Give up my 535s?

[dmw010]

Just got some new cycling shoes and was going to put cleats on them when it occurred to me that it might be a good time to consider alternatives to my trusty Shimano 535 pedals. I don't think these are made anymore, but I've still got one pair in decent condition. I've been riding these pedals for years and like the moderately sized platform, 6 degrees of float, and the adjustable release tension. A picture is here http://207.159.131.245/pedals/shim535.htm. Mud gunks them up pretty fast, but I don't usually ride in mud so this isn't a problem. I also run a pretty light release tension to be sure they release in a crash. I ride cross country on a hardtail, no freeriding/hucking or downhill.

If I were going to switch, Times or Egg Beaters would be the leading contenders in my mind. My concern with Times is the lack of adjustability of release tension. I have the same concern with Egg Beaters, plus I wonder about the lack of any platform whatsoever might cause "hot spots" on my feet. I don't know whether ease of entry/release or float are issues with either of these pedals.

Any suggestions or comments?

[T Grimble]

I have been on the eggbeaters for almost a year and it sounds like we ride the same type of bike and riding style. I used to set my 535/747 very light because of an old knee injury. The eggbeaters have a very light feeling to them especially after the cleat gets a little worn but they hold very well. They shed mud better then anything out there and the float is excessive if anything. When engaged there is no hot spot because weight is applied to the outsides of the pedals not the paddle parts. Now for the downsides. They do not have a multi directional release like many SPD's have. My 747 used to release when I pulled slightly up and out. The eggbeaters do not. In a panic this can be tragic. I have also had a couple times when I have smacked the bottom of the pedal on a rock and it has opened the paddles which release your foot. Not a real problem except if you smacked the bottom of your pedal on a rock you are most likely riding something that needs your full attention and suddenly having one foot unattached is distracting. If you are used to riding unclipped for any reason you may want to consider the new Mullet. The traditional eggbeater just rotates under your foot.

Mallet C, not mullet. Hit all the rocks you want with these babys. It is true they only release by rotating, but if you learned on shimano platforms then you never got to use the multi directional release anyway.

I like mine.

bill

p.s. read the directions and put the cleats on the correct shoe. It does matter.

[dmw010]

Any thoughts on Crank Bros. Candy SL pedals? Looks like a decent compromise between the simplicity of Eggbeaters and the stability of a platform pedal, still under 300 grams.

[C.P.]

The candy's look quite nice. I Just got an email from Pricepoint. They have the candy pedals at a reduced price if you decide to go with them.

http://pricepoint.com/product2233.html

Crank Bros. were at Pedros and had a nice set up. You could demo a set of their pedals on your own bike using shoes and socks they brought. You got to keep the socks weather you bought the pedals or not. They were selling the entire line at half price!! I was a bit disapointed as i just bought my Mallet C on sale at $79 and they were at the fest for $50.
If sales after demo are an indicator of approval I would say the Mallets and Candys are great pedals. They sold out before noon on saturday. People were even buying the sets used off the stationary bikes they had set up.

bill

[sizlinseagulsoup]

I demo'd the crank brothers pedals at pedro's as well. I found that I liked my times better. Sure they are twice as much weight, but the crank bros pedals just felt "loose" under my feet. If I stood up and started ripping around, it felt like there was some vertical play between the bars and the cleat and they were brand new pedals right out of the box. They felt pretty good on the trail (didn't notice the vertical play too much out on the singletrack) however the little section of road I did made me not buy them.

I've been using times for 4 seasons now, and I have no complaint about their functionality. The weight kind of sucks, but I'd rather have heavy pedals that I liked then light pedals that make me nervous...

[dmw010]

After seeing the opinions here and in a few newsgroup threads, I decided to go to the source -- I talked to the guy at Crank Bros. who designed the pedals. He said that the Candys have two advantages over Eggbeaters: (1) they are easier to ride unclipped; and (2) they may be a little easier to clip into. However, if you don't ride unclipped, there is no real advantage to Candys because the actual contact area that supports your weight when clipped in is identical. According to him, in spite of the minimalist appearance, Eggbeaters have a clipped-in contact area 25% larger than Shimano 747, 858, or 959 pedals (he didn't know the numbers for 535s but suspects they are the same). He said that if I clipped a shoe into my 535s and looked closely, I would probably see that the shoe is not in significant contact with the platform part of the pedal.

[harosport]

Being relatively new to mtbike but rode bmx forever I couldn't get comfy on the shimano's that came on the bike (515?) I have been forever riding platforms on my bmx when I got on the shimano's Ifelt like I was standing on a nail. I went to the time Z's and love them easy in easy out and the fact that your feet are not locked in side to side my knees don't hurt. You can ride unclipped if your in a sticky spot and the platforms are comfy they have my vote.

[AGENTGRAPE]

another cool thing with the mallets are the replaceable front pieces. they come in different heights so if you want to have more shoe contact and the feel of a platform when unclipped or go with lower pieces and have more clearance its all a matter of personel setup