Road Pedal Recommendations

[saxman]

I've got a line on a really sweet, lightly used, and very well-maintained 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. The fit is perfect, the price is definitely right. However, I need to get my own pedals for it. On MTB, I use Shimano M520/M540 pedals and like them a lot. What would be the road bike equivalent in terms of price/quality, etc.?

[allencb]

Why not use the same model pedal on the road bike?

Chris

[crack monkey]

I use Time ATACS on all my bikes, simply to keep one pair of shoes (it's bad enough when I pick up my son's SPD shoes by accident, no need to add another pair).

My wife uses Look Keos and is happy with them. She prefers them to SPDs on the road - I guess it's a larger, more stable interface and she says she can tell the difference.

[Dirt]

Lots of people do like Chris says and rides the same pedals on both. I'm doing that currently, but I'm planning on changing that later today, if I get time. (I need new shoes).

Since mud clearance isn't an issue with road pedals, I really like having a pedal that has a bigger platform upon which to stand. It puts less stress on the shoes and is kinder on my feet.

I use Time road pedals. The heel float feels good on my knees and the engaugement is much more secure than mountain pedals.

My disclaimer is that I really am a roadie. I wish someone would make a mountain pedal that felt like a road pedal, but shed mud and engauged easily like a mountain pedal. That is asking too much.


Enjoy.

Pete

[punga]

I run my Speedplay Frogs on my roadie. They work fine for me, plus, I can use my Lake boots effortlessly.

But, if you decide you want a set of road pedals, I have a set of Dura-Ace that came with the bike and sell you. I've never used them (they were used, however, by the dude I bought the bike from) and the need cleats,

p!

[BikerMiker]

Oh, Pete! Speedplay Frogs, baby! Ask Punga.

Run whatever pedal you have on the road bike. I like the Speedplay X pedals but we are selling a lot of the Light Action pedals too. You can get take-off Shimano pedals from some shops for as little as $40.

I love riding bikes, road bikes included. I find a stiff sole helps keep my feet comfy on longer rides, road or mtn.

mike

[walsh]

Another vote for sticking with your MTB pedals and keeping it simple. At the moment I have Time MTB pedals on all my bikes, so I can use my winter boots exclusively. I've been enjoying the simplicity.

The world of road shoes and pedals is complicated and expensive. Decisions seem to be reached half on the basis of function, and half on the basis of European fashion. In full roadie mode, I run Time road pedals. Look is probably more popular, more available, and compatible with more road shoes. I've gotten all of my various Time pedals cheap or free, and they seem to be bulletproof.

[RetroG]

Wellgo Road SPD:

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/12895-240_WELM83-3-Parts-399-Pedals/Road/Wellgo-MG-8-Road-Pedals.htm

I like the wider platform for the road plus I can use my mtb shoes with SPD cleats already attached. They have done me right and the price is right too.

[Dirt]

Oh, Pete! Speedplay Frogs, baby! Ask Punga.

The speedplays interest me because though the pedals are small, the cleats actually provide the bigger platform that I like.

I think I like the X models better than the frogs. Though it has been a few years since I tried the frogs.... and I've never ridden them on a road bike.

I've never seen the light action pedals. How are they different from the X pedals?

Speedplays are very tempting, but I really do like the bigger platform provided by the Times. I love the heel rotation that you get with them. The lack of centering definitely takes some getting used to. It does for me at least.

Thanks!

Pete

[saxman]

Wellgo Road SPD:

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/12895-240_WELM83-3-Parts-399-Pedals/Road/Wellgo-MG-8-Road-Pedals.htm

I like the wider platform for the road plus I can use my mtb shoes with SPD cleats already attached. They have done me right and the price is right too.

That looks like a pretty decent way to go. The pedals are 140g lighter than the 520s and are SPD compatible. It looks like most road pedals are SPD-SL now, which means new shoes, etc.

[jabberwocky]

I just run Time MTB pedals on all my bikes. Makes switching shoes easier. I ran different pedals for a while, but it got too aggravating to switch the cleats on my winter boots every week (and I didn't want to buy another pair).

