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The Shimano M540 shares many of the upsides of the XTR-grade M959 mountain bike pedal at a fraction of the cost. It has an open binding mechanism to make clipping in easier than ever, and its weight blows away all of its competitors in its price range. And with the M540 there is no better value when it comes to shedding mud and debris. Its chrome-moly spindle and low maintenance sealed bearing cartridge axle gives it serious durability.

If you ride a road bike, why should you consider the M540 instead of a set of Dura-Ace pedals? The cleats of the M540 are small so they recess flush with the tread on the bottom of your shoes. With recessed cleats you can walk to your heart's content without having to worry about slipping and sliding on your cleats and making a racket as your plastic cleats click-clack on the ground. These pedals are two-sided, too, so clipping in and out at a stop light is a breeze. If you plan on making walking a significant part of your daily riding habits, a mountain bike pedal is ideal -- even if your only bike is a road bike! Road bikes equipped with mountain bike pedals are a common sight around here.

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Shimano PD-M540 SPD Pedals

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Here's what others have to say...

5 5

Carson Dunbar

Member since 

I use these on my Hardtail for intermediate trail and single track riding. I love them! Inexpensive yet well designed. THey hold fast to your shoes but are also easy to break free of in a wreck. And I've had plenty! All and all a great buy!

5 5

Peter N

Member since 
Groups:
  • Gender: Male
  • Familiarity: I've put it through the wringer

Shimano SPD style pedals have been around for years and there are a dozen different copied designs because it works so well. Not particularly light pedals, but 1/2 the price of XT pedals and 1/3 the price of XTR. Best value for your money in terms of mountain pedals, in my opinion. Double sided, with spring tension adjustments

4 5

pmi3152367

Member since 

Not much to report on these b/c all I did with them is install them on my Lemond RevMaster (indoor spin bike) which came with the old school cages. I wanted a better upstroke w/o having to crush my foot in the cages to get it. Since these clipless pedals are not being exposed to the elements and the challenges of 'real' mt biking they'll probably last forever. :)

What's the difference between this model...

Varaxis

Member since 
Posted on

What's the difference between this model and the Shimano XT model (PD-M770) besides price and body paint?

Chris Kelly

Member since 
Responded on

The XT has Fluorine Coated Binders and slightly lighter Body with a better finish on the Axle. Really not that much besides the Paint.

5 5

Jim Romaine

Member since 

These were my first clipless pedals on my FSR, and from day one the easiest starter set to use for a novice. I am on my second pair now and still prefer them to many similarly priced competitors These are currently on the Bianchi c2c in my profile pic, as I prefer them over them over my Ultegras. The tension is easily dialed in and I very rarely suffer from clipping out. Good pedal for a beginner to learn to use. Highly reccomend!!!

First pedals!!!

Can these mountain bike clips be mounted...

Sandra Mazzeo

Member since 
Posted on

Can these mountain bike clips be mounted on a road bike shoe?

Damon Salter

Member since 
Responded on

Some road shoes can use both two-hole SPD compatible cleats and typical three-hold Look style cleats. This is rare to find in upper end carbon soled road shoes. To determine if your shoe does support SPD client you should see two mounting holes about an inch apart that are allowed to slide fore and aft on the shoe for adjustment.

Some road shoes can use both two-hole SPD compatible cleats and typical three-hold Look style cleats.  This is rare to find in upper end carbon soled road shoes.  To determine if your shoe does support SPD client you should see two mounting holes about an inch apart that are allowed to slide fore and aft on the shoe for adjustment.
Chris Kelly

Member since 
Responded on

Depends on the Shoe
You need a SPD Compatible shoe
Most road shoes with Plastic souls will have slots for SPD cleats but few Carbon souled shoes will work

3 5

Brendan Gibson

Member since 
Groups:

Some reviewers say these pedals "pull out", and they do - but they are easy enough to adjust. I find them very easy to get into, except in mud and snow.

1 5

Tod D

Member since 

I am sure that these are grea for conventional MTB but i used these fixed and I would constantly pull out of these at starts on the lift motion. I do not like hitting my knees on my handle bars at all. I constantly would come out when i didn't want to. I changed to the Time Atac sx and tryed as hard as i could to duplicate this issue. I could not! Times are far better. Don't waist your money on the shimanos.

What do you think about putting these on...

Bryce Dongog

Member since 
Posted on

What do you think about putting these on a road bike? Good or Bad idea?

Angus Bohanon

Member since 
Best Answer Responded on

They'd work fine, they're just not as light as the pedals most people put on their road bikes.

