# Mtb pedals on a road bike



## msg98 (Oct 27, 2011)

Are there good reasons other than weight to not have mtb pedals on a road bike? how big is the weight penalty -- does anyone have any good data for how big a difference it makes? -- given it's rotating mass it may be a bigger deal than it seems, but would love to get better sense since top mtb shoes are pretty close in weight to road shoes, are easier to walk and of course allow one to only have 1 pair for both types of riding. thanks for the advice.


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## Peter P. (Dec 30, 2006)

The extra weight is due to the double sided design of ATB pedals and the hard steels necessary for the pedals to survive trail abuse.

There's no way you'll ever say, "I got dropped because of these damn heavy shoes and pedals!", so don't sweat it and install them on a road bike. You'll piss off the fashion police but that's about all.


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## MisterMike (Aug 12, 2004)

For me I like the larger platform something like an spd-sl offers. I don't get off and walk around either. That's all the reasons I need really


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## Randy99CL (Mar 27, 2013)

The difference depends on how much of a fanatic you are.
Is there a difference in weight and does it matter to you?
Do you ride enough hours that the stiffer soles of road shoes might make a difference?
Do you care about style and what others think about you?

Lots of people use "mountain" pedals on road bikes.

I have Candy 2s on both bikes. They're fairly light, look good and work well.
I had stiff road shoes with Look cleats 20 years ago and didn't like walking in them.
I don't often ride more than a couple of hours.
I ride my "around town" bike almost every day. To the grocery store, library, restaurants and coffee shop. On those trips I always walk more than ride and my mountain shoes don't slip on a tile floor.
I absolutely could not care less what someone else thinks about me.


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## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

Why do you assume there is a weight penalty?

When pedals and cleats are taken together, and with a light Mtb shoe there's no reason for any weight penalty.


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## Trek_5200 (Apr 21, 2013)

I use SPD'S. I don't for one minute think about the ten grams, but do think of the convenience of being able to get off the bike and walk.


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## Wetworks (Aug 10, 2012)

Trek_5200 said:


> I use SPD'S. I don't for one minute think about the ten grams, but do think of the convenience of being able to get off the bike and walk.


This, especially when you have no choice BUT to walk. :yesnod:


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## ornoth (Oct 9, 2005)

I run mountain SPDs. I haven't found any disadvantages, but here are a couple advantages beyond simply being able to walk around...

In addition to being recessed, the cleats are steel. They hardly wear at all, unlike most road cleats which need more frequent replacement, especially if you walk around much.

In my experience, double-sided entry means I can clip in from a stop and get 3-4 pedal strokes down the road while most riders are still fiddling at the line with their single-sided road pedals.


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## tlg (May 11, 2011)

Not all MTB SPD's are dual sided. So there isn't a weight penalty. These are the same weight as Ultegra Carbon pedals. Including cleats, they're probably lighter.


















Depending what shoes you choose, there are MTB shoes which are lighter than road shoes.


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## RkFast (Dec 11, 2004)

There CAN BE a significant weight penalty depending on what shoes/pedals you decide to go with. MTB shoes/pedals are typically heavier. The other issue is the platform, itself. The road specific pedal platforms are larger and that's a big help. Road shoe soles, I believe, tend to be stiffer. 

So overall, there are definitely advantages for the "right" pedals/shoes on the "right bike." But with that said, lots of people go with MTB shoes/pedals because they would rather deal with any "penalty" and have things like commonality between their road and MTB bikes, want only one pair of shoes, like the MTB treaded sole and recessed cleat, etc.

Like most things on bikes, look at pros/cons of the different setups youre considering, decide what attributes are most important and purchase accordingly.


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## MaxSE (Aug 27, 2014)

I use one sided 520's on my fixed which are only 360g, mainly so I can use my same MTB shoes. But just getting more into road bikes and planning to get some road shoes and road specific SPD's. One of the big reasons is to get some lighter and stiffer shoes - I weighed my Shimano DX shoes (which are awesome for off-road) and _one _shoe was 650g. A reasonable pair of roads shoes is under 500g _pair _at least.

I've always used Shimano clipless shoes and pedals - since the first batch of M737's came into the UK around 1990 - and I still have them now including the SH M100 shoes!


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## wgscott (Jul 14, 2013)

I used Mtn bike pedals on my road bike for about 15 years without even knowing there was any difference. I just thought they were a different (incompatible) design alternative, and it was much easier just to have SPDs for all of my bikes. I actually got them to replace the canonical road bike pedals because I thought they were an improvement. Ditto on the shoes.


