Change SPD`s for Road Pedals.......more power ?

Sunderland Supporter

I have SPD`s on my road bike , simply because you can walk about in the cycling shoes if need be. With road bike shoes having bigger cleat area and thus more contact with a road pedal, is it logical somebody wearing road shoes and using road pedals would generate more turning pedal power through the cranks ?

jim453

There you go again, kind of asking a question that you believe you already know the answer to - and telling us the answer.

You are really desperate for people to believe you are experienced and knowledgeable about cycling aren't you. I suspect that both those possibilities could not be further from the truth. Keep posting though, it's hilarious.

BruceG

Another thing about this particular subject, although Jim's observations above are spot on.
Why do people buy cycling shoes, to then worry about walking about in them, the clue is in the name! Granted there is some walking in and out of the cafe etc, thi sis hardly hiking though is it, work it out where is the greatest %age of the use?

MrChuck

Perhaps the OP is thinking about being able to do more than hobble in and out of the cafe- what's wrong with that? Or perhaps he has a few flights of stairs to deal with. Whatever.

Anyway, I reckon the perceived wisdom on this is that there's not an awful lot of benefit in road SPDs over MTB ones- assuming you have shoes that ares as stiff as road ones tend to be, and don't have any problems with 'hot spots' from the relatively small contact area. There'd probably be a very small weight advantage.

I do have SPD-SLs on my road bike but and SPDs on my MTB but if I'm honest with myself SPDs on both would probably have been the more sensible/cheaper option!

Sunderland Supporter

jim453 wrote:

There you go again, kind of asking a question that you believe you already know the answer to - and telling us the answer.

You are really desperate for people to believe you are experienced and knowledgeable about cycling aren't you. I suspect that both those possibilities could not be further from the truth. Keep posting though, it's hilarious.

whatever whatever ,yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn why dont you just quit being a jerk and ,for a change, answer a question. id really like toknow if road shoes and pedals will give me more power.

Gizmodo

BruceG wrote:

Another thing about this particular subject, although Jim's observations above are spot on.
Why do people buy cycling shoes, to then worry about walking about in them, the clue is in the name! Granted there is some walking in and out of the cafe etc, thi sis hardly hiking though is it, work it out where is the greatest %age of the use?

Not everybody wants to cycle in a loop from their house, back to their house in a single trip. Some buy SPD pedals so that they can ride to the shops and still be able to walk around. Everyone has their reason. Normally people buy SPD because they are used to them from mountain biking, or they want a double sided pedal, or simply because it's all they can afford.

To the original post, you are unlikely to get any noticeable power difference between SPD clips and SPD-SL or similar. The quality of the shoe and the stiffness of the sole will make a difference, generally MTB shoes are more flexible and therefore not as efficient. But it is the shoe not the cleat that will make a difference.

The main reason that road cleats are used over SPD is comfort. Over a long ride, the small area the SPD cleat covers can cause a sore hot spot on the bottom of your feet. The bigger road cleats dissipate the power over a larger area of your foot.

Flasheart

Hehe, I've been away for a year and the same questions are still asked

NO, SPD PEDALS ARE NOT AS GOOD AS PROPER ROAD BIKE DESIGNED CLEATS & PEDALS!!
There I said it & I feel better now. been there, done that & NEVER had to ask the question
Don't try & justify the fact you have SPD's when you really know you want proper road bike pedals my friend
Power transfer, hotspots meh..you can be really technical but at the end of the day, it comes down to the correct pedals/cleats for the correct type of bike & riding
I rode with MBT shoes with SPD's until I could afford the proper kit, we make do in the circumsatnces we have
I now use Look Keo's and am happy with the setup, but the other systems available are pretty good as well

jim453

Sunderland Supporter wrote:

jim453 wrote:

There you go again, kind of asking a question that you believe you already know the answer to - and telling us the answer.

You are really desperate for people to believe you are experienced and knowledgeable about cycling aren't you. I suspect that both those possibilities could not be further from the truth. Keep posting though, it's hilarious.

whatever whatever ,yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawn why dont you just quit being a jerk and ,for a change, answer a question. id really like toknow if road shoes and pedals will give me more power.

Very slightly more power perhaps. You won't notice. Next 'question'.

BruceG

Gizmodo wrote:

BruceG wrote:

Another thing about this particular subject, although Jim's observations above are spot on.
Why do people buy cycling shoes, to then worry about walking about in them, the clue is in the name! Granted there is some walking in and out of the cafe etc, thi sis hardly hiking though is it, work it out where is the greatest %age of the use?

