Road Type Pedals over SPD's.....????

enduroexpert

Always used SPD's & Time MTB pedals & shoes so am a bit uneducated when it comes to road shoes and cleats.........so I suppose my question is:

Whats the benefit of a road style cleat/clip over what I'm used to when it comes to road bikes....?

Any help much appreciated...

Ta

Johnny

Philby

There is a bigger platform for the shoe which makes the contact area larger which increases power output through the pedal. They also feel stiffer and more 'locked in' than MTB SPDs.

The disadvantages are that they are a bit more difficult to clip into than MTB SPDs, and you will probably need to buy a separate pair of shoes.

Lots of people use MTB pedals on their road bikes, so don't feel the need to change for the sake of it or to 'conform'.

Team Banana Spokesman

Philby wrote:

contact area larger which increases power output through the pedal.

not true. larger area != more power transferr efficiency

Monty Dog

Road shoes often have thinner, stiffer soles combined with lower-height pedals which brings your foot closer to the pedal spindle which also helps in terms of biomechanical efficiency. Small MTB cleats often allow your foot to rock from side-to-side which doesn't feel quite as positive. I used SPD shoes and pedals for cyclocross and commuting but prefer a road pedal for racing and fast riding.

twotyred

I've ridden on the road with SPDs for years but have recently switched to SPD-R.

The disadvantages

SPD-R/Time are one sided so they are more difficult to clip into than SPDs you can't just stamp down you have to make sure the pedal is facing the right way. Not a big deal for my road riding but if you were using them on a commute with lots of traffic lights and junctions it could be a significant disadvantage

Road shoes/cleats are much harder to walk on than MTB shoes/cleats

You will need road specific shoes

The advantages

Comparing my approx £80 Shimano MTB shoes with my approx £80 Shimano road shoes the road shoes are lighter and stiffer.

The connection between pedal and shoe is tighter- this is most noticable when climbing

The road shoes have a stiffer sole which aids power transfer- again most noticable whilst climbing- this might not be the case with a more expensive MTB shoe.

The contact area of the pedal to the shoe is larger with road pedals which helps lessen the chance of hot spots.

Conclusion

I didn't find a huge difference making the move and the difference might have been smaller if I had lighter and more rigid MTB shoes.

If you are using SPDs for MTBing and are happy using SPDs on the road then I'd say stick with them and maybe invest in the lightest and most rigid MTB shoe you can afford.

If you are curious to try a road specific shoe/pedal combination then a pair of decent Shimano road shoes and 105 SPD-R pedals can be got for around £130. If you didn't use them in bad weather then I guess you could get at least half your money back selling them if you didn't like them.

Barteos

Unless your shoes are noticeably flexy or you experience hot spots on longer rides, your MTB pedals and shoes will work exactly in the same way on the road bike as they do on your mountain bike. Why wouldn't they?
With the shoe soles stiff enough (carbon?), the "issue" of power losses due to the smaller contact area is purely academic, unless someone can present any numbers (powermeter?) that mean anything in real life.

dg74

twotyred wrote:

SPD-R/Time are one sided so they are more difficult to clip into than SPDs you can't just stamp down you have to make sure the pedal is facing the right way. Not a big deal for my road riding but if you were using them on a commute with lots of traffic lights and junctions it could be a significant disadvantage.

Yep, a complete and utter disadvantage - I keep missing the snap and my foot slips over the pedal. Very dangerous when trying to get away at lights, junctions and roundabouts.
:evil: :evil:

moolarb

I use MTB style cleats & shoes on all 3 of my bikes (MTB, cross & road). I like the fact that you can clip in on both sides of the pedals, the shoes are easy to walk in, and I can swap between bikes without having to think about the pedals too much (same shoes, cleats, action etc.)

I use Crank Bros pedals and have never unclipped accidentally and don't really suffer with hot spots.

I also like the fact that they've got natural float which is kind to your knees, though some might not like the less rigid feel to them.

furiousd

Plenty of threads on pedals today so i did not want to start a new one. I have just picked up my new Bianchi from Epic and need to get some pedals. I use SPD on my MTB so from a cost saving point of view for the minute i am going to get SPD's for the Bianchi.

I was looking at the M520's http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=3759

But also saw theses, do they make any difference with numbness of little toe? Are they more like a road pedal because of the large surface area.http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=7808

Or is the only benefit that they are easier to use normal shoes.
Thanks
D

Or these:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=28051

mf5

I use M520's on my road and mtb bike they do the job and had no problems with them, shoes is all a personal choice really

unixnerd

I use A520s (http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=28051) on my road bike. They work well and are a bit lighter than M520s (which I have on my other bikes).

nomoreexcuses

I have first used SPD and then later SPD-L, both with the same road shoe. I tried SPD-SL for 2 weeks to match road bike but switched back to SPD. I was expecting more power but was disappointed.

I didn't want to believe it but I got worse benefit with SPD-SL I tested them well,, got used to the clip/unclip, just couldn't feel a bigger advantage. With SPD i got more acceleration/power despite the smaller surface area and they were alot easier to clip into.

furiousd

I ordered the M520's from chain reaction today.
D