SPDs on a road bike?

inkj

I'm about to buy a road bike [for the first time ever]

I bought a MTB about a year ago [which in itself was my first bike in 10 years]

On the MTB I have SPDs [MTB clipless/shoes]

I was thinking of getting the same typr of pedals for the road bike [probably a Broadman 8.9 or higher]

The advantage being... I already have the shoes... I'm used to them... etc

As I said I'm new to this - so I was wondering what the disadvantages were. Are road bike clipless shoes/pedals a lot more effective in use? As I am happy to get a new <road bike> set up. I just don't know if there is any difference, and whether my plan is crazy - or much of a muchness

Thanks for any words of wisdom

x

photonic69

They are absolutely fine.

figbat

Both my road bikes and my gravel bike have SPDs. And my MTB of course.

inkj

Cool

Thanks everyone...

animal72

As above, Shimano XT and XTR pedals on my road bikes (and mountain bikes...)

Mad_Malx

The touring SPD pedal A520 has a slightly more road look. Some people find the bigger platform more comfortable.
I can't tell the difference.

pblakeney

A520s on both my road bikes.
Perfectly happy.

lesfirth

Shimano M540 for me on all my bikes. They dont cost much,they dont weigh much, they last for ever,you never have to replace the cleats and you can walk in your shoes. Critics say they have a small platform and cause "hot spots". They dont for me. The only down side is that they are not cool for thoroughbred roadies. Its a no brainer.

joe_totale-2

Mad_Malx wrote:

The touring SPD pedal A520 has a slightly more road look. Some people find the bigger platform more comfortable.
I can't tell the difference.

Got A520's on the commuter, the larger platform doesn't make a difference.
I personally prefer road pedals for long distance cycling as I find the larger cleat more comfortable. However, some of the riders I know who do the longest distance rides use MTB pedals, hence it's a pretty personal choice.

aberdeenal

Joe Totale wrote:

Mad_Malx wrote:

The touring SPD pedal A520 has a slightly more road look. Some people find the bigger platform more comfortable.
I can't tell the difference.

Got A520's on the commuter, the larger platform doesn't make a difference.
I personally prefer road pedals for long distance cycling as I find the larger cleat more comfortable. However, some of the riders I know who do the longest distance rides use MTB pedals, hence it's a pretty personal choice.

Me too!

I recently replaced my A520's with the Shimano EH500's - they have additional screw in grips which are great when it's wet and I'm just shooting down to the shops with my trainers on.

inkj

Not sure if the M and A are the same?

But I just checked, I got [for my MTB]

M520 MTB Pedals - Silver

and

M065 MTB Shoes

redvee

M520 pedals on my commute bike as the pedals are cheap and cheerful for £20ish. The last set came off for a service after 10,000 miles which meant I took the axles out and soaked them in degreaser and refitted them with the pedal bodies full of fresh grease.
Like the OP I starrted on a MTB with SPDs and used them on my road bike when I got one and have been ever since, now have enough shoes for every day of the week with a couple of spare pairs :oops:

inkj

Presumably the A520 fit all the same shoes - but is an upgraded version than the M520

Maybe lighter... or makes you look sexier

So Maybe for my RB I will get the A520 version

Thanks

martybsays

Plus one for SPDs. Got into cycling on a CX bike with Shimano XT Trail SPDs. Got a second, more serious road bike recently and was going to make the switch on both to roadie-sanctioned pedals. Decided instead to get a really good pair of SPD shoes, S-Works Recons which James Huang at CT said make SPDs feel exactly like a road platform. All good for a while yet...

step83

I have M520's on my commuter, double sided clipping in and easy release is probably the best way to get into using them on a road bike, if you feel you need to you can move to another platform later. I would say get the stiffest shoes you can though.
M520's are bomb proof though.

slowbike

Hotspots on the feet are caused by not having stiff enough soles of the shoes. Find comfy shoes - get the cleats/pedals that fit.

apreading

I think if you have stiff soles then the platform on SPD pedals doesnt make any difference. If your soles are a bit flexy then the platform counters that to some degree.

