[Closed] Pedals and Kit??

I'd go with Shimano PD-M540's (or the 520's for £20!) and something along the lines of the now obsolete Giro Terraduro shoe. A lot of the newer shoes allow the cleat to be positioned further rearward than previous shoes allowed, it can give a more flat pedal position whilst still clipped in.

Or, just go with flats and a decent shoe, allow at least 12 rides to acclimatize.

Crank Brothers pedals have a decent amount of float, not sure their reiability is much different from years gone by though, but you should be able to pick up a set reasonably cheaply.

https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ie/en/crankbrothers-candy-1-clipless-mtb-pedals/rp-prod168008

Kneed pads have come on a lot, loads of options now for lighter, less bulky knee pads for trail riding. Worth having to avoid the inevitable bumps and scrapes you'll encounter from rustiness.

I use Dakine Slayer - Troy Lee Speed, IXS Flow, POC VPD Air, Fox Launch are all good options, really comes down to what fits you.

Cool, thanks for the recommendations, I'll look at the Crank Bros pedals.

Unless they have changed a lot over the last few years, Shimano just don't seem to have enough float for me.

I've contacted Speedplay, but they seem to pretty much focus on the US now, so something more sustainable will really help.

I use to have time and Crank Brothers, they have more float in theory, but IME it's more like zero float with gradually increasing spring tension until eventually, the cleat comes out.

Whereas Shimano float freely upto the release point, then click.

My knees actually got better when I swapped to shimano, probably because the foots actually free to move rather than being pulled in/out.

Also been riding flats recently. I'd forgotten how slow they feel!

I'd definitely suggest for the OP to try flat pedals, at least for the 12 rides mentioned above.

With proper shoes and pedals that sensation of ineficiency starts to fade away. Your feet are actually very firmly attached to the pedals, so much you can even do sort of a circular pedal stroke.

Good flat pedals and shoes are not too expensive either, I'd suggest Burgtec composites and Five Ten Freeriders or Shimano GR5s.

Flat pedals will definitely not be the very best setup every time, but neither are clipless. What they offer is safety, happy joints and most of all they teach you how to ride. It's no just bunny hopping, but also attacking, cornering, etc.

Good flat pedals and shoes are not too expensive either, I’d suggest Burgtec composites and Five Ten Freeriders or Shimano GR5s.

Flat pedals will definitely not be the very best setup every time, but neither are clipless. What they offer is safety, happy joints and most of all they teach you how to ride. It’s no just bunny hopping, but also attacking, cornering, etc.

It's not the pulling up that's the inefficiency, that myth was debunked decades ago (your muscles simply arent built to pull your feet up, its not a natural movement). Its the rubber in the sole that sucks about 15% of the energy getting squished each time, compared to a fiberglass sole and metal cleat.

Technique and safety I can kinda agree, I do tend to swap to flats when it gets really muddy as its easier to dab. But its arguable whether it actually teaches you to be a "better" rider. For every lazy bunnyhop or flicking the rear wheel over a log theres 10's of wanabee Sam Hills with the bike completely upright cornering with one foot up in the air.

For every lazy bunnyhop or flicking the rear wheel over a log theres 10’s of wanabee Sam Hills with the bike completely upright cornering with one foot up in the air.

Ha, yeah. Flat pedals can force you to learn things in a different way that is better for your burgeoning slopestyle career but honestly who really does that? If you like clipless, just use them.

I have a love-hate relationship with flats. I prefer them for dicking around doing tricks but for actual MTB riding (like going fast up or downhill) SPDs are substantially faster for me. YMMV but flats are definitely not the only 'correct' option.

I don't think Shimano have changed their pedal design substantially in 20 years - at least not the mechanics / float etc.

I can send you some worn out SPD cleats if you want more float 🙂

If you do go for SPDs, try a pedal with a bit of a cage. I'm a convert to the Saint pedals (M820) - the platform if comfier for long rides whilst wearing a soft-ish shoe for walking / scrambling.

