taking the plunge into SPD's, 105's ok as first clipless?

stardude
stardude Posts: 255
edited April 2011 in Road buying advice
i have finally decided to take the plunge into clipless pedals with my road bike and am trying to decide which pedals to go for.

i am looking at the shimano 105 pedals as they arn't too expensive ad have lots of good reviews.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=50512

would they be suitable for me as a first pair of clipless pedals?

also can anyone reccommend a decant pair of SPD shoes size 13 or 47 i think for under £50??

many thanks

adam
2006 Giant TCR Team

2006 Giant XTC SE & 2009 Exodus Blade

Comments

  • skyd0g
    skyd0g Posts: 2,540
    The 105 pedals are great value - although you can get 'em cheaper here: http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/Road-Bike-Pedals-Shimano-Clipless-Spd-SL-5700-105-Pedals/SHIMPEDA845

    DHB shoes from Wiggle get good reviews
    http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-r1-road-cycling-shoe/

    ...but ideally, you should try a few pairs on for comfort & fit.
    Cycling weakly
  • chrishd883
    chrishd883 Posts: 159
    I would suggest using the MTB SPD system to start

    SPD cleats and a double sided MTB SPD pedals (no cage - unless wanted to wear trainers at somepint) . I think these are the easiest to use, and I still use them on my winter hack / commuter bike (Tricross).

    Will you be walking much in your cycling shoes? With the MTB SPD system you can buy shoes with "recessed cleats" that greatly reduce your chances of falling over!?!?!?

    But I would also suggest that you replace these cleats evey 12 - 18 months (if not recessed). They look OK but can unclip at speed once worn.

    If you wanted a pure "road" system - then have a look at the Look Keo system.

    The "Easy" pedals are cheap (circa £25 on the net?) and light.
  • stardude
    stardude Posts: 255
    hmmm, those shoes look very good. looks like i will be getting them then :D

    as for what i will be using it for:
    i plan on using it as a fitness tool, something to go for long leisure rides and to hopefully commute on once i have managed to find a job :x

    i wont be doing much walking with the shoes on. if i am commuting i will have other shoes with me to change into.

    i did see the 'easy' pedals, but they are pretty much the same price as the 105's and only 120 grams lighter. not to mention i'm becomming a bit of a snob, and the 105 would tie in with the bike as everything on the bike is 105 :p apart from the new chainset >_<

    this is the bike they will be going on: (it has a new external BB chainset on now though, and i am looking at some new rims as these are getting a pretty old and worn. its also had a clean since this >_<)

    DSCF1465.jpg
    2006 Giant TCR Team

    2006 Giant XTC SE & 2009 Exodus Blade
  • MrChuck
    MrChuck Posts: 1,663
    Personally I'd find SPD-SLs (road type) a PITA for commuting, but obviously that depends on your commute- if you're clipping in and out a lot at the lights or whatever then SPDs (MTB type) might be better.

    That said lots of people do commute in them so personal choice really.
  • stardude
    stardude Posts: 255
    MrChuck wrote:
    Personally I'd find SPD-SLs (road type) a PITA for commuting, but obviously that depends on your commute- if you're clipping in and out a lot at the lights or whatever then SPDs (MTB type) might be better.

    That said lots of people do commute in them so personal choice really.

    whats the actual difference between the two?
    2006 Giant TCR Team

    2006 Giant XTC SE & 2009 Exodus Blade
  • ShutUpLegs
    ShutUpLegs Posts: 3,522
    stardude wrote:
    MrChuck wrote:
    Personally I'd find SPD-SLs (road type) a PITA for commuting, but obviously that depends on your commute- if you're clipping in and out a lot at the lights or whatever then SPDs (MTB type) might be better.

    That said lots of people do commute in them so personal choice really.

    whats the actual difference between the two?

    More stable platform, no loss of power, no flex & no hotspots
  • chrishd883
    chrishd883 Posts: 159
    I have to disagree with the last post - personally I don't find any benefit of flex or stability from either system.

    The benefit for me of the MTB SPD system is the ease of clipping in.

    Generally i find you can just stamp on the SPD (double sided) pedals to clip in, but with the other "road" systems - which are single sided - you need to slide the front of the cleat into the pedal before clipping in.

    No great fuss either way really - but if I'm on a ride that requires a lot of stop / starts the SPD's are easier -for me! I can easily clip in without looking - even if I haven't used them or a while. With the Keo's I find more difficulty clipping in for the first few weeks of the "summer".

