Shimano M520 pedal = hot spots ?

Looking for real world experience here ...

Those who had the M520 SPD pedal - did you ever experience 'hot spots' on rides?


Reason being ...

I need an SPD pedal for a read bike ... and will be riding in a big city. (Lots of stop lights).

Debating about the M520 or the A520 .... just heard that the A520 isn't soooo great for clipping in and not weighed properly.

So for a beginner biker (1st clipless pedal) who does 2 hour rides in a major city ... M520 or A520?

Any input is appreciated.

Thanks!

I think whether or not you experience hot spots has more to to with how well the shoes fit and whether the cleats are positioned correctly than it does on the style of cleat. I road 150 miles last weekend with Shimano M520 pedals and had no problems wih my feet or with the pedals.

I had two friends with Speedplay pedals who spent 20 minutes cleaning the mud out of the cleats and pedals after one of the rest stops. All I have to do is click in and ride. In addition to being able to walk in the mountain bike style shoes, not having to worry about cleat covers and fouling the pedals after walking through mud is the main reason I use SPD pedals on my road bike.

I have had Shimano, PD-M520, PD-M540, PD-A520 pedals with SH-M038 shoes. ALL pedals with those shoes produced hot spots!

Reasons, the sole was too soft and the shoe too narow. If I pedaled hard hot spots too. The PD-A520 SPD Road Pedal was the best, I could get 20 min out of the right foot and 30 the left before I had to stop!

Buy some road shoes with a firm sole and a pedal with a large platform, PD-A520 SPD Road, as a minimum. There is a good reason for the existance of SPD-SL!

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Cheers,
George.

You just reinforced what I had said - the shoes are more important than the type of pedal and cleat. I use the Forte CM310 shoes with Shimano M520 pedals and have never had hot spots. I did not like the Shimano shoes for the same reason you stated - they were too narrow and the soles were too soft. With a rigid sole, the size of the pedal platform is not an issue. Speedplay pedals have a very small platform compared to Look or SPD-SL, yet there are many riders who use Speedplay without hot spots.

When I bought my shoes, I stopped at the store immediately after a 38 mile ride. Out of about 12 different shoes I tried on, only two were comfortable. If the shoe fits well, the soles are rigid, and the cleats are placed properly, hot spots should not be a problem. The key is finding the right shoe for your foot.

Good post Rick!

Where I live, we have one shoe Shop selling running and bike shoes now! I have kept my PD-A520s in the hope of finding a better fitting shop, they set me up with runners last year, soon, new bike shoes. For the rest, I sold them in the Quokka!

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Cheers,
George.

interesting, i've been moving the cleats on my shoes around to try to get rid of some numbness i get in my toes after about 10 miles, with no luck. I've had these same pedals (m520) before but was using a different shoe (some nameless sidi as opposed to the shimano SH-RO72Y's that i have now). So i'm inclined to agree w/ these folks (also any advice on this is appreciated)

my 2c

I ride with both spd and crank bro quattro around the city. Dual side entry is a must in cities where you have frequent stopping and starting, while large platform is nice for longer rides.

So if I were you, get good shoes and go with dual side spd.

The M520s are a great first clipless pedal. I use them daily for commuting to work, have ridden them on century rides, metric centuries, and two weeks ago rode from Pittsburgh, PA to Washington DC in five days, and that was on trails and we had two days of rain and mud.

They never get clogged, are easy to get in and out, and I've never had hotspots in over 3000 miles of riding.

Just make sure that you get good shoes that fit, make sure that the cleats are positioned correctly, and that your bike fits as well.

good luck!

If the hot spots you guys are talking about are the ones caused by lack of blood circulation, creating great pain to the toes & surrounding area, than yes I used to get hot spots.

I have M520s with M-038 shoes. The shoes have ribs under the removable inner sole which seems to cut the circulation somewhat. Using the original inner sole as a template, I cut another from thinnish cardboard & place that under the original. This seems to feel more comfortable & greatly reduced the hot spots. I need to replace the makeshift inner sole regularly as it soon becomes imprinted by the ribs.

Try wriggling your toes often on long rides, pull up on the pedals & unclip occasionally & ride with your pedal in the centre of your foot. Anything that relieves the constant pressure being applied to the one area has benefited me & may help you.

Albert,

Good thinking! I went a stage further with my SH-M038s. I filled all those holes with body filler and sanded it all nice and smoothe. Still gott hot spots, darn shoes were too narrow!

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Cheers,
George.

I have the M520s, and I'm a new rider as well.

No hot spots yet, though I've yet to do any real distance (anything more than 10 miles or so). Listen to rick, though. The pedals don't matter so much as the position of the cleats on the shoe, as well as the fit of the shoe itself.

Anyway, the M520s have a nice wide range of adjustability for the tightness of the pedal, so they're great beginner's pedals, especially if you've never ridden clipless. You can loosen them up so that they'll let you out of the pedal really easily, until you get used to the clipless and feel safe tightening up a bit.

Yup ... last night I did my first trip with the M520 and Sidi shoes ... again ... no real distance (10 miles) ... but felt NO discomfort. I loved every minute of it though!!!