tiger1964 

Beyond modern upgrades that do not affect a bike's aesthetics (sealed bearing hubs/botoom brackets/headsets, etc.) one modern tech I've found I am comfortable with is SPD pedals. I chose those over other style of clipless mostly because, frankly, when I started riding again I was not familiar with any other types and a friend took me to a bike shop and directed me to what HE uses. Anyway, I have them on several bikes, and all Shimano. So, are there other brands/models that compare favorably or is Shimano the "gold standard"?

steelbikeguy

I believe SPD stands for Shimano Pedaling Dynamics, so Shimano isn't the "gold" standard, but they literally are the standard.
I've been pretty happy with the A520 pedals, especially in terms of being reasonably light and aesthetically compatible with silver components.

Steve in Peoria

noobinsf 

I think if you want to have shoes that are walkable, SPD (with the 2-bolt cleats) are your best bet, and I think it's generally the favored system for the balance between retention and disengagement. (I could be wrong -- I am not a user yet, but I researched some when I was looking to install a pair.)

I think the current road standards are Shimano road (3-bolt cleats) and Look Keo, but both of these only offer shoes with the chunky external cleats that make cyclists into waddle walkers. I think Speedplay cleats/pedals are still around, but I don't really know much about them. Crank Brothers Egg Beater pedals can use SPD cleats, but they also have proprietary cleats that I understand are supposed to work better with their pedals.

I would think there's no compelling reason for you to switch, especially because you have multiple bikes on the SPD system.

icemilkcoffee 

For road use, the Wellgo MG8 also has good crisp engagement/disengagement like the Shimano units. Except the Wellgo ones are lighter. Especially the models with titanium axle and magnesium bodies. They are also sold under the Forte brand name it seems.

Ritchey Logic pedals are also fairly light, but the engagement /disengagement is mushy.

C9H13N 

Look X-track pedals are SPD compatible and IMO better.

mprince

Time ATAC, while not SPD pedals, work with SPD shoes. May be worth a look if you are not devoted to the SPD platform.

I bought Look SPD pedals for my wife to put on our exercise bike, and she has been very happy with them.

ClydeClydeson

As mentioned above, there are a couple 'two bolt cleat' style pedals - Shimano (SPD), Time, and Crank Bros. It is my understanding that Time and Crank Bros cleats are compatible. I did not think Shimano cleats are compatible whatsoever with those, but I could be wrong.

There are a handful of manufacturers who sell Shimano copies/SPD compatible pedals, but in my experience, none of these are as good as Shimano - they are generally 'lower cost' SPD compatible options, and the bearings and cleat retention mechanisms are not as good as Shimano. It could be that some of these manufacturers are selling more expensive options that are better than the ones I have tried, but I have not seen them.

As for non-SPD pedals, Time makes very good stuff, and it is my understanding that Crank Bros may not have the best long term reliability

bamboobike4

I have SPD’s for path riding, mostly to wineries/breweries and AirBnB trips. The A-520 is was my pedal, but I picked up a polished pair of one-sided Wellgo and use them instead, as they are lighter and tend to hang in a better clip-in position.

The A-520 are probably better pedals, overall, IMO, and paired with a set of Giro Republics, a simple, durable, and walkable solution.

SuperLJ

+1

I have A520’s on all my bikes, The garish logo polishes right off.

The Golden Boy 

Wow!

There's shifting SIS- Shimano Indexed Shifting. Braking with SLR- Shimano Linear Response. And pedaling with SPD...

bamboobike4

The common theme seems to be: Shimano
Hmm?

SJX426 

Since I am oriented toward Italian bikes, consequently Campagnollo drive trains, I go French for my pedals with KEO's. converted everything over except for the MTB with the 2 bolt SPD.
Now I have a stack of SPD and LOOK equivalents to get rid of. Hit me up if you want some.

Erzulis Boat 

The current hot ticket SPD pedals (for road/C+V) are the Shimano SPD-ES600. Single sided, so they beat out even XTR for lightness.

