Shimano or Look pedals

[thetrash]

My first road bike should be arriving in the next couple of days but need to get some pedals and shoes. Is there any difference between the two? My roadie mates are about 50/50 on which to get, I prefer the look of the Shimanos but that's purely how they look when they are unclipped. Any opinions?

[bakerstreet]

If they are your first cliipped in pedals, then I wouldn't be too bothered about how they look.

Clipped in pedals was the best value improvement I made to my bicycle. Most people won't go back once they have tried clipped in pedals.

I have the Shimano 105 pedals and the they have been fine. The cleats are a bit more delicate compared to MTB SPDs, but the cleats are easily replaced and they are only £8 a pair.

[anonymous-user]

have a look at the speedplay pedals as they are double sided so if you commute or your regular rides have a fair few traffic lights/junctions, this might help?

i'd go with shimano purely because they are more common so open up bike swap potential with people!

[nick s]

get LOOK style pedals. I had SPD's on my first road bike and IMO they are nowhere near as good as the LOOK fitments. Plus 95% of road bikes i see have LOOK style pedals aswell.

Regaridng looks. I hated the looks of my SPD's on my old roadie! like tiny little squares!!

[NitroNick]

Speedplay: Light, double sided and have lots of float so less likely to mess up your knees if you don't set them up properly.
I've had Shimano Dura-ace pedals & Look Classics and wouldn't go near them again after using Speedplays.

[Jimbo.]

Shimano. The cleats last ages (they've a separate "walking" and "clipping-in" part, so to speak, so one doesn't ruin the there through time), the pedals are durable and they've the best bearings in the business. Sure, they might be a little heavier, but they just...work.

[Garlick]

I use LOOK and have done for years with no reason to change, however even my short work from home to bike shed and bike shed to office is enough to see me buying new cleats fairly regularly.

On the plus side, they are not expensive to replace, but they aren't as convenient as some other pedals brands if you need to walk in your cycling shoes.

[Rouleur]

IME there's no difference between Look, Shimano and Exustar other than the Shimanos being heavier. Same to clip in and same when on the bike.

These are good despite the bargain price as they're Looks made under licence http://www.ribblecycles.co.uk/sp/road-track-bike/e...

[yellowjack]

I'm currently using a set of 'R3' pedals by 'Wellgo'.

They are, apparently, identical to the old 'Look Delta' pedals. 'Look', as far as I'm aware, haven't made the 'Delta' for some years now, and technology has moved on considerably. I too am in the market for some new pedals in the SPD-SL style. I've just done a search online and found these........


http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/road-parts/t...

Metal bodied Ultegra pedals, 325 grams/pair @ £64.99



http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/road-parts/t...

Carbon Fibre bodied Ultegra pedals, 260 grams/pair @ £99.95


This is a huge saving over the usual price of this kit. My LBS currently has the metal ones @ £109.99 and the carbon ones @ £149.99.

The entry level R540 pedals weigh only 5 grams more than the metal Ultegras, but cost a lot less, at around £40 at a LBS, or Merlin have them at £21.95


http://www.merlincycles.com/bike-shop/road-parts/t...

I've decided that I'll go with Shimano, but not which model yet. They do a nice white version of the R540 which will match the frame of the bike, or the metal version of the Ultegra which will match the groupset, but when the price premium for Carbon Fibre is only £25 - £30 it would seem to make sense to nudge the budget and buy the lighter Carbon Ultegras.

While I was looking for info on the Shimano stuff, I found this, which may (or may not?) be of interest....



The image comes from this webpage.... http://university.tri-sports.com/2011/09/09/beginn...

...which, despite being a Tron site (Rule #42 http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a... ), I will settle down to read at my leisure a little later. I hope I have been of some help.

[MadDad]

I would add another vote for Speedplays, I have been through Shimanos and Look's in the past and imho the Speedplays are much better. Very lightweight, double sided, cleats are just about the most 'adjustable' on the market with a generous amount if float - or none at all. Two downsides, cost - they are not cheap, and the cleat stack height - they stick out a bit more than most cleats! But, that is only a problem if you plan on wandering around in them....

[HurryUpAndWait]

I use Look for no other reason that they were the first I ever had, and I've not felt the need to change. I actually use the Look Keo Easy, they have no adjustment, so are reasonably light and thus 'Easy'. Cheap-ish as well.

[louiebaby]

After having both Look and Shimano, I think I prefer Shimano. I think the cleats last longer, and the bearings seem to last longer in the pedal too. I'd consider speedplay for my Sunday bike, but they require a lot more maintenance I believe.

[bakerstreet]

The outer yellow rubber part on my Shimano SL cleats lasted a grand total of about two months. Maybe I just caught it at a funny angle.

[SixtySpeedTwin]

I've been using SPD's on my road bike simply because i had them on the MTB.
I'm now moving over to Look as the cycle club track bikes use them.
They seem more £ to buy and the cleats don't look very durable on ones that i have seen that have been walked on.

[spongy]

look pedals every time......ive used both and find shimano ones harder to engage/disengage.when shimano pedals get wet or slightly muddy they can be a pig.try keo carbons or on those lines.

[matt-ITR]

I've tried Shimano, Crank Bros, Time iClic and Look road pedals. Really like my Look Keo2 and Keo Blades.

Time bearings didn't last very long, shimano didn't feel very positive in/out.
Speedplay are not as light when you consider pedal & cleat and having the mechanism in the pedal makes them more expensive to replace and more prone to damage. Loads of people love them though, so I won't knock them too much.

[Rich_W]

Shimano for me. With Yellow "slight float" cleats. Not the Red no float options. Speedplay are apparently good if you suffer knee issues. IIRC Wiggo uses them?

As for getting in/out. All one sided pedals require a bit of practice, and they aren't as easy as double sided mountain bike ones (NEVER fit mtb spds to a road bike. Is just WRONG ) But you'll be able to do it without looking after 4-5 stop start traffic rides.

[HurryUpAndWait]

Oh, and you will fall over

[Furry Exocet]

• Warning potentially stupid question coming up**

Do the pedals come with a set of cleats, or do you need to buy them separately?
I need some pedals and shoes, but need to buy in stages

EDIT - Told you it was a stupid question, the ones in the link above come with cleats

Edited by Furry Exocet on Tuesday 19th February 13:50

[S26VE P]

Recently got the shimano 105's, comes with cleats