Convince me I need new SPD's.

homers_double

Current road set up is this and is an old set of MTB spd's and a set of MTB shoes (possibly a slighlty oler model than those shown), I put them on the road bike so I could just use the two sets of shoes I have without changing cleats etc.





I'm considering something like the following:-



Coupled with a shoe around £50-£60 depending on stock and fit.

Is it going to make a noticable difference when I'm out on the bike or just spending for spendings sake?

Rule 34... I know.

bianchimoon

I was going to convince you to get new pedals, but since you quoted the 'rules' :roll: you're on your own

homers_double

I just thought I'd get it in before some other pedantic bastard did.

lancew

I have the same pedals currently, and I was considering a swap but didn't see the point as I use my current setup for my spin classes too...

Are you planning on racing?

slowbike

You could get some better SPDs and stick with the shoes.
Or if you really want to get some new shoes then you can get different pedals.

SPDs or SPD-SLs will make no difference to your performance on the bike.

I was in a similar dilemma - having just put a 3rd bike on the road - the other 2 have SPDs and needing to get another pedal set gives me the option of changing - but tbh, the shoes are comfortable, convenient for walking and getting new shoes as well as pedals is going to be one heck of a lot more expensive - I'd rather spend it on other bits. So I will get another set of SPD pedals and retain the convenience of being able to swap from bike to bike without worrying about the shoes...

homers_double

I "think" the cages on the pedals are removable so that would make it look like less of a frankenbike.

I also want a new chainring for no other reason than it looks like a dinner plate.

lakesluddite

Slowbike wrote:

You could get some better SPDs and stick with the shoes.
Or if you really want to get some new shoes then you can get different pedals.

SPDs or SPD-SLs will make no difference to your performance on the bike.

I was in a similar dilemma - having just put a 3rd bike on the road - the other 2 have SPDs and needing to get another pedal set gives me the option of changing - but tbh, the shoes are comfortable, convenient for walking and getting new shoes as well as pedals is going to be one heck of a lot more expensive - I'd rather spend it on other bits. So I will get another set of SPD pedals and retain the convenience of being able to swap from bike to bike without worrying about the shoes...

^ This. I went from SPD to SPD-SL type pedals on my 'best' bike, but after the umpteenth time of slipping off the pedal and slamming my shin into it, I went back to SPD's on both bikes -sod the rules!
It's better for walking, clipping in both sides, and setting off in traffic or on an incline. But this is just my personal choice, the one I'm most comfortable with, others will no doubt give a completely opposing point of view.

markhewitt1978

I have those same shoes M088 and I've been finding you can feel the pedal a little bit through them. Especially when it's cold for some reason. I've been considering buying some better shoes for this reason.

lancew

I wouldn't remove the cages from your current pedal, just buy a new set of these:

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-m520-pedals/

They're so cheap and you get an extra set of cleats in case something happens to yours. I like my M545's for when I ride with normal shoes to a friends place etc.

slowbike

yer - but I want the M540's ... surely they're more aero and weigh less too ... bugger that they're not far off double the price of the 520's...

kayakerchris

Speedplays. It is the only answer

muso_stu

+1 for mtb-style spds: I like them for all the above reasons and it means I can use the same shoes across 3 different types of bike!

Would still like to try road-specific pedals one of these days though, to see what they're like.

markhewitt1978

As far as I'm aware a lot of the 'road' shoes will also take an SPD 2 bolt cleat. Obviously this wouldn't be recessed so would still be tricky to walk on, but would that give me all/most of the advantages of SPD-SL but still allow me to use walkable SPD shoes if I know I'm going to need them.

bianchimoon

for what it's worth i went from spd to sidi's and Look keo's just so that i can walk like a duck into the cafe, no performance increase of note, but i do feel a lot more serious on my bike

homers_double

Haha, I think I'll order the pedals and when I get home check what ring I need and get that too.

littledove44

I like these. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-a520-touring-pedals/

Single sided touring pedals. Very light.

ai_1

kayakerchris wrote:

Speedplays. It is the only answer

He's right you know!

Speedplays are my choice too.
Handier to clip in and out & adjustable low friction float.

Plus they look good - if that matters

homers_double

littledove44 wrote:

I like these. http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-a520-touring-pedals/

Single sided touring pedals. Very light.

From my point of view "light" isn't an issue, however coming from a lifetlime of SPD's I can't think of anything worse than single sided pedals.

dj58

I use the XT M785 trail wide pedal, reasonably light with good quality bearings and the additional platform surround offers more support for the shoe than the standard XT M780 pedal.