SPD-SL pedals/cleats arent really any better from a performance perspective and come with alot of disadvantages in that its harder to clip in on a hill start and you cant walk in the shoes etc. But they do allow the use of shims etc to correct foot angle/leg length if having a professional bike fit. With SPD there is just alot of float to mask these physical issues.

edward.s

I use A600 pedals on my best bike and m540 or 520 on other bikes, all road or gravel machines. As said above, the key is comfy, stiff shoes - I am using Shimano XC7s with carbon sole and dual Boa dials (called XC701 on wiggle etc - the older version have single boa and a strap) and have had zero issues.

Tashman

I have A530's on my road bike. I occasionally will just spin up the road on it to fetch something so th option of the flats works for me. Works nicely on the commute between lights too.

figbat

My gravel and MTB have M324s on - I love these pedals; nice platform size, option to use a clip-free side (so in 'normal' trainers or unclipped in tricky terrain). My road bikes have M520s - in comparison they offer double-sided clipping but I find they take a little more focus to get clipped in, compared to the quick stamp I can do on the M342.

I wear R065 shoes on the road bikes - these take SPD or SPD-SL cleats. With SPD cleats on they are still tricky to walk in as there is no recess for the cleat as per MTB shoes. The similar M065 shoe has a chunky sole with a recess for the cleats; I wear these on the MTB in the summer and the gravel bike any time.

kingstonian

I have SPDs (think they are the 520's) on my commuter bike and SPD-SL's on my best road bike. I put 5000+ miles on my commuter each year and the SPD's are absolutely perfect for that. I prefer the SPD-SL's on my best road bike which is really only used for longer trips with more sustained effort.

Could I use SPD's for both types of riding? I do feel the SPD'SLs have a slightly larger surface and probably help to put more power down but as I don't have a power meter etc all I can go by is Strava times over segments, which although my best bike is clearly the quicker other factors undoubtedly come into play.

One final point - Shimano pedals all the way. In my experience over the years they are absolutely bomb-proof, need zero maintenance etc and when humans have finally been extinguished on this planet, aliens will land and find Shimano pedals millions of years old that function as good as new.

slowbike

Kingstonian wrote:

One final point - Shimano pedals all the way. In my experience over the years they are absolutely bomb-proof, need zero maintenance etc and when humans have finally been extinguished on this planet, aliens will land and find Shimano pedals millions of years old that function as good as new.

I've had to strip and re-grease one of my SPDs spindles/ball race ...

Darius_Jedburgh

M520 on all my bikes. Cheap as chips and bomb proof.

redvee

Another advantage of SPDs on a road bike is it's much quicker to clip in when getting away at red lights etc. When set up correctly you just stamp on the SPD pedal and you're clipped in, this for me is usually within 1/2 or 1 turn of the crank.

MiddleRinger

I switch between SPD and "road" style pedals on my road bikes and notice very little difference.

photonic69

The only downside of SPD's is the poor range of decent "road style" shoes. Most are MTB style with chunky grips etc. Some road shoes offer a buffer to go around the metal SPD cleat but they are never available. There are a limited range of Touring shoes that take SPD cleats and you can walk in.

YMMV

alanyu

I used A530, R8000 and now Xpro 15 on my road bike.

For commuting, weekend riding, touring... A530 is perfect.
For racing, R8000 and Xpro 15 are better.

pblakeney

PhotoNic69 wrote:

The only downside of SPD's is the poor range of decent "road style" shoes. Most are MTB style with chunky grips etc. Some road shoes offer a buffer to go around the metal SPD cleat but they are never available. There are a limited range of Touring shoes that take SPD cleats and you can walk in.

YMMV

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=i&rct=j ... 7611646745

Expensive mind...

markhewitt1978

Another vote for SPD on everything, they are what I use on my road bike and can see no advantages in using road pedals, just a lot of disadvantages.

If you want a pedal ugrade try a set of XTR pedals, they do make a difference, but M520 are also good.

Darius_Jedburgh

Re the shoes...you can get decent MTB shoes with rigid soles that are the equivalent of roadie shoes. They come with a tread on them that makes walking off the bike so much easier. None of the roadie duck waddle and skidding across any surface that is slightly damp.

mididoctors

If you race get road pedals And cleats otherwise stay with the recessed SPD combo.