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-   -   SPD pedals (https://www.bikeforums.net/fifty-plus-50/435007-spd-pedals.html)

Yen 06-28-08 06:10 PM

SPD pedals
 
I'm about to pull the trigger on clipless and stop endlessly thinking about it. The LBS highly praised SPDs, and since my shoes are SPD compatible, that seems like a logical place to start. In any case, I want a recessed cleat so I can walk around like a normal person since we enjoy food stops on our rides.;)

I believe it's down to two choices, the M520 and the A530. My understanding about the M520 is that both sides are clipless, while the A530 has platform on one side.

A530:
http://wheelgirl.typepad.com/photos/...tent0002te.gif

M520:
http://media.rei.com/media/705311_9996Lrg.JPG

Can anyone give me any guidance between the two? I want easy in 'n out and they must look nice on my "little black dress" bike. :love:

speedlever 06-28-08 07:02 PM

FWIW, I went with the A520 (older sibling of the A530) because I wanted more pedal support than the M520's offered. You have to flip the pedal around to clip in, but it's no big deal.

You can adjust either pedal for easier or harder clip in/out. I leave mine in the easiest setting and have yet to pull out when hammering up a (short) hill. And I do put effort into the pull stroke too.

Some equally good pedals (imo) are the Crank Brothers Candy SL pedals.

Everyone has their favorites. I find both easy to clip in/out. If anything the CB pedals are easier to clip in than the Shimano's (but I don't think they look as good on the road bike).

screenwasher 06-28-08 07:51 PM

I am also a first time clipless user. I have found the A530 to be a nice versatile pedal. I bought a pair a couple of months ago for my road bike from REI. I liked them a lot, so got another set for my Bike Friday. Mine came with the tension preset to the highest; as speedlever has suggested, be sure to turn it down to the lowest tension until you are able to clip in/out easily. When there are frequent stops on the route, I often ride with one foot clipped in (right one in my case) and the other on the platform. Pedals, like saddles, are a personal choice. I am very happy so far with mine.

Tony (Michigan) 06-28-08 08:26 PM

If you ride long distances on your bike and get hot feet on the bottom it is due to that type of clipless pedal.
This kind is more for road and not mountain bike.
http://bicycleworldandfitness.com/im...ano_spdR_f.jpg

If you have no problems with hot feet, forget about it. SPD's will be O.K. My feet develop heat on the bottom due to my clipless on long rides. Short rides are a breeze.

Jet Travis 06-28-08 08:32 PM

This may not help, but here's my take: I own several bikes with clipless pedals; some cheapies, some moderately expensive. They all seem to work just fine.

Tom Bombadil 06-28-08 08:36 PM


Originally Posted by Jet Travis (Post 6965492)
This may not help, but here's my take: I own several bikes with clipless pedals; some cheapies, some moderately expensive. They all seem to work just fine.

This doesn't help at all.

Digital Gee 06-28-08 08:37 PM


Originally Posted by Jet Travis (Post 6965492)
This may not help, but here's my take: I own several bikes with clipless pedals; some cheapies, some moderately expensive. They all seem to work just fine.

That's very helpful. :)

JanMM 06-28-08 08:39 PM


Originally Posted by Jet Travis (Post 6965492)
This may not help, but here's my take: I own several bikes with clipless pedals; some cheapies, some moderately expensive. They all seem to work just fine.

Kinda, sorta helpful.

The Weak Link 06-28-08 08:43 PM

Go with the M520's. You won't have to fiddle around trying to figure which side to flip up so you can clip in.

I also use the A520's. They're not as easy to clip in and out of.

Monoborracho 06-28-08 08:48 PM

Either SPD is a good starting place.

More important, IMHO, is being certain you have the multi-directional release cleats that go with them.

TruF 06-28-08 09:07 PM

Hi Yen, I ended up with these: Shimano PD-M324. Only one long ride so far. Tomorrow I try the platform side with the new shoes I bought. http://media.rei.com/media/668198Lrg.jpg

George 06-28-08 09:14 PM

Don't forget the multi release shoe clips. They make it pretty easy to get unclipped..

Yen 06-28-08 09:22 PM

Thanks everyone. Hey guys, leave Jet alone... he's only trying to help. :-)

Monoborracho and George: Are you both talking about the same thing? And do you mean these?

Fixitman 06-28-08 09:40 PM


Originally Posted by George (Post 6965669)
Don't forget the multi release shoe clips. They make it pretty easy to get unclipped..

Sometimes too easy. I found I was pulling out of them on climbs.

speedlever 06-28-08 09:42 PM


Originally Posted by Tony (Michigan) (Post 6965472)
If you ride long distances on your bike and get hot feet on the bottom it is due to that type of clipless pedal.
This kind is more for road and not mountain bike.
http://bicycleworldandfitness.com/im...ano_spdR_f.jpg

If you have no problems with hot feet, forget about it. SPD's will be O.K. My feet develop heat on the bottom due to my clipless on long rides. Short rides are a breeze.

I haven't tried the pure road pedal like that yet... probably will someday. But a couple of things:
1) I've had trouble with a hot foot. It appears that using an insert with arch support has eliminated the hot foot trouble I was having.
2) road pedals like that require road shoes (with a different cleat and mount) that are not convenient for walking around like MTB shoes. Or none that I've seen.

That being said, I would like to compare them to what I've been used to (spd's).

