Poll

Crank Brothers vs. Shimano SPD

Crank Brothers
5 (35.7%)
Shimano SPD
8 (57.1%)
Time
0 (0%)
Ritchey
1 (7.1%)

Total Members Voted: 14

Author Topic: Crank Brothers vs. Shimano SPD vs. ??? for a novice  (Read 18840 times)

jwilds1

Crank Brothers vs. Shimano SPD vs. ??? for a novice
« on: May 05, 2015, 12:14:26 PM »
I'm looking at taking the leap into clipless.  For a novice, what would you recommend? 



7

Re: Crank Brothers vs. Shimano SPD vs. ??? for a novice
« Reply #1 on: May 05, 2015, 02:17:58 PM »
I used SPD for 2 years then switched to Crank Brothers. They both work fine. Kinda like the Crank Brothers better because they're lighter.

RS VR6

Re: Crank Brothers vs. Shimano SPD vs. ??? for a novice
« Reply #2 on: May 05, 2015, 03:15:47 PM »
I've used both Shimano and Crank Brothers. For me...I prefer the Crank Brothers. I like the ease of entry and exit. I also like the free float the pedal has. Quality-wise...the Crank Brothers seem to be hit or miss. I've been using CB pedals for the past 10 years and I've never had a problem. I use the Eggbeater 3 and my girlfriend has the Candy 3. I have another bike running the Mallet 3.

If you plan on running the Eggbeater pedal. I suggest getting shoes with nice stiff soles. The pedal is real narrow and doesn't have much support for the shoe lengthwise.

cmh

Re: Crank Brothers vs. Shimano SPD vs. ??? for a novice
« Reply #3 on: May 05, 2015, 07:04:13 PM »
I'm looking at taking the leap into clipless.  For a novice, what would you recommend?

I ran the egg beaters for a while, and the biggest issue I had with them was when I'd hit a pedal on a rock, it would cause the pedal to open and eject my foot when I didn't want it to. Also, they've got a little side-to-side float, but only two release options which are based on heel angle, not so much release force. My wife's been running eggbeaters for her clipless pedals as long as she's been riding clipless, and loves them. Plus, they're among the lightest things out there, which is good because her bikes are always the weight weenie project bikes.

Oh, one other thing with older Crank Brothers designs, you have to keep up on the bearing maintenance or you can have issues. The newer pedals (especially the higher end 3 and 11 models) seem to have a better design there, but the bearings are not as protected from the elements as with other pedals.

I switched to SPD's a while back and have an assortment of mostly XT and XTR pedals, although I do have one set with the plastic platform cage around the pedal that look to be a 5-series pedal, about the equivalent of SLX or thereabouts. I have _zero_ complaints about my SPDs, although they are heavier, the bearings need zero maintenance (although it can be done) and they are adjustable for release tension, from a very beginner-friendly super-light release to a racer-level super-heavy release.

You can also tune the release on the SPD's with the cleats that you get - either the single release or the multi release. Single release only comes out by twisting your heel, whereas the multi-release gives you more options. For a complete beginner, hard to beat an SPD pedal set to the minimum tension and multi-release cleats.

Either way, pick one and you won't be disappointed. They're both really damn good.

Vipassana

Re: Crank Brothers vs. Shimano SPD vs. ??? for a novice
« Reply #4 on: May 06, 2015, 11:59:15 AM »
My wife, who is very new to clipless, does great with here SPD.  It's been years since I rode SPD.  We started here on SPD simply because I had the pedals sitting around. 

I personally run crank bros and really enjoy the float that they have.  I think it gives the feeling of being less constrained and allowing a bit more movement for your knees and hips.  I recommend CB to most people who ask me.  I've never found CB's design to be hard to disengage, but I've also never had a false release on a rock strike or anything else.  The weight of the CB's is great too.

As was said, I think you will be OK with either design. 

bdub

Re: Crank Brothers vs. Shimano SPD vs. ??? for a novice
« Reply #5 on: May 06, 2015, 04:42:42 PM »
Let's add Time pedals to the mix. Anybody have any experience with them?

carbonazza

Re: Crank Brothers vs. Shimano SPD vs. ??? for a novice
« Reply #6 on: May 06, 2015, 05:13:25 PM »
The only problem I got with CB pedals, is I had to sand paper the grips of my shoes sole, where the axle touches the sole.
The grips were a little to high compared to the cleats, and made the pedal hard to engage.

RS VR6

Re: Crank Brothers vs. Shimano SPD vs. ??? for a novice
« Reply #7 on: May 06, 2015, 07:21:14 PM »
CB has shims for their cleats. It spaces the cleat further away from the sole of the shoe.

