Shimano  PD-ED500 Road Touring Pedals

TL;DR: These are "Light Action;" if you want standard dual-sided SPDs, go for PD-ME700. Shimano updated their pedal line this year, and old standbys like the Deore-level M530 SPD have been redesigned and renamed. Visually the non-series PD-ED500 are close enough that I thought they were the heir to the M530, but in reality they feel a lot different. The Shimano product page notes that these are "Light Action SPD," which "Aids Frequent Entry and Release." The latter makes it into the REI product description, but not the former, which is too bad because "Light Action SPD" is actually distinct from the standard SPD I'm used to. Unlike the float of standard SPD pedals, where you have a few degrees of lateral "free wiggle" before the cleat starts to disengage, with Light Action your foot starts to pry the claw open at the slightest lateral movement. It's not unlike the feel of a CrankBros pedal - not a compliment. It's *very* easy to unclip. I only used these for a few trainer sessions and found myself frequently unclipping until I jacked up the claw retention to near max, when they became tolerable. However I still felt that using them on the trail, or even on a hard road/gravel effort, would result in a lot of accidental and inopportune unclipping, so I'll be returning them. Turns out that the GRX-level PD-ME700 (also sold by REI) is the true replacement for the M530 - a dual-sided trail SPD for under $100. I've already purchased the GRX pedals and can confirm they offer the familiar retention and float-feel of standard SPD. All that said, are these a bad product? By objective measures, no. The construction is robust, the bearings are smooth, and adjustment is easy. They're consistent with the quality of other Shimano pedals I've used, which have a reputation for being virtually unkillable. For their defined use-case, which is "road touring and commuting" with "frequent entry and release," I suppose the easy disengagement could be attractive to some. But for pedals that look almost identical to the M530, that are designated as SPD, I think the product description needs to be updated to identify that these pedals use a distinct Light Action mechanism with a different feel. I've added a few photos to show the (extremely) subtle distinctions between the two mechanisms on the box.

These pedals are perfect for the cyclist that is wanting a lighter pedal and doesn’t want/need to go for the more expensive full carbon pedals. I’ve had them on another bike for over 5 years and have had no problems at all. Easy to adjust and maintain these pedals are durable, reliable, and most importantly, safe. Anyone who needs SPD pedals should go with these unless you want to pay a LOT more for super high-end pedals. These are great!

I had never clipped in prior to purchasing these pedals and once I got them installed by my bike tech and took a little lesson on the trainer I was off on the road with no problem. Very easy to learn and very easy to clip in and out. But even though they release easily I have not found that they release on accident. I could have not asked for a better set of pedals to start with. I will probably be using these for a long long time. Highly recommended

Have been experiencing foot pain for some time using SPD clip in pedals. The platforms on these pedals seem to help by adding more surface area for my shoe to contact the pedal.

Good size peddle when wearing regular shoes and they work great with cleats. No issues. Lighter then other similar peddles in the same price range.

Love these pedals because they spread the pressure to a larger area of the foot and they're easy to adjust.

There is absolutely no float in the Shimano PD-ED500 pedals. After a couple of months of use on an indoor trainer, my knees hurt enough to swap these out for a pedal with float. If float matters to you, your knees will let you know!

It’s so nice.very easy to clip and keep the shoes very nice

Basic pedals that clip into SPD. I'm used to another brand but chose these because of the clip in the shoe sole not protruding. Release makes me glad I'm using them on a trike instead of my recumbent bike!

Good pedals but have received a used pair that was returned. The pedals are scuffed and there is a lot of extra lube all over the pair of pedals.