spd & spd-l - difference

mcowan77

folks

getting newroad bike (defy 3)on c2w scheme

whats the difference between these pedals?

what kind of shoes do i need?....i would like to be able to walk into work on them also

first time on clipless!!!

cheers

lost_in_thought

Hokay.

Basically, SPD-L are a '3-hole' road pedal, and SPD are a '2-hole' MTB pedal. The holes refer to the number of holes in the sole of the shoe that the cleats attach to.

3-hole pedals require you to wear what is basically an ice skate with a slippery bit of plastic on the bottom. If you're trying to walk, that is exactly as much fun as it sounds. These ice skates also tend to scream 'I'm a bike shoe' to anyone who will listen.

Look, here are some of those:





Note the ice-skate-ness on the second photo... the ones in the second photo are cr@p, by the way, it's just to illustrate what the sole tends to look like. Smooth. Carbon. Slidey.

They're brilliant if you're going on a long ride and don't plan to be doing much walking or stopping...

However, if you're in a town, clipping and unclipping and actually want to walk in the shoes, SPDs or any other 2-hole pedal are your friends.

Look....



Note how they actually look like, well, shoes? That panel with the S on it comes off and the cleat goes there. SPDs are very easy to clip into, and they're cheap, and basically generally what people tend to start off on in the world of clipless. There are other options, Time do some, and Eggbeaters are good. Oh and the shoes come in other colours too, obv.

Hope this helps!

mcowan77

cheers mate

helps me loads

snellgrove

LiT wrote:

Hope that helps!

Come off it, LiT. Deep down, you knew that post would help didn'tcha?

That's about the most helpful post I've probably ever seen in any forum on the internet.

rolf_f

snellgrove wrote:

LiT wrote:

Hope that helps!

Come off it, LiT. Deep down, you knew that post would help didn'tcha?

That's about the most helpful post I've probably ever seen in any forum on the internet.

Clear breaches in forum etiquette though. She completely failed to express a prejudice against one of the two main options and she didn't try to plug her own choice of clipless (nor even mention it). I think she should re-write it from scratch!

gaz545

It's SPD-SL and they aren't that hard to walk in!

merkin

Post-of-the-day goes to LIT Very sensible and informative 8)

davis

One question springs to mind: why do people wear road shoes? As long as your feet are clipped in, don't move around an annoying amount, and are comfortable, is there really any need for shoes that render your feet less useful for their evolution-designed purpose?

Basically, are they faster (somehow)?, more comfortable, or just ... better in some intangible way?
Serious question, by the way; I'm still quite happy in SPDs on my road bike.

Canny Jock

LiT, you forgot the most important point - you can only get sandals in SPD, not SPD-SL.

rolf_f

davis wrote:

One question springs to mind: why do people wear road shoes? As long as your feet are clipped in, don't move around an annoying amount, and are comfortable, is there really any need for shoes that render your feet less useful for their evolution-designed purpose?

Basically, are they faster (somehow)?, more comfortable, or just ... better in some intangible way?
Serious question, by the way; I'm still quite happy in SPDs on my road bike.

Footwear designed for a specific purpose. I remember my climbing slippers - they were agony to walk in but very good climbing!

Seriously, road shoes are light and compact. The soles are a hard plate of carbon fibre with little flex to maximise pedal efficiency. Even if they had recessed cleats, they'd be unpleasant to walk on. Luckily, you spend most of your time on the bike so it doesn't matter. On the other hand, an MTBer needs to be able to walk over potentially very rough ground so wider, heavier, treaded soles with a bit of flex are a necessary compromise.

Might not seem a big compromise to use MTB shoes on a road bike but look at it this way - wouldn't your nice carbon framed bike be more useful with mudguards and a rack?!

lost_in_thought

davis wrote:

One question springs to mind: why do people wear road shoes? As long as your feet are clipped in, don't move around an annoying amount, and are comfortable, is there really any need for shoes that render your feet less useful for their evolution-designed purpose?

Basically, are they faster (somehow)?, more comfortable, or just ... better in some intangible way?
Serious question, by the way; I'm still quite happy in SPDs on my road bike.

The main reason I wear them is the stiffness of the sole. My silly roadie is a very stiff bike, and as a result if I use floppy-soled MTB shoes, it's actually very uncomfortable. I can only imagine it's because of the flex in the sole. Also, I use speedplay pedals on said silly roadie, because of the float (toe-in/toe-out movement) and they only come in ice skate fittings.

However, I do not remotely understand why they can't whack some rubber on the bottoms of them. I mean, really, it wouldn't weigh much, and it would make them a lot less treacherous.

