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Clipless pedals: Crankbrothers Candy 2 or Shimano PD-M530?

Anybody have experience with either?

http://www.crankbrothers.com/pedals_candy2.php

http://bike.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/pr...

Will be used for multi-day touring. The Shimanos have a spring whose tension can be adjusted, but the salesman said the Candy 2 was a solid choice, too. Not sure which has more float.

Thoughts?

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This confuses me as well....

There's no difference between the clipless side of my campus style pedals and the pedals that are straight up clipless (no platform) as long as I put them at the same tension setting.  

Don't know who this person talking to you about efficiency was, but it doesn't sound like they really understood what you are looking for. 

Nick G said:

I don't know what the heck that guy was talking about as far as efficiency - it doesn't make any sense.  Technically you should be more efficient when using the clip side because clips are usually more efficient than platforms, but that's the only difference.  The number of sides the pedal has available to clip into doesn't factor into riding efficiency at all unless you're racing mountain bikes and/or cyclocross, where clipping back in needs to be as fast as possible or you lose time.

Regardless, I can say with certainty that each side of my platform/clip pedals have felt no more and no less efficient to me compared to their respective "full" pedals (I have lots of bikes with all kinds of pedals to compare).  When you're riding the platform side, they're just like normal platforms, and when you're riding the clip side, they're just like normal clipless pedals.  Still stumped as to what that guy was trying to convey regarding efficiency *scratches head*


For a minute there I thought I was the only one that ran Crank Brothers without any issues. I've used Acids and Candies for a couple years now with no issues. I like the float in the pedals and they're easy to clip in/out of. 

bob hsiung said:

Egg Beaters for me. never could get the hang of spds. my old pair, i think the model 1, lasted years, in rain and snow. upgraded to the model 3 last year when i got my new bike, and they still work great.

I had the quattro 2Ti and they worked pretty well for quite a bit.  I had problems with my candies and eggbeaters though.  I think things are a bit luck of the draw with crank brother pedals but they do have great customer service so there is that.  When I needed a replacement part for an earlier pair of quattros, they mailed it to me free of charge.

Rich S said:

For a minute there I thought I was the only one that ran Crank Brothers without any issues. I've used Acids and Candies for a couple years now with no issues. I like the float in the pedals and they're easy to clip in/out of. 

bob hsiung said:

Egg Beaters for me. never could get the hang of spds. my old pair, i think the model 1, lasted years, in rain and snow. upgraded to the model 3 last year when i got my new bike, and they still work great.

I've got:

1. The older Mallets with more platforms on my commuter.

2. Acids on my fixie

3. And egg beater will be on my new road bike

I don't use road shoes, though. At the most, I'd use MTB shoes. I hate the clic-clacking metals meet ground noises and awkward walking on road shoes. Also this way, somewhat protects the cleats.

Oh, and I also wear a Keen SPD compatible sandals during the summer :)

You can use most SPD shoes for Crank Brothers cleats.

Nick and Liz— Sounds like a good argument for the dual pedals. What about float? I want something that will be good to my knees over the long-term.

If I remember right, the SPDs have something like 6-8 degrees of float and the Crank Brothers have 15-20 depending on which side each cleat is on.

That said, and I can only speak from experience here, but I've never had any problems with the "lack" of float on SPDs.  I've used SPDs on my single speed commuter, my multi-speed "fast" bike, and a few different mountain bikes, and have never had any issues.  I actually found that the smaller float on the SPDs helped me (forced me to?) dial in my foot position better, and once I got the cleats set on the shoes the only thing I've ever changed was the spring tension on the pedals.

Why not try them both?

Someone once told me:  "Save on pedals, splurge on shoes."

Most pedals of the same model vary only on weight and thus the difference on price.

Buy your shoes first, since you're comparing between SPDs and CrankBrothers, they would most likely be compatible with each other so you only need to buy one pair.

It'll only cost you $25 at the most for cleats to try them both.