[jon_baler]

Crank Brother Road Pedals are compatible with mountain cleats. So you can use your mountain shoes or buy dedicated road shoes.

[CRAIG2]

Why not use the same model pedal on the road bike?

Chris

What?? A mtn bike pedal on a road bike???? Blasphemy!!! Sacrilege!!! Stone him!!!! :D

Yeah, I got bigger things to worry about... LOL Just go with what works and quit trying to be like your skinny tire geek friends.

[BikerMiker]

Yo Pete. Email me off-list and we can set up a time for you to try all the new Speedplay pedals out in Chevy Chase. It's pretty cool. The light action are just a lighter spring (in and out) with an earlier release than the X stuff (26 degrees, I think).

The Zero pedals from Speedplay have adjustable (degrees) float (heel in, heel out are distinct) and a super-stiff spring (like Shimano, Time, Look).

All US-made and I like the stainles parts, bearings and spindles.

mike

[sourceofdenial]

I'm going to buck the trend and say get dedicated road pedals and shoes. Shimano Ultegra pedals are really nice, engagement is easy, nice float, yadda yadda. I used to run ATACs on my cross bike for road training rides but a dedicated road pedal and shoe is such a nice big platform that I would switch them out regularly.

I have Sidi road shoes. Nice, stiff, fit well.

Road bike with mountain shoes and pedals just felt kinda, I dont know, sloppy.

[blacknell]

I have different road/MTB needs. On the road, I run Speedplay Zero's (similar to the X's). They give me the float that I need (and I'm a pretty big weeny, when it comes to that) without disengaging unexpectedly. 100% confidence that they are the right choice for me on the road. On my FS rig, I run some Shimano SPD pedal. Why? It engages/disengages in a very predictable way, which is my primary concern (again, my (right) knee is of paramount importance to me). I was really happy with Speedplay Frogs on my MTB for years (which I also ran on my road bike for a very long time), but then I got pretty aggressive with my riding last year. At that point, I lost some confidence in my Frogs, primarily from a predictability perspective (i.e., I worried about unexpected disengagements). That said, I'm probably going to give the Frogs another shot at the MTB, in short order. I'm a little less fearful than I was, and a little more skilled than I was. In any event, I do think that road/MTB are very different applications, and easily justify different shoes.

[Dirt]

I'm going to buck the trend and say get dedicated road pedals and shoes.

Road bike with mountain shoes and pedals just felt kinda, I dont know, sloppy.

Yup yup yup!!! The only good reason in my eyes to use MTB pedals on your road bike is so you don't have to have different shoes. I'd rather have the right tool for the job.

On the road, I run Speedplay Zero's (similar to the X's). They give me the float that I need (and I'm a pretty big weeny, when it comes to that) without disengaging unexpectedly. 100% confidence that they are the right choice for me on the road.

Okay... maybe I need to look at the Speedplay Zeros. I like the way that description sounds.

Thanks Mike for the offer to give them a try. I may take you up on that. Time is kinda tight for me these days. I'll see what I can do.

Thanks y'all.

Pete

[Auger N]

Unless you are going to be racing criterium courses where you will be pedaling through tight corners, there's really no reason to go with road pedals, which have slightly better cornering clearance than double-sided MTB pedals.

Well, another reason may be if you have foot numbness and need a bigger "platform" to spread out the pedaling forces....


....or if you really like waddling like a duck in slick-bottomed roadie shoes.:p

[pbayne]

I've got to second the plug for crank bros. pedals. I use eggbeaters on my mtn bikes, smarties on the cross bike and quattros (their road pedal) on the road bike. I do have dedicated road and mountain shoes and a pair of sidi winter boots. Its nice to be albe to hop on any bike with any of my shoes. For people who are primarily mtn bikers the quattro pedals are great since the look like a road pedal but clip in like a mountain pedal i.e. two sided. Because of the crank bros. road cleat, the quattro also has a pretty large contact area.

