Shimano A520

verloren
verloren Posts: 337
edited June 2007 in Workshop
I'm suffering somewhat from hot feet, so I'm looking for something a little more supportive than the standard SPDs I have on my bikes (M520s, I think). The A520 looks pretty good, but I'm wondering if it will be effective with road and MTB shoes - the added support presumably depends on a certain distance between the cleat and the sole, and that varies between recessed or non-recessed cleats. Does anyone have experience using both?

Failing this I'll probably go with the new Ultegra SPD-SL, but it sure would be nice to keep cleats consistent across bikes.

Cheers, Paul
'09 Enigma Eclipse with SRAM.
'10 Tifosi CK7 Audax Classic with assorted bits for the wet weather
'08 Boardman Hybrid Comp for the very wet weather.

Comments

  • jhinds
    jhinds Posts: 47
    Feet and shoes are obviously very personal things.I use 520s with Specialised BG comp mtn bike shoes on all my bikes and I know a number of people who do the same. I would suggest that finding the right shoes for you is much more important than the difference between road and mtn pedals imho.

    JohnH
    JohnH
  • verloren
    verloren Posts: 337
    Thanks for the reply John. Unfortunately I'm not sure how easy that would be - I already have 3 pairs of shoes (one road, two MTB), and while they're all different I still become uncomfortable after 40-50 minutes. I've done a couple of 100m rides, and was lucky that so many other things ached that it didn't make much difference :)

    (Edit: rides, not rows - can you guess my other hobby?)
    '09 Enigma Eclipse with SRAM.
    '10 Tifosi CK7 Audax Classic with assorted bits for the wet weather
    '08 Boardman Hybrid Comp for the very wet weather.
  • Aidocp
    Aidocp Posts: 868
    I use A520's with my mtb tahos too, I've found them no problem. It was a bit of a fuss at first getting the second foot clipped in. I went to get another pair for my other bike as I really like them, the lbs advised against saying there was a problem with mtb shoes getting snagged in them ??? When I pointed out I use mtb shoes and A520's on my roadie, he went quiet.

    If I had a baby elephant, who would take it for walks?
    Road Bike
    Sirrus
    Commuter
  • verloren
    verloren Posts: 337
    I guess if he thought (wrongly) that they wouldn't suit MTB shoes then they should be good for road shoes. Thanks for the info!
    '09 Enigma Eclipse with SRAM.
    '10 Tifosi CK7 Audax Classic with assorted bits for the wet weather
    '08 Boardman Hybrid Comp for the very wet weather.
  • JWSurrey
    JWSurrey Posts: 1,173
    Just upgraded from very old Shimano SPD touring shoes with recessed cleats to Specialized Body Geometry (Sport MTB) shoes due to hot-feet (pains on the outer edge).

    The difference in comfort due to the footbed design of BG shoes is worth just trying - the moment you put them on you should feel the difference - If not, save your money!

    I now run A520s, which clip-in fine with no necessary tread carving.
    The only pedals listed as potentially problematic with them are the Time pedals, requiring some tread carving.

    They should be fine with road shoes

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