Best MTB style clipless pedals for road use?

broona

I'm looking to upgrade my old Shimano M520 SPD pedals to something with a slightly larger platform and I'm looking at the following, anyone ride in MTB SPD shoes who can advise me please or any alternatives :-

Shimano M530 - http://bike.shimano.com/content/sac-bik ... -m530.html

Shimano XT M785 - http://bike.shimano.com/content/sac-bik ... -m785.html

Shimano XT M8020 - http://bike.shimano.com/content/sac-bik ... m8020.html

Thanks in advance.

broona

oxoman wrote:

I use shimano A520 road / touring style pedals. Found them to be ideal for longer rides as bigger platforms. They take a bit of getting used to as single sided but no different to going to spd,sl or look, keo style. There is also a lighter version A620 as well.

Thanks for the reply, I'll have a look at them too, but they appear to be single sided and I'm useless at clipping in at the best of times (flat pedal mountain biker I'm afraid!), so I'm not sure how well I'd get on with them. :oops:

trek_dan

Trail style SPD pedals are only really useful for mountain biking where you might want to do the odd tech section with one foot unclipped. No reason not to just stick with the bog standard M520 otherwise.

Bobbinogs

The 520s are pretty much as good as it gets in terms of VFM. I actually use the 540s, but that is more about just liking the look of them because I sure as hell cannot tell any difference in their 'performance'. Most folks I know using MTB on the road use 520s or 540s as the higher level pedals seem to offer very little to justify any price increase.

The main thing is to use shoes with a decent (stiff) sole. Shoes with carbon are about as stiff as it gets and ensure a good platform with no hotspots.

step83

The 785 and 8020 will offer a little more foot platform in slightly more flexible shoes. I swapped just the other week from some M424's the plastic caged jobs to M520's I actually prefer the 520's an im only uising a cheapo pair of Shimano MTB shoes. The soles are stiff enough to get over an hotspot issues for me at least.
Plus they are white an match my bike, yeah im a tart for that but I dont care.

ayjaycee

Everyone seems to have a different opinion on this stuff but, for what it's worth, I use the Shimano PD-M540s on my Allez and PD-A600s on my Synapse. I bought the 540s because I make it a point never to buy the cheapest in most things (ie. the 520s) - they are double sided and very easy to clip in and out but not so good if you miss the clip in and have to start off with your foot just sitting on the top BUT IMHO, it's easier to clip in than miss once you are used to them. The 600s are what I think oxoman was referring to when he mentioned '620'. They are a much nicer looking pedal on a road bike which shouldn't really matter but does! I think they were about £20ish more that 540s and I prefer them on looks alone - being single sided they are, in theory, more difficult to use but it quickly becomes second nature to give them a quick flip and clip in. They are also better if you just want to use them as a flat (on either side but only for a very short distance). The only downside with them is the very nice blue finish on mine has stated to get a bit scratched up if you look closely. Hope this helps but it probably just adds to the confusion.

dj58

I use the XT 785 on my road bike as I prefer a double sided pedal. Didn't like the feel under foot of the regular 780 XT pedal. If I was looking to buy now I would consider the new XT PD-M8020 pedals.

Anonymous

Candy 1's every time.

Double sided, light, look good, better mechanism and design than Shimano.
Why on earth would you want two separate mechanisms on each pedal when you only clip into one of them?

If you have the non platformed (as said, it does not do much apart from look a bit more road like) Egg Beaters then you get four sided clip in.
Half the mech, double the sides and less weight than Shimano ones.

Personally I think they are a fair bit easier to use due to their design.

Sportiveman

I use Shimano 520 in both my road bikes which are great never had any problems except occasional slip . I have a pair of xt spd on my mountain bike which work fine but can't tell difference between them and 520s

animal72

I use the latest XT on my winter bike and XTR on the summer. TBH I can't tell the difference.

The Mrs, who has knee issues, swears by Egg Beaters.

broona

Thanks for all the replies. I currently use a pair of Spiuk Compass shoes as I had them lying around almost brand new after trying them on my MTB and hating being attached to the bike off road - http://www.spiuk.com/en/producto.asp?f=compass

I sometimes get a little numbness in my foot once I'm over 30 miles, and whilst I appreciate that the shoes may not be as stiff as some out there, I like them and don't want to change them for now.

I was hoping some pedals with a slightly larger platform might alleviate the problem a little more, just as the bike fit I had almost eliminated it but not quite.

dj58

Looking at those Spuik MTB shoes it doesn't say what the stiffness rating of the sole is, however that is likely to be part of the problem. Going for a pedal with a support platform will help, however ultimately I think you are going to have to bite the bullet and buy some shoes with a stiffer sole.

I use the Shimano XC-30, new model are XC-31, shoes that have a sole stiffness rating of 5 and the XT 785 pedals and have no problems with hotstops/foot numbess. Other brands/pedal systems are available.

