Two Shimano SPD pedals that use the same cleat and the same clip mechanism. The only real difference is how much pedal there is around it, and whether cleats come in the box.
Buy the M520 if you ride a road or gravel bike on roads and gravel roads, and the ME700 if your gravel includes rough descents, frequent unclipping and feet that land on the pedal before they find the clip. These two pedals share a cleat system, share a mechanism and cost roughly the same. The ME700 wraps a wider cage around that mechanism; the M520 does not wrap anything around it at all.
One practical difference decides this for a lot of first-time buyers: the M520 listing states that cleats are included, and the ME700 listing does not. Cleats are a separate small purchase most beginners do not know they need until the pedals arrive and will not attach to anything.
If you are not certain you want to be clipped in at all, neither is the right first purchase and the ROCKBROS dual-function pedalis — clip-in on one side, a flat platform you can ride in trainers on the other.
How this is funded: we earn a commission if you buy through our links, at no extra cost to you. It never changes which bike we recommend, and we will tell you plainly when we would skip one. Full disclosure.
Quick picks
Ranked on published specs, what the listing does and does not tell you, and who each one actually suits. Select a row to jump to the full write-up. We have not ridden these — here is exactly what we do instead.
#
Bike or gear
Best for
Price
1
Shimano PD-M520
The pedal almost every clipped-in cyclist starts on, and a huge number never replace. Cleats are included, which removes the one step beginners most often get wrong.
Shimano's own dual-sided pedal with a wider body than the M520, which means more support under your foot on rough ground and easier clipping in when you are tired.
Clip-in on one side, flat platform on the other. This is the answer for a beginner who wants to try clipping in without committing to it for every single ride.
The pedal almost every clipped-in cyclist starts on, and a huge number never replace. Cleats are included, which removes the one step beginners most often get wrong.
Who it is for: Your first clip-in pedals, for road or gravel.
What is good
+Cleats included in the box — you are not left guessing which ones to order
+Double-sided, so you can clip in without looking down to find the right face
+The de facto standard: cleats, shoes and spares are available everywhere
+Serviceable rather than disposable, which is unusual at this price
What you give up
−You will fall over at least once learning to unclip. Everyone does. Practice on grass
−Requires shoes drilled for the two-bolt pattern — a separate purchase
−No published weight in the listing
Skip this if. Skip this if you make frequent stops in traffic. Being clipped in at a busy junction is genuinely stressful when you are new — the dual-sided ROCKBROS lets you use normal shoes on those rides and clip in on the quiet ones.
Published specifications for the Shimano PD-M520
Type
Clipless (you clip in)
Cleat pattern
Two-bolt SPD
Cleats included
Yes
Sides
Double-sided
Weight
Not published
Specifications read from the retailer listing on July 23, 2026. “Not published” means the listing does not state that figure — we do not estimate it.
#2Best for rough gravel
Shimano PD-ME700
Shimano's own dual-sided pedal with a wider body than the M520, which means more support under your foot on rough ground and easier clipping in when you are tired.
Who it is for: Gravel riding where you clip in and out often on rough ground.
What is good
+Wider platform supports the foot better than the minimal M520 body
+Shimano build quality and serviceability
+Double-sided, so no hunting for the right face
What you give up
−Costs about the same as the M520 for a benefit only gravel riders really feel
−Heavier than the M520
−No published weight in the listing
Skip this if. Skip this if you ride paved roads. The wider body exists to support your foot over rough terrain, and on tarmac it is weight you carry for nothing — the M520 is the better road pedal.
Published specifications for the Shimano PD-ME700
Type
Clipless, dual-sided
Cleat pattern
Two-bolt SPD
Body
Trail / all-mountain (wider platform)
Cleats included
Not published
Weight
Not published
Specifications read from the retailer listing on July 23, 2026. “Not published” means the listing does not state that figure — we do not estimate it.
#3Best if you are still deciding
Rockbros Dual-Function SPD Pedals
Clip-in on one side, flat platform on the other. This is the answer for a beginner who wants to try clipping in without committing to it for every single ride.
Who it is for: Learning to clip in without being trapped into it.
What is good
+Flat side means you can ride in normal shoes any time you want
+Removes the biggest psychological barrier to trying clip-in pedals
+Sealed bearings at a price below the Shimano M520
What you give up
−You have to flip the pedal to the right side, which is fiddly at a stop
−Heavier than a dedicated clipless pedal
−The listing does not say whether cleats are included
Skip this if. Skip this if you already know you want to be clipped in. Dual-sided pedals are a transition tool, and once you have made the transition the flipping becomes an annoyance you paid extra for.
Published specifications for the Rockbros Dual-Function SPD Pedals
Type
Dual-sided: clipless one side, flat the other
Cleat pattern
Two-bolt SPD-compatible
Cleats included
Not published
Bearings
Sealed
Weight
Not published
Specifications read from the retailer listing on July 23, 2026. “Not published” means the listing does not state that figure — we do not estimate it.
The three pedals, from the listings
Read straight from the listings recorded in each product’s entry above. Two rows do the work here — the body shape and whether cleats are included — and the weight row is empty on all three, which is standard in this category and still worth stating rather than guessing.
