Good pedals for touring
-
- Posts: 274
- Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2010 6:55 pm
Good pedals for touring
Postby alexf » Fri Mar 15, 2013 7:31 am
On the other hand, my wife doesn't want to do clipless of any sort, so can anyone recommend a good, cheapish, pedal with toe clips? Or are there alternate solutions?
-
- Posts: 274
- Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2010 6:55 pm
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby alexf » Fri Mar 15, 2013 8:08 am
-
- Posts: 3540
- Joined: Sat Dec 08, 2007 10:12 am
- Location: 3166
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby kukamunga » Fri Mar 15, 2013 8:32 am
As an aside, pedals like the Shimano PD-M324 and similar from Wellgo and VP allow you to run toe-clips and straps on one side, with a 'click-in-cleat' on the other
-
- Posts: 274
- Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2010 6:55 pm
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby alexf » Fri Mar 15, 2013 8:44 am
-
- Posts: 3540
- Joined: Sat Dec 08, 2007 10:12 am
- Location: 3166
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby kukamunga » Fri Mar 15, 2013 9:37 am
PD-A530 - 383g, some people I've heard don't like the feel/shape/grip of the platform
PD-T780 - 392g, XT quality, look good, better platform/grip? Dunno
Other comments?
I personally have used a set of 'pop-up' PD-M424 on my tourer/commuter/workhorse for nearly ten years with no faults (Loctite the screws, & repack 'em with grease & adjust bearings every year or two), and I've never broken a resin cage. I've been using double sided SPD's for nearly 20 years now, so I am a bit biased - can't ride without them! I've got as many pairs of SPD shoes as I have 'normal' shoes (well.... almost)
IMHO, toe clips and straps are ineffective unless done up firmly, and once firm, make it hard to get foot in and out quickly in 'stop/start' urban/mtb riding situations. They're ok for touring though
Don't panic. The A530's are very popular
- RonK
- Posts: 11508
- Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2009 2:08 pm
- Location: If you need to know, ask me
- Contact:
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby RonK » Fri Mar 15, 2013 9:45 am
I have tried single-sided SPD's
A600
Combo flat and clipless SPD's
A530
Bought a set of these freeride pedals, but they are so big and ugly I couldn't bring myself to use 'em
M545
And have finally settled on double-sided trail SPD's
M785 Trail
Great for hill starts, no hot spots and good to pedal in ordinary shoes for short distances.
- DavidL
- Posts: 255
- Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2010 9:12 am
- Location: Ballarat, Vic
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby DavidL » Fri Mar 15, 2013 10:46 am
Also use these as they are very easy to clip into and if one side should fail out on the road there is a second to get you home.RonK wrote:I would not cycle without clipless pedals.
M785 Trail
- David.
-
- Posts: 3540
- Joined: Sat Dec 08, 2007 10:12 am
- Location: 3166
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby kukamunga » Fri Mar 15, 2013 10:54 am
- WestcoastPete
- Posts: 911
- Joined: Thu Mar 19, 2009 5:59 pm
- Location: Peoples Republic of Coburg, Victoria
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby WestcoastPete » Fri Mar 15, 2013 11:05 am
NB: the cheaper M520s are almost identical, but require a special tool for servicing.
Also to note, this is just what I use. There is plenty of merit in all of the other options, even platforms. I'd recommend stiff soled shoes though, regardless what you go with.
Here is a bit of a write up on my experience with platforms and Power Grips. Power Grips are awesome, I certainly prefer them to toe clips.
-
- Posts: 274
- Joined: Mon Sep 13, 2010 6:55 pm
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby alexf » Fri Mar 15, 2013 1:16 pm
- il padrone
- Posts: 22931
- Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:57 pm
- Location: Heading for home.
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby il padrone » Fri Mar 15, 2013 2:13 pm
More positive engagement than Shimano, great float for foot positioning, operates in almost all conditions, mud, sand - only ever had them not engage when blocked up by the delightful outback combination of mud with stones . Composite body is lighter than the Aliums I had before and doesn't get scratched up. Also their cleat design means that even when the cleat is well worn-out, they still engage and connect without wobbling - unlike the SPDs which get looser and looser as the cleat wears (and potentially a worn cleat could get to the point of not releasing ).They are a little tougher to disengage but you quickly get used to it (not as hard as road SPD-SL).
Time ATAC ROC S
Time ATAC Alium
"An unjustified and unethical imposition on a healthy activity."