Not everybody wants to cycle in a loop from their house, back to their house in a single trip. Some buy SPD pedals so that they can ride to the shops and still be able to walk around. Everyone has their reason. Normally people buy SPD because they are used to them from mountain biking, or they want a double sided pedal, or simply because it's all they can afford.


.

Then buy some walking shoes and sell your bike!!!!
cost isnt really a valid excuse either there are cheap SPD SL options around to.

Sunderland Supporter

Bruce you really are a miserable auld bugger arent you . :roll: :shock: :roll:

To the rest of the board, if I picked up a set of road shoes and pedals and put the spd`s and mountain pedals in the garage, would it be more of a lateral step sideways without tangible increase in power that would help in completing inclines at a quicker pace ?

I was giving this some serious ( for once ) thought and would be grateful for advice from seasoned riders.

Bruce, you have the credibility of a kwik fit fitter just starting day one training, so I dont need your "advice"

humpyg

If the SPDs are comfortable and you don't get hot spots, then just stick with them. There probably isn't much difference in power, or a difference you'd notice anyway.

nathancom

Really negligible compared to getting more power in your legs. i would worry about how to get that before worrying about road/mtb pedals.

When you have spare cash you can upgrade but doesn't need to be high priority.

Give SS a break, or is it too much fun being anonymous w@nkers on the internets??

amaferanga

Flasheart wrote:

Hehe, I've been away for a year and the same questions are still asked

NO, SPD PEDALS ARE NOT AS GOOD AS PROPER ROAD BIKE DESIGNED CLEATS & PEDALS!!
There I said it & I feel better now. been there, done that & NEVER had to ask the question
Don't try & justify the fact you have SPD's when you really know you want proper road bike pedals my friend
Power transfer, hotspots meh..you can be really technical but at the end of the day, it comes down to the correct pedals/cleats for the correct type of bike & riding
I rode with MBT shoes with SPD's until I could afford the proper kit, we make do in the circumsatnces we have
I now use Look Keo's and am happy with the setup, but the other systems available are pretty good as well

Are you comparing high end mtb shoes with carbon soles with similar road shoes?

Chuff all real world difference (especially for a very novice cyclist) between good mtb shoes with spd's and good road shoes with Keos or SPD-SL or whatever.

rolf_f

amaferanga wrote:

Chuff all real world difference (especially for a very novice cyclist) between good mtb shoes with spd's and good road shoes with Keos or SPD-SL or whatever.

And even 'chuff all' is probably a bit of an exaggeration! I have SPDs on one road bike and Keos on the other. I'm never conscious of a different tbh. There's a weight saving for road pedals and a mitigation of hotspots if you suffer them but that's about it.

migrantwing

nathancom wrote:

Give SS a break, or is it too much fun being anonymous w@nkers on the internets??

Fair play!

Sunderland Supporter

What are these hotspots you are referring to ?

migrantwing

Sunderland Supporter wrote:

What are these hotspots you are referring to ?

SL's (road) have more surface area as opposed to SPD's (mtb). Apparently, SL's are more comfortable, so do not have 'hotspots' like SPD's.

ShutUpLegs

Sunderland Supporter wrote:

What are these hotspots you are referring to ?

Stoke

waynobfc

Like others have said you more than likely won't notice any difference in performance, you may (if you do 60 mile + Rides) notice an improvement in comfort, as i did!

Plus, all the nice bike shoes are the SL type fitting on the soles

Gizmodo

Sunderland Supporter wrote:

What are these hotspots you are referring to ?

Some people (not all) get sore feet after long rides because typical SPD pedals have a small surface area and they get a hot feeling with the pressure where their foot is directly over the pedal. Road shoes are designed to spread the load over a larger area.

Sunderland Supporter

Gizmodo wrote:

Sunderland Supporter wrote:

What are these hotspots you are referring to ?

Some people (not all) get sore feet after long rides because typical SPD pedals have a small surface area and they get a hot feeling with the pressure where their foot is directly over the pedal. Road shoes are designed to spread the load over a larger area.

Thankfully I dont get the hotspots you describe. In your reply you mention that the road shoes spread the downwards force through the pedals across a wider area. This is precisely why I was thinking with a wider contact surface using road cleats , the result would be more torque through the cranks. Replies so far suggest that Im barking up the wrong tree with this line of thought :oops:

thescouselander

I'm not sure what all this hotspot thing is about. I have SPDs on my road bike and never had any problems - my SPD shoes are ridged enough so as not to deform under pedalling so the force is always evenly spread anyway despite the small contact area between the shoe and pedal. I could imagine the pros or very good amateurs might need the extra rigidity but for the rest of us I doubt we put enough power into the pedals to make a difference.