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## jetdog9 (Jul 12, 2007)

Once you figure out how to flip them with your toe/cleat, to me road pedals are actually easier to get into even if single-sided, and the platform feels bigger. But I ran mountain SPD's for years before I switched and they worked just fine.


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## tednugent (Apr 26, 2010)

msg98 said:


> Are there good reasons other than weight to not have mtb pedals on a road bike? how big is the weight penalty -- does anyone have any good data for how big a difference it makes? -- given it's rotating mass it may be a bigger deal than it seems, but would love to get better sense since top mtb shoes are pretty close in weight to road shoes, are easier to walk and of course allow one to only have 1 pair for both types of riding. thanks for the advice.


unless you're a weight weenie... it's not a big deal to use mtb pedals for both bikes. It's one less pair of shoes to buy... and if you're going somewhere... one less thing to forget.

Yes, the MTB can be heavier, due to the tread cleats that give it clearance for the MTB pedal cleat so you can walk/hike/run (jump over barriers, etc)....

so... whatever floats your boat & budget.

If you want a platform for the casual rides, there are SHimano "touring pedals"...


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## plag (Apr 30, 2007)

I have XTR pedals on both my roadbike and 29er.

No issues at all I can clip in quickly and walk perfect in my mtb shoes.


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## Bill2 (Oct 14, 2007)

Makes no difference. I've switched my road bike to SPDs a few months ago and won't be switching back. Although now I have 2 new useless spare sets of Campy Pro fit cleats. Ebay maybe.


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## CliffordK (Jun 6, 2014)

I went ahead and put some SPD pedals on my bike a few months ago.

I like the idea of shoes that were easy to walk in with the cleats, and they even looked somewhat like casual walking shoes. I must admit that they aren't great for walking in all day, but are fine for around a store or visiting friends for a few minutes.

I've gotten used to kicking toe clips up, so I assume I could learn to use any type of clip, single sided or double sided.


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## adjtogo (Nov 18, 2006)

I first started riding a road bike 10 years ago and bought MTB pedals and shoes, as I liked the idea of the double sided pedals and being able to walk better in MTB shoes as opposed to road bike shoes. About five years ago, maybe a little less, I switched to road bike shoes and pedals because I had begun to ride in group rides and wanted to be considered "a serious rider". I became a "weight weenie" and got engrossed in shaving off weight here and there when I could, thinking it would make me faster. I never did like the feel of the single sided road bike pedals and slipperiness of the road bike shoes and how awkward they felt trying to walk in them, but I wanted to be like the "fellow" group riders.

In January, 2013, I had a second stent placed in my heart and gave up riding in group rides. During my recovery, I decided I was going to go back to just enjoying the ride at my own pace, at my own speed, and however many miles I wanted to go and stop when I want, rather than ride at one of two paces, fast and faster. It seemed like the group's only goal was to drop as many cyclists as they could along the way and see who could get back to the finish line first. I decided I didn't need to ride with them speedsters anymore. I decided to go back to riding with MTB pedals and MTB shoes. I bought Shimano PD-M530 SPD Trail Pedals. It has a wide platform and it is a double sided pedal. 

While the pedals might weigh just a tad more than road bike pedals, I like the fact that they are double sided and have a wide platform to support my feet. I like the Sidi Dominator 5 shoes I have as well. They are very well built and very comfortable to ride in.


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## BvT (Jan 17, 2014)

Nothing wrong with MTB pedals on a roadbike in my book. Proper XC MTB shoes shouldn't feel less stiff compared to road shoes. 
For the double-side-entry-fans speedplay road-pedals might be an option. Love the floating system, but walking on those bricks... err, cleats, is quite challenging.


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## FastWayne (May 20, 2014)

Speedplay Zero Ti's w/Sidi Genius Carbon, today I switched to spd's and Shimano M162 mt bike shoe. I had a couple of slips attempting to engage the Speedplays, the carbon sole slipped on the pedals. Both times the pedals rammed my shins. I may have had a bone bruise on one. After the second injury, I needed a change. I installed Origin8 spds, a very good quality and light weight. The Shoes are heavier but I never noticed it once pedaling. The new Shimano/SPD set up immediately felt great. I feel I have more pull up power and spins up fast. Walking was a treat, but the performance is what really stood out over anything else. Probably not going back to Sidi/Speedplay anytime soon; )


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