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Submitted by
GriswaldE46
a Weekend Warrior
from Merritt Island, Fl
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Jones Trailhead, Snow Hill Road | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Gift | | Strengths: | Shimano durability and reliability. | | Weaknesses: | None that I have experienced. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano PD-M747 | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz BLT, Fox shocks, Avid Juciy brakes and XT most every where else. | | Bottom Line: | Like someone else said earlier, it's the things that you take for granted and never have trouble with that become some of the best parts. I loved the 747's and the 959's just continued that love affair. Zero maintenance and one pair of new cleats. Absolutely bullet proof. I think I will get another pair before they become unavailable! The 747's on the old hardtail look a little chunky. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bernie b
a
from northboro ma
Date Reviewed: May 27, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$110.00 | | Purchased At: | online vendor | | Strengths: | works fine | | Weaknesses: | one I got the pedal caught on a rock and lost a pin. My shop had replacements at no charge. It was not a big problem | | Similar Products Used: | other spds | | Bike Setup: | 3 steel bikes all rigid, two indy fabs and a surly | | Bottom Line: | there's always going to be someone who has something bad to say about something. I got my first pair of these at Interbike 2001 for @ 65 dollors. I liked them so much I bought an other. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bernie b
a
from northboro ma
Date Reviewed: May 27, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$110.00 | | Purchased At: | online vendor | | Strengths: | works fine | | Weaknesses: | one I got the pedal caught on a rock and lost a pin. My shop had replacements at no charge. It was not a big problem | | Similar Products Used: | other spds | | Bike Setup: | 3 steel bikes all rigid, two indy fabs and a surly | | Bottom Line: | there's always going to be someone who has something bad to say about something. I got my first pair of these at Interbike 2001 for @ 65 dollors. I liked them so much I bought an other. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
bernie b
a
from northboro ma
Date Reviewed: May 27, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$110.00 | | Purchased At: | online vendor | | Strengths: | works fine | | Weaknesses: | one I got the pedal caught on a rock and lost a pin. My shop had replacements at no charge. It was not a big problem | | Similar Products Used: | other spds | | Bike Setup: | 3 steel bikes all rigid, two indy fabs and a surly | | Bottom Line: | there's always going to be someone who has something bad to say about something. I got my first pair of these at Interbike 2001 for @ 65 dollors. I liked them so much I bought an other. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Htail
a Cross Country Rider
from SF Bay Area
Date Reviewed: October 13, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Reliability, consistent, don't have to think about them, just ride. | | Weaknesses: | Weight? | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano 524 | | Bottom Line: | In the years that I've had these pedals, friends with other brands like Crank Bros have broken pedals, and have had misc problems. 4 years later I realize that I've had zero issues with these pedals. Sometimes the components you don't have to think about are the best things on your bike...these are one of them.
Not the lightest, but simply consistent, durable and reliable. Requires a little lube where the cleat engages to quiet metal/metal squeak, otherwise they just keep working without thought. Great pedal. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Perth, Australia
Date Reviewed: June 22, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Easy to enter and exit (everytime). "Never" need servicing. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano PD-M540 | | Bike Setup: | Giant ATX for touring and offroad, Trek 1500 for commuting, Trek 5200 for having fun. | | Bottom Line: | This is a great pedal. I use these pedals for touring, mountain biking and commuting and they have been through some rough weather and have done many many kilometres, and they are still as good as when they were new over three years ago. Entry into and exit out of the pedal couldn't be easier and this is the reason I use them for commuting. Starting on steep uphills is never a problem as your foot naturally clips in every time (much easier than the Look Pedals I have on the racing bike). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mark
a
from Australia
Date Reviewed: February 13, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | www.cellbikes.com.au | | Strengths: | These pedals are strong, fairly light, and most importantly, offer ease of entry and release. I used to run Time ATACs (the old versions),and those were grabby and sometimes didn't let you go when you wanted to. Not so with the 959's. Even though these are mountain pedals, I use them for city riding, since the pedal bodies are large enough to stand on without being clipped in. | | Weaknesses: | I haven't had any problems with them. Perhaps retail is a bit expensive, but www.cellbikes.com.au has them at a decent price if you're in Australia. | | Similar Products Used: | Time ATACs | | Bike Setup: | GTB track bike, Nitto steel anatomic track bars, Campy Record aero seatpost, Cinelli old school track stem, and Shimano 550's running with a Surly Fixxer with 42-16 gearing (Sydney has a lot of hills and I've got creaky knees) | | Bottom Line: | If you need a pedal that is big enough to ride on while you're not clipped in, and you want to be able to clip out at a moments notice without having to worry about getting stuck, these pedals do the job. I can't wait to try the new XTR's, which I believe are just these, but with a diff colour scheme and hollowed spindles. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Daniel Defoe
a Cross Country Rider
from United Kackdom
Date Reviewed: January 22, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Marin Trail | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Leisure lakes | | Strengths: | Light, well designed, excellent clip in and out, reliable, dependable, long lasting. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | So, so many. | | Bike Setup: | marin Rift Zone | | Bottom Line: | Excellent and reliable pedal with a reliable and dependable click in and out on every occassion.
