Needed to replace the stock pedals on my Trek 7.2FX hybrid, and got these. Was immediately taken by the desire to try out some SPD shoes, and it is a great way to bike. I picked up a pair of Shimano RT82 recessed cleat shoes, and I love the combo.
The pedals themselves feel very well built, though on the heavy side. If you care about weight, Shimano also makes a lighter hybrid SPD/platform pedal.
Installation (and removal of the old pedals) is simple. Pedals use an open 15mm wrench (I don't have one, but 5/8" worked well enough for me), and just twist off (the left pedal is left hand thread, so needs clockwise to loosen and counter clockwise to tighten). Once the old ones are off, the new ones just go on in reverse (it is a good idea to put some bike grease on the threads first, to help avoid creaking, and to make it easier to get them off again if you need to). Hand tighten first to make sure you avoid cross threading, and be careful to install on the right side, they are labeled L and R.
I think they work very well once they are on. The pedal spindles are greased with a thick lube that while not thick enough to have any noticeable effect on pedaling difficulty, but it means that they will not simply flop over to the heavier side so if the wrong side is up, a half turn of the cranks will correct it.
The platform side is your standard bike pedal. It has teeth to help with traction, but won't work well with smooth soled shoes. If you accidentally put a shoe down on the clip side, you'll feel it, but the clip sturdy enough to take that abuse, and doesn't stick out so far that you'll be unable to pedal on it, just switch to the right side at the first opportunity (flip the pedal with your toe, or take your foot off and pedal a half turn with the other foot to get the right side up.)
The SPD is where it gets interesting. I hadn't used any type of cleated shoe before, but it is a big improvement. The pedals come with the cleats to install, so put them where they are comfortable on the shoe (you may need to adjust a few times, or you can buy shoes from your local bike shop, and they should be able to size and adjust properly for you). You can also adjust the clip tension with a hex key. I set mine very low since I hadn't used these, and was biking in Manhattan; good to be able to get out of the binding quickly if something goes poorly. The SPD bindings release if you twist out your ankles or pull up in back while keeping your toe down (this can happen in normal pedaling, but even with low tension, only happens to me if my chain skips or something, not ideal, but not a big issue either.) This sounds difficult to do without practice, but is actually very easy, I've never gotten stuck in the pedal, even in panicked moments when cabbies do something stupid. Getting into the pedal is also pretty easy after a few tries. if you miss it, it works well enough to just pedal around and try again. With my shoes, it is also not hard to pedal on the platform side for a bit if you know you are going to be in and out a lot (like in heavy traffic, or lots of stop lights).
Being clicked in is very helpful. I find that most of the time, I'm not using the pull up motion, but it is great to have for long uphill stretches or sprinting where you want that extra power.
All in all, I highly recommend these unless you are concerned about the weight, in which case there are better options (and of course most who care about weight would want to jettison the platform side all together).
| Brand | SHIMANO |
|---|---|
| Bike Type | Road Bike |
| Color | One Color |
| Age Range (Description) | Adult |
| Material | Alloy Steel, Metal |
| Product Dimensions | 3.94"L x 2.76"W |
| Item Weight | 0.5 Kilograms |
| Thread Size | 1921 |
| Item Package Dimensions L x W x H | 7.09 x 5.51 x 2.36 inches |
| Package Weight | 0.68 Kilograms |
| Item Dimensions LxWxH | 3.94 x 2.76 x 1.57 inches |
| Brand Name | SHIMANO |
| Country of Origin | Malaysia |
| Model Name | FBA_4524667072461 |
| Suggested Users | mens |
| Number of Items | 1 |
| Manufacturer | SHIMANO |
| Part Number | FBA_4524667072461 |
| Model Year | 2013 |
| Size | One Size |
| Sport Type | Cycling |
| Grip Material | Steel/Alloy |
