Should I get a road pedal?

antfly

I am using spd touring pedals at the moment but have just bought proper road shoes which have made me a fair bit faster, much to my surprise, so seeing as I can`t walk in my new shoes with spd cleats anyway I was wondering if proper road pedals would be worth getting or not i.e. what are their advantages and how hard are they to get out of. I am thinking of spd-sl or look pedals. Ta.

skyd0g

It makes sense to get the pedals now that you have the shoes.

Anonymous

I can reccomend spd sl pedals, really secure, doddle to get in and out of aswell.
I just got a set of 105 pedals with cleats for £32 from ribble. You have to spend over £50 to get them at that price due to a 15% discount orders over £50. Free postage too.

hope this helps.

amaferanga

For proper rides I'd say yes (I use Look Keos), for commuting I'd say double sided SPD pedals are best.

antfly

I saw that deal on Ribble too but I would probably stretch the budget and get the Ultegras from Merlin {who seem to be the cheapest} to go with the rest of the groupset. It`s amazing how much you can pay for a pedal if you want to.

Rockhopper

Just be aware that you will wear the plastic cleats down very quickly if you walk even a short distance in them and they can be fairly expensive to replace.

peteartrocker

I started with Look Keo, but found i needed some float due to knee pain and found it not so easy to click in them. I splashed out on Speedplay Zeros, 15 degree float and double sided easy to click in, also have coffee shop pads for walking in. Very pleased with them

White Line

Yes.

If you can't spend the £50 on Ribble to get the 105s for £30, you can get them here for £43.95.

kingrollo

I have SPD\SL 'S they are great you really feel part of the bike and the power transfer feels great. I have no problems unclipping, but do a have a problem clipping in on hills - I don't seem to be able to clip in first time ? - any tips ....have had the pedals for about a year ...so its not a newbie thing.......or perhaps it is !

Anonymous

Rockhopper wrote:

Just be aware that you will wear the plastic cleats down very quickly if you walk even a short distance in them and they can be fairly expensive to replace.

Not if you get the shimano cleats with the yellow walking corners on the cleats...

Fru T Bunn

dmclite wrote:

Not if you get the shimano cleats with the yellow walking corners on the cleats...

Whats the general opinion on how much yellow should remain before replacing?

gbs

sorry i have nothing to add but I do want to watch this thread and a response, even if nonsense, is the only way I know to subscribe.

bobpzero

peteartrocker wrote:

I splashed out on Speedplay Zeros, 15 degree float and double sided easy to click in, also have coffee shop pads for walking in. Very pleased with them

+1 i went from spd to speedplay zero to look keo carbon back to speedplay zero (with the titanium spindles,sure is expensive but its so worth it).
honestly the speedplay zeros have better power transmission and theres no feeling of the pedal body digging into my foot.

unlike my look keos which are good on a flat route with a few smooth hills but the performance just isnt as good as the speedplay zeros. sure the speedplay zero cleats are an utter faff to fit onto the road shoes but its all good. still the decision is yours to make.

kingrollo

bobpzero wrote:

peteartrocker wrote:

I splashed out on Speedplay Zeros, 15 degree float and double sided easy to click in, also have coffee shop pads for walking in. Very pleased with them

+1 i went from spd to speedplay zero to look keo carbon back to speedplay zero (with the titanium spindles,sure is expensive but its so worth it).
honestly the speedplay zeros have better power transmission and theres no feeling of the pedal body digging into my foot.

unlike my look keos which are good on a flat route with a few smooth hills but the performance just isnt as good as the speedplay zeros. sure the speedplay zero cleats are an utter faff to fit onto the road shoes but its all good. still the decision is yours to make.

How do you know if your shoes are speedplay compatible ?

zedders

Yes - get some road pedals. I went from Look keos to speedplay a few months ago. Speedplay much better all round. Although setting up the cleats can be a nightmare! But stick with it speedplay if you go for them. They can take a few weeks to bed in, but it's worth the wait.

bobpzero

kingrollo wrote:

How do you know if your shoes are speedplay compatible ?

http://www.speedplay.com/pubs/Shoe_Compatibility_Guide_Road%20_01.08.09.pdf

k-dog

I did the same a couple of months ago and I would highly recommend it - the pedals are much better on the bike - and actually really easy to get out of.

Getting in is a little more difficult - but it's probably just because I've had a decade of spds.

The main pain is that they're terrible to walk in and I seem to have put quite a lot of wear on the cleats already.

They're not that expensive though so if I have to buy 2 sets a year that will be okay.

antfly

Cheers all, you convinced me so I bought the spd-sl 105`s today and they are already on the bike. I have been testing them on the trainer {I never use it for training} and I find them a bit harder to get out of than spd`s , even on the loosest setting, but ok for getting in. I clipped in and out a few dozen times to wear them in a bit and get used to them because getting stuck and falling sideways isn`t an option. I`ll be having a ride in them tomorrrow, if it isn`t raining and blowing a gale.

Anonymous

I'd like to try the speedplays but buying three sets would not be cheap :shock:

I currently use look keos and like them very much though.

antfly

That`s one reason I didn`t go for the speedplays, now I have to get some pedals for my other bike. It`s a lot of money to pi55 away if you don`t get on with them.