It should be noted that despite the above I was able to very happily do a short (250m) tour on the Tifosi in SPD sandals.

davis

RIght, so they flex less, which means you waste less energy on moving around on the pedal. Sometimes this unwanted moving is uncomfortable.
The downside is they're slidey-slidey, and you risk falling base over apex, especially if heavily refreshed.

/me goes off to consider some road shoes with stick-on soles from a hardware shop... That'll fox the cognoscenti.

ta, by the way.

dg lander

This is very useful thank you.

Is it possible to use normal shoes with spd-sl pedals? I will eventally get some sort of clip-in pedals/shoes for my longish commute, but ideally I would like to have the option to use normal shoes when nipping to the co-op for a loaf of bread etc.

londonbairn

SPD-SL are not that bad, I commute in them fine, climb stairs and walk with no problem. Only funny thing is the "high heel" sound they make, and everyone turning around probably expecting a leggy lady :P

Even my girlfriend who is brand new to road cycling finds them easy to walk in.

Zachariah

Dear LiT, I was considering buying a Mac or a PC and was wondering, which is better? Thanks for any advice.

asprilla

I don't have difficulty walking in my road shoes, it's just that I tend to find commuting destroys Keo cleats.

That might just be me though.

andrewc3142

Road shoes are almost always light and with soles that don't flex.

Some MTB shoes are also light and with soles that don't flex. Not great for walking in, but you don't wear the cleat down.

Other MTB shoes are flexible like trainers and are fine for walking round town, whatever. No need to pack separate shoes.

I'm sure that at the margins road cleats/shoes are better, although not clear exactly why. But if you fit spd's your bike is much more versatile.

Craggers

Is it possible to use normal shoes with spd-sl pedals? I will eventally get some sort of clip-in pedals/shoes for my longish commute, but ideally I would like to have the option to use normal shoes when nipping to the co-op for a loaf of bread etc.

I have SPD-SLs on my commuter and regulary ride on them to the shops in casual trainers as they have a relatively flat platform..not ideal obviously but do-able

londonbairn

Asprilla wrote:

I don't have difficulty walking in my road shoes, it's just that I tend to find commuting destroys Keo cleats.

That might just be me though.

Same with Time, I go through a set every 2 months. The problem is mainly the front wearing quicker on my left because of stopping. I consider it a consumable.

condorman

That's why they invented cleat covers so you can walk in them when the need arises. It's either that or walk home in your socks.

asprilla

I don't really think I've got time to put on cleat covers when I stop a lights or put my foot down to skip the fixie inbetween a traffic jam.

It's not the walking that kill cleats, it's all the touchdowns you get commuting that you don't get when on a Sunday ride in the country.

Eau Rouge

lost_in_thought wrote:

However, I do not remotely understand why they can't whack some rubber on the bottoms of them. I mean, really, it wouldn't weigh much, and it would make them a lot less treacherous.

Have you gone mad, women!?
Rubber is heavy, adding weight to your feet is not a marketable trait for a cycling shoe, especially not to a bunch of roadies.

"Road" pedals (the three-hole type) have a larger pedal, which is supposed to reduce the pressure on the foot too. The cleats are cheap enough to be a consumable.

I commute in the countryside and wouldn't be without my Keo's, but if I had to go though a city, with lights and busy junctions where I'd be needing to stop more often, I'd probably get spd's (the 2-hole type) because I find clipping in a bit of a faff, not great in just-moving traffic. You can also get spd pedals with ordinary flat pedals on the other side to allow you ride in trainers, though the thought of riding and not being tied to the pedals is as alien as not using the saddle to me...

lost_in_thought

Eau Rouge wrote:

lost_in_thought wrote:

However, I do not remotely understand why they can't whack some rubber on the bottoms of them. I mean, really, it wouldn't weigh much, and it would make them a lot less treacherous.

Have you gone mad, women!?
Rubber is heavy, adding weight to your feet is not a marketable trait for a cycling shoe, especially not to a bunch of roadies.

"Road" pedals (the three-hole type) have a larger pedal, which is supposed to reduce the pressure on the foot too. The cleats are cheap enough to be a consumable.

I commute in the countryside and wouldn't be without my Keo's, but if I had to go though a city, with lights and busy junctions where I'd be needing to stop more often, I'd probably get spd's (the 2-hole type) because I find clipping in a bit of a faff, not great in just-moving traffic. You can also get spd pedals with ordinary flat pedals on the other side to allow you ride in trainers, though the thought of riding and not being tied to the pedals is as alien as not using the saddle to me...

Insanity, eh? Alas, due to my own heft, a bit of rubber on my shoes is the least of my worries.