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Platform Pedals

7K views 37 replies 26 participants last post by  adamfss 
#1 ·
Hi all,

Newer member here and been lurking while researching a new bike. Just picked up a leftover 2010 Rumblefish ll and am excited to get out riding again. Did some searching for platform pedals and came up with alot of choices so I am going to ask what people are happy with. I will be doing mostly XC/Singletrack, nothing too extreme to start. Live in Phoenix so it will be alot of rocky desert type of terrain.

Some of the ones I have looked up are...
Crank Bros
Canfield Bros
Shimano
Straitline
Blackspire
Speedplay
Xpedo
Point one


What are your favorites and why?
 
#4 ·
Some big differences in price points there...better start with something affordable & go from there. If you find that they're your thing, you can always upgrade if necessary.

I prefer the lo-profile ones (I ride the Point1) and feel everyone should learn to ride platforms before supplementing their riding with clipless pedals.
 
#7 ·
vertible said:
What are your favorites and why?
From your list, I would comment that the Canfield Bros crampons are awesome, and that I personally find the Crank Brothers 50/50s very underwhelming in terms of grip.

I would add the Twenty6 Prerunners to your list - http://www.twenty6products.com/products/
Super spendy, but incredibly light and the stickiest pedal I've ridden. I've got a pair of both the CroMo and Ti spindles, and have ridden the hell out of both. The replicable traction pins are a double edges sword - you will have to eventually replace some of them, but in doing so your pedals are always uber-sticky. I've come to love this feature.

Also, I would throw in the Brooklyn Machine Works Vegiburgers - http://www.brooklynmachineworks.com/parts.html
They're heavy, but indestructible and also we-todd-edly sticky. Really indestructible.

either way, I would also strongly advise that you tee up some shin guards, becauce hamburger-shin sucks.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Sunline V-1s on my bikes. I've tried Wellgo MG-1 and CB 50/50 and like the Sunlines MUCH MUCH better, though when I had the Sunlines without 5.10s and on my hardtail, just wearing skate shoes, I didn't like them (nor any other platforms). My feet would just be jarred right off from all the bumps. The Sunlines have a nice balance of pyramid shapes combined with pins for the best grip on platforms I ever had and a wide stable platform. Their only downside is the weight, being over 500g/pr. The wide platform might be a downside too, if you ride narrow spaces between rocks at speed, as they can clip and throw you off balance (np if you have a strong core and balance--I just ride it through).

Five Ten shoes are virtually a must. You appreciate them when you try to climb up steep technical rock faces and get hung up or pedal strike and need to hop off. I would hesitate riding the same thing on clipless. I'm talking steep... so steep if you fell off, you'd be tumbling down until it got flat.

The combination of platforms and 5.10s is where it's at. It made me give up clipless, which I used to promote as well. I've no regrets. I tried clipless again and my ankles just couldn't handle being locked into place and bothered me for the first 15 minutes. Unlimited float and feet positions is a very nice feeling. I don't miss the pedaling efficiency and the 300g isn't a big deal. The only thing I really miss is the ability to lift the rear with a little more extra force--it really did feel like cheating and I haven't been able to skill up enough yet to do it spontaneously while riding, though in practice I do well. Relying on that can be disastrous though... a majority of times I accidentally unclipped and my foot flew, I ended up in a bad situation. Clipless is a double edged sword, it seems. I have them on my HT, but I'll only take my HT on smooth tame trails and XC courses and use my FS for everything else.

BTW, I like your taste in bikes. I was after the Rumblefish, but got a deal on an used Superfly 100 instead and basically have 2 sets of components for it. One for trail (includes an adj seatpost and heavier tires) and one for XC. I had a new set of Sunlines for sale, but I am considering putting them on my HT or replace the 50/50s on my AM bike.
 
#16 ·
The crown jewel -- a Straitline platform. This thing is HUGE. The peanut headed moron that sold 'em to me (never buy bike stuff from a woman) put the pins on for free 2 days ago. You can see that two have come out.


