Tell me all about clipless pedals

[megaphone]

I mainly ride MTB and use flat pedals. I'm restoring a road bike and need pedals, I'm told I should go clipless but have no idea what to look for, any suggestions?

I don't want to spend a fortune as I'm trialing road biking to see if I enjoy it, again I don't want to buy something that is no use if I decide to get a better bike in a year or two.

[Disco You]

For your first setup, on a budget, these are good value
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-r540-spd-sl-spo...

Paired with these:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-r078-spd-sl-road-s...

But it's worth trying a few pairs of shoes for size, obviously.

[boyse7en]

You could get some Shimano M520 MTB clipless pedals (about £18), then, if you don't get on with road riding, you can keep the pedals to use on your MTB. The difference between road and MTB SPDs isn't that great in practice.

[CoolC]

Sports direct do some ridiculously cheap shoes if you just want to try them out.

[Watchman]

Wiggle has these in for under 20 quid:



Standard SPD fit but wider platform. I use these on my commuter and hardtail.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-m530-mtb-spd-tr...

[Disco You]

megaphone said:

I don't want to spend a fortune as I'm trialing road biking to see if I enjoy it, again I don't want to buy something that is no use if I decide to get a better bike in a year or two.

The suggestions for mountain bike pedals above really don't fit in with the second part of this.

[gazza285]

Disco You said:

The suggestions for mountain bike pedals above really don't fit in with the second part of this.

Only if you are a road snob. I use A520 pedals on my road bike, combined with a pair of Northwave Lizard Pro MTB/cyclocross shoes with short studs in for road work. Either I'm so good that I can overcome the shortcomings of using MTB pedals to keep up with the road riders, or there's no real advantage to road cleats. I'm not the only one in our club to use MTB shoes on a road bike either, more convenient at the cafe stops as well.

Get some SPDs on the mountain bike as well.

[mikees]

Disco You said:

For your first setup, on a budget, these are good value
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-r540-spd-sl-spo...

Paired with these:
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-r078-spd-sl-road-s...

But it's worth trying a few pairs of shoes for size, obviously.

Got both these for my winter trainer and they are
A) cheap
B) good
C) simple

Get these.

Mike

[dienamic]

Disco You said:

megaphone said:

I don't want to spend a fortune as I'm trialing road biking to see if I enjoy it, again I don't want to buy something that is no use if I decide to get a better bike in a year or two.

The suggestions for mountain bike pedals above really don't fit in with the second part of this.

It does though, doesn't it? Like Boyse7en said, he could transfer them onto his MTB. I've got the 520's on my MTB and they're great. I struggle to see how being fastened to the pedals in a different manner could result in a massively different outcome??

[nammynake]

SPD versus SPD-SL: marginal (none?) performance gains from my experience but I prefer the feel/connectiveness of the latter. SPD always feel like my feet are perched on top of the pedals whereas with SPD-SL it feels like shoes and pedals are one cohesive unit.

Agree with the point about cleats though - SPD are much easier to walk in.

[uncinqsix]

gazza285 said:

Only if you are a road snob. I use A520 pedals on my road bike, combined with a pair of Northwave Lizard Pro MTB/cyclocross shoes with short studs in for road work. Either I'm so good that I can overcome the shortcomings of using MTB pedals to keep up with the road riders, or there's no real advantage to road cleats. I'm not the only one in our club to use MTB shoes on a road bike either, more convenient at the cafe stops as well.

I have the exact same pedals. They work very well, and I don't seem to be disadvantaged by them. It means I can use the same shoes on the hybrid and the road bike.

[Justin S]

Wifes got 530's on her road bike with road shoes for her commute. Means she can get on with riding from the lights rather than faffing to spin it up the right way and be last away. She has a decent platform for riding with soft shoes too, if she ever wants to. Winner in 2 ways. The only issue is that a lot of road shoes are moving away from 2 bolt spd, making shoes a bit more tricky to get. At under £20 a pair from Merlins, you really cant go wrong. It is also a great way to start on clipless, as will give you confidence to move to proper road pedals later, if you want to. Try finding a decent road pedal for under £20 notes.

Edited by Justin S on Tuesday 31st December 19:34

[megaphone]

So SPD is the way to go? There are no other options? What's the difference between SPD & SPD-SL?

