It’s been a long winter. I am so ready to get back on my bike and hit the road/trail. I bought myself some Shimano PD-M540 pedals for my mountain bike. They are the first SPD pedals I’ve owned. I’m pleasantly surprised. I’ve been tooling around my neighborhood giving them a go and they are solid. Getting them on the trail and seeing how they perform is of course a whole different thing.
There are a lot of SPD pedals out there. And of course Shimano has a number of choices for mountain biking. I chose the PD-540 because I don’t like buying the cheapest model. I can’t afford the most expensive and simply do not need to shave a few grams and I don’t ride everyday so wear and tear won’t be that noticeable.
As far as other pedals I looked at the eggbeater by Crank Bros, some new ones by Look and some tried and true by Time. Look and Time seemed too expensive for what I wanted to pay. There were a ton of Crank Bros. models but the reviews were mixed due to some malfunctions. If you read the reviews you will notice that everyone seems to compare to Shimano. I couldn’t see a reason not to go with an industry standard and frankly as of today I’m happy I did.
And one other thing that helped me decide on the PD-M540 SPD was that it was SPD. I do a lot of indoor cycling at the YMCA at spin classes during cold and/or inclement weather. I like that the indoor cycles are compatible with SPD.
Riding around the neighborhood I felt like the pedals were a good fit. They were easy to get in and out of. When you clip in it feels solid. Just a good confident feel. And I think they look good on my HiFi Pro 29er, which is least important but a good thing nevertheless.
If oyu are thinking about new pedals you could do worse than investigating the PD-M540. They retail for around $100. I got mine for $59 or so from Jensen after requesting a price match.
I Ride a Bicycle - Road Cycling and Mountain Biking 