Review: Shimano PD-M540 SPD Pedals

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Shimano PD-M540 SPD pedals

• by Shaun Audane

UPDATED Mon, Sep 22, 2025 16:30

First Published: Apr 9, 2020

14£62.99

VERDICT:

8/ 10Solidly made mid-price pedals that are great for general riding

Solid build quality

Great bearings

Mud-clearing prowess

Weightier than some

Weight: 352gContact: www.freewheel.co.uk How we test

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The Shimano PD-M540 SPD pedals sit between the venerable M520 and XTs in the company’s line-up. I’ve run a wealth of SPD patterns and ‘homages’ over the last 30 years, and I’m finding the M540s hard to fault. You can save a few quid and plump for the M520s or a mid-range alternative for daily use, but really these set the standard by which this genre of dual-sided pedal is judged.

The pedals have a tried and tested spec and are none the worse for it: alloy bodies and nickel-plated steel mechanism, with ED-finished chromoly axles turning on buttery smooth sealed bearings (ED refers to an electrostatically applied, durable paint process).

> Find your nearest dealer here

They attach to the cranks via an 8mm hex key, which looks sleeker than the 9/16 flat, and provided you’re disciplined when it comes to re-greasing threads shouldn’t cause any problems. However, I have had to remove a few neglected examples and this was trickier than whacking a long-handled pedal spanner and torqueing them free.

Their open design means efficient mud clearance and ultimately reliable entry/exit no matter how boggy things get – not that they’re confined to such conditions: while cross-country mountain bikers, cyclo-cross and gravel riders are the core audience, there are plenty of tarmac-biased tourists and commuters who like this genre’s convenience.

I also love dual-sided SPDs on road-going fixed gear bikes since there’s no ‘right side’ to worry about – simply press in and scoot off – although on the grounds of weight, I prefer Time’s 278g XC4s on my TT build. Not that the M540s are overly portly at 352g.

Performance

One of the first things I noticed about the 540s compared with some in my collection, such as my Wellgo M094Bs, was a small but tangible improvement in rigidity. Not that the Wellgos are remotely whippy, but powering away from the lights or on a long climb with my full weight on the M540 bodies, it was palpable.

While broader profiles such as those found on single-sided road-biased models, including Shimano’s A520, offer greater support, I’ve not experienced any hotspots or similar discomfort on rides around the 50-mile mark.

Their four degrees of float should suit most people’s joints without impairing entry/release. I’ve left the release tension at the factory default and this has been consistently snappy regardless of whether the cleats were Shimano or from a third party.

I like to corner quite hard and have had no grounding issues either with my fixed gear builds, which run 165 and 172mm cranks, or a traditional tourer with lower-slung bottom bracket and 175mm cranks.

Though flooding has relented, trails, forest tracks and bridleways remain churned and boggy, but being engulfed in sticky, clay soil hasn’t impeded entry/exit. The majority tends to drop away and fall through the bodies.

Anecdotally, waxing pedal bodies, while giving the bike a protective sprucing, aids shedding prowess slightly.

Common sense suggests giving the cleat mechanisms a periodic squirt of PTFE/maintenance spray or middleweight chain lube to keep things snappy. I treated the right pedal before commencing the test and only treated the left three weeks and 350 miles later, with no issues.

Filmy layers are also good at warding off light tarnish.

Durability

I have a set of the original (1990) SPD pedals still in very rude health with little more than annual strips and regreasing.

Our test pair’s finish has held out very well – some very minor freckling struck the left’s cleat mechanism after several successive wet and mucky rides along salty coastal stretches, ditto the black painted cleats, but has vanished with a few entries/exits.

The seals seem to be doing their thing and should remain faithful in as long as you can avoid pressure-washing or using really hot water (I knew of someone who blew a seal by using boiling water during a deep clean).

Being Shimano, should disaster strike mid-tour, there’s a very good chance of scoring replacements or repair. That’s not always the case with some superficially identical designs, which is why I might plump for cheaper options on a daily commuter but stick with the big S on tour.