Kyle Stephens

Member since 
Responded on

As Angus said they would work fine, but your foot would move around alot more than they would if you had road pedals and the tension is not as tight on them because you have to get out quicker when your on the mountain. Again they would work fine they would just have more play in them than a road pedal.

Jim Romaine

Member since 
Responded on

I used these on my roadbike and when adjusted properly have very little play in them. They are slightly heavier than the Ultegra's I just swapped them with and when used on the road it does take a little practice clipping in and out because you have a much smaller platform. Their is nothing wrong with using them on a roadbike as many riders I group ride with dual ride (road-mountain) and rather than swap pedals and cleats just utilize one. Another bonus is price to dedicated road peds. I bought these peds and Speciaized shoes for the price i paid for the Ultegra's!!! They are on my bike in this pic!

I used these on my roadbike and when adjusted properly have very little play in them. They are slightly heavier than the Ultegra's I just swapped them with and when used on the road it does take a little practice clipping in and out because you have a much smaller platform. Their is nothing wrong with using them on a roadbike as many riders I group ride with dual ride (road-mountain) and rather than swap pedals and cleats just utilize one. Another bonus is price to dedicated road peds. I bought these peds and Speciaized shoes for the price i paid for the Ultegra's!!! They are on my bike in this pic!
5 5

Gee  Alsenz

Member since 

The PD-M540 is shimano's all-mtn clip in pedal. It has worked w/o problems on my hardtail K2 for over 7 years. I do tune the settings depending on the type of riding I am expecting, but those adjustments are easy and quick. The pedal is easy to clean (I used this set-up primarily in the muddy woods of PA & VT) which I love, and it hasn't pre-ejected me in a tight spot. Although there are fancier, lighter-weight stuff out there, the PD-M540 and Egg beaters are still my basics and my favorites.

4 5

Jesse Trimble

Member since 

I've been riding this pedal for about 2 months. I really like it so far. I switched to this from a Crank Brothers Egg Beater pedal because of the adjustability of the SPD and haven't been disappointed. I rode the egg beater for about 6 months and it seems to have loosened up over that period of time. I'd catch a little bit of air on the MTB and pop out of the pedal upon landing. None of that so far with the SPD.

are these good pedals for a 6yr old bmx...

l.l2498586

Member since 
Posted on

are these good pedals for a 6yr old bmx dirt track racer?

Peppers

Member since 
Groups:
Responded on

I would use a standard BMX flat pedal rather than a clipless pedal for any type of BMX.

AndyYT316

Member since 
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Responded on

I'd go with the egg beaters for BMX racing. It's what a lot of kids ride on the track. Be sure they're good at balancing in the gate before you get them set up with clipless pedals!

5 5

Alex Fleming

Member since 

Great mountain bike pedals, great entry level pedal as well, the spring in the clamp allow for a wide range of comfort for releasing cleats, easiest release is still tight enough to hold in your cleat. This pedal also requires minimum maintenance (some required). Also use them as road pedals, work well as road pedals, walking is a little goofy, but on the bike, the work well.

2 5

Andy McNaught

Member since 

Some days these pedals were (and I stress were) easy to get out of. Some days I would crash at a stand still. One pedal's tension screw stripped while trying to adjust, making 3 sides fairly easy (as long as you clipped in cleanly) and one side impossible to get out of. When I'm riding, the last thing I want to worry about is if I clipped in cleanly (meaning will I get out with no problem) and if I'm clipped into the stripped side. I've heard other people having similar problems with these pedals (i.e bad crashes because they couldn't escape, not too mention how easy they get caked with mud). Since, I have made the switch to Crank Bros and will never go back to Shimano. The Crank Bros pedals are better in my opinion. More simple and more consistent.

Are these pedals compatible with the Pearl...

elizabeths2347573

Member since 
Posted on

Are these pedals compatible with the Pearl Izumi Quest Mountain Bike Shoe - Women's
Item #PLZ0202?

Gabe Westheimer

Member since 
Responded on

Yep, no problem here. you will do just fine.

5 5

john gilchrist

Member since 
Groups:

I have a pair of these on my backup bike, they work great but I prefer something with a little more platform. Not the lightest pedals but like the adjust ability they have over egg beaters. setting the tension is great for when you want to be able to get out of them in a hurry with little effort. I haven't had a problem with pulling out of them either.

5 5

Tommy Chandler

Member since 
Groups:

I bought these Shimano pedals to go on my new Yeti 575 for all mountain riding. I've been using SPD's for years and they work great. Maybe not the most trendy or swanky pedals these days, but they work and they work great. Plus I already have SPD cleats on my shoes and SPD's on another bike, so this was the cheapest option. Time to go ride...