Use whatever you want and everyones different but...

When i started out in the early 90s clipless was the norm. Now flats seem to be the norm. So its worth considering these

Don't want to turn this into a flats Vs clips debate, but that squishy sole efficiency thing is highly variable within both systems. You have very soft squishy SPD shoes and very stiff flat pedal ones.
I mentioned pulling up the pedal not because I think it's an important feature, but just something you can do.

And regarding technique, like I said, it's not just about bunny hops and jibbing. You learn how to place yourself into corners, how to weight/unweight the bike, how to attack rocky sections, etc etc. There's a reason why so many skills courses tell people to show up on flats, and it's not just for bunny hops.
The flat pedal thing is just a suggestion, one that made me raise my eyebrows at one time but then opened a world of riding for me. Same with several of my friends.

But to each it's own, and if one really wants to stay on SPDs, then great

Shimmano 540's are well worth the investment. I have just binned off some 520s that lasted 15 years but in reality the bearings were going slowly over the last 5. With 540s you can get at the bearings to regrease so maybe in 10 years time i will do that with mine.

Generally people who use shimmano spds never change to anything else as they just work so well.

Thanks everyone! I’ve had a response from Speedplay who are telling me that the Frogs are discontinued, so that’s that. Even worn pairs of Frogs and cleats are going for silly money.

On the plus side, whilst rooting though my old MTB stuff I found a pair of DMR V8’s. I think I got them for messing about trying tricks and DS-ing.

So when I go for the casual rides with the wife, I’m putting these on to get used to flats again.

In the meantime I’m looking at some Crank Bros Mallet 3’s in prep for my new bike.

I think I’ll end up trying to mix and match.

Go with whichever pedals you feel comfortable with - there’s no right and wrong.

I flip between flats and spds depending on how I feel really. If it’s dry I’m generally on flats as my 5-10’s get waterlogged easily in the wet. My Shimano AM7 spd shoes are a bit more weather resistant and don’t take days to dry out!

I’m on various spds - shimano for road style ones and then I have Nukeproof Horizon clipless pedals and some boardman pro clipless pedals.

Time tend to be the pedals with the most float but my mate and I swap bikes sometimes on uplift days so I’ve kept with shimano cleat compatible pedals -
Otherwise I’d have bought Time ones.

Crank brothers don’t have a great reputation for reliability FYI.

If you’re going flats then pedals aren’t as important as the actual shoes. I’ve got Superstar Nano Evo flats on both bikes at this exact moment with 5-10 Freerider Element shoes. So grippy it’s untrue.

Knee pads are a good idea - I’ve got fairly chunky ones on for everything after a couple of crashes in 2018. Managed a knee against a dropper remote wearing no knee pads first time. 2nd time I had lightweight knee pads and I still didn’t come away unscathed as they ripped / got dragged down (661 recons). Settles on Scott Grenade Evo’s which are pretty heavy duty - you might need to try on a few types before you find some that fit nicely.

Good bike choice btw - I’ve had a Bird Aeris 145 and now on a Bird Aether for my full suss bike. Great company to deal with.

I’m taking the advice and going flat for a while. I think over the years, especially as the last bit of cycling was commuting on the roads for 30 miles a day, I have picked up some really bad pedalling and bike habits.

I’ve got some Mallets on the way for later on and the Frogs are going on sale.

Cheers everyone!

“Its the rubber in the sole that sucks about 15% of the energy getting squished each time”

I wish it was really 15%, that would make me so much quicker uphill if I switched to clips!

There’s almost no give at all in the midfoot sole of a Freerider Pro.

I recommend knee pads - but fit is very personal, so I bought six pairs online and spent a couple of evenings wearing them in the house before sending five pairs back. I actually put a dent in the top tube of my Zero AM with my knee when not wearing pads - it bloody hurt!

Holy cow!!

I’ve just got a pair of 661’s to begin with that seem to fit pretty well.

Time to dig out the flats today and go for a ride in the park with the wife to start learning not to pull on the pedals.