Value

Those looking for an outright bargain might find their £39.99 M520 siblings a better bet, especially since they’ve had bearings upgraded from balls to sealed cartridge types. Experience suggests their finish is a little more susceptible to corrosion (we are talking light freckling, rather than anything serious) but this is easily thwarted with a filmy layer of maintenance spray.

> Buyer’s Guide: 11 of the best clipless pedals

Like for like, the M540s are competitive at rrp, and it’ll come as little surprise to discover they’re highly discounted online. Bontrager’s SPD-compatible Comp pedals are £54.99 (or £84.99 if you want them in purple…), but Time’s Atac MX4s are £74.99 and Issi’s Flash IIIs are $105 which equates to around £87. (I tested the Issi II Triples back in 2016, but it seems those are no longer available.) Crankbrothers’ Candy 2s are a slightly different take, with a small platform around the pedal body, and are £89.99 (though the Candy 1s are £30 less).

Summary

Ultimately, I’ve been seriously impressed by the M540s and reckon they’re an excellent mid-range option for general riding. As I said above, I’d probably go for something cheaper for a commuter or utility bike, but for touring, audax, cross and gravel I’d reach for the M540.

Verdict

Solidly made mid-price pedals that are great for general riding

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Shimano PD-M540 SPD pedals

Size tested: One size

Tell us what the product is for and who it’s aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

Freewheel, Shimano’s UK distributor, lists:

Compact dual sided SPD pedal designed for everyday use at good value price

Stable platform can be used with any type of SPD shoe and provides support for the foot

Mud repelling design is suitable for year round use

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Freewheel lists:

Cr-Mo spindle and low maintenance sealed bearing cartridge axle

Cleat tension adjustment

Weight: 352 grams per pair

Rate the product for quality of construction: 8/10

Solidly made.

Rate the product for performance: 8/10Rate the product for durability: 8/10

Solidly made and well finished. Spares availability should be good, long-term.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable) 7/10

Reassuringly solid.

Rate the product for comfort (if applicable) 8/10

Plenty of support, no hot spots or similar discomfort.

Rate the product for value: 6/10

Not much more than some homages and generously discounted online; that spares are likely to be easier to acquire (if required) increases their value. Those looking for an outright bargain might find their 520 siblings a better bet, especially since they’ve had bearings upgraded from balls to sealed cartridge types.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Entry/release is super-snappy and plays nicely with various pattern cleats. The chromoly axles and aluminium alloy bodies strike an excellent balance between strength, rigidity and weight. Rigidity was a notch higher than some emulators with a similar specification; this was particularly apparent when climbing out of the saddle, or powering away on my fixed gear winter/trainer. The “open” design also does an excellent job of shifting wet, clingy mud.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Pretty much everything.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Nothing, given the price point and design brief.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

Great benchmark SPD pedals, and not just for mountain bike/gravel duties. Cheaper versions might make sense on a working/winter bike and commuters might find the M520 a better buy, but the M540s are a great “everyman” choice.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 46 Height: 1m 81cm Weight: 70kg

I usually ride: Rough Stuff Tourer Based around 4130 Univega mtb Frameset My best bike is: 1955 Holdsworth Road Path and several others including cross & traditional road

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: cyclo cross, commuting, touring, fixed/singlespeed, mtb,

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• Shimano, Shimano 2020, Shimano PD-M540 SPD pedals, Shimano PD-M540 SPD pedals 2020

Shaun Audane

Shaun Audane is a freelance writer/product tester with over twenty-eight years riding experience, the last twelve (120,000 miles) spent putting bikes and kit through their paces for a variety of publications. Previous generations of his family worked at manufacturing’s sharp end, thus Shaun can weld, has a sound understanding of frame building practice and a preference for steel or titanium framesets. Citing Richard Ballantine and an Au pair as his earliest cycling influences, he is presently writing a cycling book with particular focus upon women, families and disabled audiences (Having been a registered care manager and coached children at Herne Hill Velodrome in earlier careers)

14 Comments

ThreadedOldest FirstNewest FirstBest Rated

14 thoughts on “Shimano PD-M540 SPD pedals”

1. The 540’s are fantastic

   The 540’s are fantastic pedals but so are the 520’s.

