Switching from SPD’s to flat pedals

[Dwn]

I've no experience of switching back to flats.

I can ride all day on SPDs without any problems. What you describe suggests your position is wrong for you.

Perhaps, but everything else is fine. If I adjust position then it may have an impact elsewhere. So many variables.

 

[Dwn]

I get cold feet with SPDs but not with SPD-SLs which I put down to the metal cleats transferring heat away from the sole of the shoe.

Yes, I’m guessing that my cold feet are partly the metal cleats acting as a heat sink, along with the general lack of movement.

 

[Dwn]

When I bought my Kona second hand in November 2019, it came with a set of DMR V12 flat pedals on it. Having ridden SPD's for years, I did resolve to pop a pair of SPD pedals on it when I got the chance. DMR V12 are quite an aggressive pedal with 10 pins on each side of the pedal for grip.

However, the more I rode the bike, the more I loved the pedals and in the end I just never got around to switching. I ride off-road a lot and have even toured off-road, covering over 12 hour days in the saddle. On odd occasions my shoe has slipped, but only rarely, I started with riding in an old pair of SPD shoes with the cleats removed, but found approach shoes much more comfortable and now I ride in 5 Ten shoes which grip the pedals like poo on a shovel. I love them and would never contemplate returning to SPD.

My wife has DMR v6’s so I might use those to trial flat shoes. Sadly, my invo-8 shoes are long gone, but I do have a pair of metcons (quite stiff soles, for trainers) I can use as part of a zero cost trial.

Will report back

 

[Dwn]

Went out with flat pedals / shoes today, but only for about 90 minutes - too windy here today to face much more. First reactions were:

1. Not being clipped in felt a little unsettling at times, but I’d easily get used to it.

2. My feet did not feel cold (too little time to get an impression re sole pain).

3. Weirdly, my saddle felt a bit too low - not something I noticed with SPD’s

4. The main problem - my feet felt like they were slipping inside the shoes at times. I have broad feet so usually get shoes a size or half size above that which I strictly need. This is fine for walking or running, but would be a problem with cycling. The slipping was causing rubbing between my socks/shoes/feet and it’s easy to imagine blisters after a while.

Will have to investigate further

 

[vickster]

Went out with flat pedals / shoes today, but only for about 90 minutes - too windy here today to face much more. First reactions were:

1. Not being clipped in felt a little unsettling at times, but I’d easily get used to it.

2. My feet did not feel cold (too little time to get an impression re sole pain).

3. Weirdly, my saddle felt a bit too low - not something I noticed with SPD’s

4. The main problem - my feet felt like they were slipping inside the shoes at times. I have broad feet so usually get shoes a size or half size above that which I strictly need. This is fine for walking or running, but would be a problem with cycling. The slipping was causing rubbing between my socks/shoes/feet and it’s easy to imagine blisters after a while.

Will have to investigate further

Get some inner soles, eg the cycling ones from Specialized, 3 colours depending on your arch shape.

Or better still some wider shoes that are the right size for your feet?

 

[Nomadski]

My wife has DMR v6’s so I might use those to trial flat shoes. Sadly, my invo-8 shoes are long gone, but I do have a pair of metcons (quite stiff soles, for trainers) I can use as part of a zero cost trial.

Will report back

Used to use DMR V6's when I started riding again. Got so many holes in my shin when carrying the bike up two flights of stairs to my flat.....

 

[DCBassman]

If you want to try pinned pedals at low cost, Wellgo LU987Us are good.

 

[Twilkes]

I get cold feet with SPDs but not with SPD-SLs which I put down to the metal cleats transferring heat away from the sole of the shoe.

That's interesting, I have found cold feet/numb toes with my SPD shoes, although I use two insoles so I didn't think it would be heat transfer from the cleat. The shoe has a gauze top and the slots underneath are open so I thought it was cold air passing through the shoe. Will try sealing up one or both to see if it makes any difference.

I don't have any other shoes to compare it to, guess I could try flat pedals with my old shoes again but it means changing my saddle position quite dramatically so I've never really wanted to do an A/B comparison once I had put the SPD pedals on.

 

[DCBassman]

but it means changing my saddle position quite dramatically

Not having ever used SPDs or any other system pedal, why would this be, just the different amount of mass between spindle and foot?

 

[vickster]

Not having ever used SPDs or any other system pedal, why would this be, just the different amount of mass between spindle and foot?

Height of shoe? SPD MTB shoe soles are often quite chunky compared to trainers

 

[T4tomo]

I’ve been mainly using spd pedals on my road bikes for quite a long time. The exceptions were my Brompton and an elephant bike - both used for short and slow trips.

I like spds and have no trouble using them, with one important caveat. After about two hours, my feet in the area of the cleat become quite uncomfortably numb. This is more pronounced in my right foot, which is rarely unclipped. Both feet also become quite cold after a while. This happens in all 3 of my spd shoes and both sets of pedals, which are otherwise comfortable.

I’m now considering switching to flat pedals on at least one of the road bikes. Has anyone else made this switch, and if so were there any disadvantages?

thanks

picking up on some of your subsequent comments too....

for cold feet, overshoes are the solution.

re the pain after 2 hrs, have you tried a pedal with a bit of platform support? I cant get on with M520s, but I used A520's on best bike for a few years (I now use look keo's) but still use the A520's on the winter bike.

plenty going cheap on ebay if you fancy a try

 

[Twilkes]

re the pain after 2 hrs, have you tried a pedal with a bit of platform support? I cant get on with M520s, but I used A520's on best bike for a few years (I now use look keo's) but still use the A520's on the winter bike.

I didn't really know pedals with different platform sizes existed, I might look into that.

Not having ever used SPDs or any other system pedal, why would this be, just the different amount of mass between spindle and foot?

Probably the shoe sitting higher above the spindle on the SPD pedals, but also the chunkier sole on the SPD shoes. From memory I had to raise the saddle around 20mm to get the same 'feel', but I dropped this back down again once I'd moved my cleats further back.

And on my cold windy ride this morning, I noticed that the tops of my toes were cold after about 5 minutes, nowhere else, so it's definitely the ventilation gauze on my shoes that are contributing to my cold toes.

I don't think that enough heat would make it from the foot through the insulation of a sock and an in-sole and through the ends of the screws (the only bit that touches the insole) to make the cleats any kind of heat sink.

 

[matticus]

I believe cleats (SPD) are too small to conduct significant heat away. I've never seen anyone produce actual sums to confound this.

I certainly have never felt the cleat area get cold before other parts of my foot.