[Corey52]

Just realized I have a few threads here and on other forums with pics of my new 2009 I bought in July of this year.
I got it for $1,050 as the 2010s were just around the corner.
I would like to keep the buildup in one thread, so here goes.
Some of this info may have been posted elsewhere.

I use to ride a lot back in the last 80s and early 90s, but have been out of the scene for the last decade or so.
I am getting back into it for health and fun.
I plan on taking my bike on every camping trip with me next year, and I did get it out on my summer vacation this year camping.
Bringing the bike and exploring the area was a lot of fun.

Day I bought it, pics at the shop and home.

It is on a Thule T2 rack which the shop installed as I waited for them to switch out the stock tires for Kenda Nevegal 2.1" tires.
Added at the shop the same day:
Survival Tool Wedge Pack
Specialized Airtool Comp Floor Pump
Genuine Innovations Powered Inflation Kit MTB

I had a wall mount bike rack already ordered and installed so the new bike would have a proper place to hang out at my home.
Racor Pro PLB-2R Two-Bike Gravity Freestanding Bike Stand

Colonel Jack O'Neill of Stargate checking out the bike.
I think he prefers gate travel.

Cateye CC-MC100W Micro Wireless 10-Function Bicycle Computer

Went back to the shop within a few weeks and picked up a new work stand.
Price is wrong on the site, it was a little over $200 I got it for.
Topeak PrepStand Pro

Had the shop install some old Shimano M324 pedals I had laying around, and I bought some Specialized Comp shoes the same day too.
Specialized Comp Mountain Shoes black

Further down this thread you will see I no longer use the above two items.

New grips and Airbike light from Geoman Gear.
Ergon GA1 Leichtbau Mountain Bicycle Handle Bar Grips
Airbike Ever Light SLH P7 - SSC P7 LED - 900 Lumens

On highest setting.

Back to the pedals and shoes again...
I really tried to like this combo, but having never ran clipless before I felt it held me back on trails.
I use to ride mountain bikes a lot off road back in the late 80s/early 90s, and never ran clipless back then.
I do not like the feel of being clipped in unless it is strictly on the street getting exercise in my neighborhood.

I was reading up here on mtbr.com about Five Ten bike shoes that use the same Stealth Rubber that they use on their rock climbing shoes, and how the shoes stick to platform pedals almost like being clipped in.
I did my research too on pedals, and I bought what are probably the cream of the crop when it comes to platform pedals.
They are over engineered and you can tear these down in a matter of seconds to rebuild them.
Watch some of the videos they have on their maintenance site.

I ordered up the pedals and shoes, and they arrived yesterday just in time for the weekend.
No rain today, took the opportunity to remove the Shimano M324 clipless/platform pedals for the Straitline platforms.

Nice having a stand to work with, makes it a lot easier to do work like this.
The old pedals have a 6 mm opening on the back of the shank, so I tired using my Park 6 mm allan tool, but the pedals were on to tight.
I broke out the big Park 15 mm pedal wrench and it broke the pedal free with hardly a problem.
Somehow I managed to drag my right forearm over something sharp though when putting on the new pedal.
Maybe one of the studs on the pedal.
Nice 3" long cut that looks like a cat scratched me good.

I used Finish Line Teflon grease that I bought from my LBS yesterweek.
Put a small dab on my index finger and ran it around the threads on both of the pedals.
The night before I used my new Park torque wrench to tighten the studs into the pedals at the recommended 3.5 nm.

Just got back from a ride wearing the new Five Ten Sam Hill bike shoes, and here is my thoughts on them.
1. Should have gone this way in the beginning instead of going clipless.
I have a lot more confidence when riding not being locked in.
2. The pins/studs on the Straitline pedals stick to the new Five Ten Sam Hill 2 shoes like glue.
I have read that some really have to lift up on their feet to release from the pedals, and they are right.
This is a very sticky combo that holds your foot to the pedal.

I did not have a chance to run any trails today, just local neighborhood riding, but my feet stayed firmly planted.
When we get a weekend of some good weather I am heading to Black Diamond to ride the Lake Sayer single track trails to see how this combo works.

I do not think I would switch back to clipless again anytime soon unless I was riding asphalt all the time.

Here are a few pictures from installing the new pedals.

Removing the Shimano M324 pedals.

Putting the grease on the shaft
Note how much bigger these new pedals are over the Shimanos.

New pedal being put on

Grease, does a bike good

Pedals all on ready for a test ride

A few hi res pics from Sick Lines site
CNC machined, very nice.

Links:
Strailine pedals
Straitlines video page on maintenance of the pedals
Five Ten Sam Hill 2 bike shoes via Amazon
Finish Line Teflon grease
Review on the pedals from 2008 from Sick Lines

That is all I can think of for now.
I have found that one can spend just as much on accessories and clothing as they did on the bike.
This is an expensive sport/hobby.

