Binning my SPD's

DesB3rd

Agree with OP, don't like SPDs, tried several different pedals & for me (massive caveat...) clipping in always felt like utter guesswork, and yes, they did occassionally rip out. Look cleats work for me, positive in, always hang rear downward so the point of the cleat engages the top, i.e. front, of the pedal. But many have had exactly the opposite experience. :roll:

springtide9

rdt wrote:

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

I love how its all about 'high end carbon soled shoes'
last time i checked not everyone drops £250 on a pair of shoes.. mine cost £80 for example.
Therefore the merits of a larger cleat or contact patch are beneficial for many riders.

eg my £80 shoes are much more comfortable with SPD-SLs than with SPDs.

I'm describing my experience with shoes I've owned, bought at low cost in sales, and the conclusion that the drawbacks of recessed-cleats pretty much disappear if you have ultra-stiff shoes. For newbies (this is the Beginner's form after all), that's useful info to know, if it means they can keep their existing recessed-cleat pedals rather than shelling out for new ones because they've fallen for "power transfer" yarns that get trotted out. Might even save them money, contrary to your what you're implying.

Reckon my work here is done

The whole point of the statement is that in the lower to mid price bracket, MTB shoes are generally not as stiff as road shoes. This is not a flaw of the MTB shoe, but it's by design so that they are easier to walk in if you have to carry your bike.

I can only comment on Shimano pedal systems as that's all I have owned. I don't go running or hiking in my cycling shoes so walking is a non issue. As anyone who has ever ridden a Sportive or Audax will tell you, hundreds of people manage to walk just fine with road cleats for the cafe stops.

And as for the 'penguin walk' - I am more concious of being covered head to toe in lycra with all of my bits showing rather than the way I walk

Back to the OP's question... If you really are struggling with clipping with SPD's, rather than give up you could try something like the Shimano PD-M647:
http://bike.shimano.com/publish/content ... ntain.html

Might look a bit odd on a road bike... but at least you can pedal fine even if not clipped in.

andy46

steelie600 wrote:

Just get some DMR Vaults and some trainers, Nice comfy shoes, nice grippy pedals! Who gives a rats ars* about pulling up with your leg to add extra power, its all BS anyway! I would much rather wear comfy shoes so that when I get off the bike I dont look like a complete tool waddling round like a penguin after 20 vodkas!

THE ONLY PLACE an amateur would get any advantage with clipped in shoes is off roading down a bumpy descent, so your feet dont slip off the pedals!

Im expecting a torrent of abuse for this post but I dont care, bcause its right! and you know it!

I use DMR V8's at the minute as I struggle twisting my left ankle (may look at the Vaults)

To me it's not worth risking injury and having time off work that I couldn't afford to do, not to mention damage to the bike in the event of an off. I don't fancy writing off my carbon frame either.

I can see why people use them but they're not for me.

macleod113

Hi All, thanks for your comments.
while i await my Crank Brother pedals i have been using my Shimano MTB double sided spd's with my road shoes and so far so good they just feel a bit too big to be on my road bike.
fingers crossed my new pedals arrive soon as i'm doing an 80 mile jaunt to Skegness at the weekend

rdt

MacLeod113 wrote:

while i await my Crank Brother pedals i have been using my Shimano MTB double sided spd's with my road shoes and so far so good they just feel a bit too big to be on my road bike.
fingers crossed my new pedals arrive soon as i'm doing an 80 mile jaunt to Skegness at the weekend

I know how keen everyone is to see this thread continue

Bit confused here...

If you're going to use recessed-cleat pedals like Crank Brothers Candy or SPDs, then really you want v stiff shoes with tread (ie. MTB shoes, NOT road shoes). The tread of the shoe meets the pedal body so that your shoe can't roll, as I wrote earlier. Without this tread/pedal contact, it won't be so stable.

You want either:
(i) road shoes with road pedals, or
(ii) v stiff recessed-cleat MTB shoes with MTB pedals.

What I've been talking about is (ii).

