[Closed] A quick pedal question ….. Road vs. Off-road

Hmm... I'm not sure I would see the point to be honest! I switch between the two fairly frequently, a good week might involve a 1-2hr blast on the road bike one day, maybe a quick blast on the gravel bike another day and a longer ride on one or the other at the weekend.

Switching between shoes and pedals is just second nature really. Only benefit I would see is the opportunity to save useful weight on my road shoes for not too much money (I think I could genuinely save about 3-400g with a £200 pair of shoes, where else can you save that on a bike?) but I'd guess lightweight gravel/MTB shoes might cost more.

They're slightly more comfortable over longer distances, but if you're using a carbon soled MTB shoe you aren't going to notice much difference. If you had Time MTB pedals you might notice more difference, as you're more firmly anchored into a road SPD pedal, but with Shimano they're a lot closer in feel.

Flip side is they're crap for any kind of walking, including just getting off the bike to walk into a café.

I used spd’s on the road for years with out issues.

The real difference for me was when I splashed out on some nice road shoes. Very light, very stiff. It makes some difference but not huge. Of course I had to change pedals too, but I think that made less of a difference than the shoes

The main thing for me is the contact/ platform/ whateveryouwanttocallit is so much more solid on road pedals and cleats. You also generally get a lot more (and easier) cleat adjustment to get them absolutely spot on setup-wise. It probably won't change your life but nice light shoes with a rock solid interface on a road bike is a nice thing 🙂

I have Speedplays on the summer road bike and SPDs on everything else.

If I was starting again I would probably just use SPDs for everything, particularly in view of the choice of shoes available now. The gravel fad has led to a lot more road/gravel orientated shoes being available in 2 bolt fitting.

I moved from shimano mtb to road pedals when I bought some heat mouldable roadie shoes. The shoes are great but I was quite happy with the old SPD type pedals & cleats

Roadie pedals can only be clipped in from one side, and the cleats last months rather than the years of metal SPD cleats.

I find SPD's easier to walk in the Road SPD's, with your wee bit of gravel, how far would your walk be if you punctured?

There's no simple answer. It really depends where you are on the gnar/tarmac scale. If you are truly not unclipping on your rides then you'll gain a little performance (and perhaps sole comfort) with  really stiff shoes and road pedals. My gravel rides usually incorporate more techy terrain In parts so a shoe I can walk in is more important. I've had a lot of success with CB Candy's. The small platform surrounding the cleat interface helps with sole pressure, they still clear well and I can use treaded sole shoes. I'm not riding at a level where I'd notice any performance benefit of s stiffer soled shoe.

I'm not sure what you mean about slipping off the front of the pedal. It's not a problem I have with the Candy's.

Flip side is they’re crap for any kind of walking, including just getting off the bike to walk into a café.

If I was starting again I would probably just use SPDs for everything

done loads of road riding on MTBs/gravel bike with SPD over the years, always had decent stiff shoes, never been uncomfortable. Have Speedplay Zero with silly light shoes on the proper road bike, perhaps get slightly more watts or whatever (never tested!) but they need to be set up [I]just right[/I] (including shoe tightness!) to be as comfortable, plus they are horrendous for walking any distance in comparison to my SPD shoes where the cleat is recessed.

And FWIW I used Time Atacs+disco slippers on my road bike for years before finally getting round to getting some road shoes+pedals - and I wouldn't go back. Road pedals are definitely nicer to use, but equally definitely not necessary.

If you're doing any kind of technical gravel riding I'd avoid them, though - if you have to unclip in a hurry in a rocky area the chances of you falling off are greatly increased.

I only have one bike with Road SPD-SL pedals fitted, my "Proper" summer use only road bike. Everything else including my winter road bike and gravel bike use 2 sided SPDs (M520 for the most part)

If it came down to it I'd chop in the SPD-SLs before the MTB type pedals, they are the more versatile option.

The Road pedals are a bit stiffer and a bit lighter, but there's a bit more technique to getting clipped in (being single sided and naturally hanging nose up) and if you do have to get off and walk the lack of tread and huge plastic cleats on either shoe are bloody awful to waddle about on, wincing while you grind them down with every step.

TBH a large chunk of roadies don't actually bother with road specific pedals, and if you're mixing in a bit of off-road/gravel riding where there's always a chance you'll need to get off and walk, I'd honestly stick to the 2 bolt SPD pedals & shoes. you can still buy some posher light/stiff MTB shoes and get some of the same benefits.

I've got some nice carbon road and mid range carbon XC shoes. The road shoes are still nicer, there's just zero rock or instability in them. And the float has a slight friction to it so they don't feel loose and rattly. They're nicely optimised for pedaling, whereas XC pedals are compromised to deal with mud, etc.