Sorry but I know nothing!

[47p2]

Taken from the Shimano website

said:

The ultimate goal of Shimano's SPD-SL pedal technology is to transfer more power from the body directly to the bike. Inspired by a Tour de France legend and realized through the legacy of Shimano Systems Engineering, SPD-SL integrates the shoe and pedal so they perform as a single ultra-efficient component.

The extra-wide low-profile cleat and binding mechanism creates a highly stable interface between the shoe and pedal, in a super lightweight design. No wasted movement. No loss to flex, voids or mismatched shoe/pedal designs. It's why so many Pro Tour and serious riders use SPD-SL.

For those looking for more fun than victory, our road SPD systems offer the efficiency advantage of clipless pedals with shoes that offer walking comfort.

SPD-SL shoes are cumbersome to walk in whereas SPD shoes can easily be worn whilst walking

[Justin S]

I wear spd shoes at work everyday ,as I cant be bothered to swop after riding in. Looks weird in a shirt and smart trousers, mind you.

[Disco You]

megaphone said:

So SPD is the way to go? There are no other options? What's the difference between SPD & SPD-SL?

Sorry but I know nothing!

SPD pedals are for mountain bikes, SPD-SL pedals are for road bikes.

If you get SPDs, you'll eventually want to upgrade to SPD-SL or another road system, so cut out the middle man and use road pedals and shoes to begin with.

[Steve vRS]

Disco You said:

If you get SPDs, you'll eventually want to upgrade to SPD-SL or another road system, so cut out the middle man and use road pedals and shoes to begin with.

Why? Seriously, I use SPDs on my road bike and was thinking of changing to SPD-SLs so if there are any benefits I would be interested in knowing.

Steve

[gazza285]

Disco You said:

SPD pedals are for mountain bikes, SPD-SL pedals are for road bikes.

SPD pedals are for more than mountain bikes, they are a better choice for commuting, touring, cyclocross, and are more than suitable for road bike riding as well, unless you are chasing the final 5% of your performance.

SPD-SL pedals are lighter, and make you walk like The Penguine.

For a first timer a set of double sided SPD pedals like the Shimano M520 would be better than faffing about with a set of single sided roadie pedals.

[WinstonWolf]

gazza285 said:

Disco You said:

SPD pedals are for mountain bikes, SPD-SL pedals are for road bikes.

SPD pedals are for more than mountain bikes, they are a better choice for commuting, touring, cyclocross, and are more than suitable for road bike riding as well, unless you are chasing the final 5% of your performance.

SPD-SL pedals are lighter, and make you walk like The Penguine.

For a first timer a set of double sided SPD pedals like the Shimano M520 would be better than faffing about with a set of single sided roadie pedals.

Yup, both of my roadies have got SPuDs, means I can also wear my winter boots on the MTB when the weather turns. Unless you're racing at a high level and will never need to walk SPD will be absolutely fine.

[Disco You]

Steve vRS said:

Disco You said:

If you get SPDs, you'll eventually want to upgrade to SPD-SL or another road system, so cut out the middle man and use road pedals and shoes to begin with.

Why? Seriously, I use SPDs on my road bike and was thinking of changing to SPD-SLs so if there are any benefits I would be interested in knowing.

Steve

Weight
Aerodynamics
Size of contact area
Sole stiffness
Q factor
Aesthetics

I'm not anti mtb pedals by any means. My first set of clipless pedals were some M520s coupled with some shimano touring shoes (they look like road shoes, but only have a 2 bolt fitting). I bought these because I was doing cycle touring. Once I wanted to go on rides with only one stop, I changed to road pedals and shoes, and there is no denying that they're better.

The OP asked for some pedals for road cycling which give a good upgrade path, using a proper road pedal is the way to go for several reasons:
the shoes he buys will be compatible with more expensive pedals when the inevitable urge to upgrade comes
the pedals he buys will be compatible with more expensive shoes when the inevitable urge to upgrade comes
i.e. he can upgrade just his shoes or his pedals, rather than having to do both
he will be used to riding one sided pedals for when he inevitably wants to change to road pedals (yes I know about speedplay)
just plain doing things right (this is ripe for inverse snobs to pick up on, but whatever)