What pedals? (Roadie)

king_jeffers

Pedals - looking for a set for the new bike. Is it worth making the change to something like
Shimano Ultegra 6800 SPD-SL Pedals (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-ultegra ... sl-pedals/) or do I stick with my M540 (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-m540-pedals/). I like the duel sided MTB style for ease of clipping in and out + used these on all my bikes for the last couple of years with no issues. I tried SPD SL roadie pedals once and hated them but not sure I gave them enough of a chance. The problem is to get to country/good routes I need to navigate through busy junctions resulting in clipping in and out alot.Just not sure if I should be sticking MTB pedals on a nice carbon bike :oops:

phillips1965

Hi. Have you considered speedplay there dual sided, a little tricky at first but once you get familiar with them it becomes second nature. Just another option.

northpole

Clipping in and out of Shimano pedals quickly becomes second nature to you.

The bigger factor to decide between spd and spd sl pedals is whether you need to do much walking in the cycle shoes - here spds have a major advantage over spd sl.

Peter

crankycrank

I think the OP has answered his own question by stating he hated the SPD-SL's and likes the M540's except that they may not be right for a "nice carbon bike". Makes no difference what type of bike it is as long as the pedals work for you. Dedicated road pedals and shoes will be lighter but beyond that there are no advantages as you can get very stiff soled SPD shoes as well if that's a concern and as mentioned, easier to walk in.

whoof

Try speedplay. As the release mechanism is in the cleat not the pedal they are double sided and they look small and neat on a bike. Have had: clips and straps, Look, SPD and Time (ATAC and road) pedals in the past but I like speedplay the best.
Just remember to inject some grease into them regularly (use a syringe, advice on here somewhere).

ai_1

whoof wrote:

Try speedplay. As the release mechanism is in the cleat not the pedal they are double sided and they look small and neat on a bike. Have had: clips and straps, Look, SPD and Time (ATAC and road) pedals in the past but I like speedplay the best.
Just remember to inject some grease into them regularly (use a syringe, advice on here somewhere).

I agree. Haven't tried a broad selection but having tried SPD-SL and Speedplay Zeros I much prefer Speedplay.
If you're worried about walking around in your cleats then stick with SPD. Speedplay, like SPD-SL are not great for walking (possibly worse). However, they're much more comfortable to pedal, mostly due to the non-centering, minimal friction float (this can be reduced or locked out if you prefer). I liked SPD-SL but I love the Speedplays.

cyclingfury

Having used road pedals for around 15 years, I now use SPDs. I like the double sided entry system, being able to use the same shoes for my road and MTB bikes and being able to easily walk in and out of the cafés on club rides.

But the real game changer for me was using Sidi shoes. They are hellishly expensive but have very stiff soles. I honestly can't tell the difference between road and SPD pedals when I'm wearing Sidis.

As for putting SPDs on my best Ti road bike? I've been riding for over 25 years and those things don't bother me anymore!

navt

Just got the 105 carbons. Light! Bargain at £55.

markhewitt1978

For me it was a choice between going SPD-SL or the best SPD. I chose the latter and got some M980 pedals.