SPD or Road Pedals on my road bike?
Discussion
I've got 2 bikes - a MTB which is used as my all year daily commuter and a road bike which is used for occasional commuting in the summer and fun at the weekends/evenings. Both bikes have SPD pedals. I find the SPD's really easy for commuting and having the same pedals on both bikes means I only need one pair of shoes (MTB) as I'm very tight with money.
Later this year I have a 200 mile weekend jaunt and am doing my first triathlon in May. Will putting road pedals make a significant difference to my comfort / power? Will road pedals make commuting more awkward, as I commute into Manchester city centre with lots of stop starts? I've never tried road pedals so have no base for comparison. Did I mention I'm tight with money and don't want to spend money unnecessarily.
Cheers
Later this year I have a 200 mile weekend jaunt and am doing my first triathlon in May. Will putting road pedals make a significant difference to my comfort / power? Will road pedals make commuting more awkward, as I commute into Manchester city centre with lots of stop starts? I've never tried road pedals so have no base for comparison. Did I mention I'm tight with money and don't want to spend money unnecessarily.
Cheers
I wouldn't bother. I recently spent over £100 on a set of MTB shoes and pedals and I'm not sure I can even notice the difference between the SPD-SL pedals. In fact I prefer my MTB pedals for commuting. So much easier to get in and out of.
I've also done a few Triathlons in my MTB pedals and road shoes and they were fine
I've also done a few Triathlons in my MTB pedals and road shoes and they were fine
If you want to get to the speeds that the bike will be capable of, you really need SPD's of some description. If you're new to the SPD's, I'd say go for MTB type pedals to start with. The SL's take a lot more force to release, in my experience. This is useful when you get used to them, but a nightmare when you aren't.
Cheers for the advice. I'm absolutely fine on spd's and have been using them for years, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't missing out on something for my road bike. I'll stick with what I've got and save myself some cash. In fact I've already spent some of the cash and invested in some new tyres.
HereBeMonsters said:
Friends of mine have changed, but mainly for bragging rights. They want to be seen as "proper" roadies, so have to have the proper pedals 
There is also the ever important weight saving, which is vital to some people!!The other issue I found with SLs Vs SPDs, was that the SPD cleat was much more robust compared to the plastic SL cleats. SPDs also allow you to use MTB and Touring shoes which means you can actually walk normally
If you are fine , keep your current setup, SLS are good if you are sprinting , or putting down flat our power, otherwise I prefer SPDs, I also prefer SPDS for Climbing
Worst thing about SLs is if you nip off to a bush for a quick piss , jump back on the bike and not being able to clip in due to all the mud stuck in the cleat.
Worst thing about SLs is if you nip off to a bush for a quick piss , jump back on the bike and not being able to clip in due to all the mud stuck in the cleat.
bakerstreet said:
HereBeMonsters said:
Friends of mine have changed, but mainly for bragging rights. They want to be seen as "proper" roadies, so have to have the proper pedals
There is also the ever important weight saving, which is vital to some people!!The other issue I found with SLs Vs SPDs, was that the SPD cleat was much more robust compared to the plastic SL cleats. SPDs also allow you to use MTB and Touring shoes which means you can actually walk normally
But overall, I can't stress enough how easy spd pedals are to use, and work perfectly well with road bikes.
Raven Flyer said:
The issue is not about the method of cleating the shoe to the pedal, but how stiff the shoe's sole is. This is the only thing that matters for transferring power.
Look for a good stiff shoe first.
I use Sidi Dragon 3 with SPDs on my road bike.
I currently use SPD with a shimano MTB (R088) shoe for commuting and racing. I have used SPD for years and have no problems other than the odd metal- on metal creaking when my right one floats. Look for a good stiff shoe first.
I use Sidi Dragon 3 with SPDs on my road bike.
Debating whether to go Sidi road shoe and cleat or stick with the mtb and use something like the Side Dragon...
I considered putting SPD-SL (road) pedals on the mountain bike I've just ordered, so I wouldn't have to buy another pair of SPD shoes. Then I remembered what it was like trying to walk up the muddy track at the end of my road in those shoes. This consideration only lasted a few milliseconds, but for it I should probably live in eternal shame.