- bychosis
- Posts: 7271
- Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2012 1:10 pm
- Location: Lake Macquarie
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby bychosis » Fri Mar 15, 2013 2:51 pm
-
- Posts: 3540
- Joined: Sat Dec 08, 2007 10:12 am
- Location: 3166
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby kukamunga » Fri Mar 15, 2013 3:56 pm
alexf wrote:I was thinking of going one side flat, the other side mtb clipless
Do Time, Look, Crank Bros et al do a flat/clip pedal?il padrone wrote:Time ATAC ROC S for me
I've always wanted to do a DIY 'power grip' set-up......WestcoastPete wrote:Power Grips are awesome, I certainly prefer them to toe clips.
-
- Posts: 5470
- Joined: Mon Mar 12, 2007 2:23 pm
- Location: Yangebup
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby Baalzamon » Fri Mar 15, 2013 4:26 pm
- WestcoastPete
- Posts: 911
- Joined: Thu Mar 19, 2009 5:59 pm
- Location: Peoples Republic of Coburg, Victoria
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby WestcoastPete » Fri Mar 15, 2013 4:46 pm
I toured the USA/Japan using Crank Brothers Candy pedals - middle of the range ones - and I found one of the weather seals to be broken when I was assembling the bike. This was on pedals that I'd hardly used before. They were a bit grindy too, so I rebuilt them. This was quite difficult due to the tiny size and large number of bearings. The MacGuyvered seal that I made never worked, and the pedals just became worse. They lasted the trip, but I wouldn't use them again. I got the Shimano M540s because off their excellent reputation, simplicity and servicability.
- il padrone
- Posts: 22931
- Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:57 pm
- Location: Heading for home.
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby il padrone » Fri Mar 15, 2013 5:41 pm
The closest thing to a flat pedal that Time do is probably the Z. But not really so great for flat shoe use as it is double-sided and the engagement bars still protrude above the pedal tread (they really have to to engage).kukamunga wrote:Do Time, Look, Crank Bros et al do a flat/clip pedal?
Ahah! You could get the Deckster to convert any two-bolt pedal to single-sided with a platform
SJS Cycles have them as well.
"An unjustified and unethical imposition on a healthy activity."
- il padrone
- Posts: 22931
- Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:57 pm
- Location: Heading for home.
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby il padrone » Fri Mar 15, 2013 6:03 pm
Maintenance........... pedals.............Baalzamon wrote:I've made the switch to speedplay and yep great pedals then the thought struck me... Touring UGH maintenance every 2000km on the pedal, lubing the cleats every 2 days. Means carrying more gear as well so I'm sticking to SPD for touring
I think in almost every case the humble pedal is the least maintained item on a bicycle, and they just keep on running, and running
"An unjustified and unethical imposition on a healthy activity."
-
- Posts: 524
- Joined: Thu Feb 12, 2009 5:45 pm
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby redned » Fri Mar 15, 2013 7:24 pm
My wife prefers PD M324 because she likes to be able to roll over onto the unclipped side.
- cyclotaur
- Posts: 1782
- Joined: Wed Jan 26, 2011 1:36 pm
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby cyclotaur » Fri Mar 15, 2013 8:03 pm
Same, never failed ... always beat the roadies away from the lights on Beach Rd.DavidL wrote:Also use these as they are very easy to clip into and if one side should fail out on the road there is a second to get you home.RonK wrote:I would not cycle without clipless pedals.
M785 Trail
- David.
My old blog - A bit of fun
"Riding, not racing...completing, not competing"
- il padrone
- Posts: 22931
- Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:57 pm
- Location: Heading for home.
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby il padrone » Fri Mar 15, 2013 8:21 pm
I think you could probably say the same for any double-sided SPD, Time, Wellgo or Crank Brothers 'two-bolt cleat' pedals. I certainly clip into the Times much quicker than roadies with Look or SPD-SLDavidL wrote:Also use these as they are very easy to clip into and if one side should fail out on the road there is a second to get you home.
"An unjustified and unethical imposition on a healthy activity."
- DavidL
- Posts: 255
- Joined: Mon Oct 11, 2010 9:12 am
- Location: Ballarat, Vic
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby DavidL » Fri Mar 15, 2013 8:42 pm
The flats/trail bit do make a big difference when starting compared to the M520 style of pedal. When on the trail and needing to start on a climb, and/or with cleats filled with mud you can still transfer a significant amount of power with this design even when not clipped in. Also you just stomp on them and the cleat engages. Not suggesting the M520 is hard to get into, but these are much more failsafe in times of panic or pressure.il padrone wrote:I think you could probably say the same for any double-sided SPD, Time, Wellgo or Crank Brothers 'two-bolt cleat' pedals. I certainly clip into the Times much quicker than roadies with Look or SPD-SLDavidL wrote:Also use these as they are very easy to clip into and if one side should fail out on the road there is a second to get you home.
