Mistake with shoes and pedals.

Strickland

I got myself some new shoes and pedals last week.

Arrived today, and I've been sorting through all the bits and pieces. However, the cleat fitting for the pedals and the shoe are different. On closer inspection my shoes are SPD, but the pedals are SPD-SL.

Are these two different fittings? The cleats have the three holes to attach to the shoe which I was expecting, but the shoes have two slits rather than three holes.

I wrongly assumed they would fit each other, especially as both are Shimano and people who bought my shoes, apparently, also bought the same pedals.

This is the shoe;

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=46683

And the pedal;

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=5369

Im kinda gutted as Im on a pretty tight budget, and it took me ages to find shoes around the £50 mark in my size.

These pedals state they're only SPD, so would they be what I need for my shoe? How much difference is there in clipping and unclipping between SPD and SPD-SL?

Sorry for my total lack of knowledge, and thanks in advance.

unixnerd

SPD-SLs are a road bike pedal, SPDs can be used on or off road (which is what I do).

Your shoes are indeed SPD and will not fit those cleats. You could keep the shoes and get SPD cleats pretty cheaply. On my road bike I use A520 SPD pedals (got them on ebay for about 15 quid)

Means I have one pair of shoes for all my bikes (road, mtb, tourer).

skyd0g

The two systems are incompatible.
See if CRC will swop your shoes for something like these: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=31726

or keep the shoes and swop the pedals for these:
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=3759

anto164

Yeh, shoes are SPD, not the SPD SL.

Difference is shown in the pic below. SPD-SL left, SPD right.



SPD-SL have a larger cleat, therefore greater power transfer apparently, more secure cleat. The road shoes are normally stiffer and you shouldn't walk on the road shoes, whilst you can on spd shoes.

Clipping and unclipping is the same on both shoes.

night_porter

CRC are pretty good with returns so just send back the pedals and get yourself some SPD ones.

I use these http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... delID=3759 order these and you will have saved yourself £5.00.

The big advantage of SPD's for me is that the cleats are recessed into the sole of the shoe and as I have to walk through a cobbled street when I get to work so SPD-SL's would be almost impossible for me.

Strickland

Thanks for your help guys. Guess Im gonna have to go a few days longer with the stock pedals I've got at the moment.

I've just ordered myself a pair of these...

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=3759

... as every SPD-SL shoe in my price range didn't have my size.

I ruined the packaging on the pedals I ordered, but shall throw them on ebay with a bit of discount and get a quick sale on them.

On the plus side, I can't wait to try these lycra shorts out. They're so blooming comfy.

cougie

Sounds like a good option. Those shoes are marketed as touring shoes - so you can do some walking around in them. I use the smaller cleats for my winter rides - as we do more cafe stops off season and its just easier walking round.