Pedal upgrade

nialljf

What would be the advantages of upgrading pedals, especially if one is not concerned with weight? Say, upgrading from entry-level Shimano SPD SL pedals to Ultegra pedals. Yes, they weigh less and look better. Any other benefits?

nordicb

Can only comment on shimano pedals, with 105 and higher they offer a metal plate platform, but other than that I didn't see any difference... Older 105 were all metal, but newer ones are composite and are almost identical to Ultegra. Older 105s are on my summer bike and some pre-105 on the winter one and happy with how they both work.

Cee-Jay-Cee

There is virtually no difference in feel/performance between the R550 and Ultegra pedals. I have the Ultegra 6800 pedals which replaced R550's and the only reason I done it was too match the rest of the groupset but in hindsight it was pointless because unless your down on your knees at pedal level their is very little visual difference in the two of them either.

triggermortis

I did the same as Cer Jay Cer and matched Ultegra pedals to the group set on a new bike. Apart from weight saving, I think the higher spec might offer more options for replacing / servicing parts - but I could be wrong

fat bloke

There is no discernible difference whatsoever. I was amazed when I had to buy a stopgap pair of 30 euro shimano pedals to temporarily replace my 250 euro dura ace ones, and when riding them I honestly couldn't have identified the cheaper pair over the dearer pair. I've had all the pedals in between as well - 105 and ultegra and the same goes for them.

Yes there's a weight saving. Yes they look a bit better, but I don't think I'd ever shell out above ultegra or 100 quid again.

07Lapierre

There is one very obvious reason to upgrade your pedals....

Your new bike won't come with pedals!

Inquitus

I just use the cheap ones, R-540's come with a set of the yellow cleats which are €16 on their own, and the pedals and cleats are only €30, never had any problems with them racing or training and always have plenty of spare pedals for new bikes, holidays and the like.

Inquitus

As an aside I always wanted to try the speedplay pedals, maybe one day I will treat myself!

CramCycle

As far as I can tell, none really. I have had 105s and the R540s. Not much difference, the 105s may have lasted alot longer but then again I may have looked after them better.

Andy Magic

I Use Dura Ace pedals on my good bike and also the R540s on my winter bike. I don't notice the difference except when climbing out of the saddle there is less play in the cleat. That said I do have to use the blue shimano cleats on the dura ace pedals as they are wider.

ballyharpat

Chain reaction have look key blade on sale at the moment for less than half price.

crosstownk

Andy Magic wrote: »

I Use Dura Ace pedals on my good bike and also the R540s on my winter bike. I don't notice the difference except when climbing out of the saddle there is less play in the cleat. That said I do have to use the blue shimano cleats on the dura ace pedals as they are wider.

I use exactly the same pedals on my bikes. I also swap between two pairs of shoes on the bike with the R540s and I find that the blue cleats engage on the 540s much easier than they do on the Dura Ace.

I'll get a second pair of blue cleats as I don't like the play in the yellow ones. I was happy enough with the yellow cleats but that was before I was forced to try the blue ones that came with the DA pedals.

The DA pedals were a present and I'm happy with them but I reckon that if I'd been given 105 or Ultegra pedals, I'd be just as happy.

I know that the bearing set up is more elaborate with the DA but I doubt it would make much difference to a below average joe cyclist like me.

Koobcam

nialljf wrote: »

What would be the advantages of upgrading pedals, especially if one is not concerned with weight? Say, upgrading from entry-level Shimano SPD SL pedals to Ultegra pedals. Yes, they weigh less and look better. Any other benefits?

If you are riding SPD pedals now, then you are essentially riding a double-sided mountain bike pedal. The contact area between shoe and pedal is smaller than on road shoes/pedals and the pedals are designed so you can clip in no matter what side of the pedal is turned up. To ride road pedals, you'll also need to buy a pair of road shoes-you can tell the difference by looking at the ball area of the shoe where the cleats are fixed-SPD shoes will have two holes, most road shoes will have three.

In terms of road pedals, I reckon the shimano 105 5800 are a good choice - they are pretty light and the bearings on Shimano stuff generally last a long time and are easy to service. The 105 pedals are pretty much the same as the much more expensive Dura-Ace and Ultegra options, though a bit heavier due to materials used. I have also used Speedplay pedals. I find the cleat adjustment to be a bit of a pain and I switched because of this. One advantage of Speedplay, particularly when switching from SPD is that they are double-sided, and so it's slightly less of a learning curve than Shimano or other road pedals, which have only one engagement side. It's not really a big issue, just something new to learn the first time you use the pedals, but something you get used to pretty quickly.
My favourite pedals would be my current ones-Look Keo Blade. they have a carbon plate instead of a spring and I just like the feel of clicking in-and they look really nice when I'm not in the bike.