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studiorat · 31-05-2011 10:23AM #1

Normally I'm a toe-clips and straps type of guy, except recently I've begun using platforms on my MTB, i digress...

Anyway having recently acquired a road bike (with no pedals) I'm weighing up the pros and scones of SPD over regular road shoes. I'll be using the road bike for training runs purely for the fun of it. Might try an auld sportive toward the end of the summer that's about the height of it.

So I'm wondering what the difference between SPD and the three bolt system, is apart from one being recessed. I'm not worried about the falling over thing, I'd be more worried about pulling my foot out of the pedal when out of the saddle using either system. Would SPD's be 'tight' enough? I used to love the old cleats and straps, can you still get them?

BTW I'm a size 44, a deal on a decent pair would probably help make the decision.

Lumen · 31-05-2011 10:50AM

Proper road pedals feel better than SPDs.

Tonyandthewhale · 31-05-2011 12:48PM

I had straps when I got my first road bike and found them much better than flats.
I then got spds when I upgraded my road bike and they were much better than the straps.
Recently I changed over to look keos and they are much much better than spds for road cycling.

I don't think you need to worry about your foot coming loose with spd's as they can be pretty much just as tight as the three-point cleats, just not as stiff. However, three-point cleats (at least the look keo's I have since I haven't tried anything else) let you feel much more rooted to the pedal and the power transfer is better.

You can still get the old straps, wiggle or CRC will no doubt have them but I'm not sure they're really worth the hassle. I have them on my fixie so I can have foot retention and wear normal shoes when riding around town but for a road bike or indeed any sort of geared bike I wouldn't bother with them unless they came stock.

skidpatches · 31-05-2011 02:52PM

studiorat wrote: »

I used to love the old cleats and straps, can you still get them?

Yes you can still get the old style pedals and clips from
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk

MKS do decent pedals to suit them. Christophe leather straps and chrome clips are widely available. Some places (possibly velo orange?) do the clips with leather over the chrome to protect your fancy shoes. I think Brooks (of saddle fame) were doing toe clips and straps recently. Probably over priced though.

You can get leather touring style shoes from Quoc Pham, Dromarti, William Lennon. Also Reynolds if you can find them.

You can also get lots of the old gear from Rivendell, Harris Cyclery, Velo Orange, Hubjub.co.uk.

BTW, I use look keos on my non-touring bikes. Much, much better than SPD, until you get off to walk around

AFAIK, the more expensive look pedals can be tightened to a higher tension.

norris · 31-05-2011 03:39PM

as far as i know, the three bolt system is used on road bikes because it allows you to excert more power down on the pedals during sprints and in general racing. I am new to cycling myself but was advised to buy a decent spd pedal and shoe and use them both on my road and mountain bike. Spd pedals are supossed to be more easier to clip in and out but still give you the benefit of being attached to the pedal.

Stark · 31-05-2011 03:49PM

Used straps/clips for the DARE as there was no option to change shoes in transition. Were fine on my practice trip but in racing mode, wasn't able to get my foot into them and the experience culiminated with the straps getting caught up in the chain and finishing the cycle with a twisted link.

Clipless pedals all the way. I have SPDs on the mountain bike and hybrid and Keos on the road bike. The Keos feel slightly nicer but I don't notice a huge difference as long as you're using stiff soled shoes. SPDs are more flexible: they're easier to clip back into at traffic lights if you have double sided pedals (both pedal systems are easy to clip out of, far easier than with straps in fact) and you can use recessed cleats so it's easier to walk about in the shoes.

If you plan to use the bike for nothing other than long training spins on the open road, go with Keos/SPD-SLs. If you plan on using the bike in the city or for touring, go with SPDs. You can tighten the SPDs to give you plenty of hold for sprinting/hill climbs.

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