[MarcMyWords]

Hi ladies and gents,

Any roadies out there using SPD rather than SPD-SL pedals? I’m a bit sick of struggling to engage and thought I’d give the SPD’s a try so bought a cheap pair off of eBay. Any recommendations on shoes? I don’t want to have to buy some chunky paid of MTB shoes…

Thanks

Topic

[arfa]

Very happy with my RT 82’s,
Very happy with my RT 82’s, they do the job for commuting, road and dare I say it mountain biking…..
As an aside, I was due to be riding with a bloke this weekend but he slipped in his spd-sl’s and broke his wrist….

[Chris James]

MarcMyWords wrote:Chris James

MarcMyWords wrote:

Chris James wrote:

Sorry, didn’t read the original post very closely. If you don’t want mountain bike shoes then somehting like Shimano RT82 would give you the roadie look.

That’s much more along the lines of what I’m thinking, I really want the best of both worlds with the mtb pedals but the roadie shoes for stiffness. Seems like Touring shoes are probably the way to go… I’m also checking out the Bontrager Solstice.

The RT82’s might not be your bag then. I have some RT81s and they are not that stiff. In fact my MTB shoes are stiffer. The RT81s are comfy though and i don’t get hots spots etc with the ‘platform’ type SPDs.

[bikebot]

MarcMyWords wrote:Oh dear –

MarcMyWords wrote:

Oh dear – Rule #34…

Rule #34 // Mountain bike shoes and pedals have their place.
On a mountain bike.

Phew, good thing you reproduced the rule itself. Quoting “rule 34” can lead to all kinds of misunderstandings on the Internet… (one for the geeks)

[fukawitribe]

Chris James wrote:To be

Chris James wrote:

To be honest, I think there is an element of the emperors new clothes in road cleats. People go on about power transfer etc, but cyclocross races involve loads of accelerations out of corners and SPDs work fine.

The prompt for moving to road cleats (from SPDs) on my road bike was hot-spots. Subsequently, I moved to Speedplays due to the free-float (knee and leg injury.. and a spacer issue due to my old cleats, not normal that one though). I love them now for a lot of reasons, and find the clipping in and out better that stuff i’ve used before (SPD-SL/SPD/Time) especially with the Keep On Kovers.

Of course tottering around on them does make me feel like an extra from Priscilla, Queen of the Desert sometimes but hey – I don’t tend not to go walk-about in them so that’s not much of an issue. For mixed surface use, especially if you think you might get off the bike etc, i’d go for SPDs or flats. For pure road work, i’d take the Speedplays any day. YMMV.

[keef66]

I’ve had SPD M540 pedals on
I’ve had SPD M540 pedals on both my road bikes from the outset. Paired with some Nike touring shoes which mean the cleat’s recessed and they are still stiff / light and look like road shoes. Win-win. Nike stopped doing cycling stuff a while ago; that’s when I got them in the sale, but as others have suggested a pair of Shimano touring shoes would do the same job

[MarcMyWords]

Oh dear – Rule #34…
Rule
Oh dear – Rule #34…

Rule #34 // Mountain bike shoes and pedals have their place.
On a mountain bike.

[MarcMyWords]

PJ McNally wrote:
Bontrager

PJ McNally wrote:

Bontrager RL Mountain – awesome summer SPD shoe, these weigh half as much as the shimanos.

Thanks for your comment, are you sure you’ve got enough shoes? 🙂 I’ve always been a Bontrager and Trek fan so am checking out some Bontrager options as it happens and good to know they’re not big old heavy clunky things! I had the Road RL’s and always found them really comfortable.

[MarcMyWords]

Chris James wrote:Sorry,

Chris James wrote:

Sorry, didn’t read the original post very closely. If you don’t want mountain bike shoes then somehting like Shimano RT82 would give you the roadie look.

That’s much more along the lines of what I’m thinking, I really want the best of both worlds with the mtb pedals but the roadie shoes for stiffness. Seems like Touring shoes are probably the way to go… I’m also checking out the Bontrager Solstice.

[MarcMyWords]

60kg lean keen climbing

60kg lean keen climbing machine wrote:

Shimano A600 pedals and RT82 shoes, I use RT82 shoes which are brill but currently run with cheap 520 pedals, will soon be buying some A600 as they have good reviews!! I use my bike for fun and for transport so prefer to be able to walk like a normal person off the bike and when in town much better for the stop start traffic.

That’s what I’m thinking in terms of use, I commute 10 miles a day through London so I’m constantly in and out of the pedals and then when I do the longer rides I want to be able to walk properly when we stop for coffee / beer! I’ll check out the A600’s but am actually leaning toward Speedplay and Crank Brothers after all of the positive things I’m reading on this thread.

[Chris James]

Sorry, didn’t read the
Sorry, didn’t read the original post very closely. If you don’t want mountain bike shoes then somehting like Shimano RT82 would give you the roadie look.

[Chris James]

I use SPDs for flexibility
I use SPDs for flexibility between my summer, winter / commuter and cyclocross bike. I have some RT81 shoes for general riding and some XC30 for cyclocross and messing around off road.

I like the A520 pedals for road use, they do offer more support than the M520 on the cross bike.

I don’t find the pedals slow me down at all compared to people using SPD-SLs etc.

The cleats last forever too, although they can squeak a bit – nothing that a dab of grease on the cleat / pedals interfaces doesn’t sort out though.

To be honest, I think there is an element of the emperors new clothes in road cleats. People go on about power transfer etc, but cyclocross races involve loads of accelerations out of corners and SPDs work fine.

[PJ McNally]

I’m another roadie using
I’m another roadie using SPDs, and I love it!

Shoes at the moment –

Shimano SH-M082 (built like a tank, everyday shoe, meant for MTB or ‘cross but works great on road with the studs off) (these are ancient, they don’t make them any more),

Bontrager RL Mountain – awesome summer SPD shoe, these weigh half as much as the shimanos.

Shimano AM50 – High ankle shoes / boots for winter. Odd ones, these; they’re not actually any warmer than the others. Good coverage / protection though.

Mavic Tourmaline Womens Road Shoes – just ordered these yesterday from CRC, they had an amazing price! “Road” shoes but with a recessed 2-bolt sole – could be the new everyday shoe.

There may be others I’ve forgotten. I may have too many shoes.

[kev-s]

same as above for me, both my
same as above for me, both my bikes have crank bro egg beaters fitted and i wear shimano am45 shoes, look good on and off the bike and you can walk like a normal human being in them

[Jack Osbourne snr]

I last raced over 20 years
I last raced over 20 years ago, so absolute power transfer comes as a poor second being able to walk in my cycling shoes. I used LOOK pedals for years, but once I hit mid 30’s and got accustomed to stopping at coffee and cake shops, I decided to go with the audaxers advice and try a pedal/ shoe system that gives you half a chance of not landing on your arse.

I use Crank Bros pedals on all my bikes. I have to replace the bearings on the ones on the commuter every 18 months or so, but that’s after 5000 miles in horrendous Glasgow weather.

I’ve got narrow feet, so Gaerne mtb shoes are my favourite – Particularly since there are frequently special offers on them. The mtb soles aren’t overly clunky and don’t look massively different from road shoes once you’re on the bike. I will decline to say how many pairs I have.

Mtb pedals and shoes for me.

[Nat Jas Moe]

Yes crank brothers are a two
Yes crank brothers are a two bolt system I have used egg beaters on my bike which I use every day for my commute to work very recommended with four points of entry nothing could be simpler. My shoes are shimano mt40, but I don’t think you can get those any more.

[Author]

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