Spd Pedals for a Road Bike

doyler78
doyler78 Posts: 1,951
edited March 2008 in Road beginners
I am unable to use any pedal system that doesn't allow release by turning inwards. There are only two that I know of that allow this.

1) SPD or
2) Look Ergo

The look ergo are available on very few sites and there is very little information about them which makes me think they are no longer being made or there's no real interest in them and that makes them a riskier purchase as I may not be able to use them long term.

That really only leaves me with spd's which I have been gradually getting myself used to over the last couple of months however mine are rather bulky and unattractive Shimano m324 which is a pedal with a platform on one side and the spd binding on the other. Absolutely fine for my commute however it really isn't what I want on my full carbon road bike is it?

Is there anything that anyone can recommend that would look fine on a road bike in the spd line? Don't want to spoil the whole look of the bike :oops:

Comments

  • acorn_user
    acorn_user Posts: 1,137
    How about the XTR spd pedals? They are pretty flashy.
  • Smokin Joe
    Smokin Joe Posts: 2,706
    I have a pair of these -

    http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/productde ... 0000000000
  • turkeytickler
    turkeytickler Posts: 640
    I can get out of my SPD SLs by twisting in as well as out....
  • dennisn
    dennisn Posts: 10,601
    Be careful when releasing inward, especially when moving, as it is possible to
    get your heel caught in the spokes depending on the position you try to release from.

    Dennis Noward
  • Dales1
    Dales1 Posts: 46
    I have these:
    http://cycle.shimano-eu.com/catalog/cyc ... 6373714179
    the spd PD-A520 shoes.
  • doyler78
    doyler78 Posts: 1,951
    turkeytickler wrote:
    I can get out of my SPD SLs by twisting in as well as out....

    Now that's interesting. I have checked Shimano's user guides for all their spd-sl pedal's on their website and they all say that you need to twist outwards.

    My perferred option has always been to use a road pedal with my road bike for obvious reasons however that seemed impossible.

    I will check this out tomorrow as my brother has some spd-sl pedals to see whether his allows inward twisting.

    As a matter of interest which pedal and cleats are you using?
  • Smokin Joe
    Smokin Joe Posts: 2,706
    SPD-SL pedals will release with inward twisting, but the chances of having the space to do it are fairly slim.
  • turkeytickler
    turkeytickler Posts: 640
    doyler78 wrote:
    turkeytickler wrote:
    I can get out of my SPD SLs by twisting in as well as out....

    Now that's interesting. I have checked Shimano's user guides for all their spd-sl pedal's on their website and they all say that you need to twist outwards.

    My perferred option has always been to use a road pedal with my road bike for obvious reasons however that seemed impossible.

    I will check this out tomorrow as my brother has some spd-sl pedals to see whether his allows inward twisting.

    As a matter of interest which pedal and cleats are you using?
    they are ultegras, with teh standard (yellow) cleat. Good point by dennisn, just because you CAN twist inwards, doesnt mean you SHOULD! It is probably for that reason (e.g. to avoid lawsuits) that shimano only declare their pedals are fit for twist out when in reality you can do either (should you want to risk it)....
  • daowned
    daowned Posts: 414
    I thought it was just me that had this problem!

    I have been useing SPD R for over 2 years now, last month I purchased a new pair of shoes and pedals for the summer to take SPD SL and didnt like them at all as I unclip inwards as well, its just something I have got used to doing.

    I thought it would be unsafe for me to change to a different way of unclipping so decided to get a nice set of SPD R pedals as you can see here.

    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.a ... 5360027292
  • heavymental
    heavymental Posts: 2,076
    Why are you only able to twist inwards? Sounds like a bit of a pain to me?

    I have the PD520's. they're nice pedals. Nice looking too. Email Veloaddict as I got mine off them cheaper than I found anywhere else.
  • doyler78
    doyler78 Posts: 1,951
    Heavymental wrote:
    Why are you only able to twist inwards? Sounds like a bit of a pain to me?

    I have the PD520's. they're nice pedals. Nice looking too. Email Veloaddict as I got mine off them cheaper than I found anywhere else.

    Thansk Heavymental. It is a pain. I have limited mobility in both my feet. My feet are quite toes outwards, with my left worse than my right, and I just do not have the range of motion to be able to unclip. I am currently in physio but have been told that it is just the way I am built however my flexibility generally is quite poor so I have been given a whole series of exercises to do to see if I can get enough flexibility in order to be able to clip out by twisting outwards. I don't hold out much hope however any more flexibility I can gain can only be to the good so will persist.

    Thanks for heads up about the pedals and where to get them. I will check them out.
  • heavymental
    heavymental Posts: 2,076
    Thats hard luck. Is there no way of making it work for you by concentrating on twisting from the knee of some other method? Guess you've tried all that...I'm just thinking out loud.

    Try veloaddict though. Probably won't be listed on their site but drop them a line to get a price for you.

    Can't go wrong with the pedals though I don't think. Apart from being a bit of a faff to get used to a single sided pedal they have provided me with a better platform to use on my road bike than I got with more mtb orientated double siders I was using before.
  • doyler78
    doyler78 Posts: 1,951
    Heavymental wrote:
    Thats hard luck. Is there no way of making it work for you by concentrating on twisting from the knee of some other method? Guess you've tried all that...I'm just thinking out loud.

    Try veloaddict though. Probably won't be listed on their site but drop them a line to get a price for you.

    Can't go wrong with the pedals though I don't think. Apart from being a bit of a faff to get used to a single sided pedal they have provided me with a better platform to use on my road bike than I got with more mtb orientated double siders I was using before.

    Twisting at the knee only takes me so far but not far enough to clip out. No worries about the single sided platform as my current spd pedal is single sided only. Agree it is a bit of a faff at times to try and get my feet clipped back in, especially if I have to concentrate ahead and can't look down.
  • John.T
    John.T Posts: 3,698
    Have you considered Shimano SH56 multi release cleats.
    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=4000000886&n=Shimano%20SPD%20MTB%20Cleats
    My Fleet.
  • doyler78
    doyler78 Posts: 1,951
    John.T wrote:
    Have you considered Shimano SH56 multi release cleats.
    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/ProductDetail.aspx?Cat=cycle&ProdID=4000000886&n=Shimano%20SPD%20MTB%20Cleats

    What I already use at the min with my m324's.
  • eh
    eh Posts: 4,854
    I'm a huge Time fan and normally I'd recommend them (you can unclip inwards with them). However, on this occassion I'd just stay with what you've got, if you are happy with them. The small advantages you'd get with a SPD-SL/Time/Look will probably be out weighed by the chance that you don't get on with them and they end up an expensive mistake.

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