Also, to answer the original question - no, more surface area will not give you more power.

sancho1983

I get a feeling of "numbness' around the balls of my feet after 10 miles or so. Is this the 'hot spot' people are talking of?

I have some shimano m520 pedals which are very 'small' - would 'larger' spd pedals help with this.

Although I think I'll upgrade to road pedals eventually, that means buying new shoes as well!

jgsi

Generally, a hotspot is a specific location of pain or uncomfortable pressure caused by the footwear.
The type of shoe/cleat system bears little relevance imo as you can experience this with all sorts of sport specific footwear.
My own experience of swapping over to a new pair of carbon shoes caused a hotspot just on my right foot whilst cycling. As the shoes came kitted out with red Specialized footbeds which denote the lowest amount of arch support, I got a pair of green, which had the most support and used 1 of those for the right foot.
Been lucky, as the problem has gone away without recourse to having to seek expert help.

Internet Disclaimer: Thats my own solution and it may or may not help with other similar cases.

slowondefy2

Sunderland Supporter wrote:

is it logical somebody wearing road shoes and using road pedals would generate more turning pedal power through the cranks ?

In the context of road cycling; yes, clearly. That's why professionals wear road specific shoes and pedals.

amaferanga

slowondefy2 wrote:

Sunderland Supporter wrote:

is it logical somebody wearing road shoes and using road pedals would generate more turning pedal power through the cranks ?

In the context of road cycling; yes, clearly. That's why professionals wear road specific shoes and pedals.

Good, lightweight, stiff shoes are what matter. I suspect people are comparing cheapo, flexible mtb shoes with decent, stiff road shoes though and coming to the conclusion that road shoes are 'better'.

simon_e

amaferanga wrote:

Good, lightweight, stiff shoes are what matter. I suspect people are comparing cheapo, flexible mtb shoes with decent, stiff road shoes though and coming to the conclusion that road shoes are 'better'.

That's my impression. I have never found a problem with SPDs, even with inexpensive Shimano MTB shoes. I do prefer the single-sided A520 pedals but there's nothing wrong with the basic M520s.

Road shoes do have a slightly more 'locked in' feel but I occasionally notice a difference trying hard up a climb. Even then it's no problem and I can't see how it would make any difference to my performance.

An individual might prefer one pedal type or another but they all do the same thing. The power required is entirely in the legs that press the pedals.

blackhands

I race (TT) with SPD (MTB type )road pedals (not SPD SL or SPD R) and Shimano road shoes. On my training bike I use Specialized top end MTB shoe s - which are very stiff, and for touring I use Shimano trainer type SPD shoes. This way every shoes/pedal is completely interchangeable on all of my bikes.

I have no 'hotspot' problems (whatever they are) and I measured my efficiency in the lab using SPDs and my racing shoes as opposed to SPD SLs and found no significant difference.

Bordersroadie

I use ultra-stiff carbon soled MTB shoes (S-Works) with MTB SPDs on all my bikes. The idea that some power is lost through flex just because the cleat is a few mm narrower in its contact patch (on, to all intents and purposes, a completely inflexible sole), compared to a road shoe/pedal system, is utter nonsense.

The alledged "power transfer inefficiencies" or "hot spot problems" with SPD systems may have been true with old style flexible shoes but with modern lightweight carbon-soled XC MTB shoes, these things are now nothing more than urban myths.

For the average rider who does Sportives/commutes/cafe stop type rides/offroad rides on his MTB, the benefits of having an "MTB" SPD set up on his road bike (ie (a) he can walk on them and (b) he needs only one pair of shoes) make them an obvious choice.

ineedalager

I tried Look Delta peddles and cleats for 3 months I could feel no real difference in power transfer using them. They are so awkward to clip in I gave up on them and went back to MTB SPD cleats. I have some Shimano SPD road shoes that take MTB SPD cleats. Some of my buddie are using speedplays big advantage like MTB SPD peddles is you can clip in on both sides of the peddles.

I found with the Look Deltas the peddle would be the wrong way up when you goto clip in so you have to flip it over then clip in while you wooble all over the place and look a pratt and are a danger to other road users. With my Specialosed MTB shoes and SPD cleats I don't even have to look down to clip in.

If you can master clipping in with what road cleats and shoes you choose go for it I would try Speedplays if money was no object but don't expect a massive improvement in power transfer.

rolf_f

ineedalager wrote:

If you can master clipping in with what road cleats and shoes you choose go for it I would try Speedplays if money was no object but don't expect a massive improvement in power transfer.

Don't expect any improvement in power transfer. I'm not convinced that Speedplays aren't simply posh M520s with roadie credibility. I've not tried Speedplays to be fair but I've never heard anything on here to make me think otherwise.