Should I ditch the SPD's?

Hi beigemeister, i ride a number of different bikes with a number of different pedal/shoe combinations...i started as a mtb'er and started using spd's from there. my mountain bike has those fitted and i use shimano shoes. i also compete in triathlons and have found that road cleats, look ,shimano, etc , make it virtually impossible to run out of transition...i've seen many triathletes flat on their backs or sliding down the road after trying to run in their road shoes..finally i have an old road bike that has look pedals so i have a pair of AGU road shoes with shimano road cleats.

i dont experience any trouble switching between the different types, it just means a change of shoe, i also think that with time you'll (probably) come to like using clip in pedals...i cannot imagine riding without them now, i can feel when i "put some mustard down" that the power is going through the crank..and i feel part of the bike rather than just a passenger steering it.

as several other people have said here, use what feels right for you, and enjoy!

Too many people think that there's just no way to ride a road bike, without SPD / SPD-SL types of binding. I'm as happy with flats as I am with clipless pedals. Unless you are racing, they aren't necessary. I do like being able to share the effort between the up side and the down side with clipless, and they are good in wet / rubbish conditions, but I could live without them.

I tried Look (original white model & red carbon with 'floating 'cleat) & SPD and gave them each at least a years trial; not really happy with either.

Finally tried Time & have felt comfortable ever since. I use both road and atac  pedals on my road bikes.  

I use size 44 or 45 shoes of various make.

Reached the conclusion that pedals are a bit like saddles, you've just got to keep on until you find the pair that's right for you.

Nearly everyone has one fit bigger than the other. Usually the right foot interestingly. 

I propose you press on and try not to overthink how they feel.

good luck

I'm not sure if it's any help or not but my Speedplay SPD-SL have a base plate cleat extender that allows them to be positioned further back than I could with SPDs. Not sure if something similar exists for SPDs.

I rode in trainers/on flats for about six months before I clipped in - having joint problems meant I was wary to be in a fixed position.

The differences I noticed were:

- Going down hills at speed felt a lot safer. With flats, my feet came off the pedals a couple of times. Clipped it, I felt I could commit more, and my speeds went up straightaway.

- Riding through traffic feels safer - if I want to do an emergency manoeuvre (e.g. acceleration from lights), it's easier clipped in. This is contrary to what I expected.

- Having the pedal so much further forward felt odd, but I adapted surprisingly fast. I do find the most comfortable position is toes out, and my crankset is rubbed to hell from my heel brushing it.

I didn't notice any difference in endurance or power input, but I'm not the most sensitive of riders in that respect - I rarely do the same ride two days running, and my physical wellbeing fluctuates a fair bit.

The main (only?) advantage I found in switching to clipless when I started out was endurance... 25 mile rides quickly and easily turned into 45, 50-milers, with more slow, hard climbs - I think because of pulling up engaging hamstrings etc more (so sharing the load) and feet being set on the pedal.

How much was down to clipless and how much was down to increased fitness/specificity - no idea.

I come from an MTB background, albeit many years ago punctuated by about 10 years of little to no riding.

I never got on with SPDs when mountain biking (couple of crashes that wouldn't have happened on beartraps), but I did move across to SPDs when I started road biking more seriously.

I started off with the Shimano M324's (I think that's the one, one side is a flat, the other a flat/SPD combo), before moving fairly quickly onto SPD-SLs instead.

I have the cleat as far back as it will go, from an avoiding knee pain perspective.  On my s-works shoes that puts the pedal axle about 1 cm behind the balls of my feet.

I'm not sure SPDs make you ride any faster really, the falicy about pulling on the pedals on the upstroke has been argued to death - I think at best it's of minimal benefit.  I do like the  security of having your feet locked into the correct position - when you are doing 4-5 hour rides it's nice not to have to worry about your feet being in the right position (and as a consequence of that, your knee tracking is correct).

Did you get SPDs or SPD-SLs?  I'd give them a go for a few weeks before making up your mind.

I ditched them due to discomfort on the outside edge of my soles (couldn't walk for a few minutes after only 10 mile rides). Once ditched, I felt much happier as I hadn't realised how much I'd been having my concentration diverted to timing junctions to avoid unnecessary clipping out and back in. After trying them for a few weeks, I really don't feel that I am missing out on anything.

Still hunting for the perfect flat pedal though. Really liked the Token flats but they destroy the soles of my trainers in quick time. Trying MKS CT Lites at the moment.

Sounds like you need to get your saddle up a bit . This will automatically shift your foot position towards you toes and to the correct position for your SPD's. Give this a try as it will definitely improve your technique over time !

bad news fella, you have to stick with the spd's for sure and you have to use them in the area of the shoe designated from the manufacturers. this is the right way to do it in terms of road cycling. the position on the pedal you mention could have been ok-ish for mtb and trials (which I have done some 20y ago, oh dear...) but for road, nope. I bet you and your feet  will get used to it and you will find that it is better this way. ask other cyclist in your LBS for advice on that.

Some advocate the midsole cleat position:

http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2009/12/how-to-modify-shoes-for-mi...

You might want to give it a try.

But if you've given them an honest go and they don't feel right for you just ditch them. The peformance effect of cleats is a matter of debate and I doubt that given your background your bike-handling will be any worse without them. You might get a few funny looks from the choicest of the full-kit set but so be it, that's part of the fun.