road pedals advice?

[photography27]

thinking of investing in some road clip in pedals, are they self leveling so that you dont need to spin them around to find them to clip in? if you know what i mean, can i clip in on both sides of the pedals?
maybe silly questions but to me i havent got a clue lol

 

[accountantpete]

There are 2 basic types

spd (two bolt cleat easy to walk in )

and

spd-sl (triangular 3 bolt cleat hard to walk in but better to pedal with)

The pedals are weighted to make entry easy.

Some shoes cater for both systems others either one or t'other.

ps the spd-sl system is Shimano but both Look and Time pedals are basically the same so that a shoe which takes spd-sl will take Time/Look but the cleats are not interchangeable so if you get Look pedals you need Look cleats etc.

 

[photography27]

thank you, i imagined trying to fight with the pedal to try and get it the right way round lol, thanks for the info

 

[Globalti]

If you're worried about it, SPDs are easy to use because they're two sided and the cleat fits in a recess in the sole of the shoe so walking is easy. However they are considerably heavier than something like a Look Keo one-sided pedal.

 

[Steve Austin]

You could also use Crank Brothers pedals, which offer dual entry, self levelling, 3 bolt or two bolt. and the best thing about them is you can use MTB shoes, which you can walk in, unlike spd-sl.

 

[oldgreyandslow]

I use Look, they are one sided, so you do need to flip it round to get your second foot in, and the cleats mean you walk like a penguin, but I find them very easy to get in and out of, especially quickly when having to do an "Oh F*^k stop" it is, at the end of the day a personal choice, difficult to try lots though, I belive Time pedals are very good too.

 

[ASC1951]

Although double sided cleats are easier, single sided SPDs aren't that difficult.

IME the 'weighting' isn't at all effective after a while, so you end up having to tip and flip anyway. I manage to use single sides on my fixed, where you have to follow the pedal round with your foot as well as flipping it. Not really a problem.