Talk to your LBS. Some would be happy to accommodate you. Some would let you test on a bike mounted on a trainer.

If all else fails, buy from REI, where you can return after trying it for less than a year :)

The crankbrothers have 6 degrees of float (3 on each side).   That's pretty much standard for pedals except for speedplay which has something like 15 or so.  Time ATACs also have lateral float so that your shoe can move side to side a little.  I'm not sure how much the float helps but I suppose that it might help out your knees a little if there's a little room for movement while pedaling instead of forcing your knees and legs to move in a certain way.

Nick G said:

If I remember right, the SPDs have something like 6-8 degrees of float and the Crank Brothers have 15-20 depending on which side each cleat is on.

That said, and I can only speak from experience here, but I've never had any problems with the "lack" of float on SPDs.  I've used SPDs on my single speed commuter, my multi-speed "fast" bike, and a few different mountain bikes, and have never had any issues.  I actually found that the smaller float on the SPDs helped me (forced me to?) dial in my foot position better, and once I got the cleats set on the shoes the only thing I've ever changed was the spring tension on the pedals.

Cool. Thanks, all. I will try both brands and make a decision.

For shoes, I've been contemplating the Shimano M-088L and SH-MT23, but am leaning towards the M-088L, since you can lean down and adjust clip tension while riding without dealing with laces (http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1129372_-1...).

I have the same exact shoes bought from REI. I wear them all the time on warm days when I'm not wearing my Keen commuter sandals

save time and try one on each side

J.A.W. said:

Why not try them both?

My $0.02 on Eggbeater pedals and the various other Crankbrother's spin-offs (ba-dum-bum!)

If you are going to run Crankbrother's pedals you need to learn how to take them apart and regrease them.


period.

They don't seal up as well against water and dirt/mud getting inside compared to other brands but they are really easy to take apart a regrease so it is a give & take. 

As long as you keep up on it they last a really long time, and for road and light gravel riding you'll probably only rarely ever need to replace the bearings/bushings (depending on the model) if you don't let them get too dry/dirty inside.  Even if you do let them get really bad you can rebuild them for $15-20 with a kit and that is easy to do as well.  Fail to do this easy 5-minute tear-down/grease job and you'll pay for it dearly in 6-18 months (depending on how you use them) and they'll fall apart on you -literally, when they freeze up and the nut unscrews and you end up with the pedal body falling off on your foot and the spindle still on the crank.  And the two no longer connected!

Also, you should get the special metal shoe shields CB sells for them to protect your shoes. They should COME with these if you ask me.   If not, then the wings of the eggbeaters will wear at the bottom of your shoes.  Eggbeaters will work with road shoes that have 2-hole SPD functionality but if you walk on the cleats it'll wear them out really fast.  Eggbeaters work best with MTB shoes with treads on the sides that hide the cleats in the recess of the shoe up higher than the tread.

I've got a pair of Candy C's but I prefer the basic eggbeater myself and have 3 pairs of them. I've got a pair on almost every bike I own.  The basic eggbeaters are much easier to clip into as the silly wings on the Candy just get in the way and do nothing for support IMHO.  They help a little bit for really sticky/muddy CX courses as you can sort of pedal with them even if you can't get clicked-in any more.   But for the most part in regular riding it just makes them harder to click into as you only have 2 sides instead of 4.

One of my pairs of 'beaters are the newer Eggbeater-3 model but I'm not a fan of the finicky needle bearings.  I prefer the old bushings as they last longer and are much cheaper to replace -and don't tear up the spindle when they get a bit of grit inside them.  I prefer the older SL model with the stainless body. They can still stain a little (they call it stainless steel for a reason as it is not stainfree) but not nearly as much as the non-stainless pedals. Those can rust pretty badly in inclement weather, especially winter salt. The newer 3's are more stainless than the older SL's, but a little bit of polishing with a brass brush every once in a while fixes any light surface rust in short order and it's more than worth it not to have to deal with the stupid needle bearings and the nasty gouges on the spindle at rebuild time. 

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