loimpact

First.........I was told I should ditch my Shimano MTB shoes and M540 pedals and go to road bike shoes & pedals because I will spread the power more evenly over the pedal and utilize my power more efficiently, etc.

I should also get rid of my alloy Aksiums and get some carbon wheels. (Preferably some Mercury M5 wheels)

To top that off, when I brought up the potential of Kinlin or Pacenti as a fantastic alloy wheelset, I got the instant disapproval out of Taiwanese wheels. (This was after I explained who/what Kinlin & Pacenti was)

If it wasn't obvious this was an LBS owner. I understand the ideology to fully support in-house brands, off the shelf, etc. but plenty of continental US folks sell those brands....(Hoops, BHS, etc.)

So how much faster will I be if I get me some road shoes & pedals and buy some Mercury M5's.

2mph?
5mph?
(Yes....MUCH sarcasm intended!!)

Willbird

I'd ask him straight out on a ten mile TT how much time each would save.

FLvector

Tell your LBS friend that you'll be willing to put his suggestion to the test as long as he'll provide the pedals, shoes and wheels to demo. If after several reps the results support his statements, then agree to buy them.

GravelMN

The absolute #1 upgrade for speed is improve the power to weight ratio of the engine.

loimpact

I dare not......the answer would be, "Well, then you obviously need a new "Slice" or "Venge" to shave off MINUTES!"

Indeed. Though I know that one would end up being...."Well, you did shave 10 seconds off the 10 mile TT which is actually HUGE in a TT!"



That is DEAD-WRONG!!! It's wheels.....dontcha know?

catgita

Unsolicited upsell? Ignore completely, and don't offer it. Bikeyface » Unwanted Advice

Good advice above if you race. My main ride now is a full-on Jan Hein style Rando, which really throws the bike shop people in a tizzy! To them, the only choice for performance is racer, new/latest, lighter, stiffer, skinnier, higher pressure, more expensive the better. All BS, unless you race, maybe. Competing for bragging points is simply dumb.

I have gotten the one about MTB shoes, but at least with the models I choose, the sole and efficiency is the same, just a little more weight by the added tread and dual sided pedals. Mainly I want long term comfort, since power lacks when your feet hurt or you fall. They don't walk that well though because the sole is totally rigid.

Blue Belly

There are more than two sides of this. First off, most bike shops make money be selling things they have in inventory.
#2 . A really nice set of pedals &/or wheels(as opposed to a not so nice set)will smooth things out for you, quite a bit. Case in point...I ride a variety of top shelf vintage & modern Campagnolo hubbed wheels. All very nice wheels & in perfect working order. On a climb, the difference is mostly feel. Out on the open flat roads the 50mm carbon wheels with lightweight bladed spokes glide through the air giving a noticeable difference in effort.
Mom not familiar with your pedals but, I ditched my crank brothers pedals on my cross bike for Keo's(pedals I run on my road bike). Are the Keo's faster? I don't know, but they sure feel a lot more connected & my pedal stroke more consistent.
To end my rant, I'll agree with the above, though. There is no substitute for fitness. No wheel/pedal combo will push you along the road at a consistent 30+mph.

StanSeven

I don't think spreading out power is valid but I do experience something different with Mtn (spd) vs road (spd-sl) pedals. When I putting out close to maximum efforts like a standing climb or sprint, the Mtn pedals tend to twist with my foot/ankle, especially when I'm tired. I think it's due to the small contact area. Many people here tell me that's not true. For some reason they all seem to be spd users, and I'm sure they are unbiased.

Rowan

It depends on the float built into the pedals and/or cleats. The SPD road cleats I use also have a small amount of float. The difference in the shoes/pedals is that the road shoes tend to be stiffer, have a tighter fit, and have less cushion on the insole, so the perception is that I am getting more power transfer to the pedals.

But I don't have a power meter, so I don't know for sure.

Has anyone here with a power meter done tests over a set TT course to measure the difference between the output wearing road and MTB shoe/pedal combinations?

Silvercivic27

Keep in mind this was a SoCal LBS owner. I would fully expect such advice.

Rowan

It seems a shame the LBS owner isn't up enough with the products available in the industry to know what about the KinLin and Pacenti brands.

Pirkaus

If the shop will provide a double your money back if the speed gains aren't there.

Seriously check out Boyd Wheels, I got the Altamonts and love them so far.
To go faster you must pedal fasterjust sayin'

Ghazmh

I ride with both SPD and SPD-SL and can say the SPD-SL "feels" better but my average speed is exactly the same. It makes no performance difference period. That being said I do prefer the SPD-SL on my road bikes as it is a more comftorable riding experience....imho.

IcySmooth52

I ride both too (M540 + XC-51 & PD-9000 + SH-R107). It's more comfortable to me with consistently higher cadence road riding due to more fixed position of feet. There's three different cleats for the SPD-SLs, that offer less play or no play. The SPDs have plenty of play.

Bob Dopolina 

Or after dissing Taiwanese wheels the fact that the Mercury wheels he recommended instead are 100% Taiwaneses as well.

Whole lotta BS.

Marcus_Ti

Look at the bright side...you found an LBS to never need to go back to.

Homebrew01

Don't forget ceramic BB bearings.

pdedes

you should thank the owner profusely for his recommendations and tell him you're going home to buy the items on-line

Wanderer

Buttttt, your feet will hurt!

OldsCOOL

Absolutely. Lose 5Lbs and just tell me you cant notice the difference in acceleration, hills and endurance.

loimpact

Bob....Interesting you mentioned that because I didn't know for sure (without looking) but wanted to be able to say that so bad. Of course, the very bike I was sitting on (and he too) is a Chinese Cannondale. We also didn't even get far enough into it for me to communicate to him that his M5's have CX-ray spokes and "Mercury's" own hub. (I'm sure they stay up late making them, right?)

I think his problem was he thought I was talking about "direct" from Taiwan....(a la Bdop, for example)....and I really have no problem with that as people like you (and Hoops, BHS, Psimet, etc.) are putting these packages together and people can buy them or not.

IMHO....*IF* he wanted to be part of current trends, it would be a great idea to do similar at a local level. Again, you could either provide a "build" giving your mechanics more work or sell more tools to folks who buy the kit & want the tools to go with 'em. (shrug)

a1penguin

+1

Depending on what wheels you have, new wheels can make a difference. But pedals? LOL! If you can't trust the advice of your LBS, find a different one. I appreciate that they are trying to increase sales, but this borders a bit on the sleazy side.

znomit

Ideally this conversation would take place while sitting in his shop trying on shoes.

Stucky

This is why so many on here always recommend that new cyclists "visit their LBS" instead of buying online or used on Craigslist! How else would you ever learn these valuable secrets of cycling?! Shame on the LBS owner for not also cluing you in on elliptical chainrings; rust-proof coating for your CF frame; and Sasquatch Repellent spray! (The Easter Bunny swears by that stuff!)