[ratfink]

What are the advantages to "road" pedals such as the looks and stuff over "mountain bike pedals" like eggbeaters? It seems that with the eggbeaters being so light they would be the best choice for road. Do they not keep you in as well or what?

[Doc]

While I dont know the exact reasons I do know that a lot of people in the mountain bike world prefer road clip ins to mountain, dont ask me why.

[hophead]

Originally Posted by ratfink

What are the advantages to "road" pedals such as the looks and stuff over "mountain bike pedals" like eggbeaters? It seems that with the eggbeaters being so light they would be the best choice for road. Do they not keep you in as well or what?

Road pedals in conjunction with road shoes are supposed to give you a much stiffer platform for pedaling than mtn pedals and shoes. Small pedals like Eggbeaters can become very uncomfortable on long rides with flexy shoes. Personally, I prefer mtn shoes and pedals on my road bikes. I run Eggbeaters on all of my xc and road bikes with very stiff carbon fiber soled mtn shoes. The biggest advantage of this set up is that you can actually walk in mtn shoes. Also, I only need one pair of shoes with one type of cleat and all of my pedals are interchangeable.

If you do frequent really long road rides like centuries and such, I'm sure that there is some advantage to riding road specific pedals.

[mothra]

How easy is it to snap and unsnap the shoe from the pedals? On trails and stuff I would be putting down one foot to keep from falling over alot...

[hophead]

Originally Posted by mothra

How easy is it to snap and unsnap the shoe from the pedals? On trails and stuff I would be putting down one foot to keep from falling over alot...

I can only comment on mtn bike pedals since that's all that I have ever used, but from what I understand, road pedals work in much the same way. Anyway, there is a learning curve to using clipless pedals and it can be painful. At first, you will have to be conscious that your feet are attached to the bike and you need to rotate your heels outward to unclip. Uncliping also occurs automatically most times when you crash. There was one time last summer when I crashed in a rock garden and landed on my back still clipped in with my bike sticking straight up in the air. I wish that I had that one on video. It would have been hilarious. That was an OTB crash, so my feet did not rotate outward which is rare.

The act of uncliping is actually very easy. After some time and maybe a few falls, you will automatically unclip when necessary without thinking. Like balancing and breathing your body will just do it.

[hellrider]

what is an eggbeater pedal?

[hophead]

Originally Posted by hellrider

what is an eggbeater pedal?

[camilo]

Originally Posted by ratfink

What are the advantages to "road" pedals such as the looks and stuff over "mountain bike pedals" like eggbeaters? It seems that with the eggbeaters being so light they would be the best choice for road. Do they not keep you in as well or what?

Other reasons have been given on possible advantages of road pedals vs. eggbeaters or other mtb pedals. I won't repeat them except to say, until this year I used single sided and two sided SPD pedals and cheap-ish MTB shoes on my road bikes for years. This year I changed to good quality shoes and Time RXS road pedals. Other than the shoes being much more comfortable and light weight, I can't say there's a night and day difference. I could have achieved the comfort thing by just buying MTB shoes, so that's not a reason in itself. Maybe some difference in performance, but if anyone needs the better walkability of MTB shoes, there's no strong reason not to use them, assuming good quality and fit.

But, specifically in regard to Eggbeaters. It's a common mistake to think that just because eggbeaters are so spartan looking that they're ultra light. At about 270-280 grams per sset, the regular old (non-Ti) egg beaters aren't really lighter than many similarly priced road pedals such as Look (classic and sprint), Time RXS and even the higher end Shimano offerings.

[Xela]

I also feel that road specific pedals give a more secure connection between the shoe and pedal, especially the better ones that pro-level teams use. The last thing a pro cyclist with tons of wattage wants is his foot to come out of the pedal when putting the power down for a sprint.

That being said, it also means that the road pedals are a little harder to disengage, but on the road, there's not nearly as many emergency situations when you need to unclip quickly. But keep this in mind when your rolling up to a traffic light or stop-sign, so you're not the object of laughter from fellow cyclists and motorists as you slowly fall over because you can't get your foot out.

I don't want to scare you, though. As previously said, after only a few rides, it does become second nature. I'd recommend that you not "learn" on the street or a trail. Find a nice, soft grass field and work on clipping in and out.

[1parkpointer]

I am still using the stock regular pedals that came with my ride. As a real newbie to riding and mtn bikes, at what point during casual rides does the rider switch from regular slip off pedals to something with more control? Plus, does anyone make a double sided beginner lock-in pedal? I'd like to have more control under power, but I'm far from being any good at it, I just would like to know that my feet can on one side stay on the pedals.