For the first time in 30 years, the experience of riding Shimano SPD clipless off-road pedals is about to change… and it all comes down to a slightly different new multi-entry cleat.
Now, this really is just a tiny tweak – it appears Shimano kinda filed some material off the front of the cleat. But that small change is said to newly add the ability to clip in either toe-first like you always could, or heel-first for the first time. Shimano explains this iterative cleat design update will help everyone from clipless newbies to ‘everyday commuters’ to more advanced trail & enduro mountain bikers riding the most technical terrain.
Frankly, when I heard, I was pretty excited to try the new cleats out, even though they weren’t available ahead of today’s launch. So much so, that after studying all the images I could get from Shimano last week, I ground down one of my existing SPD cleats to see if they really worked better than before. Read on for my first impressions…
Shimano CL-MT001 multi-entry SPD mountain bike cleat
Raise your hand if you’ve been riding clipped-in off-road since 1990 – probably not too many of you, as that was still early days for MTB. But that is when Shimano first introduced their Shimano Pedaling Dynamics pedals and the original SH50 SPD cleats.
Now, how about who’s been riding clipped-into SPDs since around 1995/96? That’ll be a couple more of you, and now includes me. That’s when Shimano rolled out a slightly reshaped but backwards-compatible SH51 cleat – the exact same SPD cleat that has come with almost every set of Shimano off-road clipless pedal since. 30 years unchanged.
I think it is safe to say that the majority of our readers have at least once ridden a set of Shimano SPD mountain bike pedals in the last 30 years. And those SPD cleats dictated how you felt clipping in and out of your pedals.
Now, that’s all about to change.
The new multi-entry Shimano CL-MT001 SPD cleat appears to maintain the same overall outline as the current SM-SH51 cleat. What’s new seems to be mostly a revised front tip – just a rounded off low-angle taper, keeping the same outer shape and the same ‘under’ shaping where it contacts the pedal’s retention cage.
Out back there is also a new groove that won’t affect compatibility with any existing pedals, but could potentially add some centering or extra retention function in a future pedal design.
Shimano explains that the new front taper “allows riders to engage the pedal in multiple ways. That means you can clip into your pedal with the traditional front-first then rear, or rear-first then front, or simply stomp straight down and experience the quick and reliable connection between cleat and pedal.“
Plus, Shimano is touting improved walkability of the new cleats. That also makes sense since the new MT001 cleats get rid of the sharp 90° edge that was at the front of the old cleats, so you won’t be likely to catch them on things as you walk.
So will they actually work?
When I saw how similar they looked, I couldn’t help but test out what differences I could see in the new design. So I Dremel-ed and then filed smooth my right SM-SH51 cleat to see how much easier I could engage into my set of XT Trail pedals. And hooray, engagement feels easier on all fronts, with no noticeable decrease in shoe retention.
For a first impression just in my hands, the modified cleat is noticeably easier to align and clip-in in the conventional method (suggesting it will be easier to find & clip in on the trail too) – but heel-first clipping-in still was very tough. So I was worried at first. But when I actually laced up my Endura MT500 shoes and hopped on the bike it was clearly easier to clip-in.
Heel-first and just straight stomp-down clip-ins are still not nearly as easy and smooth as the good ol’ traditional toe-first clip-in with my modified cleat. But it is clear that the revised shape will allow for more clip-in options and will be especially helpful after going flat-out, foot-out through tricky steeps, sketchy rock gardens, and loose turns.
I’m definitely looking forward to slapping some new XTR gravity (Trail) pedals on my enduro bike and hitting the bikepark with the proper new cleats to test them out.
Actual First Impressions
While the Dremmel hack may allow you to make your current SPD cleats multi-entry, Zach got a set of the genuine cleats to try out ahead of time. He reports that the new cleats allow for clipping in easily enough in either manner, so it’s a challenge to tell a difference. Basically, just put your foot down on the pedal and push, and it will clip in – though you might not even be able to tell if you clipped in toe first, straight down, or heel first.
New Shimano CL-MT001 SPD cleat – Pricing, options & availability
Now, in great new product news… the new Shimano CL-MT001 SPD cleats are not actually any more expensive than the SH51s. And they still work with all existing SPD pedals. Pick a set up for about $22 / £20 / 20€, including the cleat nut (as shown above), or for about $ 20 / 15€ without that threaded plate that is likely still inside your clipless-ready shoes. The new CL-MT001 SPD cleats are available now through almost every bike shop, Shimano’s worldwide distributors, and even directly from Shimano at ride.shimano.com where they sell shoes, pedals, clothing & small parts consumer-direct.
