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review

Shimano PDA600 SPD pedal

8
£79.99

VERDICT:

8
10
Beautifully smooth, very light pedals that combine road looks with MTB tech
Weight: 
291g
Contact: 
www.madison.co.uk

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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According to Shimano these new pedals are good for "any onroad purpose from Granfondo to racing". if your shoes take two bolt cleats then these are light and smooth enough for pretty much anything. In fact, at barely 290g a pair according to the road.cc scales they're a scant 10g heavier than the claimed weight for Shimano's top end Dura-Ace race pedals (on Shimano's claimed weight, 286g, the PDA-600s are only 5g heavier. So yes, you can do a lot with these babies, one look though and it's obvious that their true purpose is as a high end touring and commuting pedal - and that's how UK distributor bill them. 

As these are an Ultegra level pedal you'd expect them to be well made and smooth and you wouldn't be wrong. They're smoother than a politician licking a floating voter's baby and they made the Crank Bros Candys that I usually ride feel like they'd been greased with cat litter and tar. They should be well sealed too.

Lower grade pedals, like the PD-A530, offer a true flat side, but these higher grade PD-A600s don't. Being single-sided, clipping in can occasionally be a little sketchy as you flip the pedal over and they do take quite a hammering from the cleats, which rather spoils their good looks – I've docked them a mark on the durability score as result, although I'm sure they will prove extremely durable and of course all pedals are going to get scuffed. Once you're in, the wide platform does offer a fair degree of security, especially with a shoe like the RT-81s I tested recently and they ride beautifully.

Unlike my Candys these don't offer much by way of float, but the release angle can be changed by adjusting the allen bolt at the back.

Verdict

Beautifully smooth, top quality and astonishingly light but the single sided entry might limit their appeal.

road.cc test report

Make and model: Shimano PDA600 SPD pedal

Size tested: n/a

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10
Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10
 
Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
9/10
Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
8/10
Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes - once I'd got used to the single sided entry

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 40  Height: 5\' 8  Weight: er....86kg

I usually ride: GT Rave - singlespeed conversion  My best bike is: Guess SC1 scandium

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Experienced

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed,

 

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6 comments

Avatar
Tony Farrelly | 14 years ago
0 likes

Should be interesting - I'd heard Casio were wired

Avatar
Rob Simmonds | 14 years ago
0 likes

You need to be quite precise when you clip in but that comes with practice. The wide surround on the pedal helps, as does having shoes with plenty of rubber around the cleat (ie the RT81s or a generic leisure/mtb shoe).

I have used single sided SPDs with 'proper' slidy soled road shoes and every junction and traffic light was a terrrifying adventure.

Avatar
purplecup | 14 years ago
0 likes

are they more difficult to clip into than any other single sided road pedal? I ask because i've got a pair of genetic road spds and they definitely are harder to get into than spd-sls or keos

Avatar
Tony Farrelly | 14 years ago
0 likes

To be fair that's what they said…
http://bike.shimano.com.br/publish/content/global_cycle/en/nl/index/news...

till racing does sound fun though (like belt sander racing without the risk of serious abrasion). Not sure how a till Gran Fondo would pan out - I suspect the lighter Casio might perform well up the hills

Avatar
neilwheel replied to Tony Farrelly | 14 years ago
0 likes
Quote:

till racing does sound fun though (like belt sander racing without the risk of serious abrasion). Not sure how a till Gran Fondo would pan out - I suspect the lighter Casio might perform well up the hills

Rumours are Avery has been charging up ...

Avatar
neilwheel | 14 years ago
1 like

"till racing" ????

My money is on the Avery to win by half-a-wheel over the Casio . . .

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