I also switched from time pedals to crank brothers since the $112 eggbeater sl weighs less than the $400 time pedal!

[jed]

I've got a line on a really sweet, lightly used, and very well-maintained 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. The fit is perfect, the price is definitely right. However, I need to get my own pedals for it. On MTB, I use Shimano M520/M540 pedals and like them a lot. What would be the road bike equivalent in terms of price/quality, etc.?

I run Shimano SPD MTB pedals on all of my bikes. I run 959's on my race bike and SS and cheaper versions (520?) on other bikes. I think I am running some old 515's on my road bike right now.

I ride and race a lot, and I do not want to switch shoes/cleats/pedals. It is hard enough getting the positions dialed on multiple bikes so they are close to the same, I just don't need to deal with the cleats/shoes variable as well. I also have semi custom footbeds in my shoes, which are Sidi Dominators. I know they are not the stiffest or the lightest shoes, but they fit well and work well for me. I spend a lot of time on the road bike, but don't race on the road. I get some dirty looks from the serious roadies, but I don't care.

So just keep running the Shimano MTB pedals if that's what you are used to. They work fine on the road. The great thing about them is there are so many knockoff you have a lot of options for cheap pedals. That is the main reason why I have stuck with Shimano though the various pedal fads over the years (Time, Eggbeater, etc.).

[joep]

Okay... maybe I need to look at the Speedplay Zeros.

I have the Zeros on my road bike. One problem I have with them is that they are hard to clip in to. Sometimes I have to stand, put my full weight on them, AND pull up on the bars to get in. Anyone else have this problem or do I just have them set up wrong?

[rsosborn]

I've got a line on a really sweet, lightly used, and very well-maintained 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. The fit is perfect, the price is definitely right. However, I need to get my own pedals for it. On MTB, I use Shimano M520/M540 pedals and like them a lot. What would be the road bike equivalent in terms of price/quality, etc.?


ok, just to keep things fun, here's a vote for two pairs of different types of pedals and shoes. i did what you're currently doing, three months ago. i had a mtb bike and then bought a road bike. i had eggbeaters on my mtb. i had a pair of spd's i was going to throw on the roadie. i realized i needed another pair of shoes to make use of the spd's on the roadie.

long story short. you can't use road shoes on the trail and expect any performance. you need something with *ALOT* of cleats to hold you on the platform when you don't clip in. also you want a shoe with "teeth" when you bail off at the last minute and drag your bike uphill. any shoes this burly will look ridiculous on a road bike and IMHO, they should.

[Dirt]

I have the Zeros on my road bike. One problem I have with them is that they are hard to clip in to. Sometimes I have to stand, put my full weight on them, AND pull up on the bars to get in. Anyone else have this problem or do I just have them set up wrong?

From my experience, that is because you're clamping the cleat to the curved bottom of your shoe. I've solved that problem by putting a thin washer under either the front or back bolts of the cleat.

I honestly don't know if that is what Speedplay recommends or not. I just looked at the bottom of the pedal and cleat while the friend who was having the problem was trying to click in. Once I put a washer under each of the rear screws, the problem was solved.

I helped 2 other friends with that same solution and both reported positive results. A 4th person that I recommended that to never told me the results, so either they are angry at me becaues I didn't solve their problem, and thus not speaking to me, or they're having so much fun riding their bike that they can't be bothered to reply. (How's that for a run-on?)

Hope that helps.

Pete

[jfoley]

i've had the same problem from time to time with mine (well, speedplay Xs, not Zeros) and i've found the solution is a quick clean and then a quick squirt of teflon-based dry lube (like pedros ice wax) on the pedal body & edges. it's like night & day.

I have the Zeros on my road bike. One problem I have with them is that they are hard to clip in to. Sometimes I have to stand, put my full weight on them, AND pull up on the bars to get in. Anyone else have this problem or do I just have them set up wrong?