   Having used both I must say that aside from the different method of fitting and removing them I can’t tell a difference when using them. Hence I prefer to save a few quid and buy the 520’s.

2. It’s a great pedal that I use

   It’s a great pedal that I use on my gravel bike and has never caused me any issues. I’d always go for the 540 over the 520 due to the use of aluminium rather than plastic in the axle lock nut that you need to undo to service the bearings. There is only £15 price difference after all and the quality improvement is worth it for me.

3. I agree these are excellent,

   I agree these are excellent, bombproof pedals but the only downside for me is the lack of easy options for reflectors, which limits their use for commuting at night (if you abide by that type of thing, which I do – YMMV). I ended up replacing them with the flat/SPD combo M324 which seems a bit more liable to body corrosion, but still functions well despite many grim commutes and a non-existent care schedule (and means nipping in to town without cleats is easier).

   • You can convert a pair of

     You can convert a pair of double-sided SPDs to single-sided with reflectors using these: https://www.decathlon.co.uk/smpd22-auto-bike-pedals-adaptor-id_5626992.html

4. These are what I use on myThese are what I use on my road bike with some carbon soled shoes, only negative is they squeak a bit where they meet the cleat and needs regular greasing. In terms of ease of use and durability they are excellent, a bit more refined than the m520 and imo worth the extra

5. highly recommend. Have bought

   highly recommend. Have bought xt and even xtr but still come back to these. They just work and can take a knock. Review on point.

6. Great gold standard spd

   Great gold standard spd pedals. I’d go for these over the cheaper 520s. Unless you’re on a very tight budget the price difference is minimal for significantly lighter and more serviceable 540s over the life of the bike.

7. I expect pedal thread will beI expect pedal thread will be the next thing they think of to muck about with the standards.

8. >  turning on buttery smooth

   > turning on buttery smooth sealed cartridge bearings

   No idea where you got this info from but it is incorrect. They don’t use cartridge bearings at all.

   • https://bike.shimano.com/en

     Chrome-moly spindle and low-maintenance sealed bearing cartridge axle

     — https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/component/shimano/PD-M540.html

     Oddly phrased, but seems to suggest that maybe they do.

     • Well, I also wondered that,

       Well, I also wondered that, and found this exploded view, which looks like the standard shimano spd axle thingy, I had one on a very old set of XT platform pedals, cage type.

     • I don’t believe they are

       I don’t believe they are sealed bearings. The ‘cartridge’ containing the bearings is the sealed bit.

     • https://si.shimano.com/#/en

       https://si.shimano.com/#/en/EV/PD-M540

       (I should have carried on reading, somebody has already posted this!)

   • simondbarnes wrote:

     > turning on buttery smooth sealed cartridge bearings

     No idea where you got this info from but it is incorrect. They don’t use cartridge bearings at all.

     — simondbarnes

     Nailed it. There are loose bearings (cup/cone) throughout the MTB range. The author should service a pair ASAP…

     …or look at the EV diagram on the Shimano tec docs site.

Comments are closed.

