SPD Cleats in Snow

[kevin29r]

I had a great ride in the snow today with one additional challenge. SPD cleats and pedals cake with stubborn ice after a couple of dismounts. I spent at least half of my ride today either not clipped in or, trying to beat the ice off cleats or pedals. :confused2:

I'm considering adding a water bottle to the bike, filled with non toxic, environmentally safe antifreeze such as propylene glycol. (RV antifreeze is such a material). Then I could squirt the pedals and cleats during dismounts to melt or soften the ice.

Has anyone else experienced this condition, and what do you recommend?

[tsunayoshi]

always happens to me in the snow...I just bang the cleats against the pedal once or 2x to knock off the packed stuff and then clip in. I just need to remember not to start a downhill imediately since I won't be attached for a second or two.

[RRRJ]

what do you recommend?

Egg Beaters.

[jlc115]

Egg Beaters.

+1

Great for mud too.

[jabberwocky]

I've never had any issues with my Times. If ice packs up, I just bang the shoe on the pedal once or twice to knock it off.

Your antifreeze idea is interesting, but I know for an absolute fact that I would eventually accidentally drink it. :)

Best solution is to work on your trackstands and never unclip. :D

[TheCracker]

I use this in the winter helps shed the snow and ice just spray it on the night before and let it dry kick the pedals and click in
http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=213197-39963-D00110101&lpage=none

Eggbeaters break to easy i have seen many but not broken spds

[markie]

I find that I try and spin the pedals with the cleat of my shoe before I clip in. If I do that I do not have problems.

If I forget and just keep trying to clip in the snow builds up and then it is really difficult to clip in whatever I do.

[pete]

I agree with most of what others said about tapping feet on pedals prior to clipping in and being diligent about it ea time so there is no icy buildup. That works fine in conditions like we have now with minimal snow and very short sections of walking.

When in deeper snow or places like GWNF where you can find yourself pushing/walking alot longer, that snow will turn into a block of ice. A multi tool comes in handy for that.

Egg beaters are great for these conditions but are fragile for the long haul. I know people who have destroyed multiple pairs of them and are back on SPDs again. I would rather have a stable platform that ices up once or twice a year than eggbeaters that I know will fail on me at some point.

[leroy]

Egg Beaters.

The only way to go for snow. My Egg Beaters have been performing flawlessly in these conditions.

[Trailcreep]

just grab and tree and bang your cleats on your pedals a few times....clip in, let go of the tree and go. I was surprised by the lack of bike tracks in the snow at accotink yesterday, it was a great day to ride.

[Dr Phil mmkay]

Your antifreeze idea is interesting, but I know for an absolute fact that I would eventually accidentally drink it.

Sweet taste AND a great source of vitamin death.

[drewdane]

The only way to go for snow.

Nope. Temporarily switching to flats is another way, and the one I think would work best for me based on my (admittedly limited) experience trying to ride clipless in the snow...

[eloach]

Coat the cleat with teflon lube (Finish line) That helps the snow come out easier. Also, the shoes you are wearing have an effect. My Lake boots have tread closely surrounding the cleat, so there is a recessed hole for the snow to pack into. If the tread is farther from the cleat then they don't get packed in. I think the shoe tread makes more of a difference than the cleat system.

[pipeline]

I use non-stick cooking spray (Pam or a less-expensive brand) and coat the cleats and soles of my shoes before snow riding.

[RRRJ]

Egg beaters are great for these conditions but are fragile for the long haul. I know people who have destroyed multiple pairs of them

How long is that haul and how much abuse are they taking?

If you're destroying multiple pairs of anything then you're probably need to make some changes or adjustments. I've had no problems with egg beaters and dont think I'll go back.

[silly_yak]

Nope. Temporarily switching to flats is another way, and the one I think would work best for me based on my (admittedly limited) experience trying to ride clipless in the snow...

This is what I did, and I just ran the Snotcycle pre-ride with them. Kinda of a bummer not being able to lift the back-end as easily, but no snow issues, and much easier to dab when things get squirrelly.

[philvw]

From the days of skiing in cubco bindings (now THATS dating me), which had exposed springs, silicone spray. Used it yesterday in the shed. Perfect.

http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com/imagemagic.php?img=images/316765.jpg&w=75&h=164&page=

[crack monkey]

No problem with my Times on local rides. Just tap them on the pedal before clipping in to dislodge any build-up.

If I were heading out in deep snow, I'd probably just use some good flats.

[Bioteknik]

instead of just banging your food on the pedal, scrape it off on the pedal. After years of banging snow off of my ski boots, I have now seen the light of scraping that crap off with my bindings, similar situation which worked real well for me on Saturday.

[pete]

How long is that haul and how much abuse are they taking?

If you're destroying multiple pairs of anything then you're probably need to make some changes or adjustments. I've had no problems with egg beaters and dont think I'll go back.

How long they last probably depends on how and where one rides, how much one weighs, how much one rides etc.. I know one guy that went through 3 pair in less than a year.

I have never ridden them. I was about to get a pair as many of my friends were moving to them 4-5 yrs ago. Then I started hearing reports of failures. I think 6-7 people I ride with have destroyed them one or more times and have all come back to SPDs.

I am a bigger rider than all of them and do endurance stuff and am not easy on weight weenie equipment so decided to stay where I was..

My wife has them on her ride and has had no issues but she is not quite as hard on equipment as I am. I do know one other guy who has ridden them for years and likes them still. I guess it all depends..

[shuttlenut]

Before I switched over to flat pedals i ran a few different pairs of egg beaters for a few years. I found the forged stainless steel ones "SL's" to be a bit more durable than the carbon steel ones. Great pedal for muck, imo.

[jon_baler]

Before I switched over to flat pedals i ran a few different pairs of egg beaters for a few years. I found the forged stainless steel ones "SL's" to be a bit more durable than the carbon steel ones. Great pedal for muck, imo.

The stainless steel (SL) ones are way better in durability than the chromoly (C) ones. Eggbeaters get a bad wrap because of this. People seem to think that because their $50 pair broke, then the $120 models must be junk, too. :confused:

On topic: I've had fairly good luck with Lakes this year in snow.

[kevin29r]

Thanks everyone,
In summary, I believe the shoe sole design can make ice difficult to remove. I may need to shave some rubber off the shoe treads in a angular fashion to help release the ice. The lube ideas mentioned earlier should also help. I think this issue has less to do with SPD design versus egg beater design since the cleat designs are so similar. There was a block of ice over the cleats that would probably not engage in either type of pedal. The ice was so stubborn in the recessed area around the cleat that no amount of beating would remove the ice. I believe this is foremost a shoe problem.

I do agree that eggbeaters should clear mud easier, and that the SL, stainless eggbeaters are durable. It's the Cromoly, cheaper models that have breakage issues as Jon stated, and should probably be avoided for XC or all mountain riding.

Now, let me go carve some rubber from those shoes! :D