Yes another pedal thread

[Danny]

I am thinking of upgrading from my cheap and cheerful Lidl SPD pedals to either Shimano A520s or Shimano A530s.

Has anyone got experience of either of these pedals? Am I right in thinking the main difference is just that the A530s would allow me to ride the bike with ordinary non-SPD shoes.

Was really attracted to these pedals as they were described as "touring", but I know from debates in other pedal threads that their is a view amongst some that the wider platform doesn't actually make a difference.

 

[Hugo15]

Yes you are right in your thinking, the A530's have a platform side where as the A520's are single side SPD only.

I got some A520's for my commuter a couple of months ago but only used them twice. They are sat on my garage shelf and I have just never get round to listing them for sale on here. I would be looking for £25 posted for them. This includes the cleats too. PM me if you are interested.

 

[ianrauk]

I have the A530's, being the first spd pedals I got to test the water. and yes the have a normal platform for shoes/trainers etc
Used them a couple of times, found that SPD's were the way to go so bought some double sided spd's.
Once you have tried and used SPD's, you will not want to go back to normal pedals imho of course.

 

[Danny]

The LIDL pedals I have are SPD on one side and flat on the other, and are basically fine. Am only thinking of upgrading because they have got a bit bashed.

I still like having the option of having pedals that are easy to ride with non-SPD shoes, and psychologically also like the idea of bigger platform pedals, though I know they might not really offer much extra support.

 

[goo_mason]

Like Ian, I started out with pedals that were single-sided SPD with a cage around them so I could use them with normal shoes. The trouble was, I never ever did ride in normal shoes afterwards as I liked being clipped in at all times.

Ended up switching to double-sided SPDs and wished I'd done so earlier. So much easier to get into quickly in traffic (no trying to spin the pedal to get the SPD side up as you set off), and you don't feel any difference without a wide platform, as your sole probably never touches it unless you have very sunken-in SPDs.

 

[Night Train]

I have fitted Shimano PD-M505 double sided MTB pedals and I haven't noticed any issues with not having a wider area for my foot. I don't know if I will miss not having a normal pedal for conventional shoes yet though.