I’m about to make my venture into clip less pedals, having always ridden flats before. What would folks recommend? It will be in the XC bike only at first.

Time.

Shimano M520s

Cheapest Shimano you can find, and they last so 2nd hand is good also.

M520.

Edit: They’re £20 new, and as you’ll need cleats don’t faff about with 2nd hand.

Time.

Bombproof, mudproof and with immortal bearings.

Oh, and floaty for your knees.

time

Time.

520’s with loosened tension and a squidge of oil on the pivots to break them in.

XT Trails.

They’re not the first clips I used, and i def wouldnt have bought them as my first pair. But I have them now and wouldn’t use anything else.

Time, for these old knees

Shimano. They last for years and easy to learn on. Theres 2 types of cleat. Multi release and single release. I learned on multi release with the pedal tension set low. They way if you panic and pull your foot hard in any direction they will release.

Shimano M520’s as others have said. Just over £15 at CRC and Evans currently which is not much more than cleats alone. If you dont get on with clipless its not the end of the world at that price. They seems to really last as well.

been using m540’s “forever” … 🙂

I’m liking the look of M530s due to having the platforms. How do I know whether the cleats are multi release or single release.?

They’ll be single release. That’s what you want.

The cage is useless IMO.

Caged clipless are good for shredding teh gnat, but far less so for XC. Time XC8s are my XC pedal of choice.

XT Trails

Time.

Mud, swamp, snow proof. Almost indestructible and very kind to our knees.

Thanks njee. So the platform doesn’t do anything with regard to feeling the pedals? If you know what I mean..? I thought it would be weird going straight from big flat pedals (hope f20 normally) to tiny wee SPDs.

Time for me too, easier on worn out joints but also easier to escape at crash time IME!

Are the time ones all expensive? Any particular ones recommended?

I’d go for shimano unless you have particularly dodgy knees. Just don’t get any of those silly one sided ones or ones with pointless cages on them and you’ll be fine. The only thing that can destroy them is 1000s of kms on salty roads in the winter. Amazing value.

Time Atak. There are ones with round wire springs and then adjustable ones with flat steel springs where you clip in. I can’t tell any difference between them, so I would buy the non adjust type again.

They are not expensive per se, your buying years of fit and forget biking. After all those years, they can be easily serviced too.

Thanks njee. So the platform doesn’t do anything with regard to feeling the pedals? If you know what I mean..? I thought it would be weird going straight from big flat pedals (hope f20 normally) to tiny wee SPDs.

Not really, no. The cage isn’t big enough to really offer any noticeable support if you’ve got decent shoes. The mechanism also sits proud, so you can’t ride them in normal shoes or anything

Shimano. 20 quid and last forever, what’s not to like.

Shimano M424, less pretty than the newer ones with smaller metal cages, but I find them more comfy and the plastic platform/cage shrugs off impacts and pedal strikes better. They’re also about £20. Have used them and XTs and found them more comfy and they long less battered even though they’ve had more abuse. The cage on the newer sleeker pedals is only really there for protection, it’s rubbish as a platform as the cleat sits proud above it.

And Shimano pedals are reliable, last forever(or as near as), are very adjustable, easy to service (if you can be arsed).

Have tried a few pairs of Crank Bros Mallets (original and newer DH) and they feel more vague and don’t last as long. Oh and the CB pedals are ££££

Tom KP

Been on Clips for a year now after 17 years on flats.

After much consideration I went for time… also helped that my riding buddy uses them too. Bike swapping is easier.

No issues here and I found them very easy to get on with. Clip in and out easy as well.

Go for one with a cage. I use the Time Attac MX6. Having the cage helps when you want mis-clip or riding a tight trail and want a foot out ready to bail!

Crank brothers. As long as you look after them as they say they last forever.
Also good for the knees.

Time z control, absolutely reliable and a good half way house. I’ve had about 5 pairs, never a problem. Mrs MC has them too.

Shimano 520. They work, they’re cheap, you need no more. The 530’s cage is more use for aiming at than feeling when your riding.

I’ve used and preferred time for years, however they never lasted as well as all my mates shimano’s so I’ve recently made the switch when my last pair of atacs expired after 3 or 4 years (hard) use. The only thing I really hate about the shimano’s is the fact that they can’t be removed with a pedal spanner and require an Allen key. I’ve whacked my knuckles several times and I’ve had to give up on one pair of pedals as one of them is permanently welded itself into an old crank!

Another Time Atac user here. I have a set of the Z Controls on the MTB and with them having a platform, they offer a little more stability than an egg-beater for instance.

I’ve tried a couple of other brands but the float and ease of use of the Time’s clinched it for me…

What Njee said…. the cage is pretty useless on SPDs.

I do have a single sided set of XT trail/trekking? on my all round bike, so when commuting to work I can clip in and when pottering to the pub and back I don’t have to worry about the raised bit in the middle.

I have 540’s (metal cage) and whatever the plastic cage ones are and had some 520s, 520 are great, think the XT xc ones i have are lighter but can’t tell the difference if I’m telling the truth.

Apart from that 1 use, single sided spds are the work of the devil when mtbing as you have to keep looking to see what side you are on, only surpassed by them strap things which catch on everything when setting off.

Another vote for Shimano 520’s. They’re bloody outstanding for the money. You buy them, fit them, abuse them, but they carry on working perfectly for what appears to be forever.

Anyway…. With all this talk of pedals, shall we get to the real point here. Namely…. You are going to fall off.

There’s nothing more certain. You will come to a halt, forget you’re clipped in, then keel over sideways in slow motion, like a tree being felled. Keep us posted about where it happens, won’t you?

We’ve all been there. All done it. You only do it the once. May your landing be soft 😀

Times – when the brass cleats wear and the action starts to become sloppy you fit new cleats. You did remember to grease the bolts in your shoes, didn’t you?

Plus does anyone make ‘sole savers’? I’m down to my last pair.

I have some look quartz (in sale section) excellent starter spd pedals easy in and out, very light and excellent mud clearing

Crank Brother user for the last 6 years after all the “last forever” Shimano ones disintegrated into an unrepairable mess. The new ones take 10 mins to do a bearing change and the feel is great. The Candy is nice for trail/XC and the mallet for when you want to stamp on it. Just get the 3’s with the bearings over the bushings.

zero cool – Member
Shimano M424, less pretty than the newer ones with smaller metal cages, but I find them more comfy and the plastic platform/cage shrugs off impacts and pedal strikes better. They’re also about £20. Have used them and XTs and found them more comfy and they long less battered even though they’ve had more abuse. The cage on the newer sleeker pedals is only really there for protection, it’s rubbish as a platform as the cleat sits proud above it.
And Shimano pedals are reliable, last forever(or as near as), are very adjustable, easy to service (if you can be arsed).
Have tried a few pairs of Crank Bros Mallets (original and newer DH) and they feel more vague and don’t last as long. Oh and the CB pedals are ££££
Tom KP

+1 have both the 424’s and 520’s both work well and are durable but if I was trying spds for the first time the 424’s have a platform allowing for missed clipping in attempts and offer much more support for cheaper flexier soled shoes.

The Newer “trail” versions don’t really look like the cage on them does much TBH…