Semi Roadie Content

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Other than not being "cool", there's not much difference. Weight but you're not racing so it's a moot point.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Interesting. I'll have to look at my pedals but I don't think the amount of contact point-space (sorta like the curvature of space-time) is bigger on the road pedals. Of course a small difference will be amplified when you're out for 80 miles.
 

Shaggz

A strong 7
bad enough that i am considering another bike purchase, i just don't want to drop even more $$$ for shoes, pedals, etc when i already have extra mtb pedals.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I used my 858s on my road bike for years, did several centuries with them. IMO, you'll be fine with what you have. Road pedals are more of a bell/whistle in that context.
 

bonefishjake

Strong like bull, smart like tractor
Team MTBNJ Halter's
get used to it.

b.i.k.e = j.e.e.p = Just Empty Every Pocket

that said, i'll ride mtb pedals (when i eventually buy a road bike) b/c i won't flip the coin for new pedals AND shoes. unless, of course, i win the lottery. :D


edit: the other "unless": unless heythorp/norm convince me that i really, really need them.
 
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Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
When I bought my road bike it came with pedals. And now (with the Answers) I have 3 pairs of shoes. It all accumulates up over time.
 
D

DANSPANK

Guest
Isn't an advantage that if you use the same peddles for both your Mtb and Road bikle then you'll be more familiar with the clicking in and out engagement?

I've got Candy SLs on my Mtb and have a spare pair through a compulsive buy on steepandcheap so will put them on my road bike when I get it.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I use SPDs on all my bikes. I imagine that it's better that way but I wouldn't be surprised if someone came on and said they like specific cleats for specific bikes, or different strokes for different folks.
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
I run SPDs on my woods bikes and LOOKs on my road bikes. There's no doubt in my mind that the larger platform/cleat of the LOOKs is an advantage for longer rides, comfort-wise.

My road shoes are quite a bit stiffer and lighter than my mtb shoes, both of which are palpable advantages as well.

YMMV.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I run SPDs on my woods bikes and LOOKs on my road bikes. There's no doubt in my mind that the larger platform/cleat of the LOOKs is an advantage for longer rides, comfort-wise.

My road shoes are quite a bit stiffer and lighter than my mtb shoes, both of which are palpable advantages as well.

YMMV.

See what I mean? Interesting indeed, especially sicne my feet go numb on the road bike after a while. Like heythorpe says, clip in once, then clip out. I did get a break Sunday because some thoughtful drunk driver decided to smash their bottle on the roadside which eventually led me to my first flat of the year. Really, without considerate people like this my feet would complain even more.

What shoes are you using on respective bikes? I got a pair of Specialized BG Comps which I will use on everywhere this year. I'm not cool enough for individual shoes but I may need to revisit that.
 

PedalPaddles

New Member
I don’t find any difference in platform size since the soles in bike shoes are the real platform regardless of the pedal size. I use Time ATACS in the woods and Speedplay Zero’s on the road. My shoes are both Sidis, the Dominator in the woods and the Genius on the road. The shoes are identical except for cleats on the mtn version. I could easily put on the wrong pair. I feel the big advantage of a road pedal is the float. Time touts Atacs as having great float for a mtn pedal, and I agree. However, the Speedplays have better float. Better? Yes, there is almost zero friction on the Speedplays, so my foot can rotate through the range of float effortlessly. This has a huge cumulative benefit on long rides. At 90 rpms, I’m spinning the pedals about 16, 200 times on a 3 hour ride. I find my knee are happier with the Speedplays.

The Speedplays have another feature that I really like. You can adjust the inward and outward float independently.
 

jdog

Shop: Halter's Cycles
Shop Keep
Rd vs Mt

If I am setting someone up with a road bike for the first time and they already have mt bike pedals I usually encourage them to stick with their current setup for a while. The immediate disadvantages outweigh the advantages for a newbie road rider. Having an unfamilar pedal system can just complicate the learnig process of owning your first road bike.

First and foremost walking will always be easier with a recessed cleat that is common on any my shoe. This is especially important when stopping as road cleats give very little traction. Most new riders come to a sliding stop on road cleats.

On a longer ride you may find that the smaller point of contact that a Mt bike cleat offers may cause some numbing and discomfort. Additional discomfort may also come from the lateral rocking that is more common in mt pedal than in Look and SPD-SL (Road) pedals. This is also common in speedplay road pedals, especially as the cleats wear.

If you must use SPD type pedals you might try moving the cleat back toward your arch. In most cases this reduces numbness and in one bike fitters opinion it can produce more power as well as diminished leg soreness:

Steve Hogg has a lot to say about this topic. read away:

http://www.cyclefitcentre.com/pdf final docs/SHOE AND PEDAL ARTICLE 8_final.pdf

I am not sure if I believe all that he says but I am trying his recommended position and I think he may be right.

The bottom line is that on a road bike the things that hardly bother you on the mt bike will soon drive you nuts. You have little to think about while riding other than how the click in your BB is driving you crazy or how it always seem like you are reaching for the hoods.



sorry to ramble..

j-
 

ArmyOfNone

Well-Known Member
I am running spds on all my bikes and i am wearing the Shimano M181 Mountain Bike shoe when im riding on the road. I do get that numb feeling in my foot sometimes. If it gets to bad ill stop shake out, stretch a bit and be on my way.

I do think i am going to pick up a pair of road shoes and pedals soon. I dont know how much that will help considering my roadie is pretty damn small for me. However, J has made the bike ridable for me. Its been great so far!
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
See what I mean? Interesting indeed, especially sicne my feet go numb on the road bike after a while. Like heythorpe says, clip in once, then clip out. I did get a break Sunday because some thoughtful drunk driver decided to smash their bottle on the roadside which eventually led me to my first flat of the year. Really, without considerate people like this my feet would complain even more.

What shoes are you using on respective bikes? I got a pair of Specialized BG Comps which I will use on everywhere this year. I'm not cool enough for individual shoes but I may need to revisit that.
Northwaves with carbon soles on the road. Old, heavy Carnacs in the woods. The mtb shoes are nowhere near as stiff as the road shoes and weigh twice as much, I'd bet.

I think that the size of the contact patch between the pedal & shoe does matter, no matter how stiff the sole is. Jason makes an excellent observation regarding the lateral rocking that can occur on an mtb pedal. This can't happen on LOOKs and other road pedals which feature a larger platform.
 

jdog

Shop: Halter's Cycles
Shop Keep
Rockin' the nite away

..lateral rocking that can occur on an mtb pedal. This can't happen on LOOKs and other road pedals which feature a larger platform.

This rocking is often the cause of knee and ankle pain. You knees and ankles must work to stabilize your foot if the pedal and cleats rock back and fourth. A SPD cleat will rock in the pedal more and more as it wears. This is worsened when a SPD cleat is mounted to a road shoe since it has no lugged sole to help stabilize the shoe against the pedal.

The stability of the Look KEO or the Shimano SPD-SL is really unmatched while engaged in the pedal. Although I sell many speedplays the large amount of float is (usually) unnecessary as long as proper alignment is achieved. As speedplays wear the rocking worsens. Since speedplay cleats are nearing $40 most folks use them until the disintegrate. Add that to the fact that they are the worst cleats on earth to walk in.

j-
 
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