MTB versus Road pedals

hwangeruk

I visited a LBS shop today, and ordered a Specialized Allez 07

We disuccussed pedals, and I told the chap I had read that using a MTB pedal and a Shimano SPD would be good.

He convinced me, and I pick up on Wednesday some R540 pedals and Specialized shoes.

Should I have stuck to my guns and gone for the MTB shoes and pedals.
Really not sure if I have got the right thing.

His main reason was that road pedals offer more comfort for my usage, which is commute = 2 x 12 miles per day.

fluff.

Sounds a somewhat spurious reason to me, decent (stiff) MTB shoes + spds will be as comfortable as spd-sls over 12miles and a damn sight easier to walk in at the other end. I have both types and prefer MTB shoes for commuting / nipping to shops and so on.

ash68

yeh, agree with Fluff sounds like the salesman was doing his job. I prefer mountain bike spds to Look type pedals for the same reasons,find them easier to walk in and just as comfortable. Seems just as easy to stay with one type of pedal for all cycling. Personal preference really. Don't find any discomfort riding long distances on the road with mtb spds. Others will probably prefer proper road pedals. Try your new set and see which you prefer.

lloyd_bower

I'm a recent convert to spd's, and I find them comfortable for long road rides.

smokey74

Having just got myself a road bike, I was pondering the same question as above. The bike came with those strap type jobbies, which I want to swap for clipless of some sort.

I've read in a couple of forum threads now that SPD type pedals & shoes are better to learn with - does this mean its only a very temporary thing & I'll have to change again later? Will I be a lot more limited in choice of shoes if I go SPD? If I go to another type of pedal later, can the shoes go with me or are they very specific to the pedal?

I'm thinking maybe some single sided SPD pedals & compat. shoes. What do you reckon?

smokey74

Just thought of one more dumb question - the SPD-SL are different arent they? What does the 'SL' part mean? How easy/difficult are the SPD-SL to get used to?

I was looking at some Ultegra SPD-SL pedals and was just wondering.....

alfablue

smokey74 wrote:

Having just got myself a road bike, I was pondering the same question as above. The bike came with those strap type jobbies, which I want to swap for clipless of some sort.

I've read in a couple of forum threads now that SPD type pedals & shoes are better to learn with - does this mean its only a very temporary thing & I'll have to change again later? Will I be a lot more limited in choice of shoes if I go SPD? If I go to another type of pedal later, can the shoes go with me or are they very specific to the pedal?

I'm thinking maybe some single sided SPD pedals & compat. shoes. What do you reckon?

I think they are better to learn with and then better to stick with unless you are into some serious road riding. Also double-sided are better, if you get single sided spd's (I presume you mean with a conventional cage round) you will always be checking which side is up when you don't clip in - with double-sided you always have the right side up and you can pedal with them without proper cleated shoes on (I often pop down the shops with trainers on - okay I don't go at full speed but its fine for the shops), or if not fully engaged (so you can get away from the lights even if not engaged).

Shimano PD-M520's (unboxed) from Wiggle at £20.99 are good value.


SPD (mtb) shoes generally wont suit road pedals because of different hole patterns and encroachment of the sole - but then I reckon you may well want to stay with spuds.

There seems to be as much choice (if not more) of mtb shoes as road shoes - Specialized and Shimano are good.

Hotblack Desiato

I like to be able to walk in my bike shoes, so I stick with MTB pedals.

Picked up a new road bike today and first thing I did was slap on some Time ATAC that I had knocking around the house.



These will be replaced shortly with a pair of Crank Brothers Candy SL.



The Look road pedals that came with the bike will be offloaded on eBay.

simon000

I use road pedals and I was always slippping around on my road shoes and then I found these cycle shoes/ trainers a bargin at £20, which now allow me to use my pedals but also give me the comfort to walk in as well.

http://www.stonehengecycles.com/index.html?pageTitle=Lake_CX115_Shoes_4246&pageDesc=The_Lake_CX_115_Trainer_Shoe_features_laces_with_a_ventilated_cover_and_a_single_strap_which_is_also&action=detail&maincatID=0&catID=&prodID=1435&brandID=

ut_och_cykla

HAving started off with MTB SPD cleats & double sided pedals I carried on with my entry level road bike same shoes & clips, easy to swap between own bikes and others in family if needs be. But I did buy a different 'MTB for road pedal' which is single sided and has a larger supporting area. Very comfy and doesn't scream MTB to raodie purists! Can't remeber product number... sorry!

eh

If you want to walk anywhere over a few metres get mtb shoes and pedals, if not road.

