Quite a simple one.

I got the urge to try something new last year and that somehow turned into cycling from Bordeaux to Barcelona, taking in some of those lovely Pyrenean peaks in between (the hours spent ascending Tourmalet still make me shudder).

I’m now truly hooked on cycling and have penciled in crossing the Alps this May.

On to my question. I’ve just got myself a Giant road bike which came with some bog standard toe-clip pedals (which I hate). I’m looking at changing to some clipless jobbies, a friend has offered me a pair of his Shimano SPD’s (M520) that he hasn’t used and doesn’t need.

Soooooo……I ride a road bike, around 25 miles per day, and occasionally will be doing touring, where it’s more like 80 miles per day. These pedals seem more suited to MTB users, can anyone foresee any problems using these pedals with a road bike – I hear and read stuff about knee problems and such like???

Cheers

I use spd pedals on my road bike. So I can use the same shoes / cleats for my MTB.

Apparently spd pedals are more prone to causing 'hot spots'; but i've never had any problems.

Same as Gary, James. Lots of roadies use them. Great for walking (if & when you may have too !!). I was also wary of 'hot spots' but have never had this problem.

Thanks chaps,

I think I’ll risk the hotspots in return for the benefits I’ve heard so much about. I’m intrigued to see if the more rigid sole and ability to ‘pull’ on the pedal has much of an impact, every post I’ve read on this site seems to indicate it will, so it’s worth a try at least.

Trainers and toe-clips were quite possibly the worst combination for trying to cycle up a mountain, every time I remounted I used half my energy swizling the pedal around to the right side or hurriedly yanking on the strap when coming to an unexpected stop. Pain in the *rse every time.

To make things even easier James you can get double sided pedals.
You'll never go back, I promise.

I've switched from SPD to Look pedals after experiencing very painful 'hotspots' cycling through France last year. I used SPDs for years of commuting and really appreciated the advantages they bring and never experienced a single problem. However the pressure of several 100 mile+ days was too much for the SPD pedal/shoe combination. It was excruciating!

It's all down to personal choice and the dynamics of your pedalling, however if going for SPDs on long rides I would strongly suggest getting the stiffest soled shoes you can find.

I've got Shimano M520 double sided spds on my MTB and on my road bike.

Seeing as I only own one pair of cycling shoes, it made sense!

--
Brian

thanks guys, most helpful. Had a few sessions now and nothings gone wrong so far!

For what its worth James, I always swap my Look road pedals for SPDs on epic (1000 mile) rides. They are just as light and the shoes more flexy (some say there is a loss of energy without a totally stiff sole)/ comfy. Also you don't need to carry shoes to walk about in - a major weight saving. I've done over 4000 miles (on and off road) on the same set of Shimano 959's with only one regrease (10 min / 1 spanner job).

Enjoy those Alps + stay off the piste...