Pedal upgrade - which system.

steve68

On my road bike I have a pair of shimano double sided spds, M520 or something similar, bought because I have something similar for my MTB and I could use the off road shoes for both. Now I'm looking to do some triathlons and more general road / fitness riding and was wondering about a dedicated shoe for this. What pedal system would be best, and would it give much improved performance over the off road shoe / M520 combination?

ugo.santalucia

A little improvement, because the cleat is much wider than the SPD the pressure distribution on your foot is better balanced, resulting in a more comfortable ride, if you do 3 or more hours on the saddle.
I moved from SPD to SPDsl, which is the Shimano version for road and I'm pretty happy. Shimano pedals are cheaper than other systems like Look, Speedplay or Campagnolo and the quality is excellent.
A pair of Shimano 105 SPD sl pedals should last 20,000 miles or more, not so the cleats that tend to wear out a bit sooner (10,000 max) and they're a bit pricey to replace (15 quid or so).

If you change, make sure you buy a good pair of shoes as well, they're very important for fit and comfort

Croxted Avenger

Time RXS all the way - light, cleats last ages and are easy to walk on, good sized platform to spread the load and loads of float to help your knees. Can't fault em.