Pros/cons of using SPD-SL shoes with Shimano SPD cleats



carsnoceans

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Jul 24, 2010
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After much shoe research and multiple visits to LBS, I just bought 2 pairs of shoes (Shimano SPD-SL and Forte MTB), first one for by road bike with LOOK style pedals and latter for indoor spinning. Being a cycling/clipless shoe newbie I didn't know the compatibility of shoes and cleats. It seems that my Shimano SPD cleats (MTB style) will fit on my new road shoe (it has 3-bolt and 2 bolt compatibility). But they stick out on slick surface shoes thus making them super-dangerous to walk-in. Second pair is SPD only, Forte MTB shoes. With the tread depth and everything, I wouldn't even feel the cleats in this one.

Should I return the Forte and keep the single pair for spinning use and road biking? Its just that I'll have to carry these shoes to spinning class otherwise, I'll break my neck by slipping on hard wooden floor within few steps of locker room. I don't have a MTB bike or pedals... and only plan to use these pedals in spinning classes 4x/week.
Here are the two pairs of shoes....

paid $65

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1056340_-1_1549000_20000_400097

paid $75

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1022657_-1_1549000_20000_400098

both of them seem to be great deals but will it be a wise investment to keep both?
 
i also have look style shoes and spd shoes. the spd's for touring and mtb and the delta cleat for road and track.
 
Originally Posted by carsnoceans .

After much shoe research and multiple visits to LBS, I just bought 2 pairs of shoes (Shimano SPD-SL and Forte MTB), first one for by road bike with LOOK style pedals and latter for indoor spinning. Being a cycling/clipless shoe newbie I didn't know the compatibility of shoes and cleats. It seems that my Shimano SPD cleats (MTB style) will fit on my new road shoe (it has 3-bolt and 2 bolt compatibility). But they stick out on slick surface shoes thus making them super-dangerous to walk-in. Second pair is SPD only, Forte MTB shoes. With the tread depth and everything, I wouldn't even feel the cleats in this one.

Should I return the Forte and keep the single pair for spinning use and road biking? Its just that I'll have to carry these shoes to spinning class otherwise, I'll break my neck by slipping on hard wooden floor within few steps of locker room. I don't have a MTB bike or pedals... and only plan to use these pedals in spinning classes 4x/week.
Here are the two pairs of shoes....

paid $65

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1056340_-1_1549000_20000_400097

paid $75

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1022657_-1_1549000_20000_400098

both of them seem to be great deals but will it be a wise investment to keep both?
When I first went clipless, I rode SPD road pedals with Pearl Izumi road shoes ( 2 and 3 hole compatible) with SPD cleats; the cleats stick out from the bottom and it's a little harder to walk but no big deal. But not a good thing for wood floors!/img/vbsmilies/smilies/eek.gif
The other aspect is that you may not be able to set the cleat as far back as you would/could with a Look or SPDSL style cleat. I now have my touring bike set up with SPD pedals and SPD road shoes, and my faster road bike with SPD SL pedals and cleats (two pairs of shoes)...
I like both; the SPD cleats unclip easier but the SPDSL give you a VERY secure engagement and larger platform. If you are unclipping a lot, say... at stop lights, slow traffic, etc, I prefer the SPD's. If you have long stretches with very little unclipping, I like SPDSL's or similar, but that's just me...
 
Originally Posted by carsnoceans .

After much shoe research and multiple visits to LBS, I just bought 2 pairs of shoes (Shimano SPD-SL and Forte MTB), first one for by road bike with LOOK style pedals and latter for indoor spinning. Being a cycling/clipless shoe newbie I didn't know the compatibility of shoes and cleats. It seems that my Shimano SPD cleats (MTB style) will fit on my new road shoe (it has 3-bolt and 2 bolt compatibility). But they stick out on slick surface shoes thus making them super-dangerous to walk-in. Second pair is SPD only, Forte MTB shoes. With the tread depth and everything, I wouldn't even feel the cleats in this one.

Should I return the Forte and keep the single pair for spinning use and road biking? Its just that I'll have to carry these shoes to spinning class otherwise, I'll break my neck by slipping on hard wooden floor within few steps of locker room. I don't have a MTB bike or pedals... and only plan to use these pedals in spinning classes 4x/week.
Here are the two pairs of shoes....

paid $65

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1056340_-1_1549000_20000_400097

paid $75

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1022657_-1_1549000_20000_400098

both of them seem to be great deals but will it be a wise investment to keep both?
I'm confused. Are you suggesting swapping out your cleats, ie, taking the Look cleats off and putting the spd cleats on for spinning class, and then switching you look cleats back in to ride on the road? I wouldn't do this. First of all, it'll be a big pain, secondly, it can't be good for your shoes to keep changing cleats. If you damage the threads, the shoe will be shot. You'll much prefer having two pairs of shoes, one designated for the road, and another designated for spinning (or CX, or MTB if you venture into these disciplines in the future).
 
Originally Posted by CalicoCat .



I'm confused. Are you suggesting swapping out your cleats, ie, taking the Look cleats off and putting the spd cleats on for spinning class, and then switching you look cleats back in to ride on the road? I wouldn't do this. First of all, it'll be a big pain, secondly, it can't be good for your shoes to keep changing cleats. If you damage the threads, the shoe will be shot. You'll much prefer having two pairs of shoes, one designated for the road, and another designated for spinning (or CX, or MTB if you venture into these disciplines in the future).

Yeah, thats what I was asking. Other option would be to keep MTB style SPD on the road bike as well. Being a newbie, I wouldn't mind SPD pedals vs Look style pedals but the large surface area of look pedals does seem to be a lot more comfortable for longer stretch of riding.

I suppose, I'll keep the other pair of shoes for spinning (although $75 seems a bit expensive for spinning only). Hopefully, I'll have use for them in future outside the gym.
 
My commuter bike has SPD and my road bike has SPD-SL. I can ride either type all day in complete comfort. I don't agree that "road" pedals are more comfortable, they just feel different. The SPD-SL seems to offer a better combination of security and ease of exit, but there's not much in it. If you need to do a lot of walking in your bike shoes, keep the SPD. If you do a lot of walking on the Looks, you'll be going through a lot of cleats.
 
Verdict - I kept both. Spent an extra few bucks for dedicated spin shoes and they awesome!! Next will be trying my Shimano SPD-SL on road bike (whenever weather permits). :)