N+1 on shoes and pedals too?
:rolleyes: ;)

Rober 06-28-08 11:42 PM

I have M520s on both bikes (road and commute/touring). No problems ever and I have never fallen over because I couldn't get out of them. The clip is solid - like a ski binding - and the two-sided feature is a must, in my opinion. I adjusted mine to the lowest tension first, thinking I would need to get out easily, and ended up adjusting them to just a tick over the lowest because when the tension is any higher it is actually harder to clip in - getting out seems about the same on lower or higher. I've never pulled out of them and they have never "let go" unexpectedly. Great pedals - get them, you won't regret it! [PS: They used to come in silver and anodized black, which might match your "little black dress" better... very elegant.]

stapfam 06-29-08 01:46 AM

First of all think of the type of shoe you want. If you want to be able to walk about when on a ride- Then the pure Road bike pedals are out. I think you enjoy a bit of walking about on your rides- Taking in the scenery and such so that will limit you to the MTB type shoe. That limits you to the two bolt fixing cleats which means Shimano SPD's of SPD "Compatable".

With that sorted out you are going for the right sort of pedal. Shimano pedals are pretty good- and do last. I used to be a Mountain biker and as such- I used the M520 type of pedal. Double sided cleats- shed Mud fairly well and they work. Only problem with the M series is that they have a very short platform and this can lead to a bit of pain after riding for a couple of hours. The road A520 series have a longer platform but are only one sided. The non cleat side is not flat but it is still possible to use with flat shoes, just in case you want to ride down to the shops or to check the bike out.

The A530 would be my choice as I presume that it is a newer version than the A 520. The cleat only being on one side is not a problem as it is easy enough to flip the pedal to get the cleat to engage. Another advantage of a non cleated side- is that in those situations where you want to unclip-slow traffic-Coming to a rest shortly etc- Is that once you have unclipped and flipped the pedal- you will not accidentally re-engage.

Expect to hear of your membership into Club Tombay shortly.

The Weak Link 06-29-08 05:10 AM

The problem with all these pedals is that they're well-built and will last, if not forever, than at least a very long time.

The A530's looks like a step up from the A520's. Trying to rest slick Sidi soles on the non-cleat side of the A520's is dicey. It's not a confident feeling at all.

But the A520's are holding up well, so I'll have no good reason to upgrade.

Not that that's ever stopped me.

zacster 06-29-08 05:42 AM

I have Keo's on one road bike, SPD on the other. I'd go with Keo anyday over SPD. It could be that my SPDs are just old (13 years) and stiff at this point, but the Keo's clip and release much better.

speedlever 06-29-08 05:58 AM

I think this part of the OP rules out non-SPD shoes/cleats/pedals (except for Crank Brothers pedals):

The LBS highly praised SPDs, and since my shoes are SPD compatible, that seems like a logical place to start. In any case, I want a recessed cleat so I can walk around like a normal person since we enjoy food stops on our rides.
Unless Yen wants to have N+1 shoes and pedals. ;)

Al.canoe 06-29-08 06:13 AM


Originally Posted by George (Post 6965669)
Don't forget the multi release shoe clips. They make it pretty easy to get unclipped..

There are a lot of good cleat types. I believe all bike shoes are compatible with other than just SPD types. However, the SPD's are the only design that offer the multi release cleat.

Being a cleat wimp, I refuse to use anything else. They release by pointing the toe down slightly and pulling up in addition to releasing by rotating the foot (hell in or out). For me, they release with out thinking when falling, yet the newer design (#56) hold well enough to do a bunny hop. The old design (#55) would release too easily. The 55's are still sold, but I would avoid them.

You have to buy the cleat separately as #51's come with the SPD pedals.

I'd go with the 540 pedal. Light, supposedly with cartridge bearings according to some reviews and they get very good user reviews on mtbreview. I think they can be had for about $60 (inc. ship.) on the web from Chain Reaction Cycles.

Al

speedlever 06-29-08 06:21 AM

Al,

Check your PMs.

-- apologies for the OT post.

George 06-29-08 06:44 AM


Originally Posted by Yen (Post 6965709)
Thanks everyone. Hey guys, leave Jet alone... he's only trying to help. :-)

Monoborracho and George: Are you both talking about the same thing? And do you mean these?

Yes I have used them for over a year and they work great for me. They saved me a few times when I first start using them, but now that I'm used to them, I could probably take them off and use any clip now.
I tighten the clipless pedals about 2 turns and I have never pulled out of them yet. If you get them I would set them on the easiest setting and then make adjustments as you go, good luck.

Longfemur 06-29-08 07:15 AM

For the person who just wants to ride and not race or anything like that, the double-sided SPD pedal has got to be one of most clever ideas in recent bicycle history. Just step down and you engage. No fumbling, no looking, no flipping, no funny walking. These pedals look fine on a road bike and they are wonderful in urban traffic. Adjustable tension (and you don't need much tension to be able to use the pedals effectively), more liberal multi-release cleat available (probably the best choice if you're not racing a mountain bike). I use Shimano sandals myself, but you can get some touring type shoes that don't look too mountain bikey.

jwbnyc 06-29-08 07:38 AM

The multi release cleats are for offroad downhillers who need to bail off the back of the bike sometimes by pulling straight up on the pedal.

Get the single release cleats. SH-51, NOT SH-56.

This is where those " I crashed because I pulled out of my SPDs" threads come from.

My choice out of the Two you are looking at would be the M520.

personally, I use the 959 and 647 versions.

The 647 is a double sided MTB platform. It works quite well with or without cleats. It's somewhat heavy. The 959 is just a bit heavier than a Shimano road pedal. It's a glitzy version of the M520.




Originally Posted by Fixitman (Post 6965776)
Sometimes too easy. I found I was pulling out of them on climbs.



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