Pituophis

You can stick with the spd's and get touring shoes.
This means that if other cyclists look at your feet, you look like a real roadie (to all but the most highly trained, fundamentalist sticklers) while retaining the ability to walk, and clip in effortlessly at traffic lights
Win, win.

simon_masterson

The main difference is very noticeable - your cleats will have a laughably short life; so if you ride with your wallet you'll have less weight to carry.

Stick with SPD. It's 'MTB' because some marketing executive said so.

upperoilcan

I changed from MTB SPD's to full on road SPD-SL's and I can honestly say I have yet to find any advantages with the SL's over the MTB ones.

If anything I prefer to be able to clip in to either side of the peddle,so much so I'm toying with the idea of getting some Speedplays.

iPete

Just get some M520s for a stupidly low price and leave them on the roadie, done.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-m520-pedals/

Serious Cat

+1 for M520 spd pedals, spd-sl and other type single side pedals are a huge no for me, I have M520`s on all my bikes.

IanRCarter

Going to buck the trend a bit here and say that I do notice a difference between the two types. I find the small SPD pedals on my hybrid can put a lot of pressure on a small area of the shoe, which is less comfortable than the SPD-SL pedals on my road bike. It could be the different shoes I use I suppose, the road shoes do have a stiffer sole but then the MTB shoes have a nice rubbery sole for walking in.

In your position, I'd stick with SPDs. Having to buy a new pair of shoes will be costly, money which could be spent elsewhere.

simon_masterson

There are various options for large platform SPDs so that's not an issue, but it's not exactly an objective comparison if you use different shoes with each. There are quite a few flexy soled SPD shoes out there, but shoes with cleats sticking out are never going to be good to walk in.

Anonymous

Have just gone from SPD's to SL's and much prefer SL's on the road bike.

I don't really need to walk much on the road bike so the benefits when on it outweigh the disadvantage when possibly unexpectedly off it.

I had Candy 1 SPD's so they were never really double sided (they have one spring with four 'entry points') like the Shimano ones (which have two different identical mechanisms) are.

Having one side only to clip into on SL's seems more efficient to me. They are always orientated correctly so there is no need for two identical sides (with potentially two differently tensioned springs) like on Shimano SPD's

Having three bolts over a wider area is just more secure and connected to the bike.
The engagement area is larger.............. and they make a much nicer click in/out noise 8)

Shoes are going to be a bit more suitable too. Bit lighter, bit more aero.
The idea of having an extra/unnecessary pedal mech hanging under the one you are using and huge tread/stud bolts on your shoe just seems silly if they are not being used.

I would upgrade from velcro to ratchet, or preferably boa, to make it really worthwhile though.

simon_masterson

Last I checked, the a600 single sided SPD pedal has a lower published weight than the Ultegra road equivalent.

Anonymous

Simon Masterson wrote:

Last I checked, the a600 single sided SPD pedal has a lower published weight than the Ultegra road equivalent.

Do they orientate themselves for entry, or do you have to faff about with them?

Guessing they are for people that have an MTB and road bike, but one pair of shoes?
So a bit of a compromise.

Any weight saving on the pedals will be lost on the cleats/shoes probably.

simon_masterson

Carbonator wrote:

Simon Masterson wrote:

Last I checked, the a600 single sided SPD pedal has a lower published weight than the Ultegra road equivalent.

Do they orientate themselves for entry, or do you have to faff about with them?

Guessing they are for people that have an MTB and road bike, but one pair of shoes?
So a bit of a compromise.

Any weight saving on the pedals will be lost on the cleats/shoes probably.

I'd guess they're for people who ride on the road with SPD, want a large platform, and don't feel the need for double sided entry. Branded as 'touring'.

But any quibbling about the pedal orientation here is of minimal relevance as single-sided pedals are a compromise. Speedplay has the right idea on this.

Still, when it comes to high end MTB race shoes, the weight difference isn't catastrophic (as if it matters much), and I'd assume it in some cases to include some tread and spikes that aren't needed for road use and can be removed.

Anonymous

I think they are all fine but just feel road shoes/pedals are better if you do not need to walk much and have no multi bike issues.

Had higher end mtb shoes with candy 1's and switched to higher end road shoes with Shimano SL's, and just find them better on the road bike.

I think they are significantly better for me on my bike, but was more than happy with the previous arrangement.