Light weight, superbly sealed cartridge bearings and great mud clearance lift this pedal into the totally excellent class that is attributable to only a very few pedals on the market. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Daniel Defoe
a Cross Country Rider
from United Kackdom
Date Reviewed: January 22, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Marin Trail | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Leisure lakes | | Strengths: | Light, well designed, excellent clip in and out, reliable, dependable, long lasting. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | So, so many. | | Bike Setup: | marin Rift Zone | | Bottom Line: | Excellent and reliable pedal with a reliable and dependable click in and out on every occassion.
Light weight, superbly sealed cartridge bearings and great mud clearance lift this pedal into the totally excellent class that is attributable to only a very few pedals on the market. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Mike
a Cross Country Rider
from Oklahoma City, OK USA
Date Reviewed: January 15, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Draper | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | I forget | | Strengths: | Solid durable product. Consistent engagement. Easy entrance and release. Also has enough platform so you can pedal efficiently without being clipped in. | | Weaknesses: | I haven't noticed any | | Similar Products Used: | OE Shimano pedals | | Bike Setup: | 2005 Stump expert | | Bottom Line: | Unlike others I haven't had any issues with these breaking and I'm about 200 lbs. They've taken root and rock hits and look beat up but still work like a champ. I'd buy them again but I got a smokin good deal on some 970 XTR's that I'll be reviewing shortly. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Tom Piccirilli
a Weekend Warrior
from Asheville, NC
Date Reviewed: November 14, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Durability and reliability | | Weaknesses: | Absolutely none! | | Similar Products Used: | other cheap pedals that cause wrecks from getting stuck clipped in. | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Heckler | | Bottom Line: | Look no further. These pedals can take such an awful beating and work flawlessly. I've used them for light freeriding for over 3 years and amazed they haven't broken after repeated rock bashing. Confidence inspiring never worry about getting stuck clipped in, even in muddy conditons.
