Taking the plunge with SPD Pedals?

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Guvnor

Active Member
Location
Essex
Decided to to take the plunge and get myself a pair of proper cycling road shoes and a set of pedals to go with them.

I've decided on Specialized BG sport road shoe 2010 and Shimano A520 SPD Touring pedals.

Just want to know if anyone has any of the above mentioned and if they are a good combination........or not?

This will be the first time trying clip ons so any advice would be greatly received.

Cheers in advance folks:smile:

 

PpPete

Legendary Member
Location
Chandler's Ford
For a first time user of clipless i'd always suggest double sided. I know M520 are classed as an MTB pedal, but with a decent sole to the shoe I've found them perfectly adequate for even extended road use.
 

youngoldbloke

The older I get, the faster I used to be ...
specialized-bg-sport-road-shoes-146448.jpg


- looks like they take both types of cleat.
 

adscrim

Veteran
Location
Perth
youngoldbloke said:
- looks like they take both types of cleat.

I that case I the shoe choice is excellent. I'm on my third pair of BG shoes and have found them all to be excellent. They do seem to fit my feet particularly well - are you able to try them on before buying?

With regards the pedal choice, I think, possibly incorrectly, that road shoes work best with road specific pedals. I believe the A520 in particular has a cage that is supposed to support the tread on a touring or MTB shoe. Have you thought about the Spesh BG sport mtb shoe? I think it's basically the same but with a tread on the sole. Maybe a slightly more robust toe box.
 

Speck

Oldest Teenager In Town
Location
Nr Bath
Guvnor said:
Decided to to take the plunge and get myself a pair of proper cycling road shoes and a set of pedals to go with them.

I've decided on Specialized BG sport road shoe 2010 and Shimano A520 SPD Touring pedals.

Just want to know if anyone has any of the above mentioned and if they are a good combination........or not?

This will be the first time trying clip ons so any advice would be greatly received.

Cheers in advance folks:smile:

I use these Specialized BG COMP MTB shoes with Shimano M540 pedals on my road bike
 

Soltydog

Legendary Member
Location
near Hornsea
My first pair of shoes were Spesh BG sport shoes, but with different pedals & cleats. The only issue is the cleat is not recessed, so walking is not too easy on some surfaces. If you plan to do a bit of walking in the shoes too, mtb or touring shoes maybe a better option :smile:
 
OP
OP
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Guvnor

Active Member
Location
Essex
I will be trying these on before buying as i've heard that cycling shoe sizes can be a bit tricky. I'll have a word with the nice chap at evans to see if he would be kind enough to recommend a set of pedals that would do these shoes justice. I'll be putting them on my Boardman hybrid road bike so i'd rather avoid MTB shoes if possible.

As for walking, i wont be doing much as i will be changing once arriving at work.

Thanks for the replys folks:smile:
 

youngoldbloke

The older I get, the faster I used to be ...
Think it depends on just how much walking - I find the exposed SPD cleats even more slippery to walk on than Look/SPD SL type, which is why a 'trainer style' sole is helpful on an SPD shoe.
 

GrumpyGregry

Here for rides.
I only wear MTB shoes and use MTB pedals on all my bikes. So do lots of others I see out and about. Different strokes for different folks I guess.
 

woohoo

Veteran
I use a "racing" style MTB shoe (Shimano M072) with the A520 pedals and that combination works well. I've found that the A520s provide more support than the M540s and eliminated the "burning" on my soles that I used to get on longish (50+ mile) runs.
 
OP
OP
G

Guvnor

Active Member
Location
Essex
After reading all your input, i've decided to go with a pair of Specialized BG Expert MTB shoes. They are a bit more expensive but they will be getting used everyday so cant really complain.

As i understand it, MTB shoes are the easyiest to walk in?

Still undecided on the pedals but as i've mentioned already, i can see if the the bloke at evans will recommend me some.

Thanks again all, been a great help;)
 

youngoldbloke

The older I get, the faster I used to be ...
The A520s are a good choice for a roadbike, and give more support than a 'pure' MTB pedal.
 
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