[jfoley]

speedplay actually make shims that are designed to fit onto the curved surface of your shoe and create a good surface for their cleat to sit on... the actual shim you use depends on the shoes & pedals you're using.

From my experience, that is because you're clamping the cleat to the curved bottom of your shoe. I've solved that problem by putting a thin washer under either the front or back bolts of the cleat.

I honestly don't know if that is what Speedplay recommends or not. I just looked at the bottom of the pedal and cleat while the friend who was having the problem was trying to click in. Once I put a washer under each of the rear screws, the problem was solved.

I helped 2 other friends with that same solution and both reported positive results. A 4th person that I recommended that to never told me the results, so either they are angry at me becaues I didn't solve their problem, and thus not speaking to me, or they're having so much fun riding their bike that they can't be bothered to reply. (How's that for a run-on?)

Hope that helps.

Pete

[punga]

I have the Zeros on my road bike. One problem I have with them is that they are hard to clip in to. Sometimes I have to stand, put my full weight on them, AND pull up on the bars to get in. Anyone else have this problem or do I just have them set up wrong?

When you only weigh 98 lbs, its sometimes hard to clip in :D

Seriously, Joe's idea about lube on the cleats makes a big difference. Especially, if there is any build of road crud, etc.

Check here (http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=shoeguide.sear chroad) to see if your shoes are compatible. Like Pete said, you may need to shim them. The speedplay designs seem especially sensitive to the curved bottoms of some shoes.

p!

[sourceofdenial]

I think if you posed this question to a road bike message board you'd get the opposite response, so maybe its a bit skewed here.

I would stay as far away as possible from eggbeaters and anything crank bros related pedals as possible. I've said it before, but I think its one of the only bike products that I can honestly wholeheartedly not recommend. I used a pair for cyclocross and mountain biking, and the click in feel was super vague compared to my Time ATACs, and while crank bros customer support was great--it had to be because the pedals were rebuilt twice at races and mailed in to get replaced. Meanwhile, I've run the same pair of Times since 1998, and all I've done is replace the bearings and replaced the little metal bars because I wore them down.

They package their products nice, support the races, but their quality leaves something to be desired. My old roommate had the same issue with his mallets, he was routinely sending them in to get them replaced because the bearings would bind, something would break prematurely, etc. It seems you either love them or hate them.

What kills it for me is the total lack of a positive 'click' feeling when you engage the pedal. Also the float feels super vague, almost like your foot is pedaling around on a patch of ice. Sucked for cross races. Times I thought I was in when I wasnt, and times I thought I was out when I was in. I think I threw them into the harbor at Gloucester Grand Prix or ran them over with my car.

[Dirt]

speedplay actually make shims that are designed to fit onto the curved surface of your shoe and create a good surface for their cleat to sit on... the actual shim you use depends on the shoes & pedals you're using.

Yup. I found that thin washers helped. I imagine that uneven torque might cause problems too. I don't know that for sure though.

The teflon lube idea sounds great. Thanks!

When you only weigh 98 lbs, its sometimes hard to clip in :D

Seriously, Joe's idea about lube on the cleats makes a big difference. Especially, if there is any build of road crud, etc.

Check here (http://www.speedplay.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=shoeguide.sear chroad) to see if your shoes are compatible. Like Pete said, you may need to shim them. The speedplay designs seem especially sensitive to the curved bottoms of some shoes.

p!

At 220, stomping on the pedals will have a somewhat different effect than it does for Joe. ;)

I saw the compatability check Punga. Thanks! My shoes are compatable. It looks like I will try a set.

Thanks for the great info on this thread.

Pete

[rsosborn]

I have the Zeros on my road bike. One problem I have with them is that they are hard to clip in to. Sometimes I have to stand, put my full weight on them, AND pull up on the bars to get in. Anyone else have this problem or do I just have them set up wrong?


your pedals should have come with shims to push the cleat away from the sole of your shoe. i know my crank brothers did. i think my spd's did also.

if you're using mtb shoes, you might want to check if knobs on your shoe soles are close to your cleats. this will make it hard for the pedal to snap in, also.

