Robert A

I am migrating from a hybrid to a road bike and am curious about using SPD cleats on the new bike. I enjoy being able to walk in my shoes and wonder if (and how much) I give up by using SPDs instead of traditional road cleats.

Thanks,
Robert

Bah Humbug

I used them for a while as an easier start to clipless. It didn't seem like the SPD-SL shoes gave me any real improvement when I went to Look pedals, but I was doing shorter rides with the SPDs than I do now. You wouldn't be even close to the only person running SPDs on a road bike.

noglider 

SPDs are fantastic. They are all I use. There is a slight chance your cleat will come out if you pull up hard, as in a sprint in a race, but really, how often do you do that? Some roadies and trackies use SPDs, though not commonly. I don't know why they're thought of as for mountain bikes only. They work in so many situations. And there are so many pedal and shoe styles to choose from.

Lazyass

I've retired my road pedals and flat soled shoes. They give me zero advantages . Nothing but SPD's. There's plenty of road type SPD shoes out there if you don't like MTB shoes.

Shimano RT5's.

tagaproject6

I use SPD on all my bikes. 0 issues. The non-SPD road shoes that I own are equipped with Shimano SH-41 adaptors.

HTupolev

I typically run SPD-SL instead of SPD on my pavement-only road bikes, but that's mostly just because I prefer the way they feel. Actual performance differences between clipless interfaces are marginal.

Plenty of people ride road on SPDs just fine. Do what's convenient for you.

Maelochs

I have SPDs on two road bikes ... they haven't hurt or tried to kill me yet.

They are especially useful when I plan to walk between rides. I have regular road shoes with SPDs and also shoes with recessed cleats ... I can walk on wooden floors safely.

DrIsotope

SPD, because I like to be able to walk. I ride to my wife's workplace and have lunch a few times a month. Try that with road shoes.

Maelochs

But ... you had best check with the fashion-nazis. I am not sure it is considered acceptable in their circles.

Trsnrtr

My wife and I went to SPDs after we went on a tandem tour in New Mexico. We went through two sets of cleats apiece that week from walking in the desert at stops. As recently retired racers, we grudgingly gave up our road shoes and Look pedals and we haven't looked back.

OBoile

As someone who commutes regularly, I use SPD on all my bikes. That way, they're compatible with my commuter shoes. I also have a pair of road specific SPD shoes for my more serious rides. Seems to work just fine for me.

Stormsedge

SPD. I have the others and three pair of shoes, but they've proven scary to walk on.

surak

I use SPDs and have no problems with them, but am thinking about getting a pedal-based power meter. AFAIK, none of those power meters support SPD. That's the only downside that I can think of for using SPDs.

kcblair

Now , that's a kool idea. I have 2 pair of SPD pedals lying around, that I could put into service. Thanks for the tip. KB.

Robert A

Thanks, all. My current SPDs seem to have quite a bit of float. Could be the worn cleats, or the particular shoes I'm using. If I go to road cleats, do I get a tighter connection to the pedal, and does it make much difference in climbs?

noisebeam

Yes, they will pull out even with new pedal/cleats with max spring force set. And they will come out at the worst time like a sprint
Because of this experience I switched from Shimano SPD to Time ATAC. The ATACs do not pull out and are even easier to clip in. Downside is the cleat lifetime is a bit shorter.

CliffordK

SPD's here.

It is much easier to standardize across all bikes.

One thing that I've noticed, however, is that not all shoes have the same stiffness. Hard to find the perfect shoe. The more flexible shoes are more comfortable for walking, but least comfortable for those 100+ mile rides.

noglider 

I've had them come out when I was in a panic stop, and for me, this is a feature, not a bug. I don't pull up that hard when pedaling. So it depends on your style and your strength.

Certainly the stiffness of shoes varies. That's kind of the point. You get the shoes you want. Cleats don't determine shoe stiffness. I have a pair of SPD shoes that are actually running shoes with an SPD sole. As you can guess, they didn't work out so well. I also have some mountain racing shoes (by Specialized) that are super stiff, and I don't mind walking in them at all. It's like walking in clogs, I guess. Not everyone will like them, but I've hiked in the woods in them and worn them all day over all kinds of terrain.

You can get SPD sandals! Shop around, and you'll be amazed at the variety of shoes available.

noisebeam

I use Shimano SH-RT82 shoes with recessed cleat. The RT stands for Road Touring. .

jimincalif

Just put SPDs on my gravel/road bike a couple months ago, I have SPD-SLs on my road bike. The SPD cleats themselves seem fine, I occasionally pull up some but I've never accidentally unclipped. They have a bit more float than even the yellow SL cleats, but it's not a problem. The foot does pivot differently, it rotates over the cleat and center of the pedal rather than the SLs which are locked in place at the front and all the float is on the back of the cleat/pedal. Lots of my fellow club members use SPD on their road bikes.

The SPDs are on Sidi Dominator shoes, I'm not real pleased with the shoes. Seemed comfortable enough at first, but I start noticing occasional hotspots as I approach 40 miles. Between 50-55 miles they are pretty uncomfortable. Feels like they are not stiff enough to spread the pedal force from the small pedal/cleat, also get pain on the side of my foot. They are sized properly as far as I can tell. My 5 year old Giro Apeckx road shoes with the SLs are supremely comfortable, at least for 125 miles, which is as far as I've taken them in a day.

HTupolev

In the context of clipless pedal systems, "float" usually refers to the amount that the pedal system allows your foot to rotate freely on the pedal. This is often adjustable. For instance, SPD-SL yellow cleats allow 6 degrees of float, and the rotation pivots about the center of the cleat; the blue cleats allow 2 degrees of float, with the rotation pivoting about the front of the cleat; and the red cleats are zero-float, the shoe cannot rotate on the pedal at all.
This is largely a matter of bike fit. Most SPD-SL pedals come with the high-float yellow cleats, but if you need to force your foot to stay within a smaller range of angular motion on the pedals, the blue or red cleats are useful.
SPD mountain pedals don't have float options.

If you're referring to the system feeling squishy when you pull up, road cleats do generally have less vertical play than SPDs do.
This is because SPDs are just a retention mechanism that holds the shoe against the pedal. The shoe still pedals the pedal with its sole, and to accommodate different shoe shapes, the mechanism needs some vertical play.
With a road system, the shoe isn't supposed to contact the pedal. The cleat itself transfers pedaling to the pedal, and it sits in a very vertically-precise fit within the pedal.
As far as whether it makes a big difference on climbs... I'm not sure what climbing versus not climbing has to do with it. If you pull up on the pedal, the difference can be felt, although I doubt there's much consequence from a performance standpoint.

AlmostTrick

You "give up" nothing. SPD's are the best clipless pedals, even on road bikes.

Robert A

Thanks for your post. My question was really about power transfer.

Also, I was referring to lateral float - side to side heel movement. The soles of my shoes are also very flexible. The pedals on my hybrid are Shimano T780s (flat on one side). If I continue with SPDs on the road bike, I'd seek a higher-end, lighter pedal and maybe replace the shoes with something stiffer.

Bah Humbug

I don't think you'll have any difference in power transfer. I didn't feel any, and the studies I remember seeing didn't even find a power difference even between sneakers & flats vs SPD-SL. Whatever you like that keeps your feet anchored where they need to be will be fine.

HTupolev

Take a look at the A600.