New clipless shoes and pedals...but....

[ToshaMack]

Went to my LBS today and wasn't very confident in my salesmen, could all be in my head...Anyway, I walked away with mountain bike clipless pedals and shoes for my road bike. I'm to new to question his 20 plus years of riding experience and knowledge. Does anyone else use the recessed clips on their road bike...am I worrying for nothing? Should I take them back tomorrow? Advice, comments, are truly appreciated...


FYI I put my bike on the trainer and did some practicing clipping in and out, they aren't bad just smaller ......

[Owlie]

I use Shimano SPDs on my road bike. They're mountain pedals, so the cleats are recessed. What did you get?

You can absolutely use SPDs or other "mountain" pedals on a road bike. I like them because you can actually walk in the shoes, unlike my BF in his "road shoes" who slides all over the floor at Panera after rides...

(I will say that some people don't like them because of that small contact surface on long rides, but your mileage may vary.)

[HillSlugger]

I've been using MTB clips and shoes on my bikes for 6 years. I even race triathlon with them. I value the ability to be able to walk without killing myself.

[marni]

I love my spd shimano shoes and keene sandals. I do a lot of cross country distance road riding and I value the ability to walk around a bit without difficulty as I go into the gas stations and or cafes.

marni

[Grits]

I have always used Shimano SPDs on my road bike because I like being able to walk comfortably in them when off the bike.

[Catrin]

Mountain bike cleats/shoes are great for road riding - it is very nice to be able to walk. I didn't care for SPD cleats/pedals myself, but I use Speedplay Frogs which work well for me - they are a mountain bike cleat that is larger and even easier to get in and out of than SPD - at least for me.

[pinsonp2]

I use the SPDs on my road bikes. I did upgrade to the A520 type of pedals (actually, a couple of different brand ones) and the Specialized BG footbeds to get rid of 'hot foot' issues I was having. This set up works great for me, hope it does for you too!!

Enjoy,
P2

[Crankin]

I use road pedals on my road bike and Speedlay Frogs on my road/touring bike.

[ToshaMack]

I got the Shimano M540 SPD. I went for a morning ride and was pleasantly surprised. Knock on some wood… I didn’t fall, but was very conscious of stopping and starting. I did notice that one shoe was awful tight; when I checked the sizes I found I had two different shoe sizes.

[Biciclista]

a lot of us use MTB shoes and cleats on our road bikes. We like to be able to walk.

[emily_in_nc]

I'm another who used "mountain" pedals (Crankbeaters Candy SL) on my road bike, along with Keen sandals. Loved being able to get off the bike and walk around a market. I used to use Speedplay X series back in my serious road-riding days, and those were a pain to walk in! So, no, I don't think your LBS guy steered you wrong at all.

[Owlie]

I got the Shimano M540 SPD. I went for a morning ride and was pleasantly surprised. Knock on some wood… I didn’t fall, but was very conscious of stopping and starting. I did notice that one shoe was awful tight; when I checked the sizes I found I had two different shoe sizes.

I have those pedals exactly. For the money, they're pretty nice.

Hopefully you can take the shoes back and get that sorted out!