[joep]

speedplay actually make shims that are designed to fit onto the curved surface of your shoe and create a good surface for their cleat to sit on... the actual shim you use depends on the shoes & pedals you're using.

Thanks Joe, I'll look into it.

Pete: Washers?!? Ain't no $0.05 piece o' tin gonna be anywhere near my shiny red Sidis! Package them as light-weight high-grade alloy aero-discs and I might consider it...

(no more threadjackin', I promise)

[Dirt]

Pete: Washers?!? Ain't no $0.05 piece o' tin gonna be anywhere near my shiny red Sidis! Package them as light-weight high-grade alloy aero-discs and I might consider it...

(no more threadjackin', I promise)

JoeP: Hope makes these precision machined washers of different thicknesses that are used for centering their disc brake calipers on their old brakes. They cost $10 for a small bag. They would be ideal for those ruby slippers of yours.

There's no place like home. ;)

Pete

[rscobb]

I switched to speed play last year from look. Once clipped in the speed plays are wonderful, they feel like a big platform and really take all the wear are tear off my knees. However, getting into them is much harder than my look pedals. I have to really mash down hard to get them to engage. Have had a few problems getting going after stop lights because of the extra effort needed to clip in.

[walsh]

I switched to speed play last year from look. . . . Have had a few problems getting going after stop lights because of the extra effort needed to clip in.

That's no problem - Joe doesn't stop for red lights. (http://www.more-mtb.org/forum/showpost.php?p=59127&postcount=93)

:D

[Dirt]

TBL hooked me up with a pair of new Shimano road shoes and some Speedplay Zero Chromo pedals. I got them set up to specifications and they are quite nice. I may play with the rotational adjustments on them to somewhat limit the inward heel rotation. We'll see.

Clipping in is quite easy. I feel really weird without the centering spring. I'll let you know how it goes.

Pete

[blacknell]

Never even thought about the prospect of washer-shimming - I just used the shims that came with the cleats for the Zeros. And if you need to put any weight on it (and really, I can out do all a'y'all on that) to clip in, You're Doing It Wrong. :)

As for needing "teeth" on your MTB shoes . . . eh. I've got some nice Specialized BG Pro Carbon MTB shoes, and after a year's worth of use, they've not struck me as any more useful than the (similarly expensive) Sidi's I use when riding road. (And I raced both MTB (Cranky Monkey, SM100) and road (local crits, Giro di Coppi) last year. Then again, I can't say that I'd brag about any of those performances . . .).

Honestly, I'd like to unify applications and wear one pair of shoes (would certainly have saved me a few hundred dollars), but so far, I have to say that I've found that I've found different benefits with different shoes.

[joep]

TBL hooked me up with a pair of new Shimano road shoes and some Speedplay Zero Chromo pedals. I got them set up to specifications and they are quite nice. I may play with the rotational adjustments on them to somewhat limit the inward heel rotation. We'll see.

Clipping in is quite easy. I feel really weird without the centering spring. I'll let you know how it goes.

Pete

Took some lube to my Zeros and now they work better. Thanks Punga.

[Dirt]

Never even thought about the prospect of washer-shimming - I just used the shims that came with the cleats for the Zeros.

The thing I want to emphasize is that it is really easy to see if you need to shim your cleats. If you take the outer 2 plates off (the metal outer plate and the spring plate) and the base plate (the one that goes against the shoes) is not completely flat, then it needs a little more shim. Hold a ruler against the bottom to see if it is flat. The times that this worked, it was obvious that it was off.

The spring on thte Zeros is pretty stiff. These are definitely not effortless to click in. They are easier than any real racing pedal that I've used (read Dura Ace*, Look*, Time).

* It is possible to back the springs out on the Dura Ace and Look pedals to the point where they're easier to click in, but when you do so, they lose a lot of the security.

Hope that helps.

