I've been road cycling for years but want to explore some gravel riding and touring. Not wanting to mess with my position on the bike and pedals, it was nice to have the option of the shorter axle to keep the q-angle unchanged from my road pedals. The difference in stack height is less than a millimeter, so no significant change there either. There's a little more float but that's manageable. The pedals hang just right for consistent clipping in. I'm pleased with the transition, although I do miss the large contact area of my road pedals.
I've tried to use cheap off-brand replacement cleats, but they never work as well as the branded ones from Look or Garmin. These engage and disengage perfectly, as they should. The rubber padding on the bottoms is less slippery than the typical, harder plastic. I don't know yet how long they will last. For my typical training, I don't walk around that much. However, when we get into the summer with some long events, I'll be stomping around feed stops where the cleats usually get chewed up. This is also the first time I used the grey float, usually using the red. When it comes time to replace the cleats on my other road shoes, I'll go with these again.
I used Speedplay pedals for many years. I got stuck in them several times-meaning I could not break the cleat free from the pedal because dirt was in the cleat. Not again.
These Shimano pedals are a good value. I can't see ever getting stuck in them. Exiting the pedal is easy.
I don't like how the pedal is alway turned to the wrong side when I try to clip in. I wish they were weighted so the enty side was alway up. (Speedplay you could use either side) Not a big deal but if you are on a race start you would be left in the dust trying to clip in.
I don't know why I switched over from the OG SPD 747 to the Eggbeaters, I guess for the weight weenie saving. After years of cyclocross racing on the eggbeaters, I noticed (even with new cleats) that my pedals were not holding tightly to my cleats anymore.
So mid way into 2025 cross season, I decided to switch to SPD's. Happy to be back! Adjustablility is on point, mud shedding flawless and clipping in and out with the new MT-001 is awesome!
