General Cycling Discussion - Mountain bike pedals on road bikes

Is it pretty common to use mountain bike pedals on road bikes? I never really thought about it I guess, and since I never pay attention to the pedals people have I figured I'd just ask the people who cycle the most! I just got in a pair of v8 pedals and put them on my bike, I just use it for commuting anyway. Also, I used Lucas Grease for the threading of them, anyone ever use or know how efficient that is?

I use mtn bike pedals on all my bicycles ... road bicycle, touring bicycle, mtn bike, tandem, etc. I have a certain type of pedal I like, so I've stuck with them.

I have Crank Brother Eggbeaters on my road bike (Felt Z85) and love them. I never have to look down to see if they're hanging correctly because they're 4-sided so I pretty much just step on them and I'm in. :D

I do. Lots of people do. I've used both SPD and Eggbeaters but currently use SPDs. Low stack height, easy in and out, positive retention, can be light weight... There are also many good shoes available with stiff soles that accept the two hole cleats.

It is common. I don't particularly like them on my road bike but many of my friends do.

I have spd's on all of my bikes. Inlcuding my road bike because I ride it in the mountains.:D

SPD M520

http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/100611d.jpg

I use these on my road bike to avoid switching shoes, etc., between mountain and road, and mainly to be able to walk like a biped when off the bike in shoes.

221879

I used double-sided SPD pedals on my road bike when I was learning to clip in and out because they are easier to use than road pedals (which I know because I have them now). The SPD shoes are also advantageous because they have treads so you won't be slipping and sliding around when you walk about. However, I will say that in making the transition to road shoes and pedals I felt a noticeable improvement in my climbing, especially when standing, which cemented my loyalty to road pedals in the end. Can you use SPD's? Absolutely! If you're commuting the treads on SPD shoes just make sense!!! But if you're looking for performance consider trying a road pedal.

I've been using Crank Bros. Candy pedals on both my road and mountain bike as well as MTB shoes. Works good for me.

in making the transition to road shoes and pedals I felt a noticeable improvement in my climbing, especially when standing,

Are you on a recumbent? :D

And MTB flat pedals work well with Any Shoe I have On .. including rubber boots.

NB: you can find some Touring Shoes, also.. feature: a 'spud' cleat pocket,
so, walking friendly, without the MTB Lugged sole,
& offer a roadie shoe looking Upper..

I have Crank Bros Candy pedals on all my bikes.

My road bike is setup for SPD. I had SPD first for my Mountian bike and liked them.

Technically yuo could say I do not have Mtn. Pedals on the road bike. They are single sided SPD for road bikes. Lighter, cheaper and teh color scheme matches the bike better.

I use mtn bike pedals on all my bicycles ... road bicycle, touring bicycle, mtn bike, tandem, etc. I have a certain type of pedal I like, so I've stuck with them.

+2 :thumb:

I'm going to switch my Synapse over to the SPDs from my Fisher next week, just for Hilly Hundred. If I have to walk, I want to be able to walk. ;)

I'm going to switch my Synapse over to the SPDs from my Fisher next week, just for Hilly Hundred. If I have to walk, I want to be able to walk. ;)

Hey, noticed the weight loss stats at the bottom. That is bad ass!:thumb::thumb::thumb:

Hey, noticed the weight loss stats at the bottom. That is bad ass!:thumb::thumb::thumb:

And less of it all the time!

I use mtn bike pedals on all my bicycles ... road bicycle, touring bicycle, mtn bike, tandem, etc. I have a certain type of pedal I like, so I've stuck with them.

Ditto. I got my first set of Shimano SPD's when they were first available (1991-ish). Since then I've stuck with them on all sorts of bikes, except my "coffee" bike, which has flat "rattrap" pedals. That's the bike I use for quick trips to the store or coffee shop, wearing sneakers and jeans.

My first few sets of clipless pedals were road pedals. Then I had mountain bike and road pedals and several pairs of shoes with different cleats on them. After a few Icecapade routines at convenience stores with road cleats/shoes in which Dick Button gave me high marks for originality, I decided that walking when off the bike was at least as important as pedaling and switched over to two sided mountain bike pedals full time.