Though these are not the only pedals that would do this, as I would imagine the Candy pedals would be just the same as would others form the other makes. I just use the SPD because that was the system my wife bought me for Christmas a couple of years back and have had no need to change. I also think I will go back to flats for MTB, so these will just stay a touring/commuting setup.
- David.
- singlespeedscott
- Posts: 5510
- Joined: Sun Jan 20, 2008 4:35 pm
- Location: Elimbah, Queensland
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby singlespeedscott » Fri Mar 15, 2013 8:43 pm
I use both of these. Great, indestructible pedals. Bearings are much better quality than the lower spec, similar shaped ones.RonK wrote:I would not cycle without clipless pedals
A600
M785 Trail
No hot spots for me. Mind you I think that hot spots are more related to shoe fit and cleat placement.
I find platforms are irrelevant because both of these are easy to pootle around with whilst wearing sneakers or thongs.
Having used both Times and Crank Bros. I would advice giving them a miss. I found both had garbage bearings. Particularly the Crank Bros.
- RonK
- Posts: 11508
- Joined: Mon Aug 24, 2009 2:08 pm
- Location: If you need to know, ask me
- Contact:
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby RonK » Fri Mar 15, 2013 8:48 pm
Nope - they definitely locate and engage much more easily than any other double-sided SPD I've used. Probably because of the longer platform.il padrone wrote:I think you could probably say the same for any double-sided SPD, Time, Wellgo or Crank Brothers 'two-bolt cleat' pedals. I certainly clip into the Times much quicker than roadies with Look or SPD-SLDavidL wrote:Also use these as they are very easy to clip into and if one side should fail out on the road there is a second to get you home.
And if you do happen to miss cleat, you can continue to pedal safely on the platform until in position for another try.
This makes them very good for hill starts on my loaded tourer, and that why they have become my pedal of choice for touring.
- il padrone
- Posts: 22931
- Joined: Mon Apr 07, 2008 11:57 pm
- Location: Heading for home.
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby il padrone » Fri Mar 15, 2013 9:04 pm
"An unjustified and unethical imposition on a healthy activity."
-
- Posts: 800
- Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2010 4:54 pm
Re: Good pedals for touring
Postby Uncle Just » Fri Mar 15, 2013 10:09 pm
But why unclip?Same, never failed ... always beat the roadies away from the lights on Beach Rd.
Back to the OP, I've seen all types of tourists with all types of pedals ranging from flats to clips and DS spds. Most of the ultra long distance types I've seen preferred flat pedals allowing for any type of footwear depending on the weather. Some sense in that I suppose as it negates the need for another pair of shoes and flats are a simple design. I however prefer XT trail type pedals for touring. I've used Onzas (remember them?), Time and Crank Bros before settling on Shimano spds. Certainly off road spds are strong and reliable with sufficient float and for touring I find them comfortable and need very little maintenance.
Return to “Touring Bikes and Equipment”
- General Australian Cycling Topics
- Info / announcements
- Buying a bike / parts
- General Cycling Discussion
- The Bike Shed
- Cycling Health
- Cycling Safety and Advocacy
- Women's Cycling
- Bike & Gear Reviews
- Cycling Trade
- Stolen Bikes
- Bicycle FAQs
- The Market Place
- Member to Member Bike and Gear Sales
- Want to Buy, Group Buy, Swap
- My Bikes or Gear Elsewhere
- Serious Biking
- Audax / Randonneuring
- Retro biking
- Commuting
- MTB
- Recumbents
- Fixed Gear/ Single Speed
- Track
- Electric Bicycles
- Cyclocross and Gravel Grinding
- Dragsters / Lowriders / Cruisers
- Children's Bikes
- Cargo Bikes and Utility Cycling
- Road Racing
- Road Biking
- Training
- Time Trial
- Triathlon
- International and National Tours and Events
- Cycle Touring
- Touring Australia
- Touring Overseas
- Touring Bikes and Equipment
- Australia
- Western Australia
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Victoria
- ACT
- Tasmania
- Northern Territory
- Country & Regional
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users
- All times are UTC+10:00
- Top
- Delete cookies
About the Australian Cycling Forums
The Australian Cycling Forums is a welcoming community where you can ask questions and talk about the type of bikes and cycling topics you like.
Bicycles Network Australia
Forum Information
Connect with BNA
This website uses affiliate links to retail platforms including ebay, amazon, proviz and ribble.