The beater that works and works well: Specialized Lo Pro Mag 2. I've dropped the chain tons of times and my leg has stayed on. No crotch boinks, yet, in 3 years. Feet stay planted.
 
#18 ·
I just got a pair of Azonic 420's, they work well, and aren't as tall as some other pedals.

I rode a bike with a set of Canfield Crampons last week. They are awesome - light, thin, and grippy. They lower your riding height while improving ground clearance. I ride a 4x rig with a low BB - I am going to pick up a set of Crampons for it.
 
#19 ·
Thanks for the responses!

Wow, there is a pedal to fit every price point and aesthetic. I do know I want to start off with platforms while I work on my riding skills. May look into clipless later on.
The pedals with more aggressive pins look like the way to go and the suggestion of shin pads makes sense to avoid getting ripped up.

The Five Ten shoes sound like a no brainer. I will be in Long Beach next week and see there is a Five Ten dealer near there. Will have to stop in and try some on.

Really do like a thinner profile and weight is not a big issue as I need to lose a few pounds anyway. :)
Did some more reading based on some suggestions and am narrowing down to ...

Point 1 Podium
Canfield Brothers Crampons
Blackspire sub4
Twenty6 Prerunners
 
#21 ·
vertible said:
Thanks for the responses!

Wow, there is a pedal to fit every price point and aesthetic. I do know I want to start off with platforms while I work on my riding skills. May look into clipless later on.
The pedals with more aggressive pins look like the way to go and the suggestion of shin pads makes sense to avoid getting ripped up.

The Five Ten shoes sound like a no brainer. I will be in Long Beach next week and see there is a Five Ten dealer near there. Will have to stop in and try some on.

Really do like a thinner profile and weight is not a big issue as I need to lose a few pounds anyway. :)
Did some more reading based on some suggestions and am narrowing down to ...

Point 1 Podium
Canfield Brothers Crampons
Blackspire sub4
Twenty6 Prerunners
Well, shee-it, since you are getting all Gucci on your first pair, add the Burgtec Penthouse Mk3 and Brooklyn Machine Works Vegi Burgers to your list.
 
#23 ·
Just switched back to platforms after riding clipless for a few years and taking a few spills that scared the crap out of me...

I picked up some 5-10 Karver's and a set of Forte Converts which seem to be working well for me. Haven't tried any of the others, but the Azonics were the other set on my radar, but I ended up going local and picked up the Fortes at Performance for under $60 on sale.
 
#24 ·
buddhak said:
Well, shee-it, since you are getting all Gucci on your first pair......
Thought I might get some riding shoes and luggage to go along as well....:D





As I am a sucker for functional bling, I did end up ordering a pair of Twenty6 Prerunners in urban camo. Thanks for the heads up on the shin protectors, I also ordered a pair of Lizard skins shin protectors and a pair of 5/10's. Now I have to find more time to go out and ride!


 
#25 ·
+ve: Shimano MX30s all the way! I have long and XL pins in mine to work with the deep tread on the TNF Hedgehog shoes I use. Plenty of grip even compared to my SBC / Time ATAC combo and easier to walk in!

Silky smooth amazingly well sealed proper bearings (not disposable designed-to-grind-to-death cartridge units!). My friend has a pair on his BMX that he has serviced once in 10 years and are still running super smooth despite pedal-taps, crashes and some failed back-flips!

-ve: Only available in silver :(

SSP
 
#26 ·
Holy crap! Those are some dangerously sharp pins on that set of Prerunners! I hope your shin pads cover your whole shin. I have Race Face Flank knee/shin pads and have my lower shin exposed and my calves are also really exposed, which also gets scraped up by my pedals. That's going to be a painful experience getting used to flats.

Anyways, I'm likely not going back to clipless. Powergrips maybe though.
 
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