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SPD pedals for fixed gear - M520 vs M540 vs A600

by sorslibertas
Tue, Apr 21, 2020 12:55
9

I’ve been commuting to work on a fixed gear bike courtesy of a long term loan of my neighbour’s fixie since the lockdown started, and have decided that I enjoy it enough to get one my own. The only cycling experience I have before this was a few years ago when I cycled from Glasgow to London after drunkenly proclaiming that I could do it. Aside from the discomfort of using a mountain bike and a rucksack for the trip, it was pretty enjoyable,

I have applied for the cycle to work scheme, and have decided on everything except the pedals. I have only ever used platform pedals before.

I have decided that I want clipless pedals, and have narrowed my selection down to Shimano M520, Shimano M540, and Shimano A600.

I will be using the bike mostly to commute to work, with maybe the occasional fixed gear crit and/or fixed gear Audax, once things start to settle down again.

Of my selection, which pedal would be most appropriate?

Many thanks in advance!

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.

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9 comments

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Bedfordshire Clanger | 4 years ago
1 like

What's your commute like? If you have lots of traffic lights and roundabouts to negotiate I'd go for the double sided pedals as they are just easier to get into. If you won't be unclipping much I'd go for the single sided as it feels to me like you get a bit more contact between shoe and pedal and perhaps a bit reward for your efforts. I've used them all, mine's a long commute with few stops so I prefer single sided. I used the double sided ones when I commuted in central London. They are all good pedals.

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CoffeeAddict | 4 years ago
0 likes

Use 520 on my fixie with no issues whatsoever. For £20 I can't complain.

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jollygoodvelo | 4 years ago
1 like

520/540 are essentially the same pedal, except that the 540 is fitted by a nice fat hex wrench 'through' the crank, and the 520 uses and old-style pedal wrench to ensure you remove your knuckles each time.  I've been using a pair of 540s with literally zero maintenance for nearly 5000km.   But the 520s are half the price...

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dave atkinson | 4 years ago
0 likes

i use 540s on my fixer, they're great pedals. I do wear pretty stiff shoes with them though, carbon-soled XC ones. Softer shoes and you tend to notice the smaller contact patch more.

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nniff | 4 years ago
0 likes

Or ES600 which are single sided. I had 520/540 on my commuter and fixie for years and put ES600 on when one pair wore out.  So much kinder on your feet.  I have road bikes with SPD-SL and the larger platform, but hadn't really noticed the difference on my commuter until I changed - I suppose that's just the way things were and assumed that it was the knackered softer shoes that accounted for the greater pressure in one spot.  No going back to mountain bike pedals on a road bike now.

The single sided thing doesn't take long to get used to.  Possibly simpler to get double-sided for a fixie, but that rather depends on how many traffic lights there are on your commute

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TheBillder replied to nniff | 4 years ago
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Agreed - I have A600 on the road bike and M520 on the gravel. The A600s single sidedness did take a while to get used to and the bearings loosening up with miles has helped. In a tricky clip in situation (eg the steepest bit of Hardknott where I am ashamed to admit I had to stop) I prefer the double sided M520 but otherwise the greater contact area is preferable for longer distances. And they look right for a road bike, and they're lighter.

I suffer from a hotspot on one foot which is taking a bit of experiment to adjust out. It's better on the A600s but not perfect, so will probably try some Look pedals next.

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Spangly Shiny replied to TheBillder | 4 years ago
0 likes

Slightly off topic but I too suffered hot spots. After lots of experimenting with cleat placement (gradually moving them further back) and getting bigger shoes. I solved it by getting wider shoes from Bont.

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Simon E replied to Spangly Shiny | 4 years ago
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I think there is rather more to hotspots and discomfort than whether the pedal has a platform or not. I've ridden with M520s and A520 (v.similar to A600) for years and can't really feel much difference, and certainly not once I've been riding for a few minutes. Now also have M530, which feels much the same. This is with inexpensive MTB shoes that wouldn't score quite low on those meaningless 'stiffness' scales the shoe manufacturers use nowadays.

Having read about it over time, my conclusion is that shoe shape and, more importantly, the support provided by the footbed/insert to various areas of the foot are far more relevant to comfort than the pedal.

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TheBillder replied to Simon E | 4 years ago
0 likes

Thanks both. My problem happens with different shoes and replacement footbeds, and I've done a bit of cleat moving. Oddly the main difference is caused by socks - thicker seem to be better. More testing needed....

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