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Switching from SPD-SL to SPD

Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 10:12 am
by Hilla13
Hi All,

I've recently bought a Mason Bokeh, with a view to replacing two bikes (gravel-ish Genesis and my go-to endurance road bike).

I have fairly sensitive knees when it comes to bike fit, and so for those of you that swap between road and gravel, I wondered what you do when switching between pedal systems?

I've got my setup dialled in with SPD-SLs, but when it comes to setting up the SPDs, I'm a little confused with how much I should be altering saddle height to compensate for the different stack heights.

Should I just forget the number and grip it and rip it? :)

Cheers!

Re: Switching from SPD-SL to SPD

Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 10:20 am
by benp1
I dunno about ripping it, but I just get on and ride my bike

Not because I'm double 'ard, but because I'm lazy and rarely notice the difference. I switch between flats off road and SPDs on the road (mostly), haven't changed any set up

In fact my SPD bike uses double sided flat/SPD pedals and it's easy to switch between

Re: Switching from SPD-SL to SPD

Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 10:30 am
by ScotRoutes
As above.

I use flats on a couple of bikes, SPD-SLs on my road bike and Crank Bros Candys on others. I migrate between them.with no issues. Indeed I often fit Candys to the road bike if the weather is crap and I want more suitable footwear.

But then I'm also fairly agnostic when it comes to the whole "bike fit" thing and just rely on experience to get it right.

Re: Switching from SPD-SL to SPD

Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 11:29 am
by Hilla13
Cheers both.

I'm leaning towards just sticking them on, getting measurements roughly right and just riding to see what it feels like.

Re: Switching from SPD-SL to SPD

Posted: Wed Oct 04, 2017 4:01 pm
by voodoo_simon
Hilla13 wrote:Hi All,

Should I just forget the number and grip it and rip it? :)

Cheers!
This pretty much sums it up, a rough measurement will do but don't get too carried away as unless you're sure the new bike geometry etc is identical to the old bike, then saddle height will vary. Think all 5 working bikes of mine all have different setups

Re: Switching from SPD-SL to SPD

Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 9:24 am
by slarge
I have SPD pedals on all my bikes including road ones. That way all my shoes fit all my bikes, plus I can walk almost normally.

Re: Switching from SPD-SL to SPD

Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 9:44 am
by Alpinum
Hilla13 wrote:Cheers both.

I'm leaning towards just sticking them on, getting measurements roughly right and just riding to see what it feels like.
That's how I do it, minus the measurement. I guess it helps to ride a route you know well so you can focus on how you feel on the bike a bit more. It does take me a few rides as every bike is different, especially as two have a dynamic geometry. Take your time.

Re: Switching from SPD-SL to SPD

Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 10:24 am
by Hilla13
Cheers guys.

I don't want to overthink it, but know I'm more prone to left-knee issues if the setup isn't right.

Re: Switching from SPD-SL to SPD

Posted: Thu Oct 05, 2017 12:08 pm
by chris n
You're already overthinking it.

Do this:
Hilla13 wrote:I'm leaning towards just sticking them on, getting measurements roughly right and just riding to see what it feels like.
:-bd