# SPDs on a road bike



## madlib (Sep 15, 2009)

are you able to put on SPD pedals on a road bike? I'm not looking forward to having a road bike shoe and clacking everywhere i walk.


----------



## Dr. Nob (Oct 8, 2007)

Short answer: Absolutely


----------



## tihsepa (Nov 27, 2008)

Why not?


----------



## natethomas2000 (Aug 2, 2009)

I've been rolling that way for the 18 months I've had my first road bike (Giant OCR1). I use my bike for a lot of commuting, and it's a lot easier to have mtb shoes for that purpose, especially when I get to work.

That said, I'm planning on getting a new bike in the spring and will upgrade pedals and shoes then. This bike will be more of a weekend/evening bike and be more performance orientated.


----------



## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

madlib said:


> are you able to put on SPD pedals on a road bike? *I'm not looking forward to having a road bike shoe and clacking everywhere i walk*.


Hey, I resemble that remark!  

IMO there are positives and negatives to most types (and cyclists will argue both sides), so if you're unfamiliar with the systems available, visit a reputable LBS and ask some questions, share some info about your riding style/ goals/ physical (knee) issues and choose based on what works best for you.


----------



## Guest (Sep 27, 2009)

Once it gets cold here I will have spd's on all my bikes so I can use one pair of winter shoes and I'm more likely to need to walk a bit once there is snow around.


----------



## madlib (Sep 15, 2009)

PJ352 said:


> Hey, I resemble that remark!
> 
> IMO there are positives and negatives to most types (and cyclists will argue both sides), so if you're unfamiliar with the systems available, visit a reputable LBS and ask some questions, share some info about your riding style/ goals/ physical (knee) issues and choose based on what works best for you.



lol not saying its a bad thing, but i like to ninja people so i need a little more silence


----------



## madlib (Sep 15, 2009)

thanks for the help guys and gals. I'm still confused on one thing, whats the difference between a road shoe and a mtb shoe OTHER than the way the cleats on the bottom are. For the most part they look kinda exactly the same.


----------



## madlib (Sep 15, 2009)

for example http://www.rei.com/product/783236 and http://www.rei.com/product/783240


----------



## Solomon76 (Jun 27, 2009)

In a nutshell: mtb shoes have recessed cleats and soles that you can comfortably walk around in. Road bike shoes have cleats that protrude from the sole of the shoe making them not that practical to walk around in. The part of the shoe above the sole can look exactly the same.


----------



## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

madlib said:


> for example http://www.rei.com/product/783236 and http://www.rei.com/product/783240


This is where the 'arguments' begin, then usually bleed into discussing the pluses and minuses of compatible pedal systems. 

Some will say that the design of the road shoe (cleats affixed to soles) allows for a stiffer sole, while others claim that mtn bike shoes (with recessed cleats) offer comparable stiffness.


----------



## madlib (Sep 15, 2009)

can road shoes fit SPD cleats??


----------



## PJ352 (Dec 5, 2007)

madlib said:


> can road shoes fit SPD cleats??


If you haven't done so already, this is worth a read.
http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=183844

Also, here are pics of SPD (first) and SPD-SL (second) set ups:
View attachment 178737


View attachment 178738


----------



## Slim Again Soon (Oct 25, 2005)

MTB on road bike -- that's what I do, for convenience and walkability.


----------



## John Nelson (Mar 10, 2006)

madlib said:


> can road shoes fit SPD cleats??


Some can. Some cannot.


----------



## newmexrb1 (Aug 16, 2009)

Why one would forego double sided entry and the ability to walk for a miniscule benefit is beyond me. Must be some evolutionary hangnail having to do with toe clips. Racers I can see. Average Joe, not. Bigger surface area, maybe. Thats why I bought Speedplay frogs. Actually have more surface area than the roadie versions. :thumbsup:


----------



## Doug B (Sep 11, 2009)

I've got MTB SPD pedals/shoes on my road bike and mountain bike... and I love it. Being able to walk around in relative ease is the shizzle.

Remember the days of riding with a shoe that was clinched into a pedal under a toe strap... being locked onto the bike and having to reach down and loosen the strap in order to get your feet out. I remember rolling-riding over another biker's rear tire and chain stays when he fell down in front of me. We were crossing RR tracks, about 4mph, he fell over right in front of me, I had no escape route other than to ride over top of him.


Oh, and Ford is better than Chevy,
and Coke is better than Pepsi,
and Futaba is better than JR (if you don't know, don't ask....)


----------



## madlib (Sep 15, 2009)

newmexrb1 said:


> Why one would forego double sided entry and the ability to walk for a miniscule benefit is beyond me. Must be some evolutionary hangnail having to do with toe clips. Racers I can see. Average Joe, not. Bigger surface area, maybe. Thats why I bought Speedplay frogs. Actually have more surface area than the roadie versions. :thumbsup:


i thought only road shoes fit the speedplay cleats? im confused lol!


