chris_w_65 Posted March 12, 2011 Share A few weeks ago I bought a Topeak workstand, it is worth every cent. Regretably, I also bought the scale that goes with it (trust me, this will bring out the weight weenie in you and cost you a whole load of cash). Anyway, I decided to take the (temporary MTB) pedals off my roadie and weigh them and see how much I will save when I fit the road pedals. The MTB pedals are Crank Brothers Candy C. In the Candy range they are reasonably low spec, nothing fancy - R291.00 on CRCWeight of pedals - 300gWeight of cleats with screws - 40g So then I weigh my Ultegra 6700 road pedalsWeight of pedals - 315gWeight of cleats with screws - 70g WTF? Now I am considering upgrading my roadie to Crank Brothers Eggbeaters instead of the Ultegra. The Eggbeaters I have are real entry level, they cost R408.00 on CRCWeight of pedals - 270g (claimed 256g)Weight of cleats with screws - 40g Advantage of MTB pedalsYou can clip both sidesIf you miss cleat you can still pedalYou can walk around properly in the shoes I really thought the reasonably high spec Ultegra pedals would weigh less than MTB pedals I thought there was a reason roadies use road cleats Edited March 12, 2011 by chris_w_65 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andretraut Posted March 12, 2011 Share I also had to fork out big cash to get road pedals which are lighter than my eggies. Got the carbon Looks for my racing road bike, but still use eggbeaters on my training road bike and mtb. I also prefer the mtb shoe, hence the eggies on my training/groupride bike...so that I can walk around at the coffee stop and stret ch the legs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_w_65 Posted March 12, 2011 Share I also had to fork out big cash to get road pedals which are lighter than my eggies. Got the carbon Looks for my racing road bike, but still use eggbeaters on my training road bike and mtb. I also prefer the mtb shoe, hence the eggies on my training/groupride bike...so that I can walk around at the coffee stop and stret ch the legs! I have only ridden Eggies once, I found them easier to clip in than the Candy. Nice thing about the Candy is if you miss you can just keep on pedaling until you get another chance to try clip in again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polo Posted March 12, 2011 Share How much does pedal weight really matter? I know weight on anything that rotates. like rims, have have an exponential effect, but does the same logic apply to pedals? I got some cheap Shimano SPD's on my new Mtb (Scott Spark). The work very well, but probably weigh like half a kilo with the cleats. Is it worthwhile spending R600 on a pair of Look Quartz (other than the fact that they look cool). Don't know if this is the right thread to raise the question... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palaeodom Posted March 12, 2011 Share How much does pedal weight really matter? I know weight on anything that rotates. like rims, have have an exponential effect, but does the same logic apply to pedals? I got some cheap Shimano SPD's on my new Mtb (Scott Spark). The work very well, but probably weigh like half a kilo with the cleats. Is it worthwhile spending R600 on a pair of Look Quartz (other than the fact that they look cool). Don't know if this is the right thread to raise the question... I reckon it must make a difference considering a reduction in the weight at the ends of the crank should make the force needed to rotate it smaller....perhaps...i'm just thumb sucking and trying to justify the cost of my titanium pedals. It feels like there's difference seeing as i too changed straight from the entry levels SPD's but the mind is wonderful at helping me feel better about my empty wallet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_w_65 Posted March 12, 2011 Share How much does pedal weight really matter? I know weight on anything that rotates. like rims, have have an exponential effect, but does the same logic apply to pedals? I got some cheap Shimano SPD's on my new Mtb (Scott Spark). The work very well, but probably weigh like half a kilo with the cleats. Is it worthwhile spending R600 on a pair of Look Quartz (other than the fact that they look cool). Don't know if this is the right thread to raise the question... The weight is not so much the issue, it is the fact that 2nd from top Shimano road pedals are heavier than cheap MTB pedals and you still have to walk around like a duck to wear the shoes that go with the road pedals. I would have thought there was some advantage of using road pedals on a road bike but there are none. HeavierHarder to clip in and can only clip in one sideCan't pedal if not clipped inHard to walk in the cleats The Candy you can clip in 2 sides, the Eggbeaters you can clip in 4 sides Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Palaeodom Posted March 12, 2011 Share The weight is not so much the issue, it is the fact that 2nd from top Shimano road pedals are heavier than cheap MTB pedals and you still have to walk around like a duck to wear the shoes that go with the road pedals. I would have thought there was some advantage of using road pedals on a road bike but there are none. HeavierHarder to clip in and can only clip in one sideCan't pedal if not clipped inHard to walk in the cleats The Candy you can clip in 2 sides, the Eggbeaters you can clip in 4 sides Its true that is odd, i suspect the marketers would tell you that road shoes are made with no padding which disipates energy, whereas many mountain bike shoes are made with some padding in the insole which may not be as efficent...but i'm sure the differences are actualy tiny for normal riders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polo Posted March 12, 2011 Share Isn't there also a school of thought that suggests that the bigger the contact area between the shoe and pedal the more efficient energy is transferred? Thus, although road pedals are heavier, they have a much bigger contact area and are therefore more efficient. It does feel like you are part of your road bike once those pedals are clicked in, but that could due to the fact that the bike is much more rigid and responsive than a mtb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starvin' Marvin Posted March 12, 2011 Share Isn't there also a school of thought that suggests that the bigger the contact area between the shoe and pedal the more efficient energy is transferred? Thus, although road pedals are heavier, they have a much bigger contact area and are therefore more efficient. It does feel like you are part of your road bike once those pedals are clicked in, but that could due to the fact that the bike is much more rigid and responsive than a mtb. I had mtb pedals on my first roadbike. Felt like I was getting stud pressure on my feet much like rugby boots. Changed to 105s felt a million times more comfy and felt like more power to the pedals. Don't think pedal weight makes a huge difference. That said my look blades are at home waiting for me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LazyTrailRider Posted March 12, 2011 Share Isn't there also a school of thought that suggests that the bigger the contact area between the shoe and pedal the more efficient energy is transferred? Thus, although road pedals are heavier, they have a much bigger contact area and are therefore more efficient. It does feel like you are part of your road bike once those pedals are clicked in, but that could due to the fact that the bike is much more rigid and responsive than a mtb. Yep, apparently it's about the large, stable platform. It's supposed to give you better power transfer. I have to sheepishly admit that in more than 20yrs of riding, I've never used road pedals/shoes, so not sure how big a factor this is... I guess it's easy to say that MTB pedals feel just solid and just fine if you haven't tried anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stewie911 Posted March 12, 2011 Share Well, road shoes are much stiffer (easy now) than mtb shoes. Clipping in doesn't really matter as you only really clip in and out once a ride. You can't compare crank brother pedals to shimano pedals. Compare them to time or look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_w_65 Posted March 22, 2011 Share Update I got the missing part for my Sidi road shoes so switched from MTB pedals to Ultegra. I guess it is hard to say how much of the difference is from the more expensive Sidi shoe (over my Shimano mtb shoe) or the Ultegra pedal system but it was much more comfortable and I tested it on a 112km ride, no hot spots. The Ultegra cleats are much easier to walk around in than I can remember with my old red Look cleats (pre Keo). The Crank Brothers Candy are still better for failed clip ins, with the Ultegra pedals if you don't clip properly your foot slips off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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