Pedal help for a new forum member
 

Anyone riding with an Shimano Ultegra pedal? If so, how do you like it? does it give you enough float for your (our) 50+ knees? Getting a new road bike next week. Was riding a Trek 7500 with Crank Bros pedals that never gave me a knee problem. They are nice but I want a pedal with a larger surface area making contact with the shoe for a longer distance ride.

TIA

I use SPD's, but I don't think that's what you want. I just purchased a used bike that has LOOK pedals that have a clip in on one side and is a flat on the other side. They might be what you are looking for.

I had MTB pedals and switched to Speedplay for the range of motion. Much less foot contact unless you buy stiff $$$ shoes but the added range of motion made a big difference for me. Have had no knee problems since switching. Not famailiar with ultegra pedals. :)

I have the Shimano R5??, their 105 level SPD-SL pedal. They work fine for me. I get a few degrees of float either way. It does make a difference where I set the cleat though. A couple of weeks ago I set a cleat so that my left heel was rotated too close to the crank and it gave me some ankle soreness. After rotating the cleat on my shoe, it is ok now.

The newest Ultegra pedals are supposed to be a significant improvement over previous models with a larger platform and better materials.

I have been using SPD pedals for 3 years or so now. I have Shimano 520 pedals on both road bikes and my MTB.

Currently using the Shimano A520 pedal and I like it. Road specific that still takes the SPD shoe and cleat. A longer platform than the M520 MTB pedal but I find it comfortable.

http://bike.shimano.com/catalog/cycl...=1205361088865

SPD-SL is what I guess they are called. The original Look design. That is what I was asking about.

TIA

I also use the Shimano A520 on my touring bike and spec'd them for my soon-to-arrive dream bike. They are perhaps the best of all worlds: Lighter weight, broader foot support and SPD so you can walk reasonably normally when you get off the bike.

C'mon folks. He asked about a specific pedal. The Ultegra SPD-SL pedals are similar to Look pedals. Like the Look system, there are two different cleats to choose whether to have float or not. The SPD-SL yellow cleats offer 6 degrees of rotation. (Look red cleats have 9 degrees.)

Yeah. But sometimes you just gotta think out of the box. Especially when you don't have anything else to say and just have the urge to post something anyway. :crash:

If you are looking for a great performing pedal with float, don't mess around, go with Speedplay X-1 or X-2.

You will not have knee problems from these pedals. Speedplay also makes a touring pedal called Frog, also nice.

I use the Look Keo's, which is a similar design, myself and am happy with them. No experience wiht the SPD-SL's but every time the topic of pedals comes up on the road forum the majority of responses recommend the Ultegra SPD-SL....I doubt you'd have any problems with them.

The only thing I didn't like about the A520's was single sided entry. I have switched to Crankbrothers Quattro. They work GREAT!

I use the Ultegra SPD-SL's on three of my bikes and love them. Easy in and out, plenty of float and absolutely no side-play after thousands of miles.

One-sided entry is absolutely no problem. I snap in without looking down, so yes, quite easy.

Rick / OCRR

Ultegra SPD-SL and Dura Ace SPD-SL. on road bikes. Ultegra SPD-SL on tandem. No problem cleating in.

I use the new model which is the Ultegra 6620 and I love them. The pedal is easy to clip in/out of and has a very wide body so you get good foot contact. The strike plates are now metal (the older model had plastic which would wear quickly) I use the yellow float cleats and they last over a year.

You can frequently find these at ProBikekit for <$90

http://i201.photobucket.com/albums/a...d/SHM7PD66.jpg

Are SPD-SL's easier to clip into than SPD's? Better in some way? I would consider changing from SPD's on one of my LD road bikes if there were a significant advantage over SPD's.

Larger pedal to cleat contact area is the biggest advantage. Less Fredliness is a side benefit. ;)

The SPD-SL is weighted to hang in a position to allow easier cleat in. My old one sided SPDs I had to flip. I do not know if the newer SPDs are the same. I had double sided SPDs on the tandem which theoretically should be easier to cleat in since if you miss, you always end up on a side that has a cleat. That is not the case with the SPD-SL. If you miss, you have to take your foot off and let the pedal reposition.

I remember reading a post where someone complained about SPD-SLs and missing cleat in. We went on a 55 mile on the tandem that required numerous stops. I did not miss one cleat in and on the tandem, the stoker starts pedaling and the pedal comes around and I have to hit it as it is moving.

So if I concentrate, I never miss. If I am idling, you bet. I can miss cleat ins on the tandem. YMMV

OK, BD. But the A520 (shown below) also have a large contact area. So how do the two compare? Are the road clipless stronger or something?

That pedal has a large platform to shoe contact area outside the cleat contact area. It is still a SPD cleat. The SPD-SL (and Look) has a much larger cleat so the larger contact area is more direct.

I can't comment on the A520 pedal, but I can say that similar platforms on the Crank Bros. pedals I have used offer some stability over the bare cleat eggbeaters, but not a lot. They do not provide anything close to the solid connection I get from Look pedals and cleats.

I like the Shimano M424 pedal, it is a SPD pedal with a resin cage around it looking like a platform pedal. So you get a wider contact area than just the clips. works well for me and is very comfortable