    Yes - the Keo's are on my "good bikes"!
  • Slack
    Slack Posts: 326
    Let's be honest here - road SPD's are only marginally more difficult to engage. I would say the difference of getting away at the traffic lights is equivalent to an extra 2 seconds!

    I regularly ride with both pedal systems and prefer the secure feel of the road system. MTB SPD's only provide a significant advantage when walking.
    Plymouthsteve for councillor!!
  • antfly
    antfly Posts: 3,276
    There is also the "touring" pedal, only really useful if you want to use spd shoes on your road bike.
    http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=28051
    Smarter than the average bear.
  • rolf_f
    rolf_f Posts: 16,015
    ShutUpLegs wrote:
    More stable platform, no loss of power, no flex & no hotspots

    You've missed probably the only (near) real world advantage - weight!

    If you do a lot of stop start, the MTB pedals are much better. The engage is barely different to that of a flat pedal - as long as you put your foot in the right place, you can just press down. With the road pedals, you have to hook the cleat into the pedal. Easy enough but by no means as easy as the MTB type.

    As it happens, I've used both on long rides as well. I suffer no hotspots and notice no loss of efficiency. If I wasn't slightly tarty about the look of my Look, I'd probably ditch the Look pedals and get SPDs for it!

    Ultimately though, in time you get used to whatever pedal you use. It's just that the MTB ones give you less to need to think about when you are getting used to them.
    Faster than a tent.......
  • moonshine
    moonshine Posts: 1,022
    I use SPD-SL on my TT and Road biles, and double sided M540 SPD on my fixed gear commuting bike and crank bros on my MTB

    I prefer my road shoes and SPD-SL generally, but for commuting (and walking into my office) i prefer the SPD on a pair of carbon soled MTB shoes. - also for ease of entry on a fixed...

    For MTB i prefer the crank bros over the SPDs, 4 way entry and loads of mud clearance. - i only use the SPDs on the road bike as they were in the house and if buing new, i would prob go for crank bros... just to let me change shoes more easily.

    the biggest benefit of a road pedal for me is that i find SPDs a bit "deep" abd by that i mean they sometimes ground on hard cornering on the road, especially on the fixed, and it is a bit unnerving....road bias pedals are moreheavily champhered on the bottom to as they are single sided and have more clearance.

    G
  • #7rider
    #7rider Posts: 24
    I think the OP should go to a good shop and try both systems.

    I had Nike MTB type shoe on a Trek 7.6 and a good road shoe is considerably stiffer and more stable platform.

    Shimano 105 pedals are more than good enough and would look good with rest of 105 gruppo on your bike.

    Either way you'll have to unclip or learn to grandstand so why not go for road setup ?
  • gary.hounsome
    gary.hounsome Posts: 296
    I have the 105 pedals with Shimano shoes. They are my first clipless pedals as well and have got on with them fine from the start. My commute is a fairly straightforward 10 miles without alot of stopping though.
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 21,861
    ShutUpLegs wrote:
    no loss of power
    I've never understood where all that power gets lost with SPDs. Obviously it does because it's always quoted as an advantage of SPD-SLs, but I haven't worked out whether the power from my legs gets turned into heat or light by my SPDs.
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  • peddlefever
    peddlefever Posts: 82
    briantrumpet wrote:
    ShutUpLegs wrote:
    no loss of power
    I've never understood where all that power gets lost with SPDs. Obviously it does because it's always quoted as an advantage of SPD-SLs, but I haven't worked out whether the power from my legs gets turned into heat or light by my SPDs.

    The wider pedal platform lets you put more force through the pedal on the road pedal/cleat/shoe combination. Plus, road shoes are generally stiffer than MTB shoes, which most people use with SPDs, so you are losing some power with every pedal stroke if the sole flexes more. Over shorter rides it is not a big deal, but over longer distances every bit of energy conserved can matter.
  • Craigbes
    Craigbes Posts: 74
    If your thinking of doing quite a bit of walking then go with SPDs. If most of your time is going to be spent on the bike then SPD SLs are fine. Try before you buy though cos if you buy the SL compatible cleats & pedals then decide you wanna walk in them it won't be much fun... :oops:
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 21,861
    peddlefever wrote:
    briantrumpet wrote:
    ShutUpLegs wrote:
    no loss of power
    I've never understood where all that power gets lost with SPDs. Obviously it does because it's always quoted as an advantage of SPD-SLs, but I haven't worked out whether the power from my legs gets turned into heat or light by my SPDs.