Your combo sounds like it's road shoes with MTB pedals, and may give you the worst of all worlds: exposed cleats that are tricky to walk in, and poorer stability because there's little contact between shoe and pedal (since no tread/pedal contact).

Say it ain't so! :?

macleod113

Yea, i'm afraid it is so!
to be honest they arent the best combination but at least i can clip in with ease and i havent had any problems.
i might however try my MTB shoes with the spd's/crank bro pedals for a better surface area on the pedal.

i do wish it was a piece of cake to clip in but i just look like bambi on ice trying to clip into spd sl's. you can only flirt with cars for so long before contact!

bumbling cyclist update over...

steelie600

^^^ sod em off and get flats!! You cant see the pedals when yer feet are on em anyway! OH and wear baggies over yer lycra, like us cool kids do!

macleod113

Oh god, not flats again :-)

they would make life easier though.....

as for baggies over my lycra, i'm way ahead of you. i wear footy shorts over the top as i'm not keep on arriving at work with an offensive looking bulge. i get enough funny looks for not using a car!

jonny_trousers

rdt wrote:

MacLeod113 wrote:

while i await my Crank Brother pedals i have been using my Shimano MTB double sided spd's with my road shoes and so far so good they just feel a bit too big to be on my road bike.
fingers crossed my new pedals arrive soon as i'm doing an 80 mile jaunt to Skegness at the weekend

I know how keen everyone is to see this thread continue

Bit confused here...

If you're going to use recessed-cleat pedals like Crank Brothers Candy or SPDs, then really you want v stiff shoes with tread (ie. MTB shoes, NOT road shoes). The tread of the shoe meets the pedal body so that your shoe can't roll, as I wrote earlier. Without this tread/pedal contact, it won't be so stable.

You want either:
(i) road shoes with road pedals, or
(ii) v stiff recessed-cleat MTB shoes with MTB pedals.

What I've been talking about is (ii).

Your combo sounds like it's road shoes with MTB pedals, and may give you the worst of all worlds: exposed cleats that are tricky to walk in, and poorer stability because there's little contact between shoe and pedal (since no tread/pedal contact).

Say it ain't so! :?

Interesting post. I know nothing at all about mountain bike shoes so that's really useful info. I've got out of the habit of using my M520 SPDs with cheapy recessed cleat shoes on my bike as I use it for longer rides as well as commuting. I like to nip off to do laps of Richmond Park between work sessions too and with my SPDs I suffer hotspots when really pushing into the pedal for any length of time. Consequently I've been leaving the SPD SLs on, and although I am now used to clipping in at lights without too much trauma (I hated it too at first guys and have even posted here about it), I don't like the idea of wrecking my cleats and posh road shoes when I wander to Pret once I'm parked up. I do think double sided SPDs are the perfect commuter pedal so if using them with a stiff soled MTB shoe ticks both boxes then it is definitely something to consider once the cheap shoes give up the ghost. Don't suppose you've got a link to the kind of shoes you are talking about, have you?

rdt

Jonny T,

Any ultra stiff (full/part carbon-soled) MTB shoe should eradicate hotspots caused by SPD cleat pressure. But, as others have pointed out, this means they're likely to be pricey shoes as they'll be high(ish) end kit. So buy prior years' stock in clearance sales if price is an issue.

A quick Google search threw up this as a possible example...
http://www.royles.biz/product/7092/Giro_Gauge_Blk
...with Royle's additional 20%-off voucher code, that's £95. You'd obviously need to check the stiffness yourself, but a few reviews (such as this http://ironcycles.blogspot.co.uk/2011/1 ... d-and.html ) suggest they're v stiff.

If price is no issue, then you've a boat load of options from current year shoes.

steelie600

Best MTB shoes spd AND flat are 5tens!

Shimano do some good ones too but 5tens renowned as the best.

jonny_trousers

Cheers for that! Like I say, once the Specialized Tahoes die, I'll definitely look towards a quality pair of MTB shoes.