[Closed] Spd ' a for road use.

I use cheap spd’s (may be the same as yours actually) on my road bike. Works well enough for me but I’m no tarmac fiend.

I've always used SPD's on road bikes-25 years.

I don't think there's any difference in feel among them.

Road pedals do give a more stable platform, but cleats last no time, and I've never seen anyone wear covers.

I don’t think you’ll notice much difference between spds unless you go for ones with a big platform and use shoes that’ll take advantage of it.

Road spd-sl’s are a bit harder to get into and then you’ve got the clear wearing drama.

I’ve been on spds on my commute bike for a while now but as summer is almost back and I’ve upped my mileage I’m going to give spd-sl’s a go again. Prob just remind me how awkward they are to clip in quickly out of junctions!

For very road days I use Speedplay pedals and cleat covers are very much necessary. But for everything else I use Time ATAC.

M520s (the £16 ones) are my all time favourite commuting pedals. Used them for years, never service them and when the cleats need replacing just get some new pedals too for an extra £2.

Shimano touring pedals. Best of both worlds and as light as XTR.

Atacs for everythinq from MTB to 200mile road rides.

Commuting - Shimano SPDs, just because there's always some walking at either end.
I definitely prefer SPD-SLs (the 'road' ones) for proper road bike rides, as long as I don't have to walk anywhere in them.

Stiffer shoes will make some difference on standard SPDs but the level of the pedal not at all. My XTRs feel the same as my PD-M520s as far as my foot is concerned.

Time ATAC on the mtb. Time road pedals (a decade old. RXS I think) on the roads.

With really stiff shoes. It really is better for the road. The time cleats have rubber corners so you can ‘walk’ in them.

To be frank I just waddle the few paces I ever make off the bike during a road ride. It looks daft but who really cares.

If I was going touring or had a long walk at the end of a commute I’d use mtb shoes and mtb pedals - it’s what I do with the gravel bike after all. But for road rides (which rarely have me putting afoot down for hours at a time) it’s road shoes, and road pedals.

Shimano M520 are the so called "bottom of the range". They are brilliant. I use them on my road bikes with stiff soled mtb shoes (so I can walk properly when off the bike). Never any worries about them. Rode 70 miles today, and that's not unusual. They just work. And they are cheap. And they last forever.

You could use Time Atac but they have no play in them so your foot is locked solid in one position at the preset tension decided by Time. I tried them but like to set my own tension for release.

Another plus point about M520 is that they are double sided, so you gain those precious few extra milliseconds when taking part in the traffic lights Grand Prix.

I tend to ride my m520'd gravel bike to work at the moment in normal XC type shoes or occasionally I have a pair of trainer type spss.

My old commuter (drop bar, fixed) had some big old red M636 DX pedals fitted, a bit incongruous perhaps, but work with any SPD shoe and fine with normal shoes for popping to the shops or pub...

You could use Time Atac but they have no play in them so your foot is locked solid in one position at the preset tension decided by Time.

Not sure if yours are different from the various pairs I've been using for the last 20 years but this couldnt be a more wrong statement

Still using a pair of 2006 Time ATAC XS Carbon pedals on the road bike, their float is far kinder to my knees than the Shimano pedals, given I'm very bow-legged sue to walking at ~6 months... Many decades ago!

For about a year, I've been pondering buying a 3-bolt pedal/shoe combo, for the bigger contact patch, more rigid sole and reduced weight... But every time I add the pedals and shoes I like to an online shop basket, my eyes wince at the ~£210 price tag!