Pete

[plojaa]

I've got a line on a really sweet, lightly used, and very well-maintained 2004 Fuji Professional road bike. The fit is perfect, the price is definitely right. However, I need to get my own pedals for it. On MTB, I use Shimano M520/M540 pedals and like them a lot. What would be the road bike equivalent in terms of price/quality, etc.?

Hey...did you make a decision? I glanced thru this thread - lots of recommendations. I also am of the frame of mind to go w/ a road specific platform. I won't debate the +/-'s as I don't know them per se but choose the right tool for the job. I am switching to speedplays for wt savings (and I got a set of X2's for FREE) but have been a life long LOOK user - and would say their new Keo platform is probably equivalent to SPD's in terms of your needs. You can't go wrong w/ Look.

[saxman]

Hey...did you make a decision? I glanced thru this thread - lots of recommendations. I also am of the frame of mind to go w/ a road specific platform. I won't debate the +/-'s as I don't know them per se but choose the right tool for the job. I am switching to speedplays for wt savings (and I got a set of X2's for FREE) but have been a life long LOOK user - and would say their new Keo platform is probably equivalent to SPD's in terms of your needs. You can't go wrong w/ Look.

I need to first bring the bike home first, but I'm leaning towards the Wellgos for the short term. Once I get accustomed to the road bike (and, more importantly, my bank account recovers!), I'm leaning towards the Shimano SPD-SL platform with a road specific shoes. We'll see what happens. We're pretty early on in 2008.

[Dirt]

Speedplay Zero Chromos were awesome yesterday. I need to do a little adjusting of the float limits, but generally, they're almost perfect. I need to adjust my saddle height as the height is different from my old times.

JoeP: I can see a little of what you mean by them sometimes being hard to clip in. While I didn't have any trouble with mine, the springs are quite tight on these and they don't engague as easily as MTB pedals do. My taken on that is that they're not designed to. They're designed to hold your foot tighter.

Thanks again to all who gave input.

Pete

[Jackson]

Resurrecting an old thread. Looking at ditching the SPD's I'm running on my road bike in favor of something with a larger platform. Considering one of the Look models vs Speedplay. I'm getting pressure points with the Shimano's on the road bike - I'm thinking the transfer area is too small for my comfort, if that makes sense.

Any thoughts on the pros/cons of these two pedals, compared to each other?

[tuba_transport]

Resurrecting an old thread. Looking at ditching the SPD's I'm running on my road bike in favor of something with a larger platform. Considering one of the Look models vs Speedplay. I'm getting pressure points with the Shimano's on the road bike - I'm thinking the transfer area is too small for my comfort, if that makes sense.

Any thoughts on the pros/cons of these two pedals, compared to each other?

I use Speedplay Frogs and X2 on my road bikes. To me they feel like they have about the same platform. But then again the Frogs have a very large cleat. The X2 cleats last MUCH longer than the Frog cleats though for me.

I think Look only gives up to 9 degrees of float with the right cleat. X2 has something like 28 degrees. My knees need float.

Frogs are on the fixed gear so I can use my MTB winter boots, can more easily walk in MTB shoes, and need some mud clearance when using the CX tires on the Steamroller.

X2 are on the geared road bike cause I thought I needed a road cleat. I will probably stick with it if for no other reason than the cleat lasts a LONG time. The X2 is a lot more challenging to clip into than Frogs, but that might just be cause I have used Frogs for so many years.

[Pinoy Rider]

Resurrecting an old thread. Looking at ditching the SPD's I'm running on my road bike in favor of something with a larger platform. Considering one of the Look models vs Speedplay. I'm getting pressure points with the Shimano's on the road bike - I'm thinking the transfer area is too small for my comfort, if that makes sense.

Any thoughts on the pros/cons of these two pedals, compared to each other?

Adam L turned me on to X-5 Speedplays. Plenty of float. Easy in and out. Tried the light action speedplays on my wife's road bike and she was having a tough time getting out of them. We ended up back on the X-5. Todd runs spds on all of his bikes but he does have carbon soled sidis that might be the reason why he may not be having pressure point issues.