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Time Vs Shimano clipless

1K views 13 replies 10 participants last post by  perttime 
#1 ·
Which are the best of the two? Time or shimano pedals. How about other brands you recommend. I have found very cheap Vuelta spd pedals. Is it risky to get those? Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Is it risky? Never heard of them, but they likely work okay. I started with Shimano (which my wife still uses) and switched to Times and love em. Crank Bros. are highly rated as are Speedplay Frogs. Any pedal you choose is going to take some serious time to get used to and that is off trail first. The more time you spend making clipping in/out second nature the less you'll fall due to the pedals.
 
#3 ·
Markleo said:
Which are the best of the two? Time or shimano pedals.
I've used both. I'm currently using some Time Zs which allow for riding either clipped or unclipped. (If I had to do it over again, I'd probably get the Z Control instead.)

I walked through a section of wet clay on a recent ride. It's that thick heavy stuff that cakes the bottoms of your shoes and is really hard to get off. After scraping the worst of it off, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could still clip in to my Time pedals. And... better still, I was also able to unclip without much more effort than normal. When I got home, cleanup was a snap. I vaguely recall a similar situation that didn't work out so nicely with the Shimano pedals that I once used.
 
#5 ·
It's personal preference....

Markleo said:
Which are the best of the two? Time or shimano pedals. How about other brands you recommend. I have found very cheap Vuelta spd pedals. Is it risky to get those? Thanks.
There is no way to determine which pedal is "best".

There are basically 4 types of clipless mountain bike pedal. All of them have their pros and cons:

SPD (Shimano, Welgo, Vuelta, etc.)
The knock on Shimano's is that they pack up in mud and are more mechanically complicated than the other brands. I suspect that those who make this claim haven't ridden Shimano for a while because their newer models look very similar in design to Times/Crank Brothers. I couldn't tell you because I've ridden Times for 10 years because the only other alternative at the time (spd's) packed up in mud and were complicated to maintain.

Times
Much simpler than SPD's used to be but let's be clear: They aren't magic mud shedders. They can still pack up and make it hard to clip in. I've found them to be very reliable, robust and predictable.

My knock on them is that when you smack the bottom of your pedal on an object, you'll come unclipped because the opposing spring tension is what holds your cleat to the pedal.

Crank Brothers
Basically the same thing as Times. You have 4 sides to clip in to vs. 2 with the Times. They function the same. I've not ridden them. The people I know who have ridden them like them. People who moved from SPD to them love them. People who moved from Times to them think they're just fine.

Speed Play Frogs
Lots and lots of float. Very predictable. People who have knee problems swear by them. The few riders I know who ride them love them and wouldn't consider riding anything else. I've never really heard anything bad about them other than it takes a fair amount of time getting used to the additional float.
 
#6 ·
i'm a beginning rider myself and bought some Time pedals that were a little too hard to get out of. I was considering riding flats when I tried spd's on the low tension setting and was happily surprised that i could ratchet the tension up a bit from the bottom and still get out fast.

Does Time make pedals that you can adjust the tension on? The ones i had before were unadjustable.
 
#7 ·
Ken in KC said:
There is no way to determine which pedal is "best".

There are basically 4 types of clipless mountain bike pedal. All of them have their pros and cons:

SPD (Shimano, Welgo, Vuelta, etc.)
The knock on Shimano's is that they pack up in mud and are more mechanically complicated than the other brands. I suspect that those who make this claim haven't ridden Shimano for a while because their newer models look very similar in design to Times/Crank Brothers. I couldn't tell you because I've ridden Times for 10 years because the only other alternative at the time (spd's) packed up in mud and were complicated to maintain.

Times
Much simpler than SPD's used to be but let's be clear: They aren't magic mud shedders. They can still pack up and make it hard to clip in. I've found them to be very reliable, robust and predictable.

My knock on them is that when you smack the bottom of your pedal on an object, you'll come unclipped because the opposing spring tension is what holds your cleat to the pedal.

Crank Brothers
Basically the same thing as Times. You have 4 sides to clip in to vs. 2 with the Times. They function the same. I've not ridden them. The people I know who have ridden them like them. People who moved from SPD to them love them. People who moved from Times to them think they're just fine.