    The wider pedal platform lets you put more force through the pedal on the road pedal/cleat/shoe combination. Plus, road shoes are generally stiffer than MTB shoes, which most people use with SPDs, so you are losing some power with every pedal stroke if the sole flexes more. Over shorter rides it is not a big deal, but over longer distances every bit of energy conserved can matter.
    Ah, that maybe is what the marketing men say, but the physicist will point out that all the energy you put through your legs has to go somewhere. If that energy is 'lost', it must go somewhere. Unless my SPDs are red hot, giving off light, or storing electrical charge, all the energy from my exertion must be going into forward movement of the bike. I don't buy this 'better power transfer' for one minute, I'm afraid, but then, I am a cynic. I suspect that the 'better power transfer' is in the mind of the rider.
    https://www.facebook.com/unanglaisendiois
  • balthazar
    balthazar Posts: 1,565
    briantrumpet wrote:
    ShutUpLegs wrote:
    no loss of power
    I've never understood where all that power gets lost with SPDs. Obviously it does because it's always quoted as an advantage of SPD-SLs, but I haven't worked out whether the power from my legs gets turned into heat or light by my SPDs.

    Oh it's dark matter doing it. Or vacuum energy. Or something. There has to be something exotic and technical, rather than blind expectation informed by marketing (for instance).
  • peddlefever
    peddlefever Posts: 82
    As far as I understand it, if some part of your shoe is flexing as it is being pushed down, the energy from your leg is being used to flex the sole of the shoe, as well as push the pedal down. So you are using more energy to compensate for the energy being used to bend your shoe's sole. The energy is not disappearing, but rather being used to flex the sole.
  • moonshine
    moonshine Posts: 1,022
    peddlefever wrote:
    As far as I understand it, if some part of your shoe is flexing as it is being pushed down, the energy from your leg is being used to flex the sole of the shoe, as well as push the pedal down. So you are using more energy to compensate for the energy being used to bend your shoe's sole. The energy is not disappearing, but rather being used to flex the sole.

    Not on my carbon soled MTB SPD shoes..... not any more than my carbon soled SPD SL road shoes....

    maybe if i was wearing a pair of trainers....
  • chrishd883
    chrishd883 Posts: 159
    Oh dear.....so many "hot" topics in the cyclng world!

    What pedal system, MTB v Road bike, Campag v Shimano v SRAM, etc, etc.

    At the end of the day all the pedal systems work - which type do you prefer?
    What's important to you? Price, style / colour, weight, etc! Decide and buy!

    Some of us even use two or more systems and on a regular basis!
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 21,861
    peddlefever wrote:
    As far as I understand it, if some part of your shoe is flexing as it is being pushed down, the energy from your leg is being used to flex the sole of the shoe, as well as push the pedal down. So you are using more energy to compensate for the energy being used to bend your shoe's sole. The energy is not disappearing, but rather being used to flex the sole.
    If that is the case, the energy is then stored in the flexed sole - which will then be released onto the pedal when it unflexes. So sooner or later all the legs' energy will get into the pedal as movement.

    Anyway, that's all solved by having stiff-soled SPD shoes.
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  • fleshtuxedo
    fleshtuxedo Posts: 1,860
    briantrumpet wrote:
    If that is the case, the energy is then stored in the flexed sole - which will then be released onto the pedal when it unflexes

    Not if the pedal is unweighted at the top of the pedal stroke and the unflexing just pushes the shoe up and away rather than driving the pedal down :wink:
  • Barteos
    Barteos Posts: 657
    briantrumpet wrote:
    ShutUpLegs wrote:
    no loss of power
    I've never understood where all that power gets lost with SPDs. Obviously it does because it's always quoted as an advantage of SPD-SLs, but I haven't worked out whether the power from my legs gets turned into heat or light by my SPDs.

    It's pretty simple.

    When using flexible shoes, the lost power accumulates in your feet and turns into heat.
    Excess heat is stored in... hot spots. :)
  • briantrumpet
    briantrumpet Posts: 21,861
    Barteos wrote:
    briantrumpet wrote:
    ShutUpLegs wrote:
    no loss of power
    I've never understood where all that power gets lost with SPDs. Obviously it does because it's always quoted as an advantage of SPD-SLs, but I haven't worked out whether the power from my legs gets turned into heat or light by my SPDs.

    It's pretty simple.

    When using flexible shoes, the lost power accumulates in your feet and turns into heat.
    Excess heat is stored in... hot spots. :)
    Ah, excellent - thanks. No more problems with cold feet in the winter then. Just wait till the marketing teams get hold of this!
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