Clipless Pedals? Recommendations Appreciated!

[Owlie]

I have Shimano SPD M540s. They're a nice pedal for the money. I find them easy to get in and out of, and I like the fact that you can walk in the shoes. I've had them for 2+ years, and while I like them (besides the hot spots, but that might be changed by a stiffer shoe), it's becoming clear that my knees don't. So I'm switching to road pedals (more float, distance between where my foot goes and the crank arm is shorter.) I still haven't decided between Look Pluses, Speedplays, or SPD-SLs.

If I didn't have the knee issues, I'd keep my current pedals.

Gocard--as far as I know, they're both SPDs, so they'll quite happily work with mountain bike shoes or road shoes that are drilled to take a two-bolt cleat (there are some out there).

[tzvia]

I use Speedplay X1s on the road bike, CB Candy pedals on the commuters and XTR SPD pedals on the MTBs. I like them all, but for different reasons.

For my all day rides, wearing stiff carbon soled shoes, the Speedplay X pedals with the wonderful float really save my knees. My legs/knees can float in the position they want to be in without resistance and it is easy to snap out of them. At the end of the day my knees feel great.

For the commuter, I use commuting shoes and appreciate the walk-ability of the Crankbrothers cleats and the pedal platform that I can use without clipping in, like when coasting to a light. The distance I commute is short and the float is OK and keeps the knees happy.

For MTB riding, nothing beats the durability of Shimano SPD pedals. I've bashed them into rocks, gotten them muddy and super dirty, and they keep working. My oldest pair is probably 12~13 years old and going strong. They are a bit heavy for commuting and lack the platform the Crank Bros Candy pedals have, and lack the float and light weight of the Speedplay, but they are my first choice for mountainbiking.

If I wanted walk-ability on the road bike and the extreme float was not paramount, I would use SPD pedals, as the Shimano pedals are bomb proof durable and worth the weight penalty over the CB pedals.

For the beginner, there are many here who would say Speedplay Frogs. While I have not tried them, (one day), they look easy to get in and out of, have lots of float, and a walk-able cleat. They actually sound like a good choice for road bike use with a shoe you can walk in.

[Catrin]

I've been using Speedplay Frogs on the road for several years now and love them much better than the SPD pedals I tried first. Just like the SPD pedals, my Frogs are double-sided, much easier to get in and out of (at least for me), and I like the walkability of riding road with mtb pedals.

[Crankin]

Speedplay X pedals and Shimano road shoes on my carbon bike
Speedplay Frogs and Shimano mountain shoes on my titanium, more relaxed geometry road bike. I need pedal float.
I can't stand the "locked in" feeling of spds... although I started with them, used them for a year on my first road bike. I also had them on my mountain bike and my Jamis Coda flat bar road bike. In fact, I had the AA530s on my Jamis, as I thought I would ride without bike shoes occasionally. I spent most of the time trying to flip the pedals back over into the right position, as GoCard said. My knees hurt if I use spds, and I don't have "knee problems."

[indysteel]

I'd add this into the discussion: Some of my pedal choices have been driven by the shoes, first and foremost. I have a narrow heel and I've found it extremely difficult to find shoes that work for me. I briefly considered using clipless pedals on my mountain bike, but could not find a mtb shoe that fit in my foot. I stopped short of trying SIDI mtb shoes because they were just too spendy for my purposes. So, I stuck with platform BMX pedals for the mtb. For road, the only shoe that seems to work is SIDI. Again, they're spendy but for the amount I ride on the road, I could justify it. Plus, I benefit from a stiffer shoe on road rides, as I have experiences some numbness and hot foot issues.

So, you might want to figure out what shoes will work for you feet and go from there, as not all pedal systems work with every shoe.

FWIW, I use Look Keos on my road bike. There's a bit of a learning curve with them, but I do like them. The cost is palatable depending on which model you choose and I've been happy with their durability.

[Amira]

I don't know if they are easier or not for beginners, but I have Shimano SPD-SL pedals, which I switched to last year to have a wider base platform to be clipped into because I was getting hot spots/numbness on the bottom of my feet. Changing pedals helped some with that problem, but it also required changing shoes (and I went through 2 pairs before I finally broke down and spent the money on the Sidi's I should have bought to begin with, but didn't because they were $$$). My only knock on them compared to my old pedals is that they only have one side that you clip into (unlike my old pedals, which you could clip into on either side) and the side that you clip into always turns over when not clipped in, so that you have to always be turning the pedal over to clip into it. I don't think that's a big deal and you get used to it, but it was a definite difference to start out with.

[Owlie]

I use Speedplay X1s on the road bike, CB Candy pedals on the commuters and XTR SPD pedals on the MTBs. I like them all, but for different reasons.

For my all day rides, wearing stiff carbon soled shoes, the Speedplay X pedals with the wonderful float really save my knees. My legs/knees can float in the position they want to be in without resistance and it is easy to snap out of them. At the end of the day my knees feel great.

For the commuter, I use commuting shoes and appreciate the walk-ability of the Crankbrothers cleats and the pedal platform that I can use without clipping in, like when coasting to a light. The distance I commute is short and the float is OK and keeps the knees happy.

For MTB riding, nothing beats the durability of Shimano SPD pedals. I've bashed them into rocks, gotten them muddy and super dirty, and they keep working. My oldest pair is probably 12~13 years old and going strong. They are a bit heavy for commuting and lack the platform the Crank Bros Candy pedals have, and lack the float and light weight of the Speedplay, but they are my first choice for mountainbiking.

If I wanted walk-ability on the road bike and the extreme float was not paramount, I would use SPD pedals, as the Shimano pedals are bomb proof durable and worth the weight penalty over the CB pedals.

For the beginner, there are many here who would say Speedplay Frogs. While I have not tried them, (one day), they look easy to get in and out of, have lots of float, and a walk-able cleat. They actually sound like a good choice for road bike use with a shoe you can walk in.

I really like my SPDs, save the knee thing (though it might be caused by something else), and I'll have to ask my fitter if he thinks they might be okay on a mountain bike. I'd hate to have to buy yet another set of pedals! If not, I think Frogs for the MTB, once I get comfortable enough with the idea of being clipped in on a mountain bike.