The Shimano M-520 is one of the best pedals out there. Rugged, not a whole lot heavier than it's higher priced brothers and cheap (around $35). What more could you want.

I've had a set of the A-520s that I put on my wife's bike because they were lighter. She hated them. So I put them on my bike and I hated them too. All the hassle of toe clips and flipping the pedal (you usually have to do the same with road pedals) combined with a super slippery surface on the back. Stick with a regular mountain bike pedal

I've had a set of the A-520s that I put on my wife's bike because they were lighter. She hated them. So I put them on my bike and I hated them too. All the hassle of toe clips and flipping the pedal (you usually have to do the same with road pedals) combined with a super slippery surface on the back. Stick with a regular mountain bike pedal

Agreed. And the damned A-520's took a *lot* of miles before they finally loosened up enough to hang in a predictable position. I would never buy another set. I have 520's, 540's, and XT SPD's on three of my bikes, and they are pretty much indistinguishable, even though the XT's are supposed to have 6 degrees of float, compared to 4 degrees on the lesser pedals.

Oh, and the first time I tried road pedals, I had a hell of an unforgettable experience on wet red ceramic tiles outside the bike shop. I hated them so much that it was *years* before I tried clipless again, and went with SPD mtn pedals.

I use mountain pedals on both my bikes (a) because I like to commute and the shoes look a bit more normal and walk a bit more normal, and (b) because my brother in law bought a new bike and gave me a brand new pair of XT's (my second pair) because he really had no idea what they were and really wanted a $12 pair of plastic beartraps from the LBS. He also got the largest gel filled couch of a saddle he could find. His bike I suppose. Free stuff is cool.

Dave

I have spd's on most of my bikes and I only have one mtb and one hybrid

You guys must do a hell of alot of clipping to get annoyed by those A-520s. I don't even think about them. I can tell by the feel what side is up and takes no effort to flip and clip. It's on auto-pilot now. I do like the wider base than the traditional M-520, although the latter is what I have on both my wife and my mountain bikes as well as HER road bike (since she is new to clipping). I definitely noticed a difference in the support between the As and Ms in terms of that cleat guard (i.e., more and better on the A), but I also have low end shoes.

BTW A recent change to Shimano's SPD pedal lineup now has two categories:

1. The original double-sided SPD's are now called the "XC" type.

2. The new type is called "Trail", or "All Mountain" (depending which web page you are on).
The higher-end models look sort of like a double-sided A-520.
The lower-end models look like an XC pedal embedded into a platform pedal.

http://bike.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/products/pedals/mountain.html

You guys must do a hell of alot of clipping to get annoyed by those A-520s. I don't even think about them. I can tell by the feel what side is up and takes no effort to flip and clip. It's on auto-pilot now. I do like the wider base than the traditional M-520, although the latter is what I have on both my wife and my mountain bikes as well as HER road bike (since she is new to clipping). I definitely noticed a difference in the support between the As and Ms in terms of that cleat guard (i.e., more and better on the A), but I also have low end shoes.

Long ago I used toe clips...even when mountain biking...I hate having to flip the pedals. Didn't like it when I had toe clips and I still don't like it. The two sided mountain bike pedals solve all those problems.

I liked the 2 sided spd on my road bike until I tried the A520. I think think the A has more support and looks better. I don't have a problem with them being one-sided, but I ride country roads and may go 30-40 miles without unclipping.

You can also use SPD shoes for spinning . . . if that means anything to you. Lots of cyclists like to spin too. Hence, good investment.

agree...those were so annoying!


Long ago I used toe clips...even when mountain biking...I hate having to flip the pedals. Didn't like it when I had toe clips and I still don't like it. The two sided mountain bike pedals solve all those problems.

I have Crank Bros. Candys on all my bikes.

i started with double sided Ritchey pedals , great for learning how to clip in and out. No reason you can use MTB pedals on the road bike, they're just a bit heavier. I now use Look keos.