Keep M520 and SPD shoes or go SPD SL/Look?

CRAIGO5000

Hi,

I have some Shimano M520 SPD pedals which are great and also some cheap Lidl SPD MTB style shoes which aren't too shabby for what they cost.

I inherited some Look Keo Sprint pedals which feel very light in comparison to the M520's and look great in red.

I wanted some proper shoes soon to replace the Lidl MTB style shoe but I've never ridden SL/Look keo style pedals and cleats before - should I try them or just stick with the SPD set-up?

I'm mainly a commuter/weekend rider so longevity is key.

The Look Keo's are expensive but are they that much better than SPD's - are there any benefits other than weight?

jonny_trousers

Look/SL style pedals are a pain on the commute. I consider myself pretty nippy off the lights with my M520s, but with the Looks... not fun, I get taken by Borris Biker riders. And let's not forget trying to walk to the coffee shop in your carbon soled road shoes!

I'm sure experienced roadies will be able to explain the advantages of such pedals when on long, fast rides, but for commuting, stick with the SPDs I say.

Philby

I've got Looks on my road bike and find them a complete pain in the arse on the bits of my rides that involve towns, traffic lights, stop / starting etc.

If commuting in a town with potentially a lot of stops I suggest you stick to the SPDs - shoes are also significantly easier to walk in.

akcc05

I'd stick with SPDs, especially for commuting. I have used Look Keos before but the plastic pedal body of Looks always make me think that they aren't as good for bashing around town, and they are just a pain to step into. I have had my XT pedals for a few years and have done about 10,000km on them, only had to tighten the cup and cone once. Just get a new pair of shoes and you'll already feel the improvement. I have had my pair of Shimano M122 shoes for a few years now and they are great, stiff enough for road riding but not so stiff that you can't walk in them. The outsole is tough and grippy too. Have a look at M087 or M077.

micken

SPD MTB for commuting, off-road and the winter road bike. SPD SL for cranking up the miles in summer. I find them just a bit harder to get into, definitely more of a faff at lights etc., but not too bad for walking the short distance to the cafe.

micken

SPD MTB for commuting, off-road and the winter road bike. SPD SL for cranking up the miles in summer. I find them just a bit harder to get into, definitely more of a faff at lights etc., but not too bad for walking the short distance to the cafe.

Bar Shaker

Stick to SPDs and buy the stiffest shoes you can afford. You then have shoes you can walk in, a double sided pedal that is easy to clip into and a rock solid shoe sole/cleat interface for power transfer.

meanredspider

Agree with all of the above. It needn't affect your shoe choice too much. Many of the 3-hole (SL/Look) shoes have adaptors for SPDs (even Sidi) or many Shimano shoes have both fitments. I use Shimano R086s which are good value.

micken

Bar Shaker wrote:

Stick to SPDs and buy the stiffest shoes you can afford. You then have shoes you can walk in, a double sided pedal that is easy to clip into and a rock solid shoe sole/cleat interface for power transfer.

That's good advice from Bar Shaker. I've happily used rigid MTB shoes on all my bikes for years. I've just started using SL's for longer distance road use because I needed more support and wider fitting for my right foot due to a bunion and having had a couple of broken metatarsals last year. So I've got a normal human left foot and a Hobbit right foot now. Actally went for the Mega (wider) fitting Sidi's. I can tell that the foot is more supported using SL's, but it's not chalk and cheese. My MTB shoes are good quality Shimano's with very rigid carbon soles btw.

CRAIGO5000

Wow, I think we have a clear winner then. SPD's it is - thanks guys for all that info!
I didn't realise SL/Looks were such a faff to get into, and as mentioned the bike is used five days out of the week for commuting around Manchester with lots of stop-starting so I want a pedal that's robust and easy enough to snap in and out of quickly.

I'll start Googling some of the SPD shoes mentioned in the above posts.

Cheers.

GG53

Hi

It's great how questions you have are answered almost immediately.

I have been going through the same predicament recently.

I was using M520s with a pair of cheap but nice Lidl MTB shoes on a road bike I have only had for a week. I bought some R087 shoes and found the difference in power transfer etc to be fantastic, though clipping in (even on double-sided) was a pain as, unlike MTB shoes, these road shoes have no guides, the cleats are not recessed and the pedals are tiny. Therefore, as I live in the centre of town and am immediately surrounded by a plethora of lights and roundabouts etc, slipping when clipping was an issue.

I am now selling the R087s and the 105 pedals / cleats and going for some M087 shoes to go with the M520 pedals.

Any indecision was eradicated after reading the above responses.

Thank you.

meanredspider

You can buy guides for road shoes for SPDs which would probably solve your issues. The upside of flat roadshoe soles is that unclipping is easier.

Bar Shaker

An SPD pedal never fouls the shoe when unclipping, so the type (mtb/road) of shoe shouldn't make any difference.

I use Shimano M183 with a carbon sole.

ETA - I thought these were discontinued but it seems not. CRC have them for £129. Make sure you buy a bigger size than your normal shoe. Or better still, try on some Shimanos and see what size is your perfect fit.