MTB to road...pedal question!

JayKingFunk

Morning all,

I've just got my first road bike!

I've been a mountain biker for years and switched to SPD's on my MTB about 6 months ago.

My question is...

What is the difference between MTB SPD's and Road SPD's?

I was thinking of just getting another set of Shimano M530 pedals to stick on the road bike as I know my shoes will fit.

Is there any real advantage to having road specific pedals? I don't want to have to buy another set of shoes or be changing cleats etc. if I can help it!

Thanks in advance, J.

Anonymous

Your thinking is correct ;-)

Did the same with Eggbeater Candy's over a year ago and have still not got around to buying road shoes/pedals.

WindyG

I tried using roads SPD's but didn't feel confident on them so I stuck on some tried and tested Shimano M540's with MO88 MTB shoes and I'm totally happy with that set up.

simon_masterson

There's no performance difference. As long as you're comfortable in the shoes you have, there's no reason not to take advantage of the benefits of the SPD system. The cleat is necessarily smaller to allow it to recess, and some people find that a bigger one is more sure underfoot, but others do not. The bottom line of course is that if they were unfit for purpose, MTB riders wouldn't use them.

No Sweat

I've done a similar thing - I've used (now ancient) ATACs on my MTBs for years and 'temporarily' put a set on my first road bike, and 4 years on still haven't bought road pedals/shoes. Admitedly my MTB shoes are of the light and stiff variety.
I figure, I am 'up' the cost of a second set of shoes, and I can also walk in my MTB shoes without looking like a penguin!

cattytown

Use what you are comfortable with.

There are slight differences in basic requirements between road and MTB. MTB needs to cope with dirt, and there's a greater expectation of having to walk/scramble a little. Road expects clean and higher speeds.

This leads to MTB cleats being smaller, and the shoes better suited to walking with a little more flexibility. Road shoes tend to be stiffer for better efficiency.

MTB clipless on road is far more sensible than the other way, but as you progress on road, you may want to look at more road oriented shoes. It is quite easy to get road shoes with a two bolt fitting for MTB cleats though.

Paul.

SwainDogg

Unless I had to do a lot of walking I wouldn't wear MTB shoes. Around 70% of my reasoning being that they look awful. I'm sure there are pairs that look ok and I'm sure some of you will direct me to them.

lm_trek

I run candy's on my road bike and mtb, had no issues so far. Shoe wise my shimano shoes are too chunky for road biking so i got some cheaper Speshi Tahoo they work great on the road bike some grip for off the bike walking if needed and plenty of float on the pedals.

Schoie81

I've just got a road bike after MTBing for a couple of years and i've just moved to clipless (just had flats on the MTB). Never any question of me having different pedals for each bike so I bought eggbeater pedals and MTB shoes. I'm perfectly happy with the look of my shoes - if others think they look awful, thats their problem! I can't really tell the difference between mine and those I see other roadies wearing (unless you turn them upside down...)

They have stiff soles (I have described them before as walking with a plank of wood attached to the bottom of your shoe - you can walk, but not in a normal manner). I wouldn't want to walk a long way in them, but the cleat is recessed so I can walk if necessary. I use my bikes for commuting and my office is up a pretty steep, rough track. I go up it on the MTB but have to walk when I'm on the road bike and I don't think I could in proper road shoes. So matching pedals on both bikes was always the way for me.

If you're happy using SPDs on your road bike, just do it - you wont be alone!

Initialised

Currently running SPDs on a road bike, but the shoes don't match the bike, are fairly worn and the right side has a tendency to unclip while climbing or gunning it on the flat. Looked at some equivalent priced Specialized road (http://www.cyclesurgery.com/specialized ... duct/46279) and MTB (http://www.cyclesurgery.com/specialized ... duct/46299) shoes. The road shoes felt much more comfortable but as always there are downsides to road shoes that make them unsuitable for a bike that's used for more than just road events and training (i.e. the commute, a few extra miles while getting the shopping, meeting people for a pint.)

As a commuter the best reason for going clip-less (SPD or SL) is that your colleagues will stop asking for a go on your bike. Egg Beaters probably look the most alien to non bike folk.