Mountain bike pedals on road bikes
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 27
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Mountain bike pedals on road bikes
Is it pretty common to use mountain bike pedals on road bikes? I never really thought about it I guess, and since I never pay attention to the pedals people have I figured I'd just ask the people who cycle the most! I just got in a pair of v8 pedals and put them on my bike, I just use it for commuting anyway. Also, I used Lucas Grease for the threading of them, anyone ever use or know how efficient that is?
#2
In Real Life
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Down under down under
Posts: 52,152
Bikes: Lots
Mentioned: 141 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3203 Post(s)
Liked 596 Times
in
329 Posts
I use mtn bike pedals on all my bicycles ... road bicycle, touring bicycle, mtn bike, tandem, etc. I have a certain type of pedal I like, so I've stuck with them.
__________________
Rowan
My fave photo threads on BF
Century A Month Facebook Group
Machka's Website
Photo Gallery
Rowan
My fave photo threads on BF
Century A Month Facebook Group
Machka's Website
Photo Gallery
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Danville, KY
Posts: 1,610
Bikes: '11 Felt Z85
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
3 Posts
I have Crank Brother Eggbeaters on my road bike (Felt Z85) and love them. I never have to look down to see if they're hanging correctly because they're 4-sided so I pretty much just step on them and I'm in.
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 8,951
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 14 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 13 Times
in
12 Posts
I do. Lots of people do. I've used both SPD and Eggbeaters but currently use SPDs. Low stack height, easy in and out, positive retention, can be light weight... There are also many good shoes available with stiff soles that accept the two hole cleats.
#6
Banned.
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Upland Ca
Posts: 19,895
Bikes: Lemond Chambery/Cannondale R-900/Trek 8000 MTB/Burley Duet tandem
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 4 Times
in
3 Posts
I have spd's on all of my bikes. Inlcuding my road bike because I ride it in the mountains.
SPD M520
SPD M520
#7
Recently Addicted
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Front Range, CO
Posts: 521
Bikes: M1 w/105
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I use these on my road bike to avoid switching shoes, etc., between mountain and road, and mainly to be able to walk like a biped when off the bike in shoes.
#8
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 21
Bikes: Specialized Ruby Expert
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I used double-sided SPD pedals on my road bike when I was learning to clip in and out because they are easier to use than road pedals (which I know because I have them now). The SPD shoes are also advantageous because they have treads so you won't be slipping and sliding around when you walk about. However, I will say that in making the transition to road shoes and pedals I felt a noticeable improvement in my climbing, especially when standing, which cemented my loyalty to road pedals in the end. Can you use SPD's? Absolutely! If you're commuting the treads on SPD shoes just make sense!!! But if you're looking for performance consider trying a road pedal.
#11
Banned
And MTB flat pedals work well with Any Shoe I have On .. including rubber boots.
NB: you can find some Touring Shoes, also.. feature: a 'spud' cleat pocket,
so, walking friendly, without the MTB Lugged sole,
& offer a roadie shoe looking Upper..
NB: you can find some Touring Shoes, also.. feature: a 'spud' cleat pocket,
so, walking friendly, without the MTB Lugged sole,
& offer a roadie shoe looking Upper..
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2005
Posts: 5,866
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
2 Posts
My road bike is setup for SPD. I had SPD first for my Mountian bike and liked them.
Technically yuo could say I do not have Mtn. Pedals on the road bike. They are single sided SPD for road bikes. Lighter, cheaper and teh color scheme matches the bike better.
Technically yuo could say I do not have Mtn. Pedals on the road bike. They are single sided SPD for road bikes. Lighter, cheaper and teh color scheme matches the bike better.
#14
No longer here
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 621
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
#15
Starting over
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Indianapolis
Posts: 4,077
Bikes: 1990 Trek 1500; 2006 Gary Fisher Marlin; 2011 Cannondale Synapse Alloy 105; 2012 Catrike Trail
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times
in
3 Posts
I'm going to switch my Synapse over to the SPDs from my Fisher next week, just for Hilly Hundred. If I have to walk, I want to be able to walk.
#16
Junior Member
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 21
Bikes: Specialized Ruby Expert
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
#18
Insane Bicycle Mechanic
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: other Vancouver
Posts: 9,843
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 809 Post(s)
Liked 712 Times
in
380 Posts
Ditto. I got my first set of Shimano SPD's when they were first available (1991-ish). Since then I've stuck with them on all sorts of bikes, except my "coffee" bike, which has flat "rattrap" pedals. That's the bike I use for quick trips to the store or coffee shop, wearing sneakers and jeans.
__________________
Jeff Wills
Comcast nuked my web page. It will return soon..
Jeff Wills
Comcast nuked my web page. It will return soon..
