SPD or SPD-SL

Pufftmw

Just ordered my first road bike (as you do ) and am wanting to go clipless again as I am on my 2 MTBs. Only problem seems to be that in order to get nice lightweight pedals for road bikes, they use SPD-SL whereas both my pairs of cycle shoes use SPD (as per my MTBs).

Is there any benefit (other than looks & weight) of SPD-SL over SPD? Or any other reason that I should use them?

For instance, Shimano M770 XTs are 356g vs Shimano Ultegra SL Pedals 6700 at 315g (or XTRs at 325g but then I would put those on my Scott )

I really don't want to buy another pair of shoes or have to faff about remembering which shoes I need to wear.

John.T

No reason not to use SPDs. I use M520s on both my winter bikes. They do not give quite as stable a feel as SPD-SL, which I use for racing and summer riding, but are plenty good enough for most rides.

ris

the weight saving is so fractional i wouldn't worry about it - you could wear thinner socks and save some weight!

nothing wrong with spd's, particularly if you are used to them and have shoes etc already. the main difference i find between the systems is the foot stability is better with -sl's/keos etc, as johnt has said.

StanwaySteve62

spd gave me tingly toes spd-sl doesnt.
Much nicer to RIDE in

DieselE

Just switched to SL. SPD are far easier to clip into as its a double sided pedal - don't need to look down. This is far safer in town, but I'm persevering to see if its me not used to SL...

Its a better connection on SL but they are awful to walk on - scared of twisting my ankle. I think SPD may well win the day for me other than for very big out of town rides.

DE

Erudin

A600 SPD-cleat-compatible road pedals are only 286g per pair:

http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/gear-news/new-shimano-pd-a600-road-spd-pedal/4934.html

I swap between SPD-SL pedals and A520 SPD pedals on my road bike.

The SPD-SL's have a bit better power transfer. The R075 shoes I use with them are much better ventilated and lighter than my SPD shoes and more comfortable for longer/faster rides.

Find SPD shoes better for touring/bike path type rides where need to walk a bit.

sparkins1972

It depends on the type of riding you do - I don't race at all, so am less bothered about losing the odd gram here and there. My long rides at weekends tend to be 60 miles approx and I normally like to have a break half way around, so I prefer my SPDs as I can actually walk in them without looking like I am wearing an ill fitted diving boot.

TommyEss

Toughie - if you're new to the roadie side of things, and already have loads of mtb spd shoes and pedals, then probably simplest to stick with them for now.

Take the pedals of the mtb you use least, whack them on the roadie, et voila. See how you get on - if you find yourself doing longer rides with lots of climbing etc, you may find that you start to get hot spots on the balls of your feet - that's because the contact area twixt shoe and pedal is much smaller than spd-sl or other road type pedals. Then might be the time to consider some road shoes and pedals.

Weight savings, as mentioned, is not really significant for an amateur, even if people will tell you otherwise.

Pufftmw

Thanks guys

Going to go with the A600s, look the job and single-sided for those times I don't wear the shoes (rare admittedly). I'm used to that with my current commuter anyway.

Erudin wrote:

A600 SPD-cleat-compatible road pedals are only 286g per pair:

http://www.roadcyclinguk.com/gear-news/new-shimano-pd-a600-road-spd-pedal/4934.html

I can't wait for it to arrive though Chain Reactions are closed today for some reason!

careful

As sparkins1972 said

I can actually walk in them

I use both depending what sort of riding I intend to do (it means swapping pedals or using different bikes). I do find SPD SL are firmer and give slightly more support when riding, but thay are a real pain to walk in. IMO they are both fine for clipping in/out.

Erudin

The non-spd side of the A600's are not good to use to pedal, you'd need something like the A530 to use with non-spd shoes. Don't think Chainreaction sell A600's but the ebay shop Absolutecycles, and Highonbikes do and I've found them both reliable and fast.

alfablue

I think single sided spd's are a nuisance, you have to worry about flipping the pedals, if using spd's then double sided is the way to go, I have m520's, XT and XTR models, all perform brilliantly. And I can ride them with regular shoes on trips down to the shops.