- News
- Reviews
- Bikes
- Accessories
- Accessories - misc
- Computer mounts
- Bags
- Bar ends
- Bike bags & cases
- Bottle cages
- Bottles
- Cameras
- Car racks
- Child seats
- Computers
- Glasses
- GPS units
- Helmets
- Lights - front
- Lights - rear
- Lights - sets
- Locks
- Mirrors
- Mudguards
- Racks
- Pumps & CO2 inflators
- Puncture kits
- Reflectives
- Smart watches
- Stands and racks
- Trailers
- Clothing
- Components
- Bar tape & grips
- Bottom brackets
- Brake & gear cables
- Brake & STI levers
- Brake pads & spares
- Brakes
- Cassettes & freewheels
- Chains
- Chainsets & chainrings
- Derailleurs - front
- Derailleurs - rear
- Forks
- Gear levers & shifters
- Groupsets
- Handlebars & extensions
- Headsets
- Hubs
- Inner tubes
- Pedals
- Quick releases & skewers
- Saddles
- Seatposts
- Stems
- Wheels
- Tyres
- Health, fitness and nutrition
- Tools and workshop
- Miscellaneous
- Cross country mountain bikes
- Tubeless valves
- Buyers Guides
- Features
- Forum
- Recommends
- Podcast
forum
Road pedals or SPDs. Is there an advantage to the road versions?
I’m thinking of joining a cycling club and at the weekend I went on a intro ride for a local club. Most of my recent riding has been either solo or with mates. We are all from the off road back grounds and so use SPDs or similar. I was quite shocked by how long it took some of the guys on the club ride to clip in with their road clip in pedals.
Is this normal? If so what are the benefits of riding with road clip-ins rather than SPDs?
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
Latest Forum Topics
Latest Comments
- the little onion 11 min 18 sec ago
The biggest every car insurance claim. Took over 20 years to finalise, and was worth somethign like 50 million
- dcroadway 14 min 12 sec ago
Prior to the announcement of the price hike, I had been contemplating paying for Discovery+ - won't be now. However, I would like to know more...
- super_davo 14 min 52 sec ago
On the Chinertown forum someone asked questions about that very frame over 4 years ago and nobody posted anything in reply https://chinertown.com...
- Coolkitty 24 min 39 sec ago
So they won t be fazed when they find a scratch mark on their vehicle because a bike had to squeeze past? 😏
- Jetmans Dad 47 min 19 sec ago
From the report, it sounds like he was charged based on the physical assault that took place the next day, whereas the racial comment was part of...
- FionaJJ 48 min 11 sec ago
I'd say most successful politicians in the UK are 'working for' Big Oil whether they realise it or not. Same for the media....
- Benthic 1 hour 2 min ago
PSPOs are undemocratic and should be binned.
- bensynnock 1 hour 47 min ago
That all seems a bit reasonable. Don't you know there's a culture war on !?!?
- David9694 1 hour 50 min ago
My 1984 Raleigh Record Ace is my most successful home respray - colour-matched paint and new decals under the clearcoat. Patience, decent weather...
- Slartibartfast 2 hours 34 min ago
Bloody self driving cars at it again. https://www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk/news/celebs-tv/morrisons-car-park-...
Add new comment
40 comments
SPD for winter bike, SPD-SL for summer. Clip-in fumbles are caused as much by the shoe's sole pattern as the pedal's retention mechanism.
Heat-mouldable insoles can useful stiffen and improve the fit of decent SPD touring shoes like Shimano RT82. They also help keep the foot warm — steel SPD cleats notoriously transmit winter's chill to the sole of the foot.
I ride on both and find the road clipless an easier clip. Once in you adjust to any differences within minutes, provided the foot position is similar. The main difference with mine is the quality of the shoe, carbon road and normal plastic with the SPD so you notice something like a hot spot quicker in the standard sole.