Really the difference in easy of use between single sided and double on the road is negligible.

As for being able to ride on them unclipped wearing trainers then all standard types are equally dire and this is something to be avoided. If you really do need to do this then look for the few mtb clipless pedals with proper beartrap type cages around the outside.

Oh and SPD and SPD-SL are completely different.

ahll

Hi All,
I have a Trek 7100 hybrid bike which I have just been using on the road to try and get a bit fitter. I am thinking of getting a Road Bike so I will do more cycling and longer distances. My mate has just lent me her Ellis-Briggs Road bike and it has click on shoe pedals - used them for the first time today and they seemed ok.

So now I am wondering about putting different pedals on my Trek and is seems from what I have just read on here it seems the Shimano PD-M520 Unboxed Pedals | Pedals - MTB Clip-In would possibly be a good option. What do people think ?

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... 5360031450

These say they are unboxed ! does it make any difference ?

I dont have any cycling shoes (just been using trainers) and I borrowed a pair from my mate (lucky we had same size feet) so I will need to get a pair I guess to go with the pedals. Can anyone recommend some and tell me what I need to look for as I have not bought any before.

Thanks

alfablue

I think the PD-M520's are about the best value at the moment, they are excellent at £20.99 (you might get them from ebay for a few quid less)

McBain_v1

I use double-sided SPD's on my "winter" bike and "autumn" bike, allied to MTB type shoes because these are better at resisting the elements. The "summer" and "spring" bikes have road pedals (SPD-SL). These are great - nice, big pedalling platform which allows you get some power through the cranks

ahll

Sorry I am not use to all these terms.

Are double-sided SPD's the same as the PD-M520's ? Or do each of these need different shoes ?

McBain_v1

Yeah, sorry, the double sided SPDs are one and the same as PD-M520s.
You would definitely need a different shoe for the SPD and the SPD-SL, the latter suits a racing shoe much more.

ahll

I am not planning on doing any racing or anything like that, maybe joining a club or something to get out and about a little more so dont want to spend loads of money and dont want to get in the situation where I need diferent shoes for different bikes

Steve_F

Hi, I'm also looking (very interestedly) at the unboxed M520s too and was wondering about which shoe would be the best for road use?

I use Impact 5:10s on my mb and prefer not to be clipped in on that so this would be a road only shoe hopefully with the comfort to walk in, not doing huge mileages (at the moment!).

pneumatic

I just went back to my old faithful 5000+ kilometres spd's (and the shoes) after a summer on my, well, summer bike, which has roadie pedals (and stiff shoes).

The difference is incredible. I now realise how much more "connected" you are to the bike through road shoes and pedals. On the new kit, I also seem to have unconsciously developed a more rounded pedalling technique (pulling on the upstroke, pushing on the downstroke, but smoothly, not jerkily).

When I ride like that on the spd's, I feel I am not really in touch with the cranks in the same way. First thing I did when I got home was to tighten the release bolts to try and make the whole experience a bit more solid. Of course, it may be that I have worn out the cleats/pedals over the years and new ones would be stiffer, but there is something about the width of the plate on road pedals that is more reassuring, too.

I agree, however, that it is much more convenient for touring and commuting not to have to waddle like a penguin balancing an egg everytime you get off the bike. If I were you, I'd start with the spd's but don't rule out an upgrade in the future.

ahll

I did as was suggested and got some SHIMANO PDM520 BLACK off ebay they we less than £19.

I am still looking for a reasonable priced pair of cycling shoes to go with them. Any suggestions welcome

bryanm

The Shimano M520's are also available as a combo pedal. One side with SPD clip, the other with a flat base. They're okay, although occasionally you have to faff around spinning the pedals round as you pull off to get them right side up.

formerlyknownasbonj

i've got these shoes, they're great:

http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/productDeta ... ctID=11640
(although i've got 07 model but the 08 ones look the same as mine)
they're velcro so no faffing about with laces and they're suitable for wearing just as normal shoes/at work.