I will update this thread as I change out components to upgrade.

 

[PNW Freeride]

Awsome,
I see you bought that a Center Cycle.
I was also looking a a Pitch Comp there too but decided to go for a Pitch.
Anyways,
Nice touch with the Straitline Pedals.
What are you thinking about next?

 

[louisssss]

nice bike! whats the weight on it? my 2010 RH Pro is ~25lbs

 

[Corey52]

Awsome,
I see you bought that a Center Cycle.
I was also looking a a Pitch Comp there too but decided to go for a Pitch.
Anyways,
Nice touch with the Straitline Pedals.
What are you thinking about next?

Not sure what I will do for the bike next.
It it pretty much setup the way I want it.
I may try the Moneky carbon bar, a friend has that on his bike and likes it.
However...I may try the Crank Brothers Candy pedals in the future.
I am not closed to trying clipless again.

Also I may add a Specialized Stump Jumper FSR 29er next year to my collection, the one with the brain for the rear Fox shock

nice bike! whats the weight on it? my 2010 RH Pro is ~25lbs

When I first got it I think my Topeak stand said around 28 lbs or so.
Having that tool bag on the back adds a little weight.
Also I may pull the water bottle holders since I have a hydration pack.

Thanks guy's for the comps on the bike.
Funny how I got back into it after so many years not riding.
I have an indash DVD NAv system, and just for kicks I programmed it to tell me how to get to work
I wanted to see if it would route me differently on the back street I take in.
It took me past Center Cycle a nice huge bike shop that I did not know was there.
As soon as I got into work I plugged the URL into the browser and started looking at what they had, then a week later went down and bought the bike.
I tested a Kona Hoss and this, and the Rockhopper seemed to be better built and felt better than the Kona bike.

 

[Lambdamaster]

I would definitely give crank bros pedals a try. They are extremely easy to unclip in emergency situations, and in general. They unclip much easier than SPDs. The benefit of clipless is that it lets you exert force on the up stroke as well as the down stroke. It makes you a LOT more efficient and faster.

 

[Corey52]

Thanks, what about the Shimano XTR Pedals PD-M970?

I have been reading complaints on both the Candy (Egg Beater with a platform surrounding it) and the Egg Beater breaking after awhile.
Good review on the M970s here.

 

[Lambdamaster]

I don't have any experience with the XTR pedals, but every SPD pedal I have tried feels inferior to eggbeaters. SPD supporters will tell you that you can adjust the tension blah blah blah, but you have to have a lot of tension to prevent your cleats from accidentally unclipping all the time. My eggbeaters unclip extremely easily, and I have literally never accidentally unclipped.

 

[Joeshwa24]

I have to say my experience has been exactly the opposite, all my SPD pedals have been great. I always felt like the Eggbeaters were harder to get out of in a hurry. I will say that I have accidental unclipped once in my Shimano M520s but it for trail riding I like feeling like I can come out easier. Now on my XC rig I would consider Eggbeaters again but I am just so used to the SPD's that I stick with them.

 

[Corey52]

Since I want to try a good pair of clipless again (I did not consider the M324s very good) I bought today online the Candy Xs, the cheapest Candy pedal.
$45 compared to almost $200 for those Shimano XTR M970s.

I have read mixed reviews on the Candys in the review section here.
They should arrive Wednesday, I will put them on over the weekend and try them out.

 

[djork]

I like that orange color. What headlight is that? I'm looking for a nice yet affordable headlight for night riding around the city.

Speaking of pedals, I've not jumped into the clipless craze yet, still more into platforms. I'm sorta keeping an eye out for a pair of Crank Brothers 50/50 in blue/silver

 

[Corey52]

The headlight is the Airbike.
Check the lighting section on this forum.
A cheaper one than the Airbike is the Magic Shine for $85, same P7 bulb.
Lots of threads in there.
http://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=165

Here is the specs on the 2009 Rockhopper Pro.
http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCBkModel.jsp?arc=2009&sid=09Rockhopper
HEADSET
Specialized 1-1/8" threadless, loose ball

 

[Lambdamaster]

I've heard the platform on the candy interferes a lot... might have been a good idea to try eggbeater C for $45 instead.

 

[Corey52]

I read that too, I think the included spacer to put under the cleat should work.
At least I hope so.

Yeah, those M324s I put on the bike shortly after getting it kind of soured me on clipless at first, but I am willing to give it a shot here.

That is why I only wanted to spend the $45 for the Candy Xs for now, and if I like it well enough, I might try the Shimano M970s next spring.

