Customer Reviews

Shimano PD-A520 Sport SPD Pedal

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had never used cleats before so I started off with this. From the look and reviews, it looked good and I bought it. I have been using it for past couple of months. I usually ride 40-60miles every weekend (MTB) and another 20-30miles during the week and have been biking overall for a long time (couple of thousands of miles till now)

Prior to buying these pedals, cycling was more of a 'push work', which these pedals eased like any other SPDs. Here are some points though

Pros
1. Getting in and out of them is easy, no grouses about them. I fell only once with them when biking in mud, as the cleats in the shoes were surrounded with mud and these SPDs just got stuck, won't let the shoe get out. But I think that is a obvious thing #I was told that everybody falls atleast once when they move to cleats for cycling!#
2. They hold on tight. Nice power transfer.
3. Apparently light weight.

Cons
1. The opposite side flat cannot be used for non-cleated riding. The middle cylindrical part is too bulging to make the rear side usable. So, essentialy, it can be used only from one side. That is really bad if you want to just hop in your normal shoes, or worst, if you are in your cleated shoes and still want to use the normal pedal #like I prefer when going on tricky mountain terrains where tendency to fall is high, so you'd better want to ride the bike without the cleats#
2. The upper side is heavy and always rotates downwards. So, when taking off, it is difficult to rotate the pedal to get it in correct position, takes some time. Looks a small grouse, but in the long run is often irritating.

Overall, if given a choice, I'd rather not go for these pedals again, but instead go for something like PD-M324, which is just a few bucks more and rids off the cons mentioned above.

Interested in actually walking with road bike shoes? You'll need these pedals - the absolute best of the bunch - really good bearings, easy in and out - large platform for your SPD mountain shoes (I use'm for road - so I can walk on a floor...)

I've used SpeedPlay peddles for years. Yes they are great, but like a lot of "road" peddles, you have to wear road shoes...and go clomping around when you walk in em. And pray you don't breakdown miles from home and have to walk home in them. Plus the cost is about 4 times the sale price of these @$50 peddles. I've also used the two sided PD520s and the more expensive PD770s...Save your money and get these if you want a "road" look to your peddle and more aero. However with the twosided 520s you do get twice the peddle to wear out...
Also you will be able to get a good set of cheap vs. expensive shoes, perhaps the Shimano M086. I've been using these shoes and peddles for over a year now a like them a lot. Yes most all of these "cheap" peddles in this series that I've tried eventually end up developing some "clicking" and/or squeeeeeking @ times. But @ 1/4 the cost... if this noise bothers you get a new pair...Save your expensive shoes and peddles for you races and impressing people.

This review is based on only a few rides - but that includes a couple of commutes, a 30-mile ride with about 2000ft of climbing and a 6-mile 2500ft hill climb (followed by a nice, fast 2500ft descent). Anyway, when I started road biking again after a substantial gap, I put some mountain bike SPDs on my road bike -- recently I wanted a pedal that was a little lighter and had a platform for better power transfer (and I still wanted to be able to walk in my shoes). These pedals fit the bill since they work with the recessed cleats on my MTB shoes. Straight out of the box the tension was dialled in really tight. I had to slacken the tension off a lot to be able to get in and out of these. That's easy though; all you need is a 3mm hex key and the direction is marked with a + to increase tension and a - to decrease tension. Having set the tension, entry and exit from the pedals is super-easy. They're actually much nicer to get out of than my old pedals.
The platform works well too. I can't compare them to road-specific clipless systems, as I've only ridden SPDs, but these are great pedals. The build quality seems excellent and they are a good option for road biking if you want to use non-road shoes. As other reviewers have said, the pedals are a little top-heavy and hang 'upside-down' - this hasn't caused any problems, I click in just as easily as with my old double-sided pedals.

In summary: these are a well-made pedal that are easy to use, comfortable and don't look too out-of-place on a road bike. Five stars because they've exceeded expectation and are really good value for money.
Should I encounter any reliability issues I'll update, but so far they seem solid.

I was new to road-biking and wanted a pedal that was compatible with my MTB SPD shoes, and that would be good for commuting. This pedal seemed to fit the bill.

Pros:
It's SPD, so compatibility with MTB crossovers
Easy to adjust
Cost

Cons:
Pedal is one-sided
Pedal is top-heavy, meaning the side you need to clip in to has a tendency to be facing the pavement, not your foot.

Overall, it does what you would expect. I would consider this as more of a touring pedal though, and not a commuter pedal, given the difficulties clipping in and out.

Using it for recreational rides and commuting and can be ridden - reasonably comfortably - without cleats.
Light weight compared to a lot of more expensive products. If you're not a racer, this might be for you.

Great pedal for the first time clipless user. Easy in and out, and the pedal has a nice wide platform so you don't have to click in.

These pedals let me use my mountain bike shoes for my new road bike. They are light and easy to clip in and out of, and I have enjoyed them very much.

Pros: easy to use, easy to get out of. Cons: not easy to put on the pedals, one of the pedals the tread would not go completly into my crank I'm praying it does not come lose while riding (hasn't yet). the cleats that come with it have the worst instruction I've ever seen. They don't tell you some shoes do not require you to use the cleat washer. If this is your first ever clipless pedal I Highly recommend that you take it to the nearest bike store and have them help you. Most bike shops are happy to make sure its on right so you don't hurt yourself. I will be taking mine to make sure I did it right just to be safe. Also do not test your skill with clipless on pavement first. Practice in your yard cause you will fall several times. Good luck and enjoy

excellent pedal. I'm replacing my "mountain" type dual sided spd's with these pedals on my road bikes. They are much better at avoiding "hot foot" since they have a larger platform.