Discussion
Hi all,
I currently have R540 pedals on both bikes (usually around the £23-£24 mark) . They've been performing fine for the last few years, but what advantages do the more expensive SPD-SL pedals have over them? I assume its less weight and possibly better bearings in the pedal itself but is there more to it than that?
Ta.
I currently have R540 pedals on both bikes (usually around the £23-£24 mark) . They've been performing fine for the last few years, but what advantages do the more expensive SPD-SL pedals have over them? I assume its less weight and possibly better bearings in the pedal itself but is there more to it than that?
Ta.
Less weight, better durability and more bling.
I'm running some 'Lifeline' branded ones at the moment, cheaper than the 105 versions and seem pretty good so far - a good chunk lighter than the 540s I had before for not much more money. They seem to be made by Exustar, who I believe also make Garmin's pedals.
I'm running some 'Lifeline' branded ones at the moment, cheaper than the 105 versions and seem pretty good so far - a good chunk lighter than the 540s I had before for not much more money. They seem to be made by Exustar, who I believe also make Garmin's pedals.
As above, weight and bearing quality would be the main difference. I have 540s on my commuter and they are ridiculously heavy although seem to last quite well. I have Ultegra carbons on my weekend bike and they're very light 
Accelebrate said:
I've got three sets of R540s, on my latest bike I went for the 105s... ...I've found them a lot easier to clip into, bigger platform I think. Look nicer too.
This is exactly what I found with the set of each I have, glad I have the 105's on the Trek - I feel the difference is worth the extra outlay especially if you're putting them on a fast road / race bike. The 540's are well suited to my commuter.Banana Boy said:
Accelebrate said:
I've got three sets of R540s, on my latest bike I went for the 105s... ...I've found them a lot easier to clip into, bigger platform I think. Look nicer too.
This is exactly what I found with the set of each I have, glad I have the 105's on the Trek - I feel the difference is worth the extra outlay especially if you're putting them on a fast road / race bike. The 540's are well suited to my commuter.This year, after a long wait, I got a cheque to cover damages from the crash, and bought a new bike, a Trek Emonda SL 6 with full Ultegra groupset. The shop I bought from has a 'points' scheme going, whereby you get a point for every £50 spent on a bike which you can cash in against clothing, accessories and components. In the past I couldn't afford to be a 'tart', but on someone else's dime I couldn't resist bagging myself some lovely Ultegra SPD-SL pedals to match the groupset. Paying for them myself with hard-earned cash? I'd more than likely have ended up buying some R540 pedals because they look to be great value. When you think that to buy the R540 pedals AND cleats together is barely more than the price of a new set of cleats only in a bricks'n'mortar bike shop, the value looks even better.
As for the benefits of Ultegra over R540s? I really couldn't say that there's any discernible performance benefit, but they look fab, match the groupset, and appeal to my inner bike-tart.
Edited by yellowjack on Thursday 24th September 23:24
ran 105 SPD-SL's for two years, then Ultegra for 18 months, couldn't tell the difference except visually. Bought a Look bike so switched to Look Keo because tart reasons; wish I'd done it sooner, easier to clip in, no difference in use, minor saddle adjustment to allow for 2mm higher stack.
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