreciated.

Saw a set of CB blue ones on eBay ... link is on my other laptop but might take a shot at getting them cheap.

Andrew

[MJF]

Have had two sets of SPD pedals - bearings kept on going out of adjustment. Switched to Egg Beaters - nice build, but don't support the shoe well which causes my knees to move around a bit and aggravates my knee problem. Perhaps the candy would have been a better choice.

[sogood]

Have had two sets of SPD pedals - bearings kept on going out of adjustment. Switched to Egg Beaters - nice build, but don't support the shoe well which causes my knees to move around a bit and aggravates my knee problem. Perhaps the candy would have been a better choice.

Maybe the sole of your cycling shoes is a little flexy for your liking?

[Aushiker]

Saw a set of CB blue ones on eBay ... link is on my other laptop but might take a shot at getting them cheap.

The link to the Crank pedals on ebay is here

[Kalgrm]

Sorry for coming in late - I've been out bush.

I'm running CB pedals on both my MTB and my 'bent, after using Shimano 520s on my MTB for about a year. I'm happy I made the switch to CB pedals - very rugged build and rebuildable/serviceable by the owner. I've got Candy SL on the 'bent and Eggbeater SL on the MTB.

Yes, the cleats will fit your current shoes, although on some shoes you may need to trim some of the tread to allow the pedals to access the cleats.

Cheers,
Graeme