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SHIMANO PEDALS PD-A520

New budget pedal aimed at SPD users on the road

Posted: 3 June 2005
by Guy Andrews
RC
Ideal for Audax...
This is a New-look SPD pedal from Shimano, aimed road/MTB cross over users, perfect for Audax, touring and commuting in less race orientated shoes. All the benifits of the off-road pedal (including axles, cleats and spares) in a more road looking package.

Shimano says:
The PD-A520 SPD pedal is perfect for advanced road racers who are looking for a fairly priced, high-quality racing pedal. The new PD-A520 excels, like all Shimano pedals, in performance and ease of use.

The SPD system guarantees a secure and safe connection, and enables you to easily engage and disengage under all circumstances. Furthermore the pedal is very maintenance friendly due to the closed-axle unit. Of course the pedal can be easily adjusted to personal preference with the adjustable spring pre tension.
Weight: 315 grams.
Application: Sport, tour and road

From: Ultimate Pursuits

More information: Shimano

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Ollie C
Are these double sided? If they are then I am quite tempted by them as I currently run a MTB SPD pedal on my road bike.
Posted: 03/06/2005 10:32


M@
No, they're single sided- you dont need two sides on the road!
Posted: 03/06/2005 10:54


Ollie C
Except I use my road bike mainly for commuting having to flip the pedal at busy traffic junctions is a no no for me. Hey ho I'll just stick to my PD-540's.
Posted: 03/06/2005 11:09


Mark Tann
Ollie,

Have you considered something like a pair of 105 SPD-SL's?. The pedals actually hang correctly so entry into this single sided pedal is absolutely easy. The tension system at the back of the pedal is heavier than the front.
Posted: 03/06/2005 12:20


Ollie C
Hi Mark,

SPD-SL is a different system to regular SPDs isn't it? The reason I ask is that I currently only have one pair of clipless shoes which I use for commuting, trail riding and XC racing!
Posted: 03/06/2005 12:23


Mark Tann
Looking at the new pedals it looks like they take different cleats.

Were you looking at perhaps a different pair of pedals which take the same cleats as the one's you have?

I wouldn't have thought the SPD-SLs would be suitable for trail riding..
Posted: 03/06/2005 13:00


M@
Them PD-A520s take SPD cleats, whereas SPD-SLs take...would you believe it...SPD-SL cleats!
Posted: 03/06/2005 13:03


SloBoy
I quite fancy these - although you can also still find A515, so no idea which is better.

Since hopping on the road bike, I do tend to find I can feel how small the contact area - never seemed to notice on the MTB.

I'd rather keep using the same shoes. They're crap - but for offroad, they're really crap, so if I wanted another pair, it would probably be another off road set. Maybe one that could actually shed mud.
Posted: 03/06/2005 13:35


hozza
I`ve had a pair of these about 2 months and they are great,miles better and lighter than 515`s and dead easy to clip in and out of and they only cost 30 quid.
Posted: 03/06/2005 17:13


raymond mc callin
What type of cleats are suitable for the shimano PD-A520 pedals
Posted: 04/06/2005 21:46


M@
SH51s at a guess.
Posted: 05/06/2005 00:00


hozza
Matt you guessed right
Posted: 05/06/2005 18:46


Bill Koraska
They will also take the SH52's. One is multi release and the other single. I've been using these for about 3 months and they are way superior to the A515's. You can actually clip inot these without having to look at them. The lager contact area makes them much more comfortable for road use. I tried the A515 first and they are on the turbo trainer.
Posted: 06/06/2005 21:23


M@
Never had a problem with not being able to clip in without looking at the pedal....
Posted: 06/06/2005 21:31


SloBoy
Is there a dependence on cleat stack height ? Or do all shoes toting an SPD cleat have the same depth of recessed cleats ?

Otherwise I would though the benefit of the platform would depend on the relative heights of the cleat and outer sole.
Posted: 06/06/2005 22:25


Bill Koraska
I've used them with 3 different makes of shoes without any difference. (Specialized, Shimano, and Pearl Izumi) So they must be some sort of loose standard.

I don't need to look at the Look pedals or the A520's, but the A515's were a pain. 9 times out of 10 I would be trying to clip into the backside of the pedal.
Posted: 07/06/2005 13:19


Arthur Heaton
I've got them and I love them, they work with road shoes and MTB shoes,
Magic !!
Posted: 08/06/2005 15:53

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