Are clipless pedals standardized?

robertjmiller

Are clipless pedals and shoes standardized such that you can interchange them between brands and styles?

stu8975

You can use any type/style of compatible spd/clipless shoes, but not all pedals have the same cleats, eg..a shimano pedal cleat would not fit a time/crank brothers pedal. Cleats are only compatible with the pedal they come with. Most cleats will work on the same brand but are not interchangeable between the two.

stumpyjon

You usually get the cleats when you buy the pedals (not with the shoes) but you can buy cleats on their own as well.

nicklouse

yes no and maybe.

what are you wanting to use with what?

robertjmiller

Thanks. I didn't have a particular pedal to cleat combination in mind. I noticed that pedals for sale online are typically sold separately from cleats or shoes and, thus, was curious about their interchangeability.

stu8975

Most pedals are sold with cleats, alot of webbys dont mention it though, ive never known anyone to buy spd/clipless and not get cleats included, generally the cleats advertised are for when you need to replace your worn out ones.

MarvintheAndroid

There are two systems commonly used on shoes, 2 hole and 3 hole. 3 hole is mostly on road cleats, 2 hole on MTB. Occasionally you will get a mismatch in which case you may be able to get an adapter.

Most MTB shoes are sold as SPD compatible (2 hole) and can also be used with other systems such as Crank Bros, ATAC etc without problems.

Marv

robertjmiller

Cool, thanks.