[mudworm]

Yes, I sure did! (Here is how if you want to know.)

(hand courtesy of Skyline35)
Crank Brothers Candy C bought in November 2007. The end cap nut is still securely attached to the pedal body, but it's no longer attached to the spindle.

Yesterday, I put an old SPD pedal (M515) back on the right side as a replacement. I thought I would ride like this until I buy a new set of Eggbeaters (or Candy's if I still want the little platform). But after I rode around in the parking lot for a couple of minutes, I went ahead and replaced the left one with SPD as well. The side by side comparison made the SPDs stand out:

1. I like the snappy feel getting in and out of the SPDs. Compared to that, there is way too much hesitation in the Candy pedal. Some say this is because Candy offers greater play, but I remember those times when I lay horizontal on a trail and had a hard time wiggling my foot out of the Candy pedal -- play is bad in my book except when it's me playing.
2. I loosened the tension screws in the SPDs almost all the way when I put them on. It seems extremely easy to clip in and out. Almost a bit too easy, but I know I can tighten them up if I want to.
3. When I put the mid sole of my shoes on the pedals, the SPD seems to provide just a tad more stability than the Candy. (Not sure why I did this though because I could never ride without clipping in.)

The downside: those old SPDs are heavy! I almost dropped them when I pulled the pedals out of the bag. Someone please change my mind. Those Eggbeaters sure look light!

 

[Finch Platte]

Yes, I sure did! (Here is how if you want to know.)

(hand courtesy of Skyline35)
Crank Brothers Candy C bought in November 2007. The end cap nut is still securely attached to the pedal body, but it's no longer attached to the spindle.

Yesterday, I put an old SPD pedal (M515) back on the right side as a replacement. I thought I would ride like this until I buy a new set of Eggbeaters (or Candy's if I still want the little platform). But after I rode around in the parking lot for a couple of minutes, I went ahead and replaced the left one with SPD as well. The side by side comparison made the SPDs stand out:

1. I like the snappy feel getting in and out of the SPDs. Compared to that, there is way too much hesitation in the Candy pedal. Some say this is because Candy offers greater play, but I remember those times when I lay horizontal on a trail and had a hard time wiggling my foot out of the Candy pedal -- play is bad in my book except when it's me playing.
2. I loosened the tension screws in the SPDs almost all the way when I put them on. It seems extremely easy to clip in and out. Almost a bit too easy, but I know I can tighten them up if I want to.
3. When I put the mid sole of my shoes on the pedals, the SPD seems to provide just a tad more stability than the Candy. (Not sure why I did this though because I could never ride without clipping in.)

The downside: those old SPDs are heavy! I almost dropped them when I pulled the pedals out of the bag. Someone please change my mind. Those Eggbeaters sure look light!

Swut you get for not maintaining the pedal & also getting new cleats.

 

[mudworm]

:blush: Can't you be a little gentle? But what you said was so true! Other pedal owners (that's all of you), now listen up -- you need to maintain your pedals and get new cleats!

 

[redmr2_man]

crank brothers will ship you out another set for free. I've got so much free **** from them it's crazy!

 

[knobs]

Cleats wear. Keep that in mind in side by side comparisons.

 

[grrrah]

You will go back to the CBs after your first muddy ride.

 

[MrHappyMedium]

The end cap nut isn't what holds the pedal on. Check out this vid:
http://www.crankbrothers.com/support/video_rebuilding_candy.php

This happened to me on a road tour, 300 miles into a 1500 mile ride. The pedals were new-ish and had only been ridden on the road. I was pissed. After a full day of riding a bike with all my gear and 1/2 my wife's, she broke a spoke the same day, I bought a pair of ATACs. I finished the tour with the ATACs, but never really liked them. I should've tried harder to get the CBs fixed onsite but I had places to be...

I emailed Crank Brothers after the tour and they rebuilt the pedals for free. This was in 2004, and they're still kicking today. I just rebuilt them this summer ($20?) and they're in great shape. CB has awesome customer service.

My beef with the CB line is what the pedals do to your shoe soles. I'm using the SS plates they now offer, $10 I shouldn't have to spend, to protect the shoe soles. But the plates make the pedals feel less smooth than they used to.

I'm now considering stealing my wife's Frogs and trying them out. Easy in/out and no chance the pedal can damage the shoe's sole. I never like the release on SPDs...

 

[EBrider]

You will go back to the CBs after your first muddy ride.

Yep, the adjustability is nice, but SPDs are worthless in the mud.

 

[d-bug]

Those 515's are complete piles of sh!t.
If you go SPD, go with the 520 model or above.
They do fine in mud. Mine never cause me any grief.
I tried the CB pedals once, just because everyone else has them. I didn't like them and removed them after one ride. If you are used to the CB pedals and have not had any problems, then stick with what you know and see if you can get a replacement pair.

