PD-M520 SPD Pedals

These pedals are great. The classic super durable SPD pedals built like a tank. I was considering buying used pedals on FBM, but people ask crazy prices for pedals that have been thrashed and abused, so when I saw the price for these brand new was a few bucks more than used, I jumped on it. Good price, good value for the money and they screw right on, fit like a champ. They spin smooth and clipping in and out is really easy. Admittedly the pedals these were meant to replace worked fine, but I was trying to eliminate a creak in the bottom end, and I thought it was coming from the pedals. As it turns out the noise was not the pedals, it was my bottom bracket. No worries, now I have backup pedals if the current ones I’m using ever go bad.

These are not the highest quality, but definitely enough for weekend rides on either my mountain or road bikes. I’ve gone to the SPDL pedal for my main road bike, so I used these for my older road bike I use for casual rides. As I have three pairs of shoes with the spd cleats, this was a lower cost pedal thst works great. I have around 100 miles on them, and the bearing are smooth, don’t squeak, and they clip in and out over a few different sets of shoes. The fit and finish are of good quality, and easy to set your preferred tension. Personally, I feel the spd pedals are easier to clip in and out of than the SPDL pedals, but that’s probably preference. As a summary they are worth the money and a good choice for casual riding on the trails or rides.

SPD pedals for men are simply the best pedals you can buy! Easy to clip in and out

This is an excellent, affordable clip on pedal. Great for cyclists new to clip on pedals. Easy in and out. Better than my prior Wahoo Speedplays which were good, light. But also very expensive. These work well on mountain bike shoes and are MUCH easier for walking . Old design, but very reliable Shimano.

Having ridden very briefly with clipless pedals only to switch back to flats, I recently have gone back to clipless; both sets being used on a rigid MTB ridden almost exclusively on the road. The PD-M520L's are providing solid, reliable performance for my style of riding and proving to be a very worthwhile alternative to my flats which by the way, are simply amazing in their own right; a pair of Shimano PD-MX80 Saint Pedals, the latter being used for those days where I'm needing to jump on and off my bike during a ride. You know, to mix in some burpees, short runs or other really fun (NOT!) stuff.

Good pedal

Years ago, I road-cycled with pre-clipless cleats on cycling shoes, and a strapped toe cage. I got T-boned by an elderly driver who actually hit me twice, because, after I got knocked down, I could not get unstrapped quickly. So, I was shy about moving to clipless. On my Retrospec Amok, I've been riding old "bear trap" style MTB pedals with a plastic half-toe-cage, and after about 5,000 miles they began clicking so, as they are sealed-bearing, it was time to replace and I decided to go to these Shimano SPD pedals, with a pair of Tommasan walkable (recessed clip) shoes, that look like running shoes, with the SH56 multi-directional-release clips. I elected for walkable shoes because almost all of my training rides include a stop for coffee, or to pick up milk at the grocery store, or to meet friends for breakfast ... and to spare my home's shiny terrazzo floors from contact with the metal cleat. I ran both sides of both pedals down to the lowest resistance setting and then added three clicks of resistance to start. Online advice is to practice getting into and out of both of these multiple times first. That is probably good advice, but I just put my left foot in and then released it to see how much effort was required. Then, I clipped back in and began riding. I find that it is quicker and easier get into and out of these pedals than it was to do the same thing with my previous MTB pedals with the half toe cage. No flipping the pedal to find the right side, and no wiggling to orient the toe. All you have to do is slide the front of the cleat into the pedal and then step down with your heel until the pedal clicks, indicating that it has engaged the cleat. I did have one unintentional release on my dominant side while pedaling hard into a corner, so added another click of resistance to all four adjusters after the ride. That was my only "con" in that first 20-mile ride. The "pros" included faster crank RPMs, higher speeds, a consistent one-gear step-up and the feeling that I am engaging a new muscle group (which is why I stopped at 20 miles -- I may be sore in the morning!). Getting off is a quick kickoff with the heels, one after the other, while coasting, Easy. I wish that I had gone to these years ago.

After putting 500 miles on my trike I started having some knee pain. After my first ride with these I noticed a big difference from the factory clipless pedals. The float is an absolute must have also I like the double sided ways to connect. For full transparency I also made sure to stop mashing, I'm sure that also makes a difference. Definitely happy with these!!!