When I returned to the world of road bikes it was the best bit of advice from the LBS ie you don't need road cleats. I was used to using SPDs so just fitted the Shimano M520s. Replaced my original Shimano touring shoes with some Rapha cross-shoes (rebadged Giros I think) which are nice and stiff and have a nice subtle creaking leather sound when you grind uphill, and I get to stomp round the pub/cafe (almost) like a normal human. Can't believe road cleats would make much difference to my riding unless I was into 'marginal gains'.
Sidi shoes and shimano m424 spd;s on all bikes. That way I can still walk around in the shoes and ride the bike. Plenty stiff enough and no hot spots. Did use to get them on smaller pedals.
Ooooh! Sir! Suits you Sir! Push it all the way aroud did we? Got it up to the top with the effort did we? Ooooh!
I use Look Keo Carbon Blades on my Canyon and I wouldn't consider anything else (not even SPD-SL's).
Keo's feel significantly more secure and stable compared to SPD's - they also look miles better IMO.
I have SPD's (A520's) on my commute/winter road bike. I wouldn't consider anything else for this use. Keo's are atrocious for clipping in and out at traffic lights lots and they are quite frankly dangerous to walk in when it's slippy.
My A520's offer more stability than the double-sided SPD's I used to have, and they are easier to clip in and out of compared with my Keo blades, but they don't have the security or stability of the blades.
I use spd's mostly because I don't own a road bike so it is allowd by the rules.
Started off with an entry level Shimano pedals which was okay but upgraded to Funn Mamba single sided spd's which have a nice large platform and combined with a shoe with a slightly recessed cleat cal flip the pedal over when goign down something a bit iffy.
The only problem with Funn pedals is the name, searching for "Funn mamba" can return some NSFW results and their dropper post has a similar humorous name..
SPD pedals on my bikes, too.
The only time I'd probably want three-bolt cleats and pedals on is when doing a very long ride of 200+ km. Otherwise, I'd opt for the greater utility and greater cleat longevity of the SPD setup.
Heck, one of my bikes has Deore XT T780 pedals, which are SPD on one side and flat on the other. That setup just oozes versatility.
I go for the worst of all worlds with Shimano A600 pedals - single sided SPD.
OMG, they look a nighmare. On the plus side they must clear mud well off road. Not that I would want to take a one sided pedal off road.
And, they're not even particularly cheap.
They look lush though!
Ha! Me too for a long time. The flip-and-clip routine was a pain in the arse but still easier than the current PowerTaps - don't even think about talking to me about hill-starts (and stops) in those. That said, I used to get terrible hot-spots with SPDs which seem to have gone away with the new pedal/shoe combination - don't know if that's down to the pedals themselves or the fancier shoes (Shimano RC-7s).
Worst feeling in the world... when you're cramping up and have to twist your foot to release!
The two biggest factors are 1. your shoes (more specifically, their soles), and 2. your muscle memory/co-ordination.
Back in the day when solid soles were very hard to come by, the bigger platforms on road pedals made and appreciable difference to power transfer and comfort. Now, with decent shoes, the pedal and sole unit are effectively one in terms of force distribution, so hot spots are far less of an issue. Was less of an issue anyway in off-road as you're generally peddaling less hard and consistently - more freewheeling, position changeing etc rather than the more consistent pressure same place and postitoin of road use, and lots of people just wore thicker soled walking boots and used platform pedals anyway.
Most of the people I know who use SPDs on their road bikes do it because they prefer the convienience of double sided entry, esp for stop-start town work, and/or they just can't get the hang of the necessary pedal flip clip-in routine for road pedals, especially on hill starts. That and using waterproof/warmer off-road footwear in the winter, plus SPDs are generally easier to walk with.
I dunno if the question is asking the right thing... any advantage? Is there any advantage to removing your socks when wearing sandals? No.
SPD-SLs are no more difficult to use than SPD - just different. It takes a bit of practice just like it took a bit of practice to stop crapping in your nappy.
