Shimano A520 pedals - the best compromise
paulbnix
Posts: 632
I use spd pedals on both my road bikes - M540 on the best and cheaper M520 on the winter.
Recently the lh cleat was rattling in the M540 pedal but not in the M520 pedal.
After a lot of faffing I found that one side of the lh M540 pedal was worn and on these pedals the rubber blocks on the spd shoes have nothing to rest on. The cheaper M520 are bulkier and provide a resting point for the shoe.
So I replaced the M540 with a set of A520. These are single sided and look more like road pedals with a surrounding frame.
I think I have now found the best option. A520 are :-
- cheap £25 or £12.50 of Tesco vouchers via Evans
- lighter than the M540
- nice big platform on which to rest your foot
and you can walk in the shoes
Recently the lh cleat was rattling in the M540 pedal but not in the M520 pedal.
After a lot of faffing I found that one side of the lh M540 pedal was worn and on these pedals the rubber blocks on the spd shoes have nothing to rest on. The cheaper M520 are bulkier and provide a resting point for the shoe.
So I replaced the M540 with a set of A520. These are single sided and look more like road pedals with a surrounding frame.
I think I have now found the best option. A520 are :-
- cheap £25 or £12.50 of Tesco vouchers via Evans
- lighter than the M540
- nice big platform on which to rest your foot
and you can walk in the shoes
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Comments
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Phhhttt!I have been using A520's for nearly 3 yrs and roughly 10'000 miles still going strong and never touched since being fitted.
I couldn't even give you a definite amount of years. I guess around 15.
Miles? Not a clue.The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
I've been using a set of M540s for a few years now and I love them, got them from chain reaction for £24 in a sale, superb value I'd say, the axle has a look and feel of quality to it and I much prefer using a hex key to install it than a pedal spanner
I may be wrong, but I think m540s are XT pedals from a few years ago, kept on as non series because pro cyclocross riders thought they shed mud better than the newer XT or XTR pedals, maybe someone else knows more about this
what is it like having the bigger platform on this other pedal then, does it translate to better feel with the pedal? or more stability? etc0 -
I have had a lot of debates about this.what is it like having the bigger platform on this other pedal then, does it translate to better feel with the pedal? or more stability? etc
Some think it is important but I am of the opinion that a positive cleat with a stiff sole does not need support.
As proof I offer the Ritchey Road V4 pedals which I use on my "posh" bike and do not feel any difference.
http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ritchey-pro-micro-v4-road-pedals/rp-prod39453
Also, a lot of people are happy with egg beater pedals.
Good soles are the difference in my opinion.The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
what is it like having the bigger platform on this other pedal then, does it translate to better feel with the pedal? or more stability? etc
I don't have high end carbon soled shoes but I had thought that the ordinary SPD's felt fine until I changed to the A520s .
The bigger platform definitely feels more supportive.0 -
Wear roadie style spd shoes and they don't notice.You'll be excommunicated from the roadie side if you keep this up!
Shhhhhh.The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.0 -
I really like A520 pedals and their more expensive, lighter and smarter A600 cousins. Easy action, high quality adjustable Shimano bearings and a supportive platform. They seem to last for ever if you take off the outer body, fill with grease and re-assemble every year or so.
I also use M540 and get on fine with those and had a set of Ritchey Micro V4 road pedals which worked well with the special recessed cleats but the tiny, non-adjustable bearings failed after relatively little use.
Even with stiff carbon-soled Sidi and S Works shoes, I find the larger platform of the A520/600 is more comfortable when doing multi-day tours. After two or three weeks of riding, I tend to develop a pressure point on my right foot with the smaller pedals. But for day rides including 100-milers the M540 and Ritchey V4 were fine.0 -
"I use spd pedals on both my road bikes - M540 on the best and cheaper M520 on the winter.
Recently the lh cleat was rattling in the M540 pedal but not in the M520 pedal."
How very spooky; that describes my situation exactly :shock:
It's only on one side of the LH M540 pedal so I think it may be worn. Unlike you, I can't see any difference between the M520 and the M540 pedal bodies that would account for it...
I too am considering the A-600 touring pedals for the best bike 0 -
If you look at the picture you will see that the shoe rubber rests on the m520 pedal axle. The m540 axle is much thinner here.
It's only on one side of the LH M540 pedal so I think it may be worn. Unlike you, I can't see any difference between the M520 and the M540 pedal bodies that would account for it
I can't show you the m540 because I had to destroy them to get them off the crank
I did think of the A600 but they look to be more money for a slightly better product.
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How do they 'hang' when you are not clipped in? I've just checked some customer reviews on a well known cycling website and several people claim that they hang the 'wrong way up'. Are they in fact just a bit like SPD-SLs which you just knock forward with your toes to expose the clipping in surface?Specialized Allez 2010
Strava0 -
I earlier commented that I thought the A600 was more money for a slightly better product but I was just wondering if anyone has tried both and noticed if there is any difference in the support they give.
The metal surround looks to be a different shape to the A520.0 -
I earlier commented that I thought the A600 was more money for a slightly better product but I was just wondering if anyone has tried both and noticed if there is any difference in the support they give.
The metal surround looks to be a different shape to the A520.
I use both the A520 and 600. No difference in feel between the two or the support. The 600 looks smarter and is slightly lighter. Access to the bearings is by spanner on a metal nut with the 600 and by special Shimano plastic pedal collar tool for the 520.
As said above, they are weighted to hang like a road pedal - front of pedal up, back down - although that will take a couple of rides as the friction from bearing seals settles down. Not as easy for clipping in as double-sided but easy enough.0 -
If you look at the picture you will see that the shoe rubber rests on the m520 pedal axle. The m540 axle is much thinner here.
It's only on one side of the LH M540 pedal so I think it may be worn. Unlike you, I can't see any difference between the M520 and the M540 pedal bodies that would account for it
I can't show you the m540 because I had to destroy them to get them off the crank
I did think of the A600 but they look to be more money for a slightly better product.
Ah, I see what you mean now. The M540 axle is indeed a lot skinnier. That could well account for the difference. I suspect I've simply worn the retention mechanism on the left pedal because that's the side I unclip when stopping at junctions, so it gets more use than the right which I frequently stay clipped into for the entire ride.
I have a birthday in September and the family are always nagging me for ideas for presents... 0
