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Stephanie Y.
Stephanie Y. Sendmail

SPD Pedals - To platform or not to platform?

posted almost 2 years ago | Report

I've had a road bike for far too long to have not bought clipless pedals yet, so I'm finally taking the plunge.

I'm pretty sold on the fact that I will get SPD just because I'm not planning to be too serious of a rider, and I foresee my rides always including a mid-ride stop for french fries so I will need to be able to walk around in my riding shoes.

But I digress, I was wondering what your opinion was on whether or not I should buy the SPD pedals with a platform on one side, or just buy the SPD pedals with clips on both sides.

Every once and a while my husband and I will hop on our bikes for casual rides around town, so I think a platform might be nice, but if I can really get around in the cycling shoes pretty comfortably, it might not be necessary.

Any opinions on this are appreciated! Happy riding.

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16 posts

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  • Gehr 1.
    Gehr 1. Sendmail

    I think from what you've said you should get the combi pedals! SPD are horrible for road cycling but it is a compromise it sounds like you should make given your situation.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Stephanie Y.
    Stephanie Y. Sendmail
    in reply to what Gehr 1. said:I think from what you've said you should get the combi pedals! SPD are horrible for road cycling but it is a compromise it sounds like you should make given your situation.

    They're horrible?? How so? (I really have no experience with any pedals, just going with what some guys in my LBS told me).

    posted almost 2 years ago | edited almost 2 years ago

  • Jules C.
    Jules C. Sendmail

    Dive in and get clipless pedals already. It will take a few weeks (depends on how much you ride) to get confident with clipping/unclipping, but I believe you'll enjoy riding a lot more.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Gehr 1.
    Gehr 1. Sendmail
    in reply to what Stephanie Y. said:They're horrible?? How so? (I really have no experience with any pedals, just going with what some guys in my LBS told me).

    Contact to sole of shoe is too small and even though many shoe soles are much stiffer than they use to be, it's still not ideal! The amount of play in the cleat for road riding is ridiculous and not efficient! Since you're a recreational rider most of these things don't matter too much! And realistically it should only take a couple of hours to get the hang of clipless.......just remember to unclip BEFORE you stop....that's the trick.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Greg S.
    Greg S. Sendmail

    I ride with one-sided SPDs. It's the way to go for casual and serious riding.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Nader
    Nader Sendmail

    If it has platform on one side it gives you the freedom to just hop on with whatever shoe you are wearing but on the other hand I have fitted shimano A520 touring pedals to one of my racing bikes which i use for commuting (single entry SPD pedal). Do bear in mind that SPD cycling shoes are not that comfortable to walk in as they are firmer and heavier than normal shoes.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Kris R.PRO
    Kris R. Sendmail
    in reply to what Gehr 1. said:Contact to sole of shoe is too small and even though many shoe soles are much stiffer than they use to be, it's still not ideal! The amount of play in the cleat for road riding is ridiculous and not efficient! Since you're a recreational rider mos... read more

    I know people that race, and win, on SPD's. You can adjust the amount of play in the cleat, or get different cleats for the SPD's that fix the problem.

    I ride with single sided SPD's, MTB platforms on the other side. Offers the best combination of clipping in and not clipping in.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Gehr 1.
    Gehr 1. Sendmail

    Race and win huh......well I stand corrected! LOL

    We are talking road riding.....they're still fine for MTB!

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Isela P.
    Isela P. Sendmail

    I have a Road bike and I have the pedals that have platform on one side and the SPD clips on the other. My shoes are Mountain Biking Shoes. The reason for my combo: I like to have the option of pedaling without clipping in, usually when I get going on my bike, I just start pedaling on the platform, once I am settled on my bike, I clip in. The mountain biking shoes, allow me to walk around without worrying about the cleat getting dirty/scuff on the ground.