 

[Joeshwa24]

M970's are good pedals but there big selling point is weight. If you just want a good clipless pedal theres nothing wrong with running a lower end Shimano. Like I said in the above post I run M520s and the clipless mechanism is exactly the same as the M970s just diffrent materials are used to make the 970s lighter.

 

[Corey52]

And shortly after putting on the platform pedals I decided to try out the same pedals that Bob (BT17R on YotaTech) has on his new mountain bike.
They are the Crank Brothers Candy pedals.
Got the cheapest ones called the Candy X for $45.
Was looking at the Shimano XTR M970s, but those are going close to $200, so I figured I would rather drop 1/4th of that to see if I want to stay with clipless or go back to the Straitlines again.

There is an advantage to clipless such as power on the upstroke, but I also am a little leery of running single track being clipped in and falling.
At my age a bad fall can spell major downtime with no paycheck coming in from work.
At least with non clipless pedals you stand more of a chance of jumping ship or getting one of you feet down to help stabilize you out of a sticky situation.
Been there done that many a time in the past I would yank one of my feet out of my old pedals with the Power Grip straps on them to help.

Here are a few pics of the new pedals.

The obligatory grease on the threads

6 mm allan wrench to install with
These pedals are not made to use the 15 mm Park wrench I used with the Shimano M324 and Straitline pedals.
I kind of like it this way, as using the pedal wrench was kind of a pain trying to get the pedal to stay stationary when putting the others on or taking them off.
I think that is how I ripped my arm last week.

Shoe snaps in very easy
I find it much easier to snap in with these than the M324s I ran.
Getting out is very easy too.
They do have some float to them as the instructions say there should be a little side to side float with them.
I have them set to the 15 degree stock release to when pressing the heals outwards.

Pedals are much smaller than the previous two sets and the stock ones

These are very easy to clip into, and you can do it from front or back.
No adjustments to the pedals are necessary.
I had to take off the Shimano cleats from my shoes and install the Crank Brothers ones.
Here are a few good videos from their site on them.
Candy pedal installation
Cleat installation (listen to her accent)

I just went for a quick ride in between rain showers here, and I can say I like them much better than those Shimano M324 hybrids I ran for awhile.
Easy to clip into and out of them.
Only time will tell if I stay with these or switch back to the Straitline platform pedals.

With winter fast approaching here in the Pacific Northwest and spelling many a rainy day, I think my riding will be slowing down outdoors.
I am looking forward to some snow riding if we get snow like we had last year.
Might have to got for an indoor trainer.

Crank Brothers Candy X clipless pedals
$45 through Universal Cycling online for the Candy X pedals

 

[PNW Freeride]

Cool thanks for the update,
Man that reminds me there shure was alot of snow last year.
Hope it dose the same again!

 

[kelstr]

I don't have any experience with the XTR pedals, but every SPD pedal I have tried feels inferior to eggbeaters. SPD supporters will tell you that you can adjust the tension blah blah blah, but you have to have a lot of tension to prevent your cleats from accidentally unclipping all the time. My eggbeaters unclip extremely easily, and I have literally never accidentally unclipped.

The one really bad problem with any of the egg beater crank bros pedals is that when you strike the pedal on the bottom , --it releases you foot from the top .--( its just the design----its not good for all mountain at all )( -----not to mention they just are not tight enough to keep your foot clipped in when you really get to pulling on the things )

And they pop out all the time when you are hopping 3' ledges and churning through impossible uphills with rocks .

it will put you on your head quickly.

Then to top it off I could destroy any of the crank brothers pedals in just several rides.

I have gone back to the XTR spd 970 pedal, -----
The things really put up with alot of abuse -----and with some mods you can get them really tight where they will keep you in so you can do the really hard tech sections .

I also do like the TIME XC pedal , --------they do blow apart some times ----but I can get 4 months out of them before they die.

AM riding is really hard on pedals , -------The only ones I can bearly keep alive are the TIME and the XTR --------------and the XTR's are stronger .

And if you are going to do the nasty tech climbs you will have to be clipped in , ------all the platform guys walk it because they can not make the power needed to make the climbs

 

[Lambdamaster]

I think the eggbeater is meant to be a XC pedal. I ran them on my road bike for a month or so, and I never had problems with tightness when sprinting. I recently switched to ritchey Pro v4 spds, and I have to dial in a lot of tension to prevent unclipping while sprinting. Had a couple close calls while unclipping due to how much more difficult it is to unclip. But yeah, eggbeaters aren't meant to be bashed around.. maybe try mallets??

 

[Corey52]

Have not updated this in a long time.
I went with the Five Ten shoes and back to the Straitline pedals again.
I do not like being clipped in.

 

[ProjectDan35]

How much were those pedals.......the straitlines?