Shimano spd

[Nicolò]

Hi, I'm thinking of changing my pedals, i'm using Shimano M530 now. The question Is: whats the difference between the xtr M747 and the new M520?
Thanks.

 

[drystonepaul]

Not much really, except in appearance.
Shimano pretty much got the system right first time when they introduced SPD back in 1990.

The internals are more or less the same and the cleat mechanism hasn't altered much either.

The cleats haven't changed except that now there are a few variations from the original 'single release' configuration.

 

[captaincowelly]

Not much really, except in appearance.
Shimano pretty much got the system right first time when they introduced SPD back in 1990.

The internals are more or less the same and the cleat mechanism hasn't altered much either.

The cleats haven't changed except that now there are a few variations from the original 'single release' configuration.

Agreed .The M520's are pretty inexpensive and still have a classic look.Good option instead of M737's,don't look out of place on a retro ride.M540 also,if you want a slightly lighter pedal.I've mostly used Ritchey (Logic/Comp/WCS),have found them very good and also not too pricey.Look a little less chunky than Shimano IMO.

 

[drystonepaul]

To expand a little on this, the original first generation SPD was the PD-M737 and had a dual spring mechanism on each side of the pedal. This made them quite chunky compared to every SPD that followed. Quite heavy, but also very easy to click into.
It appeared during 1990 for release as part of the 1991 model year.


PD-M737

The next to be introduced was the PD-M525 for 1992 which was designated as Deore LX.
This had a simpler single sprung mechanism on each side of the pedal which made it smaller and lighter. Also slightly harder to click into.
The front of the cleat mechanism is fixed while the rear is sprung.


PD-M525

Moving forward Shimano dropped the dual spring mechanism, probably to simplify the design and save weight and introduced the M747 (XTR) in 1995 and M535 (LX) in 1996. Both have the single spring configuration and moved closer to the 'modern' shape of the SPD pedals.


PD-M747


PD-M535

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The current M540 pedal probably offers the optimum in terms of value and performance.
It's available in black, silver or white, so it's easy to find one that closely mimics it's older relatives.

EDITED TO ADD PICTURES AND DATES

 

[hookooekoo]

If you spend a bit of time on the Shimano website, you can find product photos and exploded diagrams for all the SPD pedals. Having looked at those product photos and exploded diagrams, I decided that there wasn't a lot of difference between cheap and premium versions of the SPD pedal. If I recall correctly, the main difference appeared to be quality of finish, and that the collar is plastic on cheap pedals and metal on premium pedals*. On MTBs, pedals can get a bit of a beating with mud, grit, scrapes on rocks, and such like. On that basis I decided to go cheap, regrease regularly (invest in the Shimano TL-PD40 tool), and just buy a new pair if the pedals get trashed. I paid less than £19 for my Shimano PD-M520 pedals, so no big deal.

* years ago it used to be possible to buy aftermarket alloy collars for SPD pedals, but I haven't seen those for sale for a long time