SPD pedals for a gravel/light tourer bike - studded platform on other side?

daniel_b

Afternoon all,

as my partner may soon be gaining a gravel bike, I'm pondering what pedals to go for.

I currently have some XT8000 fitted to mine, but am considering moving those onto her bike, and getting some new ones for mine 😀

I'm not sure whether to bother with a studded platform on the recerse of the SPD on set number 2, but do like the extra cage that surrounds it for a bit more support, as I have experienced hot spots on longer rides with the indestructible M520 pedals, and that's even with a full carbon sole, and quality insole.

XT 8120 maybe?

Or the very similar, but more pricey XTR variant:

The XTR I can get on C2W, so would work out at around £85 instead of £140.

Any others I should consider?

Defblade

Assuming you have some shoes/boots with the cleats recessed so you can walk like a human in them for proper rides, the flat side is only any use on a bike where you'll use it riding 2 miles into town wearing normal trainers.

daniel_b

I do, and have decided to go for the XTRs on C2W for my bike, and shift the current ones over to my partners soon to be arriving Liv gravel bike.

She leads rides for real beginners, and is going to try some CX summer racing this year, so thought the ability to not 'have' to be clipped in could be a benefit for her.

mrb123

You can get plastic covers that clip on to one side of SPDs so you can use them as flats if you need to, e.g.

https://www.sigmasports.com/item/Pocket-Pedals/Shimano-SPD-SL-and-SPD-Flat-Pedal-Adaptors/QN3V?utm_source=google&utm_medium=base&co=GBR&cu=GBP&glCountry=GB&id=1243005&ds_eid=3823279037&ds_e=GOOGLE&ds_c=&ds_cid=20157694724&ds_ag=&ds_agid=&ds_k=&ds_kid=&ds_kids=&gad_source=1

Danyradar

https://forum.bikeradar.com/discussion/comment/21055918#Comment_21055918

That’s a handy tip about the SPD pedal adaptors, @mrb123. I hadn’t thought of that! It sounds like a great solution for those short urban rides when you don’t want to be fully clipped in. Thanks for sharing the link; I’ll definitely check them out. It’s always good to have options for different riding scenarios.

whyamihere

It only takes a couple of minutes to swap pedals, that would be my preference. The flat one side or conversion options have worse functionality. If you're in SPD shoes you won't have much grip on the flat side, if you're in flat shoes you won't have much grip on the SPD side, and it gets frustrating when the pedals are the wrong way up and you have to try to flip them while riding. The SPDs with a bit of a platform are a decent compromise to let you pedal a bit if you miss clipping in.