What spd pedals and shoes would people recommend for racing enduro.

comfy ones?

weirdly there is a test of shoes in one of the mags…forget the name of it,

Whatever you get one with. Your just riding a mountain bike, so its not going to require something special.

Pedals
Shoes

They both have enduro in the name, so must be good! Seriously though.. Wear what you are used to.

Do you ride in clips now or are you thinking of switching to clips for racing?

Straw poll at the last one. Mallet dh or Mallet e with whatever flat soled clip in shoe fits best. Also see a vast proportion of the wc dh bikes.

Some of the best unclipped grip I’ve had and really easy to get into and out of while being secure.

Specialized 2FO’s get my vote, the landing strip makes clipping in really easy. There is the option of laces or boa dials (cliplites).

Pedals, depends if you prefer shimano or crank brothers style of clipping in. I would be choosing between mallet e or xt trails.

I would be choosing between mallet e or xt trails.

The mallet e’s are a bit on the narrow side for bigger feet, felt like I was rolling off the side of them. The DH’s are a little wider and have a bit more even support (rode back to back)

If you want a bit of a platform that you could use when not clipped in then the mallet downhill or ht x2. Shimano were meant to be developing a platform clipless pedal but it has never emerged.

To go with the above, I would want a flat shoe style sole around the cleat to be able to utilise the platform & pins, so spesh 2fo or five ten kesterel etc.

To add to the 2FO or Kestrels suggestion, maybe Shimano AM9s with mallets E’s?

I have tried Mallets, persevered with them for ages, however I do find that I can get caught out when trying to unclip. They are OK to unclip in most positions but I find that between say 10 and 2 o’clock in the pedal circle they won’t unclip very easily. This usually occurs on techy uphill sections when I have an unplanned stall!

However with Time pedals I never have a problem, so I would strongly recommend Time.

This usually occurs on techy uphill sections when I have an unplanned stall!

Don’t you just, pause, trak stand to regain composure and set off without unclipping? 😉 😆

Thanks guy I was looking for something a bit stiffer, I have seen the shimano m200 and giro terraduro, and was looking at the shimano trail XT pedal because I have run shimano in the past and found them easy to use.

Do the xt’s give you anything for being unclipped?

Shimano were meant to be developing a platform clipless pedal but it has never emerged.

Eh? http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-m647-clipless-spd-mtb-pedals/rp-prod4516 These have been around for evaaaa!!

Or try the cheaper version if you aren’t sure http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-m424-clipless-spd-mtb-pedals/rp-prod7808

If you like Shimano SPD’s and want more platform they are great. I’ve been using them for years.

I don’t race Enduro though so maybe they aren’t colourful enough!!

These are the ones I was referring to, not the old dx which are heavy and not that great unclipped.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/shimano-pedal-dh-prototype-lourdes-world-cup.html

They look fancy, but i’ve never had a problem with the Shimano M424 pedals, and they are only 53g heavier than the mallet E’s, and only £25!!

The mallet e’s are a bit on the narrow side for bigger feet, felt like I was rolling off the side of them. The DH’s are a little wider and have a bit more even support (rode back to back)

What shoes’s are you using? Both pairs of my 2FO’s (Lites and lace ups) are pretty stiff and couldn’t see them flexing enough to need the support of a pedal. I see the extra material around the clip as more of a perch when not clipped in.

Tea pivots, it was noticeably as I did the runs back to back. The shoes are stiff but that also felt like rolling off the side. The platform is good and supports the shoe when clipped.

I can’t look past Shimano M200 shoes and M647 pedals.
I agree that the platform on this pedal doesn’t give the best support when clipped out but it is way better than the XT trail pedals.

I had a set of CB Mallets years ago and they just fell to bits.

I had a set of CB Mallets years ago and they just fell to bits.

New ones are different.

Ref Mallet E’s and DH, I;ve also had both – I think part of it is down to the q factor – using AM9 shoes I needed to move the cleat as far inboard as possible to allow the toe in/heel out release, I also feel the too narrow part. I’m looking for the long axle kit to convert the Mallet E to the wider q factor which will hopefully fix it.

I’d avoid the XT trails, or any other shimano platform, or TBH any pseudo-platoform. I went through an ‘Enduro’ phase 10-15 years ago with Time Z-freerides and CB pedals, Shimano DX shoes, etc.

They get in the way when trying to clip in, offer very little support once clipped in and what they do feels detrimental as it stops your foot floating naturally like SPD’s are supposed to. They offer no grip compared to a flat when not clipped in, like trying balancing on top of an ice-cube. I reckon there’s actually more grip on my current M540’s than there is on some platform designs, it’s a big bit of metal with lots of sharp edges, what does a bigger smoother body add to that?

Shimano M520 if you’re on a budget, Shimano M540 if you’re feeling flush. And a stiff enough shoe to not need a platform.

p.s. if anyone lives near Reading and wants to swap my shimano trail pedals for some 520/540’s you’re welcome to them.

agree m520/m540 are great clipless peddles, i also use M530 that has a slimlooking metal frame wraparound which are good too

i just cant get on with my specialized 2fo shoes they weigh an absolute tonne compared to regular clipless shimano shoes so my trashed and beaten m088 boot is still my choice.

for real wet and muddy i found the m424 usefull, got a few pairs at £9 from halfords last year

agree m520/m540 are great clipless peddles, i also use M530 that has a slimlooking metal frame wraparound which are good too

Nope we don’t agree :p

It’s a pair of m530’s I’m trying to get rid of.

The problem is, most shoes are designed with a bit of a channel in the sole for the cleat, jump on the bike in roughly the correct place, and the pedal is guided into the cleat by the shoe, unless there’s a big metal frame around it, in which case it’s 50:50 whether you’ll get it bang on, or spend the rest of the climb/decent trying to ride perched on the pedal trying to clip in. Whereas bog standard m520/m530/m8000/m9000 pedals I get in first time every time.

Time pedals with Mavic or DMT E1 shoes. Should work fine in all conditions and most importantly you’ll have that Euro Enduro look, so you’ll look the boss no matter how you are riding.

I’m looking for the long axle kit to convert the Mallet E to the wider q factor which will hopefully fix it.

I will dig out the art numbers I used and let yo know. Cost about £15 for a pair of axles iirc.

The problem is, most shoes are designed with a bit of a channel in the sole for the cleat, jump on the bike in roughly the correct place, and the pedal is guided into the cleat by the shoe, unless there’s a big metal frame around it, in which case it’s 50:50 whether you’ll get it bang on, or spend the rest of the climb/decent trying to ride perched on the pedal trying to clip in.

My plastic soled shoes do, and that is king of the way, I still occasionally miss a clip (last one was a mid air dab so a bit out of the ordinary but..) and I missed the engage point as I landed and hit a rough section – rode out fine on the middle of the shoe bit not ideal.
On the Mallets & tevas I’d just have carried on like I was riding flats and have done through many dab fest sections – also the nice feature of the CB(and times?) is that you can clip backwards so it doesn’t matter if your foot is too far forward or back just roll into the clip.

I use M530s keep thinking to replace them as they are almost too cheap but they work great, with these

Use the same for DH , all good although m647s are great too.

Just bunged a review up of the Shimano M200 shoes on my blog.

Nice shoes but a reliability question over the lacing system.