Is any difference unclippling from spd sl and mtb spd

stelfc2005

after a recent knee op , i am being told not to put to much force on the knee , before the op i was looking to move to spd sl cleats . Is the force required to unclip from a spd sl cleat much different from standard mtb style cleats ?

lc1981

Yes, considerably more in my opinion, having used both on their most relaxed settings.

tarbot18

go for standard spd s such as shimano m520 s on their lowest setting really easy to clip out.

ForumNewbie

With SPDs you can unclip by twisting your foot inwards aswell as outwards. When I am cruising up to a stop at a junction, I find it easier to unclip inwards (towards the frame) with my foot at the top of the pedal stroke. I find when I am at the top of the pedal stroke with my leg bent, I cannot twist my foot enough to unclip outwards.

With this I feel that SPDs (I use M540s) gives you more options than roads pedals, and being double-sided are also much easier to clip back in to.

rdt

If you need more easy un-clipping options, SH56 are Shimano's "Multi Release" SPD cleats, which let you clip out by pulling/twisting in any direction including upwards.

Regular SPD cleats are SH51.

Maybe you already have the SH56s, but if not, worth considering if you need to protect your knee for a while.

finlayson99

This might be a daft question but what is the reason that road pedles are different from MTB-style SPDs ??

Having SPDs on my MTB and shimano shoes to match I would prefer to have similar pedles on my road bike to save having to buy new shoes too.

Any reason why not?

They all just go round and round don't they// :?

singleton

It's to do with the potential of getting hot spots in your feet if you're on the bike for a long time.

Having said that, there are touring options that have a larger pedal cage which aims to reduce the chance of this.

stelfc2005

thanks for the good advice , think i will go with the standard spd's and a touring pedal , may look at a touring style shoe to limit the chance of a slip when walking :? http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=69969 ,

any ideas for shoes ??

lc1981

finlayson99 wrote:

This might be a daft question but what is the reason that road pedles are different from MTB-style SPDs ??

I've always presumed that it's because road cyclists are less likely to need to unclip as frequently as mountain bikers, and because the firmer binding to the pedal is better in sprints, when SPDs might release accidentally.

g00se

Something else to consider with knee problems is the amount of float you may have. Float is the amount of movement your feet have on the pedal while clipped in - can be side-to-side sliding or the amount of twist before further movement becomes stiff and the cleat pops out.

For mountain bike pedals, Time ATAC pedals have a lot more float than SPDs - and for road, Speedplays are a lot more free than SPD-SLs.