Anonymous

broona wrote:

I was hoping some pedals with a slightly larger platform might alleviate the problem a little more, just as the bike fit I had almost eliminated it but not quite.

What did the bike fit say about your shoe/pedal choice?

Footbeds sorted it for me, but that was in very stiff road shoes with road pedals.

trek_dan

The surround on the trial style pedals do not increase the contact area (like say swapping to SPD-SL would). As I said above they are there only for off road use when you might want to ride 1 foot unclipped.

simon_masterson

broona wrote:

Thanks for all the replies. I currently use a pair of Spiuk Compass shoes as I had them lying around almost brand new after trying them on my MTB and hating being attached to the bike off road - http://www.spiuk.com/en/producto.asp?f=compass

I sometimes get a little numbness in my foot once I'm over 30 miles, and whilst I appreciate that the shoes may not be as stiff as some out there, I like them and don't want to change them for now.

I was hoping some pedals with a slightly larger platform might alleviate the problem a little more, just as the bike fit I had almost eliminated it but not quite.

No amount of bigger pedals or bike fitting will solve this - you need better shoes.

maddog 2

single - PD-A600s

double - XT (780 or M8000)

6wheels

Carbonator wrote:

Candy 1's every time.

Double sided, light, look good, better mechanism and design than Shimano.
Why on earth would you want two separate mechanisms on each pedal when you only clip into one of them?

If you have the non platformed (as said, it does not do much apart from look a bit more road like) Egg Beaters then you get four sided clip in.
Half the mech, double the sides and less weight than Shimano ones.

Personally I think they are a fair bit easier to use due to their design.

Couldn't agree more, been using them for three years now. The cleats being brass, I was concerned about their longevity, but they're still going strong.

broona

Simon Masterson wrote:

broona wrote:

Thanks for all the replies. I currently use a pair of Spiuk Compass shoes as I had them lying around almost brand new after trying them on my MTB and hating being attached to the bike off road - http://www.spiuk.com/en/producto.asp?f=compass

I sometimes get a little numbness in my foot once I'm over 30 miles, and whilst I appreciate that the shoes may not be as stiff as some out there, I like them and don't want to change them for now.

I was hoping some pedals with a slightly larger platform might alleviate the problem a little more, just as the bike fit I had almost eliminated it but not quite.

No amount of bigger pedals or bike fitting will solve this - you need better shoes.

Thanks again for the replies, can anyone recommend me some better shoes to try then? Preferably within the next 4.5 hours so I can take advantage of the 20% off everything on ebay, lol?!

ayjaycee

If you're sticking with SPDs, I would recommend Shimano MT44s which I use exclusively (at the moment) and have never had any issues with. That said, I'm not sure how they compare to anything else in the stiffness stakes. Personally, I went a size up and they are spot on size wise.

broona

ayjaycee wrote:

If you're sticking with SPDs, I would recommend Shimano MT44s which I use exclusively (at the moment) and have never had any issues with. That said, I'm not sure how they compare to anything else in the stiffness stakes. Personally, I went a size up and they are spot on size wise.

I'm not set on sticking with SPDs, happy to go with whatever will make my ride more comfortable but not cost me the earth in the process...

keef66

I have M520 on the winter road bike and M540s on the summer one. Feel the same in use. The cheaper 520s have flats on the axle so you can install / remove them with a pedal spanner. The 540s rely on a chunky hex socket in the end of the axle, which makes it a bit trickier.

Shoe wise I'm still using a 10 year old pair of Nike touring shoes. SPD convenience / walkability but road shoe looks. I keep saying I'll replace them but they are just refusing to wear out! When I do replace them I'll go for one of the Shimano touring shoes that look pretty much identical to road footwear.

mrb123

I have a pair of these which I use on my winter bike along with some XT SPDs. I don't find them in any way lacking in stiffness.
http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Shimano-RT82-SP ... id%20Bikes

steve55

I have the M540 on my commuter road bike - work a treat.

MisterMuncher

Been using Ritchey Paradigm V5 for a while now. Light, easy to service, solid all round with good shoes. Probably not as durable as steel bodied Shimano, but very nice pedals.

Be aware the cleat is a little different to standard Shimano SPD, they will work but not as well as the Ritchey cleats.

type:epyt

6wheels wrote:

Carbonator wrote:

Candy 1's every time.

Double sided, light, look good, better mechanism and design than Shimano.
Why on earth would you want two separate mechanisms on each pedal when you only clip into one of them?

If you have the non platformed (as said, it does not do much apart from look a bit more road like) Egg Beaters then you get four sided clip in.
Half the mech, double the sides and less weight than Shimano ones.

Personally I think they are a fair bit easier to use due to their design.

Couldn't agree more, been using them for three years now. The cleats being brass, I was concerned about their longevity, but they're still going strong.

Crankbrother also still do Quatro cleats if you want to use road shoes ... Using the candy pedal you'll get much the same benefit as from the old quatro pedal ...