Pedals

bartiebat

Hello, I'm a mountain biker who borrowed a friends road bike last night....oh ok, I could potentially be lured! Now if I was to add a foal the the stables, his pedals were horrid, so do I just add my usual mountain bike pedals (I have superstar nanos) or do road bikes need different pedals (I'd want flats)

Thank you
Karen

sungod

you can use mtb pedals - i see a fair number of people riding spd pedals

Pituophis

New to road riding myself, but seem to be managing at the moment with spd's and mountain bike shoes.
I was going to ride flats, as I did on my mountain bike, but found I didn't get on with them on the road for some reason???
I had SPD's lying around and fitted those as a temporary option, but they are working fine.

TommyB61

I use mtb pedals, & they're fine. Go with what feels right for you.

jotko

I use Shimanao A600s - a very light road style pedal for normal SPD cleats



Review here:

http://road.cc/content/review/16799-shi ... -spd-pedal

You can get them from CRC/Ribble for about £45 at the moment.

zx6man

I use the m520 spd's on both road and mtb.

bartiebat

Lovely. Thanks for your replys

keef66

M540's on my road bike. (The colour matched the chainset better than the 520's) Love the fact that I can walk normally when I get off the bike.

Can't imagine riding on the road without being clipped in now.

DesB3rd

The OP isn't really asking about SPDs, by the sounds of it he doesn't want to go clipless at all; assuming he doesn't want to straps (god forbid) then good MTB flats would be as good as any. Smooth(er), simple road flats are available but I'm not aware if they offer any meaningful advantage other than looking "right" on a road bike.

Of course the real solution would be to get used to clipless; most folk don't get on with it initially but almost invariably become converts in time.

Dellsinho

DesB3rd wrote:

The OP isn't really asking about SPDs, by the sounds of it he doesn't want to go clipless at all; assuming he doesn't want to straps (god forbid) then good MTB flats would be as good as any. Smooth(er), simple road flats are available but I'm not aware if they offer any meaningful advantage other than looking "right" on a road bike.

Of course the real solution would be to get used to clipless; most folk don't get on with it initially but almost invariably become converts in time.

Not sure the OP is a he, but that's by the by.

I've just started using spd's on the road, but have had no issues using flats up 'til now. Wellgo do some fairly lightweight and thinner profiled ones. Have a search for that brand online.

keef66

Dellsinho wrote:

DesB3rd wrote:

The OP isn't really asking about SPDs, by the sounds of it he doesn't want to go clipless at all; assuming he doesn't want to straps (god forbid) then good MTB flats would be as good as any. Smooth(er), simple road flats are available but I'm not aware if they offer any meaningful advantage other than looking "right" on a road bike.

Of course the real solution would be to get used to clipless; most folk don't get on with it initially but almost invariably become converts in time.

Not sure the OP is a he, but that's by the by.

I've just started using spd's on the road, but have had no issues using flats up 'til now. Wellgo do some fairly lightweight and thinner profiled ones. Have a search for that brand online.

I think by signing off the OP with "Thanks, Karen" it's probably safe to say he's actually a she.

But flats do look odd on a road bike.

migrantwing

keef66 wrote:

M540's on my road bike.

+1

simon_masterson

If you really do want flats (and there's nothing wrong with that), clips and straps are a great compromise; just don't tighten them, and if you want the flat platform for other reasons (eg. riding in 'ordinary' shoes), you can just ride clip-down.

Pituophis

To expand on my original answer a little, as there seems to be a bit of confusion creeping in....

During my mountain biking years, I hated clip in's after having a few unplanned dismounts and accompanying injuries, when slipping off rock gardens etc, and always used flat pedals afterwards.
Since switching to riding on the road, I've actually found I prefer to be clipped in, after having a go on flats for a couple of weeks.
I just started with the pedals set really loose, and tightened them up a bit every other ride.

Maybe I just made the mistake of buying awful road flats, instead of using my old trusted ones?
Can't see myself going back though

simon_masterson

Unless you go for specific MTB or BMX flats, there's only so much variation between them; I have some typical cheap plastic ones and some older rat traps and have used both with and without clips and straps. They just aren't ideal for keeping your feet in place for spinning faster cadences with confidence and climbing out of the saddle (etc); there isn't a great deal more to it.

woodywmb

Agree with all the arguments for and against flat pedals and clipless pedals. If you really MUST have flats on your road bike I'd suggest these:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=52882

Small, light, grippy enough.

rgliniany

keef66 wrote:

M540's on my road bike. (The colour matched the chainset better than the 520's) Love the fact that I can walk normally when I get off the bike.

Can't imagine riding on the road without being clipped in now.

^this +1

i have mountain bike SPD's on my road bike too..... i can walk normally in them after getting off.... the other guys in the group have to clop around like bambi on ice with their road specific shoes...... i was also chatting with a shop owner on saturday and we were discussing the advantages between road and mtb SPD's and he was a convert to mtb pedals as there is generally no difference in footbed stiffness between the shoes and you get the additional grip off the bike.

jonomc4

on my first road bike I went flats to SPD's - and I never looked back - well that was, not until I used proper road pedals. After using proper road pedals (in my case Look pedals) I went back to SPD's for a few weeks - I have now sold my 2 pairs of SPD's pedals and shoes - the Look pedals are more comfortable - more less sideways flex and easier and smoother to get in and out of. Given the cost of pedals and shoes and cleats I think it is a false economy to use SPD's - just my feeling but having owned 5 different pedals in the last 2 years I say it with a reasonable amount of testing!