phodges0921

Hello,
I have finally decided to try using clipless pedals and have decided on the Shimano 105 SPD type. If anyone has any experience with this type of pedal and cleat I would love to hear your advice or suggestions. Also, any advice on shoes would be appreciated too. Thanks.

milkbaby

I think nobody replied yet because this is a common question and if you do a forum search, you can get a lot of info. But I'm online now, so here's my two cents...

I use the Shimano SPD-SL road pedal system on two of my bikes and the Shimano SPD mountain bike system on my beater and mountain bikes. I much prefer the SPD-SL road system, just feels better underfoot to me. However, the SPD-SL type pedals are single sided entry only, whereas many SPD pedals have double sided entry. This means SPD-SL will only clip into the proper side of the pedal which is hard for some people.

If you are on a budget, the Shimano R540 pedals are often on sale for $45 or less online. For a little more the Shimano 105 are available too, but might not be as great a value for the price. Any higher up in the line you are hitting the area of diminishing returns for a big increase in cost, so don't bother unless you have money to burn.

Shoes are individual preference since we all have different feet and companies use different shoe forms/lasts. You should probably try them on in the store but make sure to get ones that accommodate the 3 hole bolt pattern required to attach the SPD-SL cleats to the shoes. My favorite pair of road shoes have a stiff carbon fiber sole which feels more efficient than the pair I have that uses hard plastic for the sole. But they both work for JRA... (Just Riding Along) Good luck and enjoy it!

zazenzach

i would go for entry level speedplays to be honest

hueyhoolihan

i used spd pedals and cleats for years and found them to be 100 percent reliable and thought i was happy. then i saw a picture of crank brothers eggbeaters and thought the four entry points rather than two on the spds and one on the SL's might be and advantage. so i bought a pair and the cleats that go with them. pretty soon i bought four more pairs (i have five bikes) and haven't regretted it one bit.

BTW i ride every day, for about a 4-6000 mile per year average.

oh, and the one pair of cleats (bought NOS) have now held up for over 10,000 miles and all of the pedals were bought used. some very used. and all are still working fine.

some pics:

D1G1N1XY

Wow the Egg Beaters look difficult to ride with. I take it that's not the case.

hueyhoolihan

they feel about the same as all clipless pedals i've used. Onza's, Spd's and now Eggbeaters.

bassjones

105 pedals are Look style. Why not just get the Look KEO?

idc

I like Crank Brothers too. I used to ride SPDs, now all 3 bikes have Crank Brothers Candy pedals. There's a few other fans around here but I think you'll find most road riders use 3-bolt systems.

Two of my pedal sets are these: $50, and 262g, not too bad. Enough platform to ride unclipped for short distances too.
https://www.performancebike.com/bikes...1586500_400936