I've always used SPD pedals. I started using them way back when I was a kid racing BMX and commuting to work. I"ve been really falling in love with road cycling. I am averaging 100 - 175 miles a week this winter and plan on pushing myself further as the weather warms up. I am doing all these miles with SPD pedals. They're the cheapest Shimano SPDs but I did splurge on Sidi Dominators. So I have the best of the best as far as MTB shoes go. My feet feel fine. Theres been a few times where I've felt some stress but I imagine that happens from time to time for everyone.

Should I spend another $400 and make the switch to Road pedals and shoes? Do I stick with whats been working? There has to be a reason why everyones uses them? I've searched the internet and the only real answers I've found are that they're lighter and have a larger platform.

I'd love the help

SPDs were my first clipless pedals, and even though I ended up getting road shoes/road pedals - I went right back to SPDs solely because I love walking around. I know I'm in the minority, but I love them, and am going to sell the road set up.

On another note, does anybody have recommendations for lighter SPD pedals? I assume you have the M520, which are great inexpensive pedals, but heavy.

I like being able to walk around as well. I am ready to buy some better SPDs or make the switch. Are you using Shimanos? The XTRs look really nice.

I just ordered a set of ultegra A600's @ 285g. I'm pumped for them to show up! I also wanted a more road type pedal but with the ability to walk around.

These look interesting. Thanks for the tip.

I ride more than 4,000 miles a year on the road in SPDs. The advantages of road pedals are most likely negligible for the average rider so unless you're doing a time trial, don;t worry about it.

I have used SPD only for 8 years (~25,000 miles) with no trouble. It depends mostly on if you walk a lot and what kind of conditions are present. In MI you can always get anything and when it is slippery at all the traction with SPD shoes is worth it. If you only ride in ideal weather and/or need to improve the top 1% of your potential then other pedals may be worth it. Once you are clipped in .... who cares anyways.

The SPD SL go on the outside of road shoes , and to replace the stabilizing of the edge of the sole recess
the Pontoons go on under the cleat for use on Hard sole Road shoes..

I've used SPDs for years. Currently I'm using Shimano M530s, which have a dual platform, with road shoes. Yeah, they're heavy at 457g, but they work for me.

It all depends on how much walking you do. If you're into serious performance and spend your time riding with little/no walking, something other is probably better. SPDs have a smaller contact area which isn't as good for power transfer and makes all out performance efforts (sprinting, hard accelerations, and fast climbing) not as good. I've got SPDs on my cyclocross bike and can definitely tell the difference in the middle of a hard ride.

I've gone back and forth between mtb SPDs, eggbeaters, and Look road pedals. I find only disadvantages with the road system. The mtb pedals and cleats are lightweight (under 300gm for the pedals and cleats), have low stack height, platform size irrelevant with stiff-soled shoes, easy in and out, secure, can pedal without being clipped in, can be walkable, etc..

I bolded the important parts....

Thanks for the tips. I am going to stick with the SPDs.

is there really no difference in performance between spd and spdsl? That's what I've always wondered. I'm pretty sure having a larger contact area helps you. I'm just not sure how much it helps you.

Contact area equalling power transfer is bs. Can one pedal's engagement be more stable than another, yes. Can a stiff sole and solid engagement feel more powerful, yes. Can a pedal magically extract more power from a rider because it has more contact area, no. How about I design a pedal that's the size and shape of a 10.5 shoe, that mates up with cleat the size of a 10.5 shoe. The power transfer numbers will be astronomical! The sport will then favor riders with bigger feet.

There are all kinds of spd road pedals on Ebay, so you can see what's out there. I have Wellgo W41's on 3 bikes because they are cheap, light, and minimalist.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wellgo-Road-...item460831f02a

Roadies are unbelievably fashion conscious.

If you have a very stiff shoe, then the size of the attachment doesn't matter because your entire foot is the platform.

I ride 4,000 to 5,000 miles per year in SPD pedals. I use A-520s, which are sort of road SPDs, one sided, not terribly heavy. They're about the same weight as a $100 pair of road pedals, but if you wanted to spend $400 on pedals (alone, not shoes) you could get lighter ones. Not really worth it, I think. These were fine to ride from the bottom of Mount Rainier up to the top of the highest paved road in my state.

Stick with what's working for you.

And your qualifications to be a pedal expert are what? I'm sure Shimano needs your advise when they decided to make larger pedals.

None. Just common sense and physics. Show me the data or equations that show that surface area at the pedal-cleat interface has anything to do with 'power transfer.' SPD-SLs are great pedals with a real solid engagement that that doesn't rock or have an free play, so they feel real stable. That doesn't mean that they are transferring any more power than any other pedal. The notion of increased 'power transfer' with one pedal versus another is bogus. Do I used road pedals on my road bike? Yes. They feel solid and inspire confidence. Are they transferring more power? No. I also trust you tell a difference with your cross bike and SPD mountain pedals. I'm guessing that is mostly attributed to A) it being a cross bike, B) the shoes, and C) partly to feel, but I refuse to accept that the pedals increase or decrease 'power transfer.'

emveezee,

You're missing the point. Wider platforms allow the continuous application of more power by being more stable. When your foot moves around or when you can't apply constant force, revolution after revolution, your power output is less. It's like pressing your hand against a 6"x6" square surface versus the head of a nail.

You're pressing your foot against the sole of the shoe, which if stiff enough and suitably connected to the pedal via the cleat, is all that matters. Pedal size is irrelevant. Speedplay pedals are an example of popular road pedals that are small in area.

I use both spd and spd-sl/Look and SPDs are definitely less stable, especially when I put out lots of effort. If I start out on easy, short rides, I don't notice the difference. But when I'm out for 2 or 3 hours going hard and fast, the difference is noticeable to me.

Sppedplay's are different because the net contract area (cleat plus pedal assembly) is much larger than SPD

there is no such thing as a material that doesn't flex. If you have a spd cleat 1/3 the size of spd sl, then there's going to be 3x the pressure exerted on a more concentrated area in the soles. they do flex, maybe not noticeably so, but they do.

Back to the OP: if it ain't broke, don't fix it. SPDs seem to be working just fine for you. Why change anything?

How's he supposed to look and act like a roadie in SPDs then?