ETA- The current gravel craze has the shoe makers offering "gravel" shoes. They blend the best of both worlds in that they are lightweight (stiff as the road offerings) and have modest "treads" so walking about is easy without the fully lugged soles of pure mountain shoes. Combined with the SPD-E600 pedals, the combo is fantastic.

tricky 

Time and Crank Brothers cleats look similar but aren't interchangeable. crank bros MTB vs. Time ATAC cleats - Bike Forums

I use Crank Brothers Egg Beaters on my roadies since the all silver ones blend in with vintage builds pretty well and CB Candies on my cross and mountain bikes. They have a bad rap for wearing out quickly or even snapping spindles, which may be deserved, but I haven't broken any yet. (knocks on wood) Since I live in the center of Seattle, I have to stop at a lot of intersections on my rides. The easy engagement of the Crank Brothers combined with the traction provided by mountain bike shoes (Giro Privateers) is a good setup for me. Crank Brothers also makes road cleats that work with all their pedals that have little wings with rubber studs for road shoes that need the extra grip.
CB Cleats


Road CB cleats



For reference, here are the Time cleats. Per the thread above, they may clip in, but performance would be weird and release janky. Better to just use CB cleats with CB pedals.

bboy314

On the subject, has anyone tried the MKS US-B system? I haven’t but they seem to be available for cheap right now, though maybe there’s a good reason for that…

https://www.ebay.com/itm/MKS-US-B-St...-127632-2357-0

shoota 

Oh wow I missed the release of these. They look like the perfect gravel pedal. Finally.

steelbikeguy

I haven't shopped for pedals for a while, so hadn't seen these. The Shimano sites say 279 grams/pair, versus 315 grams for the A520, so that's a 36 gram difference.. not bad! The A520 still looks better, imho, being silver, but that only matters when the shoes aren't covering the pedal.

The main physical difference between the ES600 and the A520 that I see is that the ES600 lacks the rear bit of structure that the A520 has. I like the way that the A520 rests "nose up", making it easy to clip in. I wonder if the ES600 rests in a position that also makes it easy to clip in?


from the Shimano web site....
https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/produ.../PD-ES600.html




https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/produ...0/PD-A520.html


a trivia question that I don't know the answer to... what is that yellow and black symbol in the SPD logo, (just above this text)?

Steve in Peoria

SJX426 

At 278g a pair, the Look Keo Classic 3 Plus pedals weigh a bit more than the Keo 2 Max, which weighed at 252g a pair.

Erzulis Boat 

Once the bearing seals break in, the go "nose up" every time

tiger1964 

OK, I just looked at those... viable. Better how?

Isn't that a brand of loud mufflers usually installed on Honda Civics?

Is it supposed to be a rider's legs and feet, showing one foot cleated and one walking -- thus dual-purpose shoes?

icemilkcoffee 

279g is light for a Shimano pedal, but not compared to Wellgo, Ritchey, Xpedo, etc.

majmt 

I like the look and versatility of the Shimano hybrid PD-M324 for C&V.

https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/produ...0/PD-M324.html

C9H13N 

My Looks (“X-track En-Rage Plus”) have noticeably higher max tension than comparable Shimano SPDs (PD-M8020) and the pedal body is grippier with little pins like a flat DH pedal.

steelbikeguy

that's what eventually came to me too... sorta like someone plucked the legs off of a Smurf.
Honestly, a good marketing department should produce graphics that aren't so cryptic.

Steve in Peoria

tiger1964 

Welcome to the 21st Century! Most of the pedals mentioned, when look online to shop -- are black and not silver.

That's the one I showed a photo of a couple of years back and I use on my Gitane; I flipped the cages to face the same side as the SPD mount -- which required not only flipping but putting the left cage on the right pedal, etc., and still a little bending... but it looks non-SPD while being SPD. (Vanity, vanity, vanity...)