Ordered my road bike now What pedals SPD or SPD-SL?

[kopite]

Hey all,

i`ve finally chose my road bike and have ordered it in the correct side.

Now I have the decision on pedals. The chap in the bike shop said that although there are road and mtb clipless pedals a lot of road racers now use the mtb pedals because they are easier to clip into being 2 sided and once you are riding there isnt much difference in feeling.

So what are the riders views?

[Dooms]

I fitted a pair of these to my MTB commuter (Cube Analog 29er) last night and the 10mile ride to work this morning was fine. The 2 sides pedals are a bit strange to get used to, basically mine have the cleat side facing upwards when the pedal is at its high point and the flat side when on low so you just need to get used to it

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[b0redom]

What distance are you looking at doing and how much clipping in and out? On my first road(ish) bike I got SPDs. They're way easier to clip into, and if you're commuting they're a bit more bulletproof - they're made of metal instead of plastic and recessed into the shoe.

On my newer shiny carbon road bike, I have SPD-SLs. They're much more of a pain to get clipped in, as you can only clip in one side. Quite a few times I've misjudged it, put some power on the pedal, my foot has slipped off and I've nailed my nuts on the top tube. They're also much more fragile - made of plastic - and sit proud of the shoe so they're uncomfortable to walk in. To give you an example of how they compare. I've only ever had a single pair of SPD cleats/pedals in about 4 or 5 years of commuting. I'm on my 3rd set of SPD-SL cleats in 18 months on my road bike and am commuting less.

One of the problems is that coming to a junction I was accustomed to unclipping and putting my foot down as I stopped, not a problem with metal cleats, but it grazes the plastic.

The upside of SPD-SLs is that once you are clipped in, they allow a wider area to dissipate the force through, so theoretically you're less likely to get 'hotspots'. They're also lighter - but only marginally.

TL;DR version:

Buy SPDs if you're doing shorter distances/commuting/stopping and starting a lot.
Buy SPD-SL if you're doing long distances/not stopping at many junctions.

[kopite]

Well I am only starting out riding so For now I`ll prolly be doing 10-20 miles on a ride.


I`ve got spd pedals ordered as I had to spend the 50 quid accessory. The bloke said I can change to spd sl when the bike comes in....

I`ll also need to get some shoes any suggestions?

[b0redom]

Well I am only starting out riding so For now I`ll prolly be doing 10-20 miles on a ride.


I`ve got spd pedals ordered as I had to spend the 50 quid accessory. The bloke said I can change to spd sl when the bike comes in....

I`ll also need to get some shoes any suggestions?

I'd probably stick with SPDs then. My first shoes were Specialized Tahoe, they were great - a bit heavy, but very easy to walk in - the cleat was completely recessed.

TBH though, shoes are a very personal thing - try a few on and see what fits/feels good.