 

[Plim]

:blush: Can't you be a little gentle? But what you said was so true! Other pedal owners (that's all of you), now listen up -- you need to maintain your pedals and get new cleats!

Pish-posh. I've been riding the same pair of spd's since 2001 with zero maintenance.

I will admit I might have gotten a new set of cleats at some point though. I think I got rid of my old shoes without taking the old cleats off.

 

[Zillon]

Yep, the adjustability is nice, but SPDs are worthless in the mud.

Not as true as it used to be - the new models have a more open design that allows mud to fall through.

Nowhere near as open as the CB pedals, but still much better than they used to be.

I wish CB pedals held up over the long run as well as they work on the trail. Everyone I know who runs eggbeaters has broken at least one pedal, if not multiple. It's just silly to be unable to trust one of the major contact points on your bike to last the duration of a ride.

 

[EBrider]

Not as true as it used to be - the new models have a more open design that allows mud to fall through.

Nowhere near as open as the CB pedals, but still much better than they used to be.

I wish CB pedals held up over the long run as well as they work on the trail. Everyone I know who runs eggbeaters has broken at least one pedal, if not multiple. It's just silly to be unable to trust one of the major contact points on your bike to last the duration of a ride.

Could be true, I haven't bought a new pair of SPDs in probably 5 years. Time seems to be a happy median between working well in mud and having the ability to adjust. No problems after 2 season. I never felt comfortable with the CBs.

 

[d-bug]

I hear new Mojos come with pedals. Maybe you should just go that route.

 

[mudworm]

You mean there are pedals that come with a bike? I'll have to consider that!

All this helpful discussion reminded me an MTB video I recently watched, in which Steve Peat (the new DH World Champion) is showing mud riding skills. In a separate segment, he talks about how he could not ride without clipless pedals. Guess what he rides? SPDs! I remember that was when I first thought about digging those old SPDs out. This is not to say SPDs do not have problem in mud (pffffft, what do I know about mud?). Plus, I'm sure even if he rides on two spindles, he can still leave me in the dust, so I probably shouldn't even care what he rides.

 

[rho]

I hear new Mojos come with pedals. Maybe you should just go that route.

I like this "break a pedal, buy a bike" idea.

It might just work, mojos are squishyyyyyyyy.

 

[snowjnky]

CB sucks....I just have to much $$$$ in CB crap to change
SPD or time when I get rich

 

[Unknown Kowalski]

I actually managed to break an SPD but that was a pretty hard hit on a rock. Curious to know what actually causes the CB's to break. I'm becoming more of a weight weenie these days and was thinking the egg beaters looked pretty good. I'm around 170lbs but I'm not sure if weight is the issue with their failing.

 

[Diesel~]

Those 515's are complete piles of sh!t.
If you go SPD, go with the 520 model or above.
They do fine in mud. Mine never cause me any grief.
I tried the CB pedals once, just because everyone else has them. I didn't like them and removed them after one ride. If you are used to the CB pedals and have not had any problems, then stick with what you know and see if you can get a replacement pair.

Those Candys look like they belong on a Hasbro bike; plus, I've never liked the idea of using a bushing in a pedal. Crank Brothers has great customer service, which I applaud, but it sure seems like there are a lot of folks that need to find out just how good that CS really is, unfortunately.

I've been using the SPDs since their inception:

2 pairs of 737s (one still on my wife's bike)
3 pairs of 747s (one still on my hardtail, one still on my CX bike)
1 pair of 535s (still use these for demo days)
1 pair 959s (still in use on my FS)

Never once have I had one fail or leave me stranded.

They all use the same cleats, and they are super easy to service (pop axle, wipe down, fill body with grease, install axle, wipe off purged grease).

The mud shedding ability is not the best of any pedal, but as someone mentioned, the latest models are not bad.

Dan's right; get a Shimano model 520 or above. If you can spring for the 540s, I'd pay the extra $ and get the aluminum, rather than plastic, spindle sleeve. Plus, they're silver, and they won't look as beat up over time as a black pedal.

Good luck,

-D

 

[jrm]

Thats exactly how i put a hole in my leg

still have the scar.

 

[hanskellner]

When I also started CX racing/riding I put a set of Time ATACs on the bike. With years and years of riding I never had a problem with SPDs but needed better mud clearance. Then I got tired of having to switch shoes between my MTB and CX bikes so I just upgraded to ATACs all around. Not as nice an engagement click/snap as SPDs but otherwise the ATACs have been just fine. Lots of heavy abuse without problems (both on MTB and CX).

So if trading reliability for a small amount of weight savings is fine, go with CB.