    I have ridden short rides, 20 miles, to 100 miles in this set up, so I know it works.

    posted almost 2 years ago | edited almost 2 years ago

  • Stephanie Y.
    Stephanie Y. Sendmail

    Thanks for everyone's responses! It's been very helpful to hear "real life" reviews. Thanks again.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Travis P.PRO
    Travis P. Sendmail

    i would personally suggest platform SPD, with mtb shoes. beacuse, SPD shoes that are designed for road biking are most of the time very uncomfortable to walk around in. and the mtb shoes are much easier to walk in. also the platforms are nice, if you just wanna hop on and ride, without getting all geared up. and i also advice if you go with SPD, when you first try them, have your bike near a wall or something to hold onto, until you get the hang of unclipping your feet, and until you get the release tension set to what you like......LOL lets just say i was giving the same advice, and didnt listen.....and i just clipped in and took off, then when i came to stop i basically just tipped over still clipped in, and that was painfull and embarrising! hahaha

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Stephanie Y.
    Stephanie Y. Sendmail
    in reply to what Travis P. said:i would personally suggest platform SPD, with mtb shoes. beacuse, SPD shoes that are designed for road biking are most of the time very uncomfortable to walk around in. and the mtb shoes are much easier to walk in. also the platforms are nice,... read more

    Thanks Travis! I will definitely practice the clipping/unclipping a lot before I'm out on the road. Thanks for the advice, it was very helpful.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Kevin G.
    Kevin G. Sendmail

    I race on SPD pedals, but haven’t won yet. I haven’t noticed any play, and the soles of my shoe are stiff enough that I don’t notice any flex. I do, however, hate them. I did some mountain bike racing on Crank Brothers Eggbeaters, and I like them much better. You can enter from any side, so you just stomp on the pedal and as long as the cleat hits the pedal, it clicks in. With platform/SPD pedals, you have to sit there and watch your pedal while you kick it to get the right side facing up, and then clip in. Personally, I like to have my eyes on the road or trail ahead of me. SPD road pedals are the same way because there is only one side to clip into, and when I have the spring tight enough that there isn’t any play, even with the clip side up, it isn’t easy to get them in. It isn’t a big problem on road races because we usually get a rolling start behind the car for a few hundred feet before the race actually begins, but when riding across town, I find myself praying that every light will turn green before I have to pull my foot out of the clip because I know I’ll be pedaling with one foot while negotiating traffic and trying to get my stinking foot clipped in if I have to stop. I’m thinking about saying, “heck with it”, and just putting my Eggbeaters on my road bike even though they are MTB pedals.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Kevin M.
    Kevin M. Sendmail

    Lance said "it's not about the bike", well, it's also "not about the pedals" on that same logic- but once you go to a true road pedal you'll never ever look back. I haven't met a competitive cyclist yet that prefers SPD's for anything... Personally I can't stand them. I raced on Egg Beaters on my road bike for my first two seasons making the transition from XC (and low on $$), finally switched to Look pedals and they'll make mountain pedals feel as obsolete as buckets and shoe straps.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Neil A.
    Neil A. Sendmail

    I've tried single sided SPD pedals with road shoes and suffered through feeling the small SPD cleat through the sole of the shoe. I also found them a devil to clip into. I have recently switched to Shimano road pedals (540s) and cleats after using Looks for a few years. I find the Shimano road cleats easier to walk in than the Looks although both are excellent on the bike. The road pedal / cleat combination is so much more comfortable than the SPDs. For my mostly towpath based commute into work I just use old school toeclips. I leave the straps fairly loose so I can yank my feet out quickly. The toeclips still allow me to pull on the up stroke a bit and stop my feet from sliding forwards on bumpy ground. They also allow me to wear whatever books/trainers/shoes I want whilst still giving me most of the benefits of clipless pedals.

    posted almost 2 years ago

  • Mike P.
    Mike P. Sendmail

    I have 2k+ miles on a pair of egg beaters with my road bike, probably one of the smallest pedals made. I've done this in a pair of Northwave MTB shoes which are very comfy on rides and walking around. It's a balance of what you find comfortable vs. what you read others say on the Internet. I've completed a century and many 50-75 mile rides with no problems.

    Personally, the flat pedals w/ clips on one side are kind of pointless for me, because they don't have straps or toe-clips to them. If you only plan on using that side for VERY casual 1-5 mile rides, I'd say just go with SPDs and a good pair of shoes.

    The nice advantage to running egg beaters is when I ride to a friends house, no one wants to hop on my bike and ride around the neighborhood because of the stubby pedals.

    posted almost 2 years ago

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