Carbon_Dude

Re: Crank Brothers vs. Shimano SPD vs. ??? for a novice
« Reply #8 on: May 07, 2015, 08:45:21 AM »
When I first started out moving to clipless pedals, I tried Shimano pedals but didn't feel comfortable on them.  Then a friend, who owns a bike shop, recommended trying a set of Eggbeaters.  When I got those installed I felt they just naturally worked better for me.  They were easier to disengage, I didn't need to adjust spring tension, and I liked the ability to swap the cleats around to have more or less float.  I've run Eggbeaters ever since, maybe 10 years now.  I have not had any problems with any of my EB pedals until recently when I broke a spindle shaft, but CB is aware of the problem and is replacing the shafts on all my EB pedals.  Older EB designs also had issues with not having good sealing around the bearing but the newer design as of 3 years ago, addressed that as well and now EB are more robust.  I would not recommend going any cheaper than the EB 3 (~$75 street price) as the lower end 1 & 2 do not use needle bearings and the pedal body of the EB 1 has stamped steel instead of forged stainless steel.  I really don't see why CB makes anything below the EB 3 as it just makes for a cheaper, low quality product that doesn't help their reputation.

I think everyone has their favorite pedal, and one brand or type isn't significantly better than another, if it were everyone would be using just one brand of pedal.  I think the Shimano, Time, Eggbeater, and even the Speedplay pedals all have something good to offer.

You should see if there is someone at your LBS that can let you try out a few of the types, even if you just try it out in a static setup (not riding since you are new to clipless) and get a feel for how the cleat engages and disengages from the pedal, you will be able to get a feel for the differences.
« Last Edit: May 07, 2015, 08:50:32 AM by Carbon_Dude »
2019 Stumpjumper Expert 29/27.5+
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2016 Trek Stache 9 (29+) w/upgrades (Sold)
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jwilds1

Re: Crank Brothers vs. Shimano SPD vs. ??? for a novice
« Reply #9 on: May 07, 2015, 10:16:06 AM »
Based on feedback from here, as well as looking through an old MTBR post (about 60% SPD, 40% CB), I'm probably going to try SPDs.

Looking at pedals, the PD-M530 seems to be the most popular, but what about the PD-A530?  Double-sided (platform/SPD), very light (Amazon says 383g), and only a few bucks more.  Would be coupled with the different cleats for more release options.

bdub

Re: Crank Brothers vs. Shimano SPD vs. ??? for a novice
« Reply #10 on: May 07, 2015, 11:17:51 AM »
I have the PD-M530's on my bike. Only used them for a few months but so far I like them a lot. They are very solid and feel very bomb proof. I have smashed them against a few rocks and one time hard enough to lift the back wheel off the ground and they didn't release or break. You can adjust them to have a very light release so that is good if you are just learning clipless. Also the cage around the pedal really helps with stability and they are not bad to ride around with regular shoes if you just need to run around the block or something.

Carbon_Dude

Re: Crank Brothers vs. Shimano SPD vs. ??? for a novice
« Reply #11 on: May 07, 2015, 01:15:39 PM »
Okay, so the recommendations are?

Begineer --> Shimano SPD
Intermediate/Advanced --> Eggbeater

 8) 8) 8) 8)
2019 Stumpjumper Expert 29/27.5+
2017 Santa Cruz Stigmata
2017 Trek Stache 9.8 (29+)
2016 Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Carbon Comp 6Fattie (27.5+) (Sold)
2016 Trek Stache 9 (29+) w/upgrades (Sold)
2014 -036 Full Suspension Chiner (Sold)
2013 -057 Hardtail Carbon Chiner (Sold)
Atlanta, GA

final forum

Re: Crank Brothers vs. Shimano SPD vs. ??? for a novice
« Reply #12 on: May 07, 2015, 01:32:06 PM »
Get the Ritchey pedals works with SPD cleats, lighter and cheaper then Shimano comparisons.


http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ca/en/ritchey-pro-mountain-v5-paradigm-mtb-pedals/rp-prod54960
« Last Edit: May 07, 2015, 01:34:39 PM by final forum »

jwilds1

Re: Crank Brothers vs. Shimano SPD vs. ??? for a novice
« Reply #13 on: May 07, 2015, 01:40:46 PM »
Get the Ritchey pedals works with SPD cleats, lighter and cheaper then Shimano comparisons.


http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ca/en/ritchey-pro-mountain-v5-paradigm-mtb-pedals/rp-prod54960

Huh?  The link you sent were $98 pedals, plus $10 shipping.  I know CRC has codes/sales/etc, but both of the Shimano's I listed above are under $50...

RS VR6

Re: Crank Brothers vs. Shimano SPD vs. ??? for a novice
« Reply #14 on: May 07, 2015, 03:16:50 PM »
Okay, so the recommendations are?

Begineer --> Shimano SPD
Intermediate/Advanced --> Eggbeater

 8) 8) 8) 8)

I would put it the other way around.  8)

The CB pedals are simply easier to get into and get out of. There are no tension screws to adjust. You just need to make sure that you put the correct cleat on the correct shoe to get the release angle you want.

When my girlfriend started riding clipless (you don't get any more noob than her). She had a really hard time with her road bike. So when she wanted to try clipless on dirt...lol...I was scared. I put her in the Candy 3's just due to the fact that they have a easy entry, release, and a wider platform so that you have some control even if you can't clip in right away.

I've tried other pedal systems...always went back to the CB pedals.
« Last Edit: May 07, 2015, 03:18:54 PM by RS VR6 »