Road Cycling - Off-road pedals on a road bike.

Seeing as how there are a few topics floating around near this theme, I figured I'd ask what, exactly, the main benefit is of using pure road pedals on a road bike. I'm presuming they are lighter. I bought an older set of Time ATAC pedals when I first got my Trek 1000 and I have to say I love them. I've never had to worry about which side is up (I think that's why the sales guy pushed me in that direction - he knew I was a complete beginner at the time). I don't know if that is bad or not! The only thing that has proved to be a disadvantage, for me anyway, is that the cleats don't fit the SPDs on the spin bikes at the local gym. A minor problem though.

I'm about to transfer these pedals to my new bike - a Trek 2200. What reasons are there for me not to? I don't care if I get funny looks - my comfort comes first! The weight issue doesn't hurt either because I have pounds to lose from myself before losing them from the bike!

Cheers,
MacMan.

I ride mountain pedals on my road bike also.
They're a high-end pair of Shimano pedals I got for free. They work great-no problems here.
I think the main difference in road pedals (Shimano) is the larger platform and one sided entry.

You're LBS steered you right. The ATAC is a nice pedal, I use that on my commuter bike which when I used a road bike meant I used the ATACs on that bike. Now that I commute off-road, I have a MTB but the ATACS are great for both. I've tried the eggbeaters which is sort of similar in concept, 4 sided instead of 2 and lighter than the ATACS but there are some cases where it is nice to have the ATACS, mainly off-road commuting in winter where it can get icy and sometimes better not to be clipped in. The ATACS can be ridden as a platform and I have done that before for distances (so far) up to 10 miles. In hiking boots no less...

So, I would go for it. If you wish to try a road pedal similar to the Times with probably more float, you could try the Speedplay X2 or X series or Zero series pedals, they are doublesided, intended for road use and also similarly light. But no reason to switch if you are happy with the ATACs as a road pedal.

Jay

Road pedals can be lighter, can have tighter tolerances to hold the cleat more securely and can have better cornering clearance since they are one sided. Not all do, however.

I ride mountain pedals so that I can use the same cleats for all my bikes and don't like road specific shoes.

-s

Road pedals can be lighter, can have tighter tolerances to hold the cleat more securely and can have better cornering clearance since they are one sided. Not all do, however.

I ride mountain pedals so that I can use the same cleats for all my bikes and don't like road specific shoes.

-s

I never thought of the ground clearance issue. Equally, I've never taken a corner fast enough to lay the bike over - unlike the moptorcycle, which always gives a nasty shock when you bounce the footpegs!

Still, I think I'll just swap my Times over and see how they work out - I've never had an issue with unclipping at the wrong time, but then again there aren't too many hills in Chicago to stress them against!

Thanks!
MacMan.

the looks have a HUGE platform... making it super easy to clip in w/out looking

I ride Frogs (MTB pedals) on both my Vigorelli and Volpe, I like the fact that I can walk with them, period.
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