• This topic has 53 replies, 31 voices, and was last updated 6 years ago by nach.
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  • Why no female specific pedals?
  • dirksdiggler
    Free Member

    You’re telling me you absolutely never ever unclip from getting on your bike to getting off?

    Getting off, crashing, stomping out an over cooked corner to keep the bike up right but straight back in after.
    What scenario would there be when you would want to unclip in a technical situation aside from because you don’t have the confidence to stick it out?
    Develop the confidence on flats then come back to SPDs.
    XC racing and gravity are obviously very difference beasts.
    Enduro racing against the clock and those dual sided pedals will be a hinderance, she’ll forever be having to look down to see which side is up and inevitably that’ll result in more confidence issues.

    cookeaa
    Full Member

    Also PINK?????
    WTF guys, come on!

    Well you asked the stupid question, female specific pedals?
    really guy, come on… 😉

    My sarcastic answer was in the same vein as WS lids with flowers painted on or lilac gloves, women specific kit is a mostly ridiculous concept…

    Sensibleish answer…

    I am a size 10 and use the M424 shown above, they’re a reasonable balance of cage size vs weight Vs cost (IMO) the more recent ‘trail’ pedals shimano have started making seem to fall a bit short in terms of actual support…

    IMO large platforms on SPDs are a little useful if you miss the binding but don’t add a great deal once you are actually clipped in and a fair bit depends on the shoes you use with them…

    she could opt for Mallets, bigger Platform and many prefer the way the mechanism works…

    Ultimately it’s all personal, maybe just let her choose what she likes, would a pair being labeled ‘Female specific’ (girly colour or not) really sway her choice?

    njee20
    Free Member

    PD-A530 from Shimano

    Not in a million years. No. Never.

    To the OP why do you actually want women specific pedals? What’s wrong with a larger platform? Ignoring all the “commit to SPDs or flats” thing, which I wholly agree with!

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    convert
    Full Member

    What’s wrong with a larger platform?

    I was thinking this. Is it really that shoe/foot size specific?

    I was also thinking about platforms last weekend. First ‘proper’ mtb ride for a year going around Whites Level at Afan a couple of times after a layoff for a hip op with a decided skills and fitness shortage. I was persuaded to ride clipped rather than flats as it was a bit pedally but on the climb there was more than my fair share of dabbing. Getting going again in tricky steep terrain and re-engaging with a little eggbeater with a pair of hard soled not very grippy xc shoes on is not always easy. But a candy is hardy any better. So then it’s a fuller mallet style platform and I’m not convinced, as above, that’s not the worst of both worlds.

    Of course the solution is to recover your skills and not ride uphill like an unfit clown 😳

    Del
    Full Member

    well the solution is never more crank brothers pedals… 😉

    hels
    Free Member

    Funny thread.

    I raced XC for years too, and have size 5 feet.

    I hit the same problem when I tried Enduro, it is hard to drop the XC pedals as they give you so much on hills and pedally sections, and you are used to riding clipped, thats how you move the bike around. If you do take a foot out on a technical section on the descent you are screwed, as you can’t ride with it flopping around everywhere, and you need to get back on board fast.

    DHers I know who ride clipped in (mostly older guys) use five ten style shoes with cleats in them, and quite a wide platform.

    Or she could just ride flats. I decided against it, if you ride flats you have to wear shin pads, or scrape up your calves/shins. If you wear pads you have to wear baggies, which also slow you down. And I could never get used to having to push down on the pedals to stay on.

    It was all just starting to get a bit too equipment heavy for me.

    Rorschach
    Free Member

    You’re telling me you absolutely never ever unclip from getting on your bike to getting off?

    convert
    Full Member

    Or she could just ride flats. I decided against it, if you ride flats you have to wear shin pads, or scrape up your calves/shins.

    This was me when I first went to flats after a lifetime of clips. Then a session with Jedi and a change to my brake lever angle and never been a problem since. It’s funny how a tiny change to your wrist angle makes a world of difference to your feet. I now feel so much more secure and ‘loose’ whether clipped or unclipped.

    Marin
    Free Member

    Women’s specific stuff is a nightmare to get in bikes, shoes, bodyarmour. Mrs Marin has size 3 feet! Try shopping for them. Says she’d have pink pedals if they were in a sale though.

    bobsproket
    Free Member

    hels – Member
    Funny thread.

    I raced XC for years too, and have size 5 feet.

    I hit the same problem when I tried Enduro, it is hard to drop the XC pedals as they give you so much on hills and pedally sections, and you are used to riding clipped, thats how you move the bike around. If you do take a foot out on a technical section on the descent you are screwed, as you can’t ride with it flopping around everywhere, and you need to get back on board fast.

    DHers I know who ride clipped in (mostly older guys) use five ten style shoes with cleats in them, and quite a wide platform.

    Or she could just ride flats. I decided against it, if you ride flats you have to wear shin pads, or scrape up your calves/shins. If you wear pads you have to wear baggies, which also slow you down. And I could never get used to having to push down on the pedals to stay on.

    It was all just starting to get a bit too equipment heavy for me.

    Thanks hels, Mrs Bobsproket says you’ve hit the nail on the head!
    Changing to Woman’s Northwave Enduro shoes have given her much more confidence as opposed to carbon soled XC disco slippers.

    Marin
    Free Member

    Shimano XT M8020 seem pretty decent compromise to me as I ride clipped in unless DH day. You can easily rest foot on platform if you think you may not make the section and get the fear and can still peddle. Mrs has them on her bike with her tiny Hobbit feet. Sure someone will be along to tell me I’m wrong!

    newrobdob
    Free Member

    Or she could just ride flats. I decided against it, if you ride flats you have to wear shin pads, or scrape up your calves/shins.

    You don’t have to wear pads. If you’re scraping your shins you are doing it wrong!

    If you wear pads you have to wear baggies, which also slow you down.

    What sort of clown shorts are you wearing that slow you down??

    And I could never get used to having to push down on the pedals to stay on.

    Again, you’re doing it wrong if you are having to push down.

    newrobdob
    Free Member

    To the OP. I think using some flats for a while will help. Flats are good and SPD are good but if you can ride both well it’ll improve skills both ways. Why? If you learn to ride flats (e.g. Bunny hops, jumps, corners etc) then you can use SPD pedals with platforms much better – i.e. You won’t be dependant on being clipped in to handle the bike with confidence. You’ll also be able to do stuff clipped in more naturally – flats help with doing things the right way rather than using the fact you are clipped in the move the bike up and around. Then when back in clips the panic when unclipped might be reduced.

    nach
    Free Member

    I guess you need a clipless/platform combo pedal manufacturer that does pedal sizing, and I don’t think there is one yet.

    Spank, Syntace and Crank Bros all do flat pedals with S/L or S/M/L sized platforms, but those are the only ones I know.

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