I've currently got XC pedals on my road bike as the dog ate the buckles on my road shoes, and I'm not paying COVID tax ammounts for spare buckles!

The main thing for me is the contact/ platform/ whateveryouwanttocallit is so much more solid on road pedals and cleats. You also generally get a lot more (and easier) cleat adjustment to get them absolutely spot on setup-wise. It probably won’t change your life but nice light shoes with a rock solid interface on a road bike is a nice thing 🙂

+1, sums it up nicely.

I wouldn't take road pedals off-road. Even walking relatively short distances kills the cleats and the soles of the shoes (there's no tall tread blocks to lift them clear of gravel and stones). And the slightest hint of mud jams them.

came from a mix of SPD/SL and speedplay on the road based bikes and M540's on the hardtail.
Since the road bikes have basically disappeared/morphed into a road/gravel/tour/packing do-it-all
beastie the pedal/shoe arena has also morphed into SPD's on evrything.
Some XTR 9100's - nice wide platform for the shoes, XT 8100's on 2 others which are quite nice and
a pair of the Look X-Track ones which have a wider platform than the Xt's but not as wide as the XTR's - oh and the clip in is way softer in feel than the Shimano ones. Not sure I like that bit !
As to shoes - Lake MX176 for daily commuting - bit soft and squidgy under foot and some MX238's for
"fun days" as they're carbon soled and plenty stiff 🙂

Much prefer the current setup of double sided pedals, walkable shoes and cleats that last an age.

Shimano produce adaptors to use 2 bolt cleats on 3 bolt shoes, I've always used 2 bolt spd on road and haven't found it a particular hinderance.

I switched from 2006 2-bolt Time ATACs on my road bike to 3-bolt Time Xpro10s a few years back, putting the old ATACs on my commuter. Feels like the big 3-bolt platform helps on the road bike, but 2-bolt with the recessed brass cleats are great for journeys requiring plenty of unclipping moments.

Got both. I commuted with XT SPD's and decent MTB shoes. just made walking to and from the bike shed easy.

My road bikes have top end Look Delta pedals coupled with Spech Pro Carbon shoes - absolute nightmare to walk in, the carbon being slippy as ****. Clipping in is fine, but you won't be walking far. I've had no issues with long distances on MTB SPD's.

The only issue is MTB SPD's look fugly and road bikes aren't about fugly (here's looking at you roadies with disc brakes).

Personally I prefer a MTB spd to a road - especially if it's gravel. I've the grx pedals and some decathlon shoes which seem a good match and mix for comfort and walking - the only arse being that they are one sided so unless your used to flip flopping the pedals Id suggest sticking to a standard MTB pedal.

And FWIW I used Time Atacs+disco slippers on my road bike for years

This, I have Time atac mtb pedals on all my bikes. I have never used proper road shoes and pedals, can't see the point.

I have SPD-SL (three bolt) on the road bike, and SPD (two bolt) on the gravel bike. The rock solid platform that SPD-SL gives me on the road bike is great for sure, but if there's any chance at all that I'd be putting my foot down on something that isn't paved then SPD all the way.

This, I have Time atac mtb pedals on all my bikes. I have never used proper road shoes and pedals, can’t see the point.

I had Time atacs on my road bike, and swapped them for the above SPD-SL's when I was given them for free. I'd been thinking 'what's the point' as well, but as soon as I tried riding up a hill on the SL's my thought was that they were the pedal my bike had deserved all along.

if you want the walkability of an SPD shoe for gravelly feet down bits or ease of cafe use plus the extra support of a road pedal then the single sided and catchily named Shimano PD-ES600 SPD or PD-A520 SPD pedals are a great compromise
there's definitely more pedal contact than a standard SPD with noticeably less side to side yaw and with a decent set of stiff soled shoes the difference in feel over a 'proper' road set up is marginal

the Ultegra level Shimano PD-ES600 even looks ok on a road bike, if that bothers you

I've effectively gone from road shoes and pedals to off-road since I got my gravel bike, even though my riding is still mostly tarmac. The biggest downside I've found is actually creaking cleats, to the point that I've started taking a little bottle of lube on long rides just to keep them quiet. Dunno if I have a particularly unfortunate combination of pedal and shoe or something.
Performance wise I haven't really felt like I've lost much, but then I'm more of a cruiser than a racer. I suspect I might notice a difference though if I went back the other way to SPD-SLs, if that makes sense!

I used Time Atacs+disco slippers on my road bike for years before finally getting round to getting some road shoes+pedals – and I wouldn’t go back.

Conversely…

I used Look and Shimano road pedals on my road bike for years before finally getting round to selling them and using ATACs for everything – and I wouldn’t go back.

Ease of walking is the deal breaker for me. With decent shoes I don’t miss the very minor benefits of road cleats.