----------



## asad137 (Jul 29, 2009)

I use SPD's so I can walk and use the same shoes on my commuter bike and my road bike. On recent group rides I've done, probably half of the riders were using SPD's on their road bikes.

Asad


----------



## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

newmexrb1 said:


> Why one would forego double sided entry and the ability to walk for a miniscule benefit is beyond me.:


False premises. For most people, once you get the hang of your pedal system, double-sided entry is itself a miniscule, almost non-existent benefit. I've been riding Looks for more than 20 years; I have no problem getting into them. Double-sided entry would add almost nothing. Second, the cleats don't make it impossible to walk; they just make it a little awkward. If you don't expect to walk much, it's not a real issue, IME.

That said, it's perfectly rational to choose a recessed-cleat system if walking more is an issue. They all work pretty well.


----------



## M400 (Sep 16, 2009)

natethomas2000 said:


> I've been rolling that way for the 18 months I've had my first road bike (Giant OCR1). I use my bike for a lot of commuting, and it's a lot easier to have mtb shoes for that purpose, especially when I get to work.
> 
> That said, I'm planning on getting a new bike in the spring and will upgrade pedals and shoes then. This bike will be more of a weekend/evening bike and be more performance orientated.


Have you decided which new pedal/shoes to buy? I am in the same boat and I am interested in how people move from MTB to Road pedals. - M400


----------



## Hank Stamper (Sep 9, 2009)

newmexrb1 said:


> Why one would forego double sided entry and the ability to walk for a miniscule benefit is beyond me.


Road bike pedals (well, mine anyway, shimano 105's) are weighted so as they are in the proper position for entry so double sided wouldn't be of any use.


----------



## M400 (Sep 16, 2009)

Hank Stamper said:


> Road bike pedals (well, mine anyway, shimano 105's) are weighted so as they are in the proper position for entry so double sided wouldn't be of any use.


How would you compare the 105s to MTB SPD pedals such as M520s?


----------



## newmexrb1 (Aug 16, 2009)

JCavilia said:


> False premises. For most people, once you get the hang of your pedal system, double-sided entry is itself a miniscule, almost non-existent benefit. I've been riding Looks for more than 20 years; I have no problem getting into them. Double-sided entry would add almost nothing. Second, the cleats don't make it impossible to walk; they just make it a little awkward. If you don't expect to walk much, it's not a real issue, IME.
> 
> That said, it's perfectly rational to choose a recessed-cleat system if walking more is an issue. They all work pretty well.


Maybe, maybe not. When I rode Looks they were seldom rotated in the proper position, and yes while I learned to deal with it, the learning curve was not w/o stumble here and there. The walking issue is not always a matter of expectation--sometimes things breakdown, and unless you have a ready rescue might require some hoofing. Cleat covers can help but one more item to not forget.

I guess my point is that I don't see the advantages of the road system over something like a speedplay frog besides the larger platform for pressure distribution. I do a fair amount of walking as I commute on my bike, run errands, etc and so it makes complete sense to use a MTB system. Seems like more and more are putting them on road bikes for whatever reason. To each his/her own.


----------



## hrumpole (Jun 17, 2008)

Having used both now, I find it easier to "scrape the mud" with a road pedal as opposed to an SPD. That may be because the cleat in the spd releases on a vertical plane as well as a horizontal one. The SPD-SLs are taking some getting used to.


----------



## jshih (Sep 18, 2009)

I have been using shimano SPD m-540 pedal/Sidi Dominator shoes for the last 2 years. No problem at all. Very easy to get on/off


----------



## JCavilia (Sep 12, 2005)

newmexrb1 said:


> Maybe, maybe not. When I rode Looks they were seldom rotated in the proper position, and yes while I learned to deal with it, the learning curve was not w/o stumble here and there. The walking issue is not always a matter of expectation--sometimes things breakdown, and unless you have a ready rescue might require some hoofing. Cleat covers can help but one more item to not forget.
> 
> I guess my point is that I don't see the advantages of the road system over something like a speedplay frog besides the larger platform for pressure distribution. I do a fair amount of walking as I commute on my bike, run errands, etc and so it makes complete sense to use a MTB system. Seems like more and more are putting them on road bikes for whatever reason. To each his/her own.


Everything's a tradeoff. 



> Cleat covers can help but one more item to not forget.


I always use the cleat covers with my Look cleats, and they do help, a lot. Forgetting them is not an issue. They only come off the shoes when I get on the bike, and then they go in the jersey pocket or seat bag. When I get home, they go back on the shoes, as soon as I get off the bike. If you're used to walking with them, you know instantly if you take 2 steps without them.

I haven't tried every pedal system in existence, so I'm not the world's foremost expert. My point was only that the 2 disadvanteges you noted aren't significant IME, so they're easily traded off for the possibly small advantage of the large, stable platform.