Speed Play Frogs
Lots and lots of float. Very predictable. People who have knee problems swear by them. The few riders I know who ride them love them and wouldn't consider riding anything else. I've never really heard anything bad about them other than it takes a fair amount of time getting used to the additional float.
Ok cut and paste that part about smacking the bottom of the pedals and having them releasing your foot from the Times to the Crank Bros and everything is good.

Tried some SPD clones a long time ago when they came with my bike. They did the job, but they would seem to unclip my foot when I didn't want them too. Currently using Times and happy. Crank Bros seem like a good design (basically a clever lightweight copy of Times) except for the bushing design. I've read some people have had to rebuild their Eggs more than I would like to.
 
#8 ·
slapshotz said:
i'm a beginning rider myself and bought some Time pedals that were a little too hard to get out of. I was considering riding flats when I tried spd's on the low tension setting and was happily surprised that i could ratchet the tension up a bit from the bottom and still get out fast.

Does Time make pedals that you can adjust the tension on? The ones i had before were unadjustable.
No, they don't. You can adjust the degree of float that you have before you unclip by putting the starred cleat on either the right or left shoes. I don't recall which is which, but if you put the cleat with the star on one shoe, then you have to turn your foot 7 degrees to unclip (it's easier to unclip). If the starred cleat is on the other shoes, you have to turn your foot 17 degrees to unclip (harder). I don't really remember which side is harder or easier and I may not have the degrees of float exactly right either. Whenever I replace my cleats, I read the directions, figure out which installation makes it harder to unclip, install the cleats and forget about it until the next time I replace cleats.
 
#9 ·
Ken in KC said:
No, they don't. You can adjust the degree of float that you have before you unclip by putting the starred cleat on either the right or left shoes. I don't recall which is which, but if you put the cleat with the star on one shoe, then you have to turn your foot 7 degrees to unclip (it's easier to unclip). If the starred cleat is on the other shoes, you have to turn your foot 17 degrees to unclip (harder). I don't really remember which side is harder or easier and I may not have the degrees of float exactly right either. Whenever I replace my cleats, I read the directions, figure out which installation makes it harder to unclip, install the cleats and forget about it until the next time I replace cleats.
The old ATACs didn't have any adjustment, but the newer (been out for a couple years) ATAC XS's do have 3 adjustable tension settings, although I've never used anything but the factory setting. Kinda makes you wonder why the XS's are called ATACs(auto-tension-adjustment-concept). If anyone wants to know, the starred cleat is still there too.
 
#10 ·
whick of the 2 are easier to ride without being clipped in? I have tried the Crank Brothers and they are pretty crappy for just going down the block. Riding unclipped should not be a common occurance but I would like to not just roll off like I do on the Beaters.
 
#12 ·
Markleo said:
Which are the best of the two? Time or shimano pedals. How about other brands you recommend. I have found very cheap Vuelta spd pedals. Is it risky to get those? Thanks.
i have used both Shimano 959 and Time ATAC XS. both pedals work great.

Float - Shimano has more of a free float feeling while Time is more self centering. the self centering of the times makes them feel like they have less float IMO. this isn't good or bad, just is.

Entering - no significant difference to me.

Exiting - shimano is a little easier, i can twist either in or out. time are out only and through a larger angle (even with the cleats set up for smaller float).

Retention - both perform well.

Mud - both perform well.

Wedges - both are compatible with Lemond wedges (if you need them).

i usually run the shimanos due to easier exit.
 
#13 ·
KevinB said:
Any of the clip / platform combinations should be suitable for this purpose. Some examples are the Time Z and Z Control or the Shimano PD-M424, PD-M647, and PD-M545. I use (and like) the Time Z. I haven't tried any of the others.
I guess it is the purist in me, but I cant bring myself to go with a combo. I would assume that the Shimanos would do ok, but I dont have a decent LBS around and besides the internet is SO much cheaper on these sort of things.
 
#14 ·
I use Time ATAC XS and they are pretty good.

The only comment I have about other brands is that I have heard about lots of damaged Eggbeater bearings. Not sure if it is a specific model, the rider or bad luck.
 
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