SPD Pedal Choice

[amy]

I'm a complete newbie, but I have to say I love my Forte Campus Pedals.

[batsheva]

i love my a520's - no numb foot issue until i velcroed up my shoes wayyyyy too tight on one ride last week and i got numb foot - have you tried not velcro-ing in quite so tight into your road shoes? it is easy to get them over tight with the velcro tension straps...

bat

[coyote]

Thanks everyone for your input I'm going to order the a520's and see how that goes.

I did find the shimms. They are, duh -ofcourse, on the Specialized site.

I did check into the shoe on too tight thing. I even tried riding with my shoes so loose I could feel them slip and it did not change a thing. Thats one of the reasons I wore them in spin class. I wanted to rule out the shoes and the placement of the cleats. I was able to ride in class for an hour without numbness. I also checked my seat...it is perfectly level. So, thats why I'm thinking pedals.

Thanks,
Mary

[uforgot]

After reading this thread, I asked my lbs about the A520s. They seem like they are just what I was looking for. I wanted a lighter pedal that I could use not clipped in also, but the old shimanos were heavy and cumbersome. He said he had been thinking of carrying them and I could be the guinea pig. They're in, but it snowed a bunch here yesterday so I couldn't go get them.

Coyote - I know it's been awhile, but I want to hear your reviews and I will post mine as well. I have had the hotfoot problem, and took care of a lot of it with metatarsal buttons. Hopefully these will be the answer to that and not wanting to clip in all the time. At just a little over 300g, they aren't too cumbersome either.

[LilBolt]

I'm using A530s on my commuting bike. I like having the flat platform on one side when I'm in stop & go traffic...sometimes, there really is no point in clipping in when I'm just going to be stopping again a few yards down the road. Also, I have visions of using my commuter this summer as a single speed 'coffee ride' bike.

As for the shims, it would probably be worth having someone who is experienced with them work with you to figure out what will work. I did a lot of personal trial & error w/ shims & insoles and just seemed to make matters worse with foot, ankle & knee discomfort. Finally, I went to someone who knew what the heck he was doing and ended up with a small stack of LeMond shims. The most embarrassing or enlightening part (all a matter of perspective) was that he ended up shimming the opposite foot that I was messing with. It boiled down to even though overall my left leg is longer than the right, the left lower leg is significantly shorter than the right...with a longer left femur. Still have a hard time wrapping my head around it. Go figure! Anyhow...I've been riding with the same shim arrangement for two years now and haven't thought about making a single adjustment...it just works.