Pedal Question

ndrover

As a newbie getting a good bike was a priority and as a result I just got some Mtb pedals (I already owned some shoe/cleats) to get me going.
I am now wondering if there is any advantage or benefit to changing over to road pedals and road shoes? Is there any comfort benefit on longer rides?
As always your advice is greatly appreciated.

GG53

Hi

I have been going through the same process. I went from MTB to Hybrid to my first road bike ( a month ago). I had been using M520 pedals and cleats with MTB shoes and, as the road bike had no pedals, transferred them over. I had been averaging 17+mph on the other bikes with this set-up but found that I could not get the same transfer on the road bike - possibly due to different body geometry... I don't know.

My shoes weren't the stiffest sole, so I bought some road shoes (Shimano R087 that could accommodate both types of cleats). They arrived on Thursday and I immediately noticed that the combination of MTB pedal and Road shoe is lethal. The shoes are very stiff and the power benefit when clipped is immediately noticeable. Getting clipped in is a nightmare. Road shoes have no guides as per MTB shoes and trying to guide such small cleats is difficult. Then there is the issue of the smooth sole slipping dangerously from the pedal as you try to clip, or just want to rest as you go through heavy traffic. Additionally, putting your foot down on tarmac etc in non-grip road shoes, with such small cleats, might easily result in a slip and fall.

Yesterday I asked my LBS if I could borrow an old set of road pedals and cleats. They kindly let me have some old and battered R540s and road cleats (one of which had no washers). The combination of road shoes and road pedals is hugely different. Power transfer and foot comfort, both due to a bigger platform. Clipping in (even with these pedals that hang down) is much easier and quicker. resting the foot on the pedal in heavy traffic is stable, and putting the foot down at lights is secure. I'm sold - though not necessarily with this particular model of pedal.

My advice, for what it's worth from a fellow newbie to the road, is don't mix and match. I'm keeping MTB pedals/cleats and shoes for a mountain bike, and (only) road shoes and pedals on the road bike.

Good luck and enjoy... what ever combo you decide on.

GG53

Hi

I have been going through the same process. I went from MTB to Hybrid to my first road bike ( a month ago). I had been using M520 pedals and cleats with MTB shoes and, as the road bike had no pedals, transferred them over. I had been averaging 17+mph on the other bikes with this set-up but found that I could not get the same transfer on the road bike - possibly due to different body geometry... I don't know.

My shoes weren't the stiffest sole, so I bought some road shoes (Shimano R087 that could accommodate both types of cleats). They arrived on Thursday and I immediately noticed that the combination of MTB pedal and Road shoe is lethal. The shoes are very stiff and the power benefit when clipped is immediately noticeable. Getting clipped in is a nightmare. Road shoes have no guides as per MTB shoes and trying to guide such small cleats is difficult. Then there is the issue of the smooth sole slipping dangerously from the pedal as you try to clip, or just want to rest as you go through heavy traffic. Additionally, putting your foot down on tarmac etc in non-grip road shoes, with such small cleats, might easily result in a slip and fall.

Yesterday I asked my LBS if I could borrow an old set of road pedals and cleats. They kindly let me have some old and battered R540s and road cleats (one of which had no washers). The combination of road shoes and road pedals is hugely different. Power transfer and foot comfort, both due to a bigger platform. Clipping in (even with these pedals that hang down) is much easier and quicker. resting the foot on the pedal in heavy traffic is stable, and putting the foot down at lights is secure. I'm sold - though not necessarily with this particular model of pedal.

My advice, for what it's worth from a fellow newbie to the road, is don't mix and match. I'm keeping MTB pedals/cleats and shoes for a mountain bike, and (only) road shoes and pedals on the road bike.

Good luck and enjoy... what ever combo you decide on.

Bobbinogs

This comes up quite often and it usually boils down to personal choice. As long as you have decent shoes with a stiff sole then road, mtb or tourer (a520) pedals all work fine. I can do a century with no problems with my feet and I use M520/540 pedals.

Some folks say you get a better power transfer with road shoes but I am not convinced of the logic (not saying they are wrong, mind you). I think it is also about the type of riding you do, cake stops can be a bit tricky with road shoes but not impossible. Also, some folks tend to bail out early on hills and walk so I reckon mtb shoes would be good for that.

andrewjoseph

Good, stiff soled mtb shoes are fine for road riding. You may have to pay extra to get decent shoes.

I'm not going to bother getting road shoes for my road/touring bike, I'll stick to my mtb shoes.

chrishd883

Search the forum - there has been a recent thread re MTB SPD v pure road pedal systems.
You'll get conflicting advice re pro's and con's

I believe that Shimano SPD with the double sided non cage pedals are good for the road, the prime benefit is the ease of clipping in.

I use SPD and Look Keo system and find no other benefits of one over the other - re hot spots, bigger platform, etc.

That is not to say that shoes won't have an impact. The stiffer the better? But that is nothing to do with the choice of pedal system.

So pretty much agree with Bobbinogs!

Duffer65

When I switched from mtb to road bike I also wore mtb shoes with m520 cleats. But found that on long rides the pressure from the pedal into the softer recessed part of the shoe caused me a lot of foot pain. I then bought some road shoes and used them with the same cleats and pedals. This cured the foot pain but caused problems due to the cleats sticking out and making walking from my house to the road quite tricky! So, I bought some SPD-SLs pedals/cleats...problems solved...except that I found them a bugger to clip into! :roll:

The End.

ndrover

Thanks for the advice. Think I might look into getting the best/stiffest Mtb shoes I can afford. Cheers