When these die, I'll buy another pair. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Oswald
a Cross Country Rider
from Brakel, Belgium
Date Reviewed: November 7, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Houffa, Malmedy, La Roche, ... | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | Secondhand | | Strengths: | Very durable, easy to get in and out of, great customer service in Europe. | | Weaknesses: | Could be lighter. | | Similar Products Used: | Mostly Shimano spd's | | Bike Setup: | Have been installed on several bikes over the past years :-) | | Bottom Line: | I've been enjoying this set for 5 years now. The body is worn where my soles rubb the pedal now, but I can live with that after 5 years of racing in the Belgian mud. I'm gonna keep them for a few more months and keep my eye on the reviews of the new XTR pedals, which are lighter. These will go on the mudbike where I am sure they will survive at least one more year. New ones will be either 959 (should become cheaper now) or 970. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul
a Cross Country Rider
from Acworth, Ga, USofA
Date Reviewed: October 2, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Chutes& Ladders | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$108.00 | | Purchased At: | Ebay | | Strengths: | easy in and out, fairly light for SPD and seems to shed mud well. | | Weaknesses: | weak spindals | | Similar Products Used: | 520, 828, some other SPD brands | | Bike Setup: | RX100, well done. | | Bottom Line: | I have broken the spindal on two sets of these pedals. My luck, it was the left pedal both times. So, now I have two right pedals. Each pair lasted about a year. I was really cursing Shimano when I was trying to ride the last 13 miles of my MTB ride with one leg yesterday. This was only agravated by the broken spindal stabbing me in the ankle when my foot slipped off it time and time again. I am glad i didnt pay full price for them but I wont buy them again. Figure I'll go for the 540's on Ebay this time and save myself some $. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
skippy
a Cross Country Rider
from burlington
Date Reviewed: July 3, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Light
extremely durable
sheds mud easily | | Weaknesses: | price | | Similar Products Used: | ritchey something or others back in 01 | | Bike Setup: | specialized epic | | Bottom Line: | Bought these returning to spds for the first time in years. Within a few rides I was ok with clipping in and out again, and I started to realized how great these pedals are - I have bashed the heck out of em on a regular basis (I ride 2-3 times a week for 2-3 hour rides) and had no problems. Great float, factory tension is fine for me. Only thing I mark 'em down for is the price, they were a little on the expensive side. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Martyn Nash
a Weekend Warrior
from Carmarthenshire
Date Reviewed: June 26, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Brechfa | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$110.00 | | Purchased At: | Leisure Lakes | | Strengths: | Durability, ease of use, weight. | | Weaknesses: | none except price but you do get what you pay for. | | Similar Products Used: | most shimano pedals | | Bike Setup: | 06 S-works enduro. | | Bottom Line: | Very durable pedal and it comes back for more no matter what punishement you gieve to it. The first time I 'upgraded' to these it transformed the way I rode. They give scrisp click in and out and shed mud easily and even in sticky mud never had a clip in problem. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stephen Brown
a Cross Country Rider
from Rochdale, England
Date Reviewed: April 27, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$110.00 | | Purchased At: | Leisure Lakes | | Strengths: | These pedals are strong, reliable and require little maintenance. | | Weaknesses: | Do not work very well with multi-release cleats. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano PDM515, Ritchey Logic Comp. | | Bike Setup: | Orange Sub5, XT or similar components. | | Bottom Line: | I have used these pedals for two and a half years. They have been hit on rocks, soaked in mud, gone through streams, got covered in ice etc. They have required no maintenance other than a clean and squirt of GT85 after each ride. Single release cleats (SH51) clip in and out every time without fail. Multi-release cleats (SH55) are difficult to clip in if the pedal and cleat are anything other than perfectly clean. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
B.G.
a Cross Country Rider
from England
Date Reviewed: April 14, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Marin | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Strengths: | Light, strong and a very dependable and consistent entry and exit. Clears mud very well. | | Weaknesses: | Expensive. | | Similar Products Used: | Endless. | | Bike Setup: | Marin Rift Zone (2002) Marzocchi Marathon SL, Deore/XT, X-Lite, Hope Hubs and brakes, Mavic X717 rims. | | Bottom Line: | The best pedals I have used. After 3 years of hard off road use they are still perfect. Reliable entry and exit means confidence and no need to think about them. The weather and ridings conditions in England, Scotland and Wales are notorious for destroying any Mountain Bike products and so it is comendable that these pedals are still spot on. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
RAFUL
a Cross Country Rider
from JERUJALEM
Date Reviewed: March 19, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | easy in and out. lite, strong reliable. | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | cheap sh@t | | Bike Setup: | Ti HT with all the guddies | | Bottom Line: | about 4.5 years of 30k mt abuse with no complains - what more do you need??????? | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Robert Hedrick
a Cross Country Rider
from south bend
Date Reviewed: January 17, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Yippiyaiyaroaddog | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$130.00 | | Purchased At: | bike shop | | Strengths: | smoothnesss | | Weaknesses: | wear slop | | Similar Products Used: | ritchey sleeve pedals | | Bike Setup: | Bridgestone MTB-3 | | Bottom Line: | 959's ridden over 20,000 miles on the road starting 2003. probably on my fouth set of cleats. but even cranked all the way down I still feel a bit of slop in the 959's even with new shoes & new cleats... Ha, at 150-155 lbs at sometimes with 25lbs of extra touring gear , half of my riding has been loaded with gear . I've pounded them old shoes into slippers....Thinking that new stuff might give me that tight feel in them old peddals, NOT ! So Maybe the springs are worn in there or the metal is worn in the peddal but not shure. The bearings are fine and still super smooth! Perhaps I should have replaced my cleats after every 3 thousand miles, maybe the peddals would have held up better in the long run!!Next time I will replace cleats more often to see if I can increase the snug feeling in my 959's longer ! I'm getting a new pair of 959's | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ben
a Weekend Warrior
from Calgary
Date Reviewed: December 10, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Simple design. Works well in mud. | | Weaknesses: | Mine got stolen. | | Bike Setup: | Hardtail XC Moutain Bike | | Bottom Line: | I love these pedals. I did find after 2 years of riding nearly every day, I had to flick them another 2 clicks or so to keep from popping out when I yanked up, but I think that is understandable. I pretty well never had trouble clicking in when muddy do to their open design. I loved them, and I will buy another set to replace them. (My first set was stolen along with my last bike) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Scott
a
from Ga.