And to think back in my teenage mountain biking days we would say 'roadie scum' about anyone on a road bike. I would like to think that I'm the better person now, but I still think 'fair enough' whenever I encounter derisory comments from kids when out on the road bike.
Anyway, road pedals on the road bike you mountie scum.
http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/#34
And to think back in my teenage mountain biking days we would say 'roadie scum' about anyone on a road bike. I would like to think that I'm the better person now, but I still think 'fair enough' whenever I encounter derisory comments from kids when out on the road bike.
Anyway, road pedals on the road bike you mountie scum.
http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/#34
MiseryStreak said:
I considered putting SPD-SL (road) pedals on the mountain bike I've just ordered, so I wouldn't have to buy another pair of SPD shoes. Then I remembered what it was like trying to walk up the muddy track at the end of my road in those shoes. This consideration only lasted a few milliseconds, but for it I should probably live in eternal shame.
And to think back in my teenage mountain biking days we would say 'roadie scum' about anyone on a road bike. I would like to think that I'm the better person now, but I still think 'fair enough' whenever I encounter derisory comments from kids when out on the road bike.
Anyway, road pedals on the road bike you mountie scum.
http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/#34
I reckon the SL type delta cleats would wear out very quickly if you used them on mountain bike type rides. And I would want to be able to get my feet out of the pedals a bit quicker / easier if I were on a trail or track. Walking on uncovered delta cleated shoes is a complete mare on tarmac. I've got some rubber covers for mine now, but the covers cost nearly as much as the cleats did And to think back in my teenage mountain biking days we would say 'roadie scum' about anyone on a road bike. I would like to think that I'm the better person now, but I still think 'fair enough' whenever I encounter derisory comments from kids when out on the road bike.
Anyway, road pedals on the road bike you mountie scum.
http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/#34
.I run SPD on my MTB and Look Keos on my road bike. No real reason, my mtb shoes are often caked in mud so not always great to just switch to a road bike. My road shoes are also full carbon soles so stiffer than a stiff thing whereas my MTB shoes do have a little give for if I need to get off the bike for whatever reason.
The looks though are much trickier to get into IMHO, SPDs so much more natural and less fiddly.
The looks though are much trickier to get into IMHO, SPDs so much more natural and less fiddly.
When I got a road bike a year ago, I fitted a spare set of M520 SPD pedals, and they were fine, though after a few months I upgraded to A600's:
Upside: Significantly lighter than M520. Can still use MTB style shoe
Downside: only one-sided meaning can be a faff if you have to stop a lot on rides.
Upside: Significantly lighter than M520. Can still use MTB style shoe
Downside: only one-sided meaning can be a faff if you have to stop a lot on rides.
MiseryStreak said:
I considered putting SPD-SL (road) pedals on the mountain bike I've just ordered, so I wouldn't have to buy another pair of SPD shoes. Then I remembered what it was like trying to walk up the muddy track at the end of my road in those shoes. This consideration only lasted a few milliseconds, but for it I should probably live in eternal shame.
Good luck trying to clip into SLs with anything other than perfectly clean shoe cleats.I ran MTB pedals on my road bike for well over 12 months and had no intention to change until I had a conversation with racer about the merits of road pedals over mtb. He agreed that at my level the power output differences between the two are small but there is an improvement using road pedals no matter how small. Expand the small improvement over a 50-80 mile ride and it could be the difference between being shagged or being able to ride another 5 or 10 miles.
This sold it for me. It might be nonsense but it made sense to me.
This sold it for me. It might be nonsense but it made sense to me.
paulmon said:
I ran MTB pedals on my road bike for well over 12 months and had no intention to change until I had a conversation with racer about the merits of road pedals over mtb. He agreed that at my level the power output differences between the two are small but there is an improvement using road pedals no matter how small. Expand the small improvement over a 50-80 mile ride and it could be the difference between being shagged or being able to ride another 5 or 10 miles.
This sold it for me. It might be nonsense but it made sense to me.
Sounds like utter bThis sold it for me. It might be nonsense but it made sense to me.
ks to me. As long as you're using a shoe with equivalent stiffness, and the cleats and pedals aren't worn, I don't see why Look/Speedplay/Time/SPD should make any difference to power output.Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff