Staypuft1652

Want to start using clipless pedals. Cannot decide road vs mountain design, will be on road bike. Basically looking for an easy to enter and exit, if possible adjustable tension design. Already have some road type shoes, with both 2 and 3 bolt attachment possibilities. Am sure this has been asked many times, just don't end up with good results usung search function here. Thank you in advance.

TenSpeedV2

It really comes down to how much walking you will end up doing once you get off. If it is little to none, go three bolt road pedals. If you plan on riding and then some walking, 2 bolt SPD for sure then. Both SPD styles offer tension adjustment so don't worry there. Walking in road shoes is really not ideal.

bbbean 

Don't overthink the issue. You have road shoes,gowith road pedals. MTB pedals are fine, and the shoes are easier to walk in, but unless you're going to hike in your bike shoes, it's a minor point. You'll note that roadies have no problems walking around cafes, coffee shops, races, bike shops, or other places they ride their bikes.

FWIW, I run Speedplays, and with the rubber cleat covers, they're pretty comfortable to walk in

All cleats are easy to get in and out of - I find the Speedplays easier than most, and enjoy the float, but there's a reason they make lots of different pedals.

MRT2

If the bike in question is the 7.3 fx hybrid you just bought, go with mountain shoes and pedals.

Staypuft1652

Thanks

spdracr39

There is a small benefit to road pedals if you have hot spots and or foot pain as they spread the load out differently. I have used both and haven't noticed any real differences.

Hot Potato

Mtn pedals and shoes. Faster and easier to click in. I SWEAR my road pedals and shoes can detect a busy intersection with an uphill start and make me flub EVERY TIME when I am right in the middle.

Hoonigan

I second the Speedplay pedals. They're really easy to get in and out of. The float is nice. You can buy rubber covers for them if you walk around a lot.

sheltonlp

I've never used Speedplays but I've heard two different people complain that they can't step in dirt or gravel without needing to clean their cleats to use them. I haven't really had that problem with either my MTB 2-bolt or my SPD-SL road cleats.

Staypuft1652

I recently acquired some used speedplay zero's, and they are very nice but figured maybe I should get something easier to start off with, and I probably need to get new cleats for them as it seemed harder to clip in than necessary. I got some r540 light action shimano pedals since they would fit the shoes I already have also. Way, way easier.

wxmcpo

I have the Speedplay Zero's on my Allez and the Keo Classic 2 pedals on my Tarmac. I prefer the Speedplays though because the shoe can be clipped in on either side of the pedal where the Keo pedals take some getting used and can only be clipped on one side of the pedal. Once I have the pedal facing the correct way though I find clipping in and out of the Keo's easier. If you're not walking long distances though road shoes aren't difficult to walk around in.

deapee

I've always used MTB shoes and pedals.

Staypuft1652

All this stuff just fascinates me. Had seen people using clipless pedals and people talking about them, but thought the whole idea was borderline insanity. But I am all for anything that makes efficiency better. It's intimidating to contemplate without having tried, but in practice, haven't fell yet.

bbbean 

Speedplays are definitely ROAD cleats. That said, I routinely walk through gravel parking lots, or into the woods for a pee break without problems. Mud and snow are definite no-nos, but that's what cleat covers are for - they fit in your jersey pocket and keep your cleats clean.

Speedplay also makes a MTB/CX cpedal system designed for mud/dirt/snow/etc - SYZR. They supposedly have the same float as Speedplay road pedals, but in a recessed pedal so they're suitable for off road use.

thin_concrete

I ise the Speedplay Ultra Lights and love them. I have broken one of my ankles several times and I just never got comfortable with the SPD system, even with the tension turned all the way down.

PaulRivers

Clipless's primary purpose is keeping your foot connected to the pedal.

There's significant debate on whether clipless improves efficiency or not. A number of studies said it had no effect at all and did not improve efficiency. Others thought it had a slight affect on improving long distance fatigue. Other arguments are that they allow more power when sprinting or going uphill.

Just saying, it's not proven either way that efficiency is improved with clipless.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Regarding the OP's question, mountain pedals have a number of advantages:
- 2 sided so you can easily clip in and out without looking down (on the second foot which is what's needed at intersections). Speedplay road pedals can also do this.
- A lot easier to walk around in, because they put tread beside the cleat on the shoe. Speedplays again have something you can put on the bottom of the cleat that's rubber that's somewhat similar. Problem for the OP is, this isn't an advantage if your shoes can fit road cleats.
- They handle muck very well. They're designed to be able to walk over dirt, grass, mud, and still function. Road cleats suck in comparison. My original speedplays couldn't walk over grass without clogging up. Newer speedplays are much better at this and they're fine if you're always just on the road - but mountain style still handles everything better. You step in a puddle of mud with road cleats you may not be able to clip in until you wash it off, whereas it's not a problem with mountain.

Road advantages:
- Probably slightly better at keeping your foot attached to the pedal when sprinting, high cadence, etc.

If the OP is sticking with road shoes, I'd go with speedplay light actions. You don't want to wear mountain cleats with road shoes, even if they do have the holes for them.

If the OP is buying new shoes, and not biking in the winter (in snow), I'd go with Shimano SPD's.

If the OP is buying new shoes and doing winter biking, I'd go with with Time Atac's. That's what I was using before flats.

Personally though, I've tried almost every clipless system, and went back to using flat shoes (Chrome Kursk's) with flat pedals with pins (Specialized Bennies). I had some issues with hotspot with clipless that I wasn't able to clear up despite fittings, new shoes, etc, plus my feet are a little wide. It's more convenient to be able to walk around off the bike with flat shoes, no constantly changing in and out of shoes. I don't race and didn't see myself really gaining anything from clipless.

Staypuft1652

I got the spd-sl type. I had road shoes and not the budget for new shoes right now, so the road clips made more sense. I plan on in the future getting some double sided, or platform/spd type with recessed cleats for obvious reasons. I was optimistic about the efficiency gains, at the very least they hold my feet in right position on pedals. I appreciate everyones experiences they shared, when I thought about it didn't seem right to put mountain cleats on flat sole.

dim

Shimano A530

I have a pair that I recently bought.... clipless on one side and normal on the other... best of both worlds .... Works well and reasonably priced (read the reviews)

Staypuft1652

@dim I came very close to buying those pedals. Seemed to have good reviews, would be cool to have 2 options, and looked well built.

DrRobert

Until they hit a little sand, grease or a freshly waxed floor, then its like skating on ice. Oh, did I mention wooden stairs?

I have both and the MTB cleats are much easier than roadbike.
For a newbie the learning curve is much lower. About everyone I know has fallen over with road pedals (the rest won't admit it

bbbean 

1) I've walked and seen lots of roadies walk on wooden stairs, sand, grease, and freshly waxed floors. Is it as comfortable as walking in my running shoes? No. Is it perfectly walkable for teh purposes of taking a short break off the bike? Yes.

Consider - any woman can tell you heels are harder to walk in than flats. Yet millions of women manage to walk in heels. Apparently, humans are capable of working through a little discomfort or using a litle extra balance and coordination when the situation calls for it.

2) All road or MTB cleats are not created equal.

3) I respectfully disagree that road cleats are more difficult than MTB cleats. I have both, learned on MTB cleats. While my first cleats were challenging to get in and out of us, that was a matter of clipping in and out of them a few dozen times and the motion becoming 2nd nature. My Speedplay Zeros are FAR easier to clip in and out of than my SPD cleats with either Shimano or XPedo pedals, but the Shimano and Xpedo pedals are still easy to get in and out of. I run them on my CX/gravel/backup bike without problem.

4) I don't know anyone who rides ANY sort of pedal who hasn't fallen at some point, whether MTB, Road, or even flat pedal. We're balancing on two wheels - sometimes you fall. The trick is to simply train properly so that the falls are minor and infrequent.

BB

OldTryGuy

On my grocery grabber hybrid I have these.....Nashbar Double Track Pedals. Absolutely marvolus.... Have been on some A rides up to 28mph speeds drafting and they felt great wearing these.....Nashbar Ragster II Cycling Sandals.


The yellow tabs help to prevent slipping in addition to float indicator......Shimano SH-10 / SH-11 SPD-SL Road Cleats

Ease of clip in/out between the two styles for me is a 6 of one and half dozen of the other . I've been over on both style pedals. Just a natural born klutz.

CliffordK

I've been running double sided SPD pedals for the last year or two and really like them. I think one can do slightly more adjustment for road pedals (wedges?) But, that hasn't been an issue for me.

I thought I'd try single sided SPDs (2-bolt) for my latest build. And they seem to be designed to always hang upside-down, so getting started means flipping the pedal, and hopefully clicking in. And, of course, I decided to try these just a couple days before some wicked hill climb rides. The pedals look sleek, but I should have stuck with the standard double-sided pedals. Missing a click on a 20% slope can be pretty unforgiving.

GravelMN

To each his/her own, but my personal preference is dual sided MTB pedals with SPD multi-release cleats. It might not be fashionable with the roadie crowd but it suits me just fine. I go on quite a few group and other organized rides and can't see any disadvantage over the road pedals and cleats. I'm sure for racing or hard-core A rides it make some difference but not enough that a recreational rider would ever notice. I do a lot of long rides with stops along the way so a walkable shoe is a big benefit.

kickstart

The Shimano M780 pedals come to rest vertically which makes it super easy to get on the correct side every time.