Date Reviewed: November 20, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Works | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | all kinds of clipless | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz SL | | Bottom Line: | I'm not an engineer, like the previous guy, but maybe he just got a bum set. I've had mine since they came out with these (at least 2 years) Probably have at least 2000 miles on em, rocks, water, totally neglet them. Absolutaly no problems what so ever. Sure eggbeaters are lighter, have a set on my other bike, but I've replaced them due to normal wear and tear with close to the same use. Bottom line, if someone told me I could only have 1 pedal for the next 3000 miles, its not even close. 959's | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael Ferrill
a Weekend Warrior
from Chandler, AZ
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Any 1-track | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$130.00 | | Strengths: | Ease of entry. Positive feel. Ease of exit. | | Weaknesses: | Poorly engineered and/or manufactured pedal axle. | | Similar Products Used: | Other Shimano and Ritchey pedals. | | Bike Setup: | Turner 5-Spot | | Bottom Line: | I used to read some of the negative reviews of these pedals with skepticism, but now that I've had my own dealings with these pedals failing I no longer do.
For the second time, the threaded tip of the axle (not the end that threads into the crank -- the other end inside the pedal body that is used to keep the body on the axle by using a nut that threads onto the tip) sheared off during a ride. When this occurs the pedal body just slides right off the axle, which makes it very difficult to ride at that point.
The first set I bought in Jan 04 and lasted 10 months before the tip sheared on one of the pedals. The pedals had never been banged hard on a rock, and only had superficial scratches. No gouges or dents anywhere. The binding mechanism on either side of the pedal still worked flawlessly. At the time, no reviewers had indicated such a failure mode so I chalked it up to a "random" manufacturing flaw. Believe it or not, Shimano actually honored their warranty and replaced these pedals.
Now here we are twelve months later, and it happened again. Tip sheared clean off. Obviously not a one-time manufacturing flaw. The pedals had the same level of superficial scratches (with no gouges or dents) as the previous set had. The binding mechanism still worked flawlessly on either side of the pedal. Only this time Shimano has REFUSED to honor their warranty. They returned the pedals to me with the following statement:
"We are sending your pedals back because there is alot of damage to it and it looks like abuse. The pedals have been worn out. Sorry we do not warranty abuse or worn out parts. Thanks."
Excuse me? Damage? Abuse? Worn out? No. No. No. Superficial scratches do NOT qualify as damage or abuse. How does one cause the the tip of an axle to be "worn out" in 10 to 12 months without seriously damaging the pedal body first?
Being an engineer, I can tell you exactly what the problem is here. The incompetent engineer(s) at Shimano who designed the axle specified the wrong grade steel alloy to be used with such a small diameter tip (tip diameter is approx 4mm) that also incurs manufactured stress risers due to the threading of the tip.
So why do I appear to be the only one suffering from this issue? Answer: I'm a physically strong, non-fat, 220 lb rider who predominately rides the nasty rocky trails of central Arizona. I don't huck off of things (I leave that to the young guys -- at 40 I'm too old for that crap), and I stick to trail riding. The poor metallurgical specification of the steel alloy coupled with the small threaded tip diameter cannot handle the repeated stressing that my weight induces onto the axle tip while riding rocky terrain at fast XC speeds.
