Having to face facts that I really do need to use clips on my roadbike, despite not having done so on any bike for about 10 years. So has anyone got any advice re which one’s are nice and forgiving, easiest to use? Not too expensive would be a bonus too… Cheers!

Shimano. Pick based on your budget.

I have some single-sided Shimano A530 SPDs for sale.

Originally purchased them as I was used to MTB clips, but now I’ve migrated over to road clips…

Shimano 105, about £35, shimano cleats last a lot longer than Look cleats IME and functionaly they’re very similar. The only downside is you occasionaly see super expensive look pedals in the sales, DA rarely seems to get dicounted, so if the urge to get something a bit shinier takes you it’s expensive, but at the cheep end they’re much of a muchness between brands.

Unless you plan on walking anywhere (i.e. ride the bike to the shops and do some shopping, or even commuting if it involves a lot of stop/start) in which case MTB pedals. I’ve worn out new cleats walking a couple of miles home after a double flat.

Ohhh, and put a dribble of dry lube on the metal plate of the pedal after each ride when you do the chain, might be a placebo but it saves my knees, especialy with new cleats that are still a bit stiff.

‘proper’ roadie pedals are single-sided, which can be a pain, and use massive cleats, which make walking anywhere a pain.

‘mtb’ pedals are double sided, which is nice, and use smaller cleats, which fit in the recesses on mtb shoes, so you can walk around a bit.

i had to rescue a lamb during yesterday’s road ride, i had to chase him down and rugby tackle him before lifting the little struggler over a fence – he’d be dead now if i had roadie pedals.

true story.

i use ‘touring’ pedals – like this:
£28,

but the shimano m520 is a double-sided champion of value

I noticed a big difference in comfort using ‘proper’ road cleats – no longer felt like I was pushing down on a walnut.

All cyclists who go over from SPDs to proper road pedals report the same improvement. However Look Keos are a lot more difficult to clip into.

A proper road show with a plastic road pedal like a Keo will be approximately half the weight of an SPD setup.

i’m in the same boat, and for the last few months have had shimano M530 trail pedals on my road bike (while still using flats on my MTBs). they’ve been great for me.

My GF has those single sided ones on her hybrid to let her get used to riding clipped in, but she’s still undecided for her road bike.

Get proper road SPD-SL. Anything else is a compromise and a bit naff for road riding.

Shimano every time for me, I like bearings that are still smooth after three months of use.

I use Time pedals. I find that they have smooth bearings after 5 years of use. My RXS cleats lasted 5 years – and that’s with riding 6,000 miles a year on the road.

Shimano 105 are a good budget choice, I run them on mine with a pair of Shimano carbon soled shoes.

The pedals are weighted so they are always in the position ready to clip in.

Also you can adjust the tension so easy for a beginner . Not the lightest of pedals but who cares…

Anything else is a compromise and a bit naff for road riding.

I wouldn’t go that far, there’s a fair few people in the local club who use SPD’s, and one guy on flats!

Use whichever you prefer.

Shimano 105 are a good budget choice

except that R540s are ~£21 including floating cleats, identical performance and negligible weight difference.

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=5369

105 and 6700 are prettier and more sculpted, have metal top plates rather than plastic, but cost multiples more. I’m a bike tart but even I couldnt justify paying 3x the price for the colour to match my groupset (6700).

I’m a flats rider on MTBs and have no probs riding road spds, my winter road bikes uses MTB spd pedals and shoes, and the only real difference is sole stiffness. Cant see why you couldnt use MTB SPDs with racey stiff soled MTB shoes and get all the benefits of clipless but still be able to walk (I picked up carbon-soled road shoes from Planet X for £37 new so was cheaper to go SPD-SL than get newer stiffer MTB shoes).

i had to rescue a lamb during yesterday’s road ride, i had to chase him down and rugby tackle him before lifting the little struggler over a fence – he’d be dead now if i had roadie pedals.