#19
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,369
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 152 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6222 Post(s)
Liked 4,222 Times
in
2,368 Posts
My first few sets of clipless pedals were road pedals. Then I had mountain bike and road pedals and several pairs of shoes with different cleats on them. After a few Icecapade routines at convenience stores with road cleats/shoes in which Dick Button gave me high marks for originality, I decided that walking when off the bike was at least as important as pedaling and switched over to two sided mountain bike pedals full time.
The Shimano M-520 is one of the best pedals out there. Rugged, not a whole lot heavier than it's higher priced brothers and cheap (around $35). What more could you want.
I've had a set of the A-520s that I put on my wife's bike because they were lighter. She hated them. So I put them on my bike and I hated them too. All the hassle of toe clips and flipping the pedal (you usually have to do the same with road pedals) combined with a super slippery surface on the back. Stick with a regular mountain bike pedal
The Shimano M-520 is one of the best pedals out there. Rugged, not a whole lot heavier than it's higher priced brothers and cheap (around $35). What more could you want.
I've had a set of the A-520s that I put on my wife's bike because they were lighter. She hated them. So I put them on my bike and I hated them too. All the hassle of toe clips and flipping the pedal (you usually have to do the same with road pedals) combined with a super slippery surface on the back. Stick with a regular mountain bike pedal
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
#20
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Zang's Spur, CO
Posts: 9,083
Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3376 Post(s)
Liked 5,526 Times
in
2,864 Posts
I've had a set of the A-520s that I put on my wife's bike because they were lighter. She hated them. So I put them on my bike and I hated them too. All the hassle of toe clips and flipping the pedal (you usually have to do the same with road pedals) combined with a super slippery surface on the back. Stick with a regular mountain bike pedal
Oh, and the first time I tried road pedals, I had a hell of an unforgettable experience on wet red ceramic tiles outside the bike shop. I hated them so much that it was *years* before I tried clipless again, and went with SPD mtn pedals.
#21
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2011
Posts: 54
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
I use mountain pedals on both my bikes (a) because I like to commute and the shoes look a bit more normal and walk a bit more normal, and (b) because my brother in law bought a new bike and gave me a brand new pair of XT's (my second pair) because he really had no idea what they were and really wanted a $12 pair of plastic beartraps from the LBS. He also got the largest gel filled couch of a saddle he could find. His bike I suppose. Free stuff is cool.
Dave
Dave
#22
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Up
Posts: 4,695
Bikes: Masi, Giant TCR, Eisentraut (retired), Jamis Aurora Elite, Zullo, Cannondale, 84 & 93 Stumpjumpers, Waterford, Tern D8, Bianchi, Gunner Roadie, Serotta, Serotta Duette, was gifted a Diamond Back
Mentioned: 4 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 305 Post(s)
Liked 2,038 Times
in
604 Posts
I have spd's on most of my bikes and I only have one mtb and one hybrid
#23
Recently Addicted
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Front Range, CO
Posts: 521
Bikes: M1 w/105
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
You guys must do a hell of alot of clipping to get annoyed by those A-520s. I don't even think about them. I can tell by the feel what side is up and takes no effort to flip and clip. It's on auto-pilot now. I do like the wider base than the traditional M-520, although the latter is what I have on both my wife and my mountain bikes as well as HER road bike (since she is new to clipping). I definitely noticed a difference in the support between the As and Ms in terms of that cleat guard (i.e., more and better on the A), but I also have low end shoes.
#24
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Zang's Spur, CO
Posts: 9,083
Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3376 Post(s)
Liked 5,526 Times
in
2,864 Posts
BTW A recent change to Shimano's SPD pedal lineup now has two categories:
1. The original double-sided SPD's are now called the "XC" type.
2. The new type is called "Trail", or "All Mountain" (depending which web page you are on).
The higher-end models look sort of like a double-sided A-520.
The lower-end models look like an XC pedal embedded into a platform pedal.
https://bike.shimano.com/publish/cont.../mountain.html
1. The original double-sided SPD's are now called the "XC" type.
2. The new type is called "Trail", or "All Mountain" (depending which web page you are on).
The higher-end models look sort of like a double-sided A-520.
The lower-end models look like an XC pedal embedded into a platform pedal.
https://bike.shimano.com/publish/cont.../mountain.html
#25
Mad bike riding scientist
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 27,369
Bikes: Some silver ones, a red one, a black and orange one, and a few titanium ones
Mentioned: 152 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6222 Post(s)
Liked 4,222 Times
in
2,368 Posts
You guys must do a hell of alot of clipping to get annoyed by those A-520s. I don't even think about them. I can tell by the feel what side is up and takes no effort to flip and clip. It's on auto-pilot now. I do like the wider base than the traditional M-520, although the latter is what I have on both my wife and my mountain bikes as well as HER road bike (since she is new to clipping). I definitely noticed a difference in the support between the As and Ms in terms of that cleat guard (i.e., more and better on the A), but I also have low end shoes.
__________________
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!