So even though my weight is most likely contributing to the early demise of the axle tip, Shimano does NOT have a disclaimer in their warranty of these pedals limiting them to use by riders of x amount of weight or less. A poor choice of steel alloys is the true culprit here. If I saw this type of fail mode at my current place of employment, I'd be in contact with my materials engineers to find a better grade steel alloy to solve the issue. I'd also be honoring my "warranty" to my customers.
I wish to point out that I've NEVER had this issue with any previous generation Shimano or Ritchey pedals that I've used in the past 15 years of mountain biking. As a matter of fact, the pair of first generation Ritchey pedals I had weighed the same as these 959s and NEVER failed over 5 years of true abuse! I replaced them because the binding mechanisms finally just plain wore out (which was always the case with any of my pre-959 pedals).
These pedals do indeed suffer from inferior engineering, which is a real shame because when these pedals are working they are really sweet. Besides my woes, other reviewers have had issues with the binding mechanisms after rock hits and such, which proves these pedals really can't stand up to any moderate amounts of abuse or the repeated stress cycling of heavy XC/trail riders. They're supposed to be "mountain bike" pedals, but they seem to have the frailty of a road pedal. As a result, there is no way I could give these pedals a high rating.
| Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sung
a Cross Country Rider
from ROK
Date Reviewed: November 9, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Wadi Digla | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$130.00 | | Strengths: | Easy clip in. Looks nice as hell. Dependable overall. | | Weaknesses: | Sometimes in muddy situations, they don't seem to unclip as you want it to. | | Bike Setup: | XC Hardtail | | Bottom Line: | The 959's great for what it is. It's strong. I've given it some beating on the trail with roots and rocks and falls. Haven't gotten any problem with it, specially about those springs coming loose or something like in over reviews. It's realiable at most times but very rarely, when it gets muddy, and you need to unclip, they don't seem to do it as fast as you want it to.
If you are getting into the whole clipless side of the pedals, this is a go. Although, I do have to say, I think I'll be putting on CB Egg Beaters when I get my FS bike. Who knows. Happy trails! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Park City, Utah, USA
Date Reviewed: June 8, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$110.00 | | Purchased At: | On-line | | Strengths: | Light weight, shed mud well, can take a beating | | Weaknesses: | After 2 years the springs in one of the pedals are going soft, so that it won't click in tight, despite new cleats and cranking down the tension all the way. I tried to find replacement springs at several LBSs without success. I called Shimano Customer Service and they said they won't sell replacement springs, that I'll have to buy a new set of pedals. Considering that they're going for $100-150 per pair, and the springs shouldn't cost more than $5, I think this is ridiculous. | | Similar Products Used: | Other Shimano pedals | | Bottom Line: | Good pedals, just be prepared to replace them every couple of seasons, due to Shimano's ream the customer planned obsolesence strategy | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Brian Kerrigan
a Weekend Warrior
from Edinburgh
Date Reviewed: May 11, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Glentress | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | Birthday present | | Strengths: | Good looks , great bearings , reliability and in my opinion good value for money! | | Weaknesses: | Could be lighter but thats not something that really worries me . | | Similar Products Used: | old shimano spd's from about 1995 , ritcheys and crank bros sl + ti's | | Bike Setup: | 2005 Enduro s-works , xtr , hope everything , shiver sc , carbon bar and post. | | Bottom Line: | Ive ridden these pedals hard for 2 years now with the tension only 1 notch off max and had no problems at all , considering i should probably service my bike and components way more than i should i think that they have performed brilliantly , i must have whacked them off rocks hundreds of times and there still running fine. If they did eventually give up the ghost i wouldnt hesitate to spend £70 on a new pair - i would strongly recommend them. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Jonathan Dickie
a Cross Country Rider
from Stellarton, NS, Canada
Date Reviewed: March 28, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Reliable, good in mud. | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Similar Products Used: | PD-M535, M646 | |
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$ 150.00
