Frogs? SPD's??

Ok girls, it's time for me to consider "real" pedals on Jules...
I'm going over my options. I have always used speedplays on my road and tri rigs, so of course I was thinking frogs.
Tony is a dyed in the wool SPD man, and we have a pair of platform/spd combo pedals laying around that I could try...
So I guess I have a couple of questions.
1. is the frog much different from the X seriies lollipops as far as clipping in/out?
2. How much difference is there in clipping in/out from the speedplays to the spd's?

I'm a bit leery on clipping in on the mtn bike for some reason. I guess it's that fear of needing to unclip in nano seconds in order to avert impending doom...:eek:

Former SPD'er now a die hard Froggie.
Knott will sell you on 'em (she sold me:D )
Very easy-in-easy-out, and I love the degree of float.

I have speedplay on my road bike, but SPD on my mtn bike. Actually wish I'd gotten egg beaters. When it's muddy getting clipped back in w/the SPDs is tricky. I often have to put my foot down when it's muddy (but if I remember what it's like living in AZ, this is not an issue :rolleyes: ).
I imagine where it's dry frogs would be great!

I have Eggbeaters on everything - both my road bikes and my mt bike. Clipping in and out is very easy. I can vouch for them detaching rather quickly when bad things happen. :p

V.

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Originally Posted by Running Mommy

I guess it's that fear of needing to unclip in nano seconds in order to avert impending doom...:eek:

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... which Frogs are designed to do. and they are self-cleaning so even when my foot is muddy I have no problem clipping in.

Do you have a shop that will let you try them out, or at least let you play with them a bit?

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Originally Posted by Veronica

I have Eggbeaters on everything - both my road bikes and my mt bike. Clipping in and out is very easy. I can vouch for them detaching rather quickly when bad things happen. :p

V.

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This is definitely true! I have eggbeaters on my cx/commuter and Ultegra pedals on my road bike, and whenever I ride the cx bike I'm amazed at how quickly and effortlessly my foot is released when I clip out. I'm always out before I expect it.

They do shed mud, ice, etc very well too.

That said, I wouldn't switch to them for my road bike. I **feel** (in *** because I'm sure this wouldn't prove to be literally true if tested) that I get better power transfer with my road pedals, and I also feel very secure, like I would never clip out accidentally (I haven't had any accidental clip-outs with the eggbeaters, but once or twice I've felt like I was starting to and needed to mind my pedal stroke, usually when standing to get a fast start at a stoplight or similar situations).

Well, I guess it depends on how confident you are on the trail. I have Speedplay Xs on my road bike and I love them. However, I have dual sided spds on my mtb and my commuter. I don't have a problem switching back and forth between the pedal systems, but I do have the spds set on the easiest setting to get out of. The reason I have the dual sided pedals is that there are a lot of places here that i just don't have the confidence to ride clipped in while mt biking. I can get my foot out easy enough, but having the option of using the flat pedals makes me a bit more confident. There is one trail I ride that is very muddy and I am usually always clipped in on this trail. I haven't had any trouble with mud in the cleats.
I would love to get Frogs, because the spds definitely are not nice to my knees, but it also would require another pair of shoes in addition to the fear factor.

Frogs are great! I have X-2s on my road bike and used to ride Speedplay Candies on my mtb, but found them a bit difficult to clip into on my second foot on rooty trails. Frogs are very easy in and out; the float is easy on the knees too. And I like the walkability of mountain shoes so much I'll eventually get a second pair of Frogs for my road bike!

Emily

Well it looks like I will be getting some froggies...:D
Speaking of froggies.. I wonder if Crazy Canuck has received her package with the blinking disco frogs yet?? hmmm.. But I digress..
In the meantime I'm going to make Tony put the spd cleats on my mtn shoes and try the campus pedals out (one side spd, one side platform) just to see how I like them.
I'm such a weenie that I don't see myself riding anywhere that is going to be too heinus for the time being. Of course after beers with yelllow and sadie kate they have me convinced that I CAN ride more than fire roads! :D
So whow knows?? Running hubby and I are going back to Moab in two weeks for a "kid-less" weekend of fat tire fun!

OK here's a question or two-
If mtn bike shoes and pedals are so much more convenient to use and walk in, then why doesn't everyone use them for their road bikes? Why do road bikes need "different" ones than mtn bikes anyway, and why would the road bike specific ones be better for road bikes?

