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| *Vultures Knob>>>Mountain Bike |
Difference between Mountain Pedals and Bike Pedals? |
I will primarily be using my bike on the road in triathlons but heard mountain clip-less pedals are more comfortable. What is your opinion? I would like to know the main differences between both and what you prefer. For ease of in-and-out, nothing beats the Crank Brothers 'Eggbeater' design. And if all you use is the eggbeater style (instead of the 'Candy') ... there's nothing much there in the way of weight either. I use Eggbeaters on both my mountain bike AND my road bike - and I use a Sidi mountain bike shoe for both, with the matching cleats for the eggbeaters. This is mostly because I find the mountain shoes a tad more comfortable - and because they have rubberized cleats on the outsole, I can actually run (cross-country) in them ... which I have, for sprint distance triathlons. Saves a few seconds in the transition area, of course ... My wife also prefers Sidi mountain bike shoes ... but likes the SPD style pedals. She uses the same cleat-pedal combination on her road and mountain bikes as well. And she runs her triathlons in her mountain bike shoes as well ... unless the majority of the running course surface is paved or concrete. I think the idea of more comfort comes from the larger contact surface area of many mountain clip-less pedals. You are less likely to develop a hot spot on your foot where the pedal contacts the shoe. This is more noticeable when you have been in the saddle a long time. I would think a good shoe would also be a factor in this. I don't have experience with more than one type of pedal though. There are so many different types of pedals, both mountain and road. If you look at the speedplay road pedals they are no bigger than many of the mtb pedals, but have large plates to attach to them. I ride with Speedplay Road pedals on one road bike, Shimano Spds on one road bike and on one mountain bike, then Look pedals on one road bike. Between all of the above the most comfortable for me are the Speedplays, partly due to the float they offer. I find the spds most useful for when I'm commuting, as the spd shoes are good for walking around on. In terms of pure comfort, the speedplays are best, and for me (but it will differ from person to person) the Looks were worst. I wouldn't change to spds if it is purely for triathlons, but if you are having comfort issues it might be worth looking at other brands of pedals (speedplay, time, look, etc). The biggest difference between a road clipless and a mountain are the design goals. A road pedal is designed to be as light as possible and comfort during long rides. A mountain pedal is designed to shed mud easily and allow for quick in/out. I think that you need to focus on shoes for comfort versus the pedals. The main and most widely used is Shimano SPD peddle systems. Another light weight and easy entry is Egg Beaters. These are four sided entry making it easy and quick to get into. There is no platform though and a stiff shoe should be used with this peddle. The Shimano 959 is a two sided peddle with a small platform and exceptable weight. Depending on your experience and shoe design you can find an easy entry system. Also VERY important is rotational float of the cleat in the peddle to avoid knee injury. This is supplied as degree of float with the peddle. |
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