SPD or SPD-SL/Time etc.?

equinefunk

Hi,

I mainly Mountain Bike but having been using my Road Bike quite a bit lately & enjoying it. I currently run SPD pedals on both bikes & use the same shoes.

Using the Road Bike more is it worthwhile changing to the SPD SL or equivalent & getting new shoes?

Thanks in advance.

explosifpete

your mtb shoes will be more piratical, easier to walk about in and easy to clip in due to double sided pedals

Getting road shoes/pedals will make you feel more like a roadie(especially if you get white ones) and apparently transmit more power due to a larger interface but i've not noticed this myself

briantrumpet

explosifpete wrote:

road shoes/pedals [...] apparently transmit more power due to a larger interface

Myth alert!!! The 'better power transfer' thing is marketing hype unrelated to the actual physics.

If you get decent stiff-soled shoes, SPD pedals are fine for road bikes. I'm on about 8000 road miles a year on SPDs, and have no reason or inclination to change.

springtide9

briantrumpet wrote:

explosifpete wrote:

road shoes/pedals [...] apparently transmit more power due to a larger interface

Myth alert!!! The 'better power transfer' thing is marketing hype unrelated to the actual physics.

If you get decent stiff-soled shoes, SPD pedals are fine for road bikes. I'm on about 8000 road miles a year on SPDs, and have no reason or inclination to change.

I agree with you...

The only thing that I would say is that road shoes are 'generally' stiffer than MTB shoes for obvious reasons (by design), meaning IMO you get a little more choice in the lower end of the market.
Obviously on the higher end MTB shoes that are more targeted at XC racing, they are just as stiff.

I used to share shoes with my MTB and Road bike, but actually it makes more sense having two pairs. It's not a good look having your shoes caked in mud on the road... and even less so impressive if you have to wander into a nice cake shop and leave 'bits of the mountain behind' when you leave.

I also prefer the more limited 'float' that you get with road cleats, but not sure whether this is just in my head or not.

arthur_scrimshaw

I use these for the road bike - they're mtb shoes that look like road shoes, add shimano A520 road type pedals for effect...

equinefunk

Thanks for the responses....it makes more sense moneywise to invest in better SPD shoes. & keep them clean.

I went to Edinburgh Cycle Co-Op & the guy there told me that the difference between the two types of pedals was immense & the extra power climbing was worth the purchase....

I like those A520 Pedal's just bought a pair but SIDI shoes are probably out of my reach. I'm going look for some stiffer shoes now.

mattrixdesign2

I use double sided SPDs on my MTB, and Shimano A520s (as above) on my road bike, the standard MTBs ones would be just fine, I went for the A520 just to give extra stability.

Its great as it means you can use your shoes in either set of pedals (I use casual looking Adiddas ones).

The road ones always looked clunky and seemed poorly designed for anything othjer than actually riding.

Evil Laugh

When I went to see the bike whisperer, one of the UKs leading fitters for a fitting we discussed the pros and cons. Bearing in mind he could have earned an extra £75 to set up sdpsl shoesfor me on a bike he advised me to stick to just spd on both bikes. I have a very stiff pair of mavic fury shoes and he reckoned the difference I would see would be negligible in also using a pair of zxelliums on my "best" bike.

He was apparently a world level track sprinter so I'd presume he knows a thing or two about power transfer.

Being able to walk easily and not trash my cleats just tips the balance firmly over to spd for me.

equinefunk

Thanks for the feedback, I have Mavic MTB Shoes at the moment but I'm suffering with numb/cold feet so I'm looking to get some new. I wouldn't get the value out of the Mavic Furys.

othello

I use A520s on my road bike with my 'race' style mtb shoes. But I have been wondering about getting a pair of dedicated road shoes and pedals. Riding with muddy mtb shoes on my road bike does look odd!

But seriously I've always wondered if there was an advantage to having dedicated shoes and pedals. Better power or more support. Sounds like I should save my cash...