Road-specific SPD pedal recommendations?
 

Hi!
Im sure this is covered in a thread somewhere, but cursory search was fruitless...

Soooo i run SPD pedals with some Mavic Razor shoes on multiple bikes. For a variety of reasons...im used to them, i do spin classes with the wifey once a week (all spin bikes are spd), the mavic mtb shoes are decently lightweight AND i can walk in them comfortably, i also have SPD DZR-brand casual shoes that look nice enough to wear out and to work when commuting...

excuses, etc :)
well, all reasons above, and its just easier to have SPD all around on various bikes. ive just started to do metric centuries and my interest in road cycling continues to grow gradually, so once i get more serious i might look into spd-sl or look or whatever style pedals/shoes. but until then...

anywho, i have shimano a520s, a600s, and m540s already. all are pretty decent spd pedals, no complaints. however i have a nice new road bike i am building up (a 2004 litespeed) and was wondering what other good options are out there for a "road specific" SPD pedals? (more or less...however road specific SPD can get)...

ive looked at ritchey pro micro v4s and i like the looks of em...
http://media.nashbar.com/images/nash...-NCL-ANGLE.jpg
but i hear you cant use shimano SPD cleats with them? anyone know tho if you can use the ritchey cleats on shimano pedals?

are there any other options out there that are decent quality that i should look at?
or should i just stick with another pair of a520s or a600s?


thanks for any suggestions :)

I don't really see any reason why pedals like those Ritchey ones would be any more suitable than any other SPD pedal for road use. Most regular SPD systems are going to work pretty similarly.

i heard the ritchey cleats are basically the same as all other spd cleats...but they are thinner or something, whereas shimano spd cleats are thicker and not as great for using in ritchey pedals or something of the sort.

but i think one person on some forum said the ritchey cleat works in other spd pedals (i cant find where i read that though. if someone else confirms that, then i guess i can just switch out the cleats on my shoes to the ritchey ones)

buuuut besides the ritcheys and shimanos, seeing if there are any other worthwhile "road" SPD pedals.

Interesting pedals as I ride with a520s myself, but I checked Ritchey's website and it looks like they are not selling them anymore. They do sell the cleats though.

yah i noticed that...and a few online dealers sell them, but it seems most are European...its pretty much the same pedal as their MTB one but one sided. honestly i just like the looks of them and wanted to try something new :)

The only thing you'd probably get with those Ritchey pedals is lighter weight by giving up dual sided entry. Not sure it would be much of an upgrade? Conventional wisdom is that you're probably just fine on your current SPD pedals if you don't get hotspots on your feet currently.

yah you're right...sort of a "if it aint broke" thing...i could easily just get another pair of shimano a600s since they are quality...buuuut i guess i just wanted to try something new.

i guess now im just curious about the ritchey pedals compatibility.
people have said shimano spd cleats dont work well with ritchey pedals, but ritchey cleats can work on shimano pedals. but then i read on the ritchey websites all ritchey pedals 2003 or newer are totally cross compatible so bla bla bla...maybe im just fishing for that one guy that has these pedals to say "oh yah they'll be totally fine with shimano cleats"

There's really no reason to look further than Shimano A520 or A600. They both perform very well and the platform they have part should help with spreading the pressure around and preventing hot spots. The fact that they look pretty good doesn't hurt either.

i totally agree. i have two pairs of a520s and a pair of a600. yes they are great, very nice looking...i even really like the m520....buuuut i just wanted to try something else.

just ordered a pair of the ritcheys :)
ill probably regret it and get yet another pair of a600s down the line but ill never know without trying haha

Please report back on how they compare. I'm considering upgrading to a600s myself.

a520s and a600s are pretty identical....just a 600s are a bit lighter, and seem to have a slightly wider base. and they are gray. maybe the bearings are better i dunno i cant tell :)

but they are both awesome. but i just felt like trying something else...ill let you know how i feel about them after a ride or two.

my only concern is the cleats. supposedly shimano cleats dont work well in ritchey pedals, but ritchey cleats are ok in shimano pedals (what i read on forums) then i read on ritchey's site that they are all cross compatible no worries. (mainly because shimano cleats are taller height wise or something) o well we will see.

the ritcheys certainly look cool :)
and they'll match all the ritchey wcs components i have haha