If you are not riding competitively there's probably little reason to "need" road shoes. The soles tend to be stiffer and the pedal platforms larger for better power transfer, they tend to fit tighter too. I never had any until I started racing. Some people prefer larger pedals/cleats than you can use with mt bike or touring shoes, because they get hot spots from little cleats. Some people just prefer pedal systems that will only fit on a road shoe.

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Originally Posted by Lisa S.H.

OK here's a question or two-
If mtn bike shoes and pedals are so much more convenient to use and walk in, then why doesn't everyone use them for their road bikes? Why do road bikes need "different" ones than mtn bikes anyway, and why would the road bike specific ones be better for road bikes?

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I had the exact same question! I have frogs on my road bike, and I use mtn bike shoes! They are soooo much easier to walk in. My LBS said it didn't really matter if I wore the mtn bike shoes on my road bike so that's what I do. They are super comfy too! :D I may look strange to some rodies, but who cares! I like them. :cool:

PS Runningmommy, I am putting frogs on my mtn bike next week! I have SPD but I like the frogs so much I am switching, and they are a ton easier to clip in and out.

Thanks for posting this, Running Mommy. In the process of shopping for a new bike, I've also been considering trying different pedals than the spd's I'm used to. But I definitely want shoes that I can walk around in and didn't know what sorts of cleats worked on mtb shoes besides spd's.

So Frogs are fantastic, huh? Do the cleats crunch when you walk around?

And, for the Eggbeaters users, can you wear those with mtb shoes and walk around in them?

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Originally Posted by Kalidurga

Thanks for posting this, Running Mommy. In the process of shopping for a new bike, I've also been considering trying different pedals than the spd's I'm used to. But I definitely want shoes that I can walk around in and didn't know what sorts of cleats worked on mtb shoes besides spd's.

So Frogs are fantastic, huh? Do the cleats crunch when you walk around?

And, for the Eggbeaters users, can you wear those with mtb shoes and walk around in them?

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My cleats still "crunch" when I walk, but not as much as the SPD's did. And the frogs are self cleaning.

Kalidurga -

I have frogs but haven't put them on my bike yet. From how it looks, if you have the cleats on mtn bike shoes, you can walk in them. Plus the people I've ridden with who use them walk quite nicely. The cleats stick out a bit a'la SPDs but since they're recessed on the shoe, you can walk. If that makes sense :D

I love Frogs! Wish I could afford to put them on all my bikes, but buying a sailboat has kinda put the ole kibosh on the bike expenses for awhile. My cleats are actually recessed enough that they don't crunch when I walk in them! I have Speedplay X-2s on my roadie, and they're great when riding, but the cleats can slip on the road and are definitely a pain to walk in. I'll have Frogs on that bike one day....

As far as I'm concerned, there is no reason that you have to ride road pedals/shoes with road bikes. Yeah, some road shoes are a little stiffer than mountain shoes, but so long as you get good mountain shoes with a stiff sole, you should be fine. Unfortunately the particular Pearl Izumi shoes I have are no longer available, otherwise I'd pick up a second pair as they are SUPER comfy and fit my feet perfectly, the cleats recess great, as mentioned, they're pretty, they have stiff soles, and they're way cheaper than Sidis. Sigh..... :(

Emily

I use frogs and am a roadie. The reasons I was told racers use road shoes, are to have a stiffer sole, and to not have the weight from the that allows the cleat to be recessed. But, if one buys a stiff mountain racing shoe, one can overcome the stiffness issue, and if one buys a light mountain pedal like a frog or egg beater, the shoe plus cleat plus pedal weights are comparable. The power transfer thing is crap, and only spds give hot foot, the surace area of contact between a frog and XP are comparable. Get the frogs. I started on spds and got both hot foot and had knee problems. I love my frogs, and nothig is easier to get in/out of (and I commute so I get it). I pair them with sidi dominator shoes. The may clack when all is new, but that goes away fast.

I have SPDs on both my road and mountain bike. I have the A520s on my road bike which give a bigger platform, but are single sided. I have the M920s on my mountain bike. I like the unmistakable sound and feel of clipping in and have no problem clipping out on the loosest setting. They have a little bit of float and I have not had any knee issues.

I tried the Frogs and they were very easy to clip out, but I often found I was not getting clipped in or would unclip when I wasn't wanting to. Very frustrating on off-road uphills!

I like the idea of Eggbeaters for off-road mud-clearing, but like Emily, I could not get my second foot clipped in.

I like wearing MTB shoes for road also for the walk-ability of them. Just found some Sidi Dom Ruby Slippers at a deep discount to go with my new Ruby Expert :D