My father didn't use SPD-SLs - he used toe clips and straps - so it's nothing to do with conservatism.
Road bikes should be fitted with road pedals because reasons - don't expect any advantages, just practise using them until you make the choppers on the club ride jealous of your silky technique!
Great points from Dicklexic. I was convinced by roadie friends to try spd-sls and find them a pain in the ass for clipping in. A pair of spds and some stiff SIDI MTB shoes and I can't tell the difference.
And me, SPDs on all three bikes.
Here you go: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bdtetdf6qhk&t=10s seems the answer is no.
Cheers. Great news I'm not missing out. So much simpler having the same pedals on all bikes and the same cleats on all shoes.
Interesting video, which basically seems to say there isn't much evidence one way or the other - so convenience is a powerful argument (as long as you're comfortable). I moved away from SPD (to Time iClic) on the road because I had shoes without a massively rigid sole that meant I got hot-spots, like you, which was a literal pain - and it was cheaper to change pedals than upgrade the shoes, which I also wasn't sure would stop it. I then moved from Time to Speedplay for fit/knee injury regions and personally find them the easiest of all the pedals i've tried to get into/out-of and the most comfortable, in particular the float (for me). Not tried Eggbeaters but heard similar praise for getting into / out-of. Never liked SPD-SL pedals myself although i'm probably in the vast minority in that.
Bottom line - if you're comfy enough on SPDs then for me makes sense to stick with them on everything. If it's just the occassional hot-spot then perhaps a shoe with a more rigid sole next time you're in the market for it, but sounds like no need to change pedal system FWIW.
SPD for me
i use eggbeaters.
because they're cool.
If you want wide in the toe (footbed) then Northwave or Lake tend to be good, recommended to a lady in our group recently and she's much happier.
I think SLs generally make you ride a bit more with the front of your foot than usual spd, a friend of mine with arthritis can't use SLs due to this.
You may also find club riders are in the process of changing to winter bikes or shoes at the moment with slightly different pedals or shoes. My cleat on my left winter shoe needs adjusting but I would have looked awful on this week's ride (like Matt on GCN). As mentioned above though, when you get it right, quickly, there's a hell of a click...
I use the privateer r with speedplay frogs (sort of spikey spd cleats, that fit into the recess) on my CX bike, which I also use as my commuter and winter roadie. So they mainly see road commuting and (very) occasional CX and winter 50-milers. Happy with them - decent balance between road stiffness and comfort. and they're pretty tough too. There should be some decent deals on them now.
Great info, thanks so much. Sound like the ones for me as the best of all worlds and you sound like you do similar riding to me.
I'm currently using Shimano shoes, the enduro ones 46, I was using 45 when I had Sidi shoes. Are Giro shoes quite a wide fitting? I might just be cheeky and go into a shop and try on then buy online.
I'm a 45 in sidi road shoes, the Shimano off-roaders I have, and the privateers. They all feel pretty spot-on, but the privateers can feel a smidge tight after a full week commuting (I often wear heftier socks for commutes though, compared to thin road socks or no socks with the Sidis).
If you're already getting on with Shimano 46s, I think I'd go for a 46 in the privateers too.
More a question of Shimano coming up narrow I think. I've always had to go up at least half a size with Shimano shoes. Not sure about the SPD-SLs but they do sell wide-fitting SPD shoes (helpfully have "Wide" written on the tongue). Don't know if its the whole range but my trusty M088s are wide-fitting.
I use speedplay zero on my road bike and speedplay frogs on my adventure/winter bike, and on the touring bike I had before that. If I ever break the zero's on my road bike I'd be tempted to replace them with the frogs. Both great pedals and both very quick to clip in to, but easier walking with the frogs.
Same - I have zeros on my road and TT bikes. I'm a fan, but the cleats are a PITA, so I'd be tempted to go frogs all round too.
Pages