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I have recently brought a road bike and am contemplating running road pedals on it.I have never riden clipped up before on or off road so this is going to be a challenge!! What are the differences between road pedals and mtb?what would you recommend for a newbie? and which are easier to escape from!
Nath
Get yeself some mtb pedals and shoes you can use them both on and off road and to top it off you can walk in mtb shoes ( unlike road shoes)
ah yes but I would like to run them just on the road bike at the mo. My main concern is what is which is the easiest to escape from because as you know i am quite good at falling off any way!!
The issue isn't clipping out, its clipping in. If you're going to be using the bike to commute in town traffic then you'll be better off with mtb pedals as they're easier to clip in to.
If you want to be walking around off the bike, then go for MTB-style shoes and cleats. You can get some very nice, single-sided, SPD pedals like the Shimano A520's and the Ritchey V4 Pro Micro Roads which look nice on a road bike.
However, proper road-style shoes, cleats and pedals are definitely better for getting the power down.
You'll no doubt have a comedy fall or two as you forget to unclip at first, but they both release with the same motion/pressure.
Nath I use the same pedals on my mtb's and road bikes
On the light weight road bike I use road pedals and Carbon shoes which You cannot walk safely in( Not that I have used the bike for over a year)
If you're happy to spend-then get some proper road pedals and shoes.
You'll need a stiff mtb to use on a roadbike to avoid hotspot/painful feet and these shoes will be a pain in the butt off road.
Cheap and affective for some.
I bought dedicated road shoes and pedals-comfort and excellent transfer of power.
Just practise clipping in and out in the lounge and stop nice and early/plan your stops until it becomes 2nd nature.
I'm using flats on my touring roadbike (1-23 miles) mainly winter.
My main roadbike I use Ultegra spds but the shimano range varies with weight and works similar. I ride 20-100 miles min on this.
My mtb I use flats in muddy conditions and mtb spds in dry conditions.
Also I can walk on my road shoes abit and my mtb shoes are grippy on rocks.
Think about falling and you will. I tend to unclip a foot through slow movements on my roadbike. Once clear in a few seconds just clip and spin.
If you're fit-straight to road pedals, if you're not get some miles with flats until you're mentally alert for 20 miles then clip in.
kewl. thanks all for your advice, definately some food for thought! I shall look into both.
Cheers
CRC spd shimano shoes from £22.00 , you have the cleats and pedals .2nd Andy bevs words of wisdom.
main difference is that mtb pedals are two sided so are easier to find when re-engageing and road pedals tend to be single sided for less weight so can take more practice to clip into
Road pedals are good when you get used to them, the single sided thing is a bit of a pain.
I use road pedals on my tt bike but for everything else it's MTB SPD's they are much easier to walk in, I always feel like I'm wearing 6" stilletos when tottering about in my road shoes.