Latest Comments

TimPedaller 4 hours ago

I have just sent off for a helmet mounted mirror, partly because an average week’s riding includes town centre roads (food shopping) and the A603, a single carriageway road with 50mph traffic including eighteen ton lorries. If anyone is seriously interested I will post a description of how useful it is. I wrote the above in answer to to two people's comments, but re-post it here in case it is not accessible for everyone else.

in: Inventor of hand-worn cycling indicator thinks new brighter lights will win cyclists round after dim start to crowdfunding campaign — plus some very bling bars and… a speedsuit for gravel?! TimPedaller 4 hours ago

I have just sent off for a helmet mounted mirror, partly because an average week's riding includes town centre roads (food shopping) and the A603, a single carriageway road with 50mph traffic including eighteen ton lorries. A few years ago my right shoulder side tendon (supraspinatus) was totally torn, too close to the shoulder for repair surgery. I (slowly) learned to use all the other muscles around the shoulder to compensate... I hope you too will be able to adapt. If you are interested I will post a description of how useful the mirror is.

in: Inventor of hand-worn cycling indicator thinks new brighter lights will win cyclists round after dim start to crowdfunding campaign — plus some very bling bars and… a speedsuit for gravel?! TimPedaller 4 hours ago

I have just sent off for a helmet mounted mirror, partly because an average week's riding includes town centre roads (food shopping) and the A603, a single carriageway road with 50mph traffic including eighteen ton lorries. If anyone is seriously interested I will post a description of how useful it is.

in: Inventor of hand-worn cycling indicator thinks new brighter lights will win cyclists round after dim start to crowdfunding campaign — plus some very bling bars and… a speedsuit for gravel?! wtjs 6 hours ago

People do ridicule cyclists for wearing helmets though They certainly do! I remember being mocked with shouted abuse for wearing a helmet (I had been after one ever since I saw Americans wearing Bell helmets some time before) on Maryhill Road in Glasgow in 1976. Somebody brought one back for me after a holiday in the USA.

in: “If I hadn’t had it on, maybe I wouldn’t be here today”: Zoe Bäckstedt recalls horror crash which smashed helmet “into so many pieces” JOHN5880 6 hours ago

You are correct, I was commenting on what the author said, not responding to Mr. Blackbird. Using the threaded view clearly shows replies versus separate comments. We are all entitled to our opinions, which is all I was giving in response to the article. I was also indeed only commenting on the Grenadier vehicles and the “wannabe Land Rover” term and not on the company or Jim Ratcliffe personally.

in: The dastardly dozen: The 12 ugliest pro cycling kits of all time… Where does the Ineos Grenadiers’ orange and grey monstrosity rank? eburtthebike 8 hours ago

"My father undertook post mortems and attended coronors inquests until his retirement and early death. He saw the riders who died in accidents. He built up decades of observed experience. He made us wear a helmet." That is the very definition of observation bias. Did he also do post mortems on people who had died from obesity and diabetes because they didn't ride a bike? If so, he would have seen massively more of them than cyclists.

in: “If I hadn’t had it on, maybe I wouldn’t be here today”: Zoe Bäckstedt recalls horror crash which smashed helmet “into so many pieces” Rendel Harris 9 hours ago

Don't know about you but when I've been hit by a motor vehicle I've fallen off my bike, and wearing a helmet intended to protect me if I fall off has mitigated my injuries.

in: “If I hadn’t had it on, maybe I wouldn’t be here today”: Zoe Bäckstedt recalls horror crash which smashed helmet “into so many pieces” Backladder 9 hours ago

They do exist, but they're expensive and they look something like this:- https://www.freepik.com/free-ai-image/war-zone-with-tank_67396907.htm

in: “If I hadn’t had it on, maybe I wouldn’t be here today”: Zoe Bäckstedt recalls horror crash which smashed helmet “into so many pieces” mdavidford 10 hours ago

What a marvelously apposite name for someone taking on helmet-related cases.

in: “Clear anti-cyclist bias”: Lawsuit filed against Toronto police after cop doored cyclist… before ticketing rider over incident RayG 11 hours ago

700, 1000 and 1400 lumen flash modes. How to annoy the feck out of the International Space Station. The steady beams have only been increased to 650, 950 and 1350 lumens, respectively. Maybe increased run time would have been better.

in: Could the new SKS Smartgrab be the affordable phone mounting solution we’re all looking for? Plus new Knog Blinder lights, a new 4iiii HRM with huge battery life, self-cleaning water bottles are here (just not for cycling yet) + more

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