I do use one other system. On my rainy-day commuter/errand bike I have the dual-function pedals with a plain ("platform") pedal on one side and a spd mech on the other. I use mtb bike shoes for my commute, and whatever I'm wearing for around town. It's an acceptable system, and one I'd probably use if I had only one bike, but I do feel like I can comfortably put out more power, especially at high cadences or hard sprint/climb efforts, with the Looks and road shoes. Better shoes with the spd's might negate much of that difference.


----------



## xtrsmith (Mar 4, 2009)

SPD mountain bike pedals will allow you to clip in easier because there are clips on both sides of the pedal.


----------



## lionheartdds (Mar 24, 2007)

madlib said:


> are you able to put on SPD pedals on a road bike? I'm not looking forward to having a road bike shoe and clacking everywhere i walk.


Yes-you can put pretty much any pedal you want on a road bike.

As far as clacking everywhere you go with road shoes-they do make rubber cleat covers 

I started with SPD pedals and MTB shoes for the same reason, but after less than a year, switched to Shimano road pedals later-less play in the pedals, more efficient (imho) than SPD's or at least if feels that way to me. 

Do what ever works for you. SPD's are a LOT easier to clip out of, and most (almost all) of my embarrasing moments at stops unable to clip out were on Shimano road clips or Look Keo clips.


----------



## BlueGrassBlazer (Aug 4, 2009)

I've always used SPD pedals. I got them specifically in the event I have an issue I can't fix and have to walk a long distance. 
Yeah, I'm anal but....


----------



## Ibashii (Oct 23, 2002)

I used SPDs for riding and racing for years. Nothing stopping you, not even the Road Bike Fashion Police. In fact, the only reason I switched to Speedplay Zeros was due to some knee trouble that was potentially related to the centering float of the SPD, and perhaps even too much float (rare but possible). The pedals were part of a whole series of changes I made at that time, so I can't even say for sure that it was the pedals that fixed the problem. With the Zeros I can control the float 100%, which I like...but if I hadn't had this problem, I would still be racing in SPDs, because I had them, they worked and with good stiff shoes don't make any difference performance-wise.

Also, this is a good way to make the a$$hats show themselves: anyone who gives you attitude because of the type of pedals you use is to be avoided.


----------



## Tommy Walker (Aug 14, 2009)

Shimano makes a A540 Pedal that uses SPD's, but are classed as a road pedal instead of MTB. I also like the Shimano shoe, the RD76 and the MB76 one is road and the other is mountain bike, they are the same shoe but the MB has the Mountain Bike Bottom.

Some of the higher end shoes do not have the holes for the SPD cleats.

Using SPD's is a good idea; it took me a while to get used to Speedplay and I ended up paying a lot more because I have SPD's on my hybrid and Speedplays on my road, so I needed 2 pair of shoes; I use the MTB75 for the hybrid and the RD75 for the road. I think the SPD's are easier to use in traffic as well as small bike paths because I can get out of them faster.


----------



## BCJek (Apr 7, 2006)

I'm a 16 Km per day commuter in all kinds of weather. I ride a cyclocross bike [Kona Jake the Snake] with Shimano SPD's. I love it.

I have summer MTB shoes with ventilation, in the rain I wear the same shoes with Goretex socks or waterproof MTB "boots".


----------



## Ibashii (Oct 23, 2002)

Tommy Walker said:


> Shimano makes a A540 Pedal that uses SPD's, but are classed as a road pedal instead of MTB. I also like the Shimano shoe, the RD76 and the MB76 one is road and the other is mountain bike, they are the same shoe but the MB has the Mountain Bike Bottom.
> 
> Some of the higher end shoes do not have the holes for the SPD cleats.
> 
> Using SPD's is a good idea; it took me a while to get used to Speedplay and I ended up paying a lot more because I have SPD's on my hybrid and Speedplays on my road, so I needed 2 pair of shoes; I use the MTB75 for the hybrid and the RD75 for the road. I think the SPD's are easier to use in traffic as well as small bike paths because I can get out of them faster.


You really notice a difference in getting out of Speedplays vs. SPDs? Just like you I ride them both and can't say one is easier or harder than the other...they're both easy-off and easy to find getting back on, no problems either way.


----------



## Tommy Walker (Aug 14, 2009)

lbashii,

I think since I used the SPD's first, it was harder to adjust to the Speedplays, plus I was now on a Road bike instead of a hybrid, so you can imagine the stories I have about falling. 

I'm used to the Speedplays now.


----------



## BCJek (Apr 7, 2006)

I've been on SPD's on the road for years - mind you, I ride a cyclocross bike with road tires. I have yet to find a commute that does not involve some walking, even if it is from the front door of the building to where I store my bike.


----------



## robpar (Jan 26, 2008)

M400 said:


> Have you decided which new pedal/shoes to buy? I am in the same boat and I am interested in how people move from MTB to Road pedals. - M400


 I use shimano SPD road pedals on my road bike and Spd MTB pedals on my mountain bike. I use road shoes with SPD cleats on my road bike. It's a little difficult to walk but when I ride I don't walk...


----------

