Symox

Was not impressed. Too floppy. Back to my beloved Ultegra SPD-SL pedals. Lighter, stiffer and able to use regular shoes due to the larger platform


I was thinking of doing this for some bikepacking adventures so I wouldn't swap shoes.

jaxgtr

did you try them for more than 5 mins? While I agree the platform is smaller, not all 2 bolts are as small. Time ATACs have a larger platform for your foot, the same with SPD's with platforms, Candies, etc. I personally use Time ATACs on all my bikes, road and mountain. I used various forms of 3 bolt, but just found the benefits of the 2 bolt for me, was just better, but I used 3 bolts for years before I made that decision. Might want to try a different version to give them another chance.

Koyote

Which SPD pedals did you try, and which shoes were you using? I run Ultegra pedals on road bikes, and Shimano XT and XTR pedals on some other bikes, and have never noticed any difference in stiffness or feel. And in bikepacking, you'll likely want to walk around in your cycling shoes quite a bit -- and SPD is pretty much designed to make that easier.

Chuck M 

As you pointed out in the first sentence, shoes make all the difference in the world. I feel I made a mistake when I got my first pair of clipless shoes and pedals. I felt like it would be better to go with the double sided SPD. My shoes did not have recesses for the SPD cleats and walking was not good. I found that when I switched to a composite Look compatible pedal and cleat, I could walk out of the house across travertine and wood floors. I still waddle, but I'm not digging a metal cleat into the floor so I don't have to wait until I'm in the garage to put my shoes on. I find that even though my Look compatible cleats and pedals have more float, they at the same time feel better than the SPDs as the OP does.

Long story short, the shoes probably matter.

Symox

I was using Pearl Izumi Men's All Road v5 shoes and Shimano PD-M520L pedals and included cleats.

I spent about 30 minutes fiddling with the setup and gave up

Carbonfiberboy 

With SPDs a stiff sole is a requirement. All the LD riders around here use Sidi Dominators and SPD. Racers of course wouldn't be caught dead in a MTB shoe. Your shoes are cheap, sorry. You gotta pay a lot more for decent shoes. OTOH I rode a pair of Dominators over 50,000 miles and they were still perfect when I lost them. Bought another pair which fit exactly like the first pair. Still the only bike shoe I have or need. The MTB shoe hides the cleat so no floor marking. .

delbiker1 

I think I am missing or misunderstanding the part about using "regular shoes" with SPD-SL. Do you mean street shoes? I can't see how this is done, let alone being safe, or even efficient or comfortable. Want to sell your SPD pedals for cheap?

Koyote

The pedals and the pedal system are not your problem… Get some better shoes and they won’t feel “floppy.“

scottfsmith

Also many new super light, super stiff SPD shoes have been coming out recently, for the gravel racing market. S-Works Exos Evo, etc.

I use Shimano ES600 SPD pedals which have a larger platform for less shoe motion. They clip on one side only like road pedals, some people don't like that but with practice they are as easy as 2-sided.

chaadster

I can recommend Shimano A600 pedals and Bont Riot+ as a stable, stiff road SPD setup. A600 have a larger platform for more surface area if occasional street shoe use is a factor, and the Riot+ tub ain’t flexin’ nowhere.

I’ve been using A600 as winter road pedals for, gosh, probably 10 years. I only did a full service rebuild for the first time last year! Amazing pedals.

I also recently started using Xpedo CXR pedals with Mavic Crossmax Elite shoes, which is a nice combo for gravel. The CXR would not have been my first choice except for the fact they’re a direct swap onto Favero Assioma power meter axles, allowing me to use my power meter pedals with SPD. Their action, though, is not as crisp and affirmative as the A600. The Crossmax shoes are less stiff than the Bonts, but that little bit of give seems to afford my feet more comfort over choppy dirt roads.

delbiker1 

My experience, I used the A600 for quite a while and liked them. However, I prefer dual side spd. For me, switching from one to the other involved some time getting used to the A600. I sold the A600 and now have either dual sided spd, or pedals with one side spd and the other flat. The latter is on bikes that I sometimes ride with street shoes, gives me the option without switching pedals. They are Nashbar Soho pedals and are excellent. Pretty sure they are about unobtainium. I have noticed little difference between smaller and larger platforms with spd's.

Trakhak

Yes to the posts saying that the floppiness is in the shoes and not the pedals. In fact, just this week I decided to use an old pair of Diadora police issue bike shoes, which are fairly flexible/floppy, to keep me honest on my recovery rides, since they're too flexy for comfortable hard pedaling. My other SPD shoes are as rigid as or more rigid than my Look system road shoes.

Camilo

You would be the first person in the history of bikepacking, aka touring, that uses road pedals and shoes. There's a reason for that. Get some decent shoes and try again. Plus, the hassle of doing that in road shoes and pedals would justify any small amount of unfavorable difference you might actually perceive (doubtfully) with decent shoes.