Shimano PD-M520
Shimano PD-ME700
ROCKBROS dual-function
Cleat system
Two-bolt SPD
Two-bolt SPD
Two-bolt SPD compatible
Sides you can clip into
Both
Both
One (flat platform on the other)
Body around the mechanism
Minimal — the mechanism is the pedal
Wider trail / all-mountain cage
Wide flat platform
Cleats included
Yes, stated on the listing
Not stated
Not stated
Bearings
Not published
Not published
Sealed
Weight
Not published
Not published
Not published
Price band
Mid
Mid
Budget
What is actually the same on both
Everything that decides whether a pedal works with your shoes. Both are SPD, which is Shimano’s two-bolt off-road standard: a small metal cleat that bolts into two threaded holes in the sole and sits recessed inside the tread, so the rubber touches the ground when you walk. Park Tool’s own guidance on pedal retention makes the point that cleat systems do not interchange between brands — an SPD cleat does not fit a Look or Time pedal — so picking SPD is a bigger decision than picking which SPD.
Both are also double-sided, which is the feature beginners underrate. You put your foot down, push, and it clips in; there is no correct face to find first. If you are new to any of this, SPD versus SPD-SL is the decision that comes before this page, and cycling shoes is the purchase that comes with it, because an SPD pedal needs a two-bolt sole to clip into.
What the wider body on the ME700 buys you
The M520 is close to the minimum pedal that can exist: the clip mechanism, an axle, and barely anything else. Your shoe sole spans the gap, which is fine because a cycling shoe sole is stiff. The ME700 adds a cage around the mechanism — Shimano’s trail / all-mountain body — and that cage does three things.
It supports the foot on rough ground. On washboard gravel and rocky descents, the sole flexes and the foot moves on a tiny platform. A wider body spreads that out.
It gives you something to stand on before you clip in. Start on a steep loose climb, miss the clip, and the M520 leaves your foot on a spinning metal spindle. The ME700 leaves it on a platform.
It takes rock strikes instead of the mechanism. Nothing in either listing says this, so treat it as a design argument rather than a published figure.
None of that is free. The cage is weight, it costs about the same as the M520 for a benefit that only appears off tarmac, and on a road bike it is the wrong pedal — weight carried for a problem you do not have. Shimano’s own GRX gravel range exists because gravel riding puts different loads through a bike than road riding does, and this is the pedal version of the same idea.
Where the M520 is simply the better buy
For a first road bike, or a gravel bike mostly ridden on pavement and smooth gravel roads, the M520 wins on four counts: the cleats are in the box, it is lighter, it is the most widely stocked pedal in the category so spares and cleats are everywhere, and it is serviceable rather than disposable, which is unusual at its price.
It is also the pedal the rest of this site assumes when it says “clip in”. Our beginner pedal shortlist has it as the pick, and first gravel bike upgrades puts pedals and shoes ahead of almost everything else you could spend the same money on.
The honest third option: do not clip in yet
Clipping in has a cost that nobody advertises. You will fall over at least once learning to unclip — practice on grass, next to a fence, before you take it into traffic. If your riding involves a lot of junctions, that cost is not small and it does not go away quickly.
The ROCKBROS dual-function pedal is the hedge: clip in on the quiet rides, ride in normal shoes on the commute, same pedals. Its own trade-offs are real — you have to flip it to the side you want at a stop, it is heavier, and its listing does not say whether cleats are included either. It is a transition tool, and once you have transitioned the flipping is an annoyance you paid for.
Which one for your riding
First road bike, or a gravel bike on roads and smooth gravel. M520. Cleats included, lighter, cheaper to live with.
Gravel with rough descents, loose climbs and frequent stops. ME700, and check the listing for cleats before you check out.
You are not sure you want to be clipped in. ROCKBROS dual-function, and keep the flat side for traffic.
You want a bigger platform and no cleats at all.Neither Shimano. A good flat pedal is a legitimate choice — clipless versus flat pedals is that argument in full.
What we would buy
The M520, for almost every reader of this site. It is the pedal that comes with the part beginners forget to order, it fits the shoes this site recommends, and the ME700’s advantage is specific enough that you will know if you need it: if your local gravel is rough enough that your feet get bounced off the pedals, buy the ME700 instead.
Buy the shoes at the same time, not afterwards. A pedal with no two-bolt sole to clip into is a paperweight, and the shoe shortlist has the gravel-style recessed-cleat options that work with both pedals on this page.
We have not ridden these bikes. Every site in this category says it tested twenty of them. We have not tested any, and we say so. What we did instead: read the manufacturer listings and manuals, compiled the published specs, worked out the real out-the-door cost, and checked live availability and price. Here is exactly how that works.
Questions people actually ask
Is the Shimano PD-M520 or PD-ME700 better for gravel?+
The ME700 if your gravel is rough — the wider trail body supports the foot over washboard and gives you a platform to stand on when you miss the clip. The M520 is enough for smooth gravel roads and is the better pedal the moment you are back on tarmac.
Do the PD-M520 and PD-ME700 use the same cleats?+
Yes. Both are two-bolt SPD, so the same cleat and the same shoes work with either. The difference is that the M520 listing states cleats are included and the ME700 listing does not state it — read the current listing before you buy the ME700.
Are cleats included with the Shimano PD-ME700?+
The listing does not say, which is why we will not say either. Shimano sell cleats as a separate product line, so budget for a pair of two-bolt SPD cleats unless the listing you are buying from explicitly includes them.
Can I use SPD pedals on a road bike?+
Yes, and plenty of people do. SPD is nominally the off-road standard, but the recessed cleat means you can walk into a cafe without clattering, and double-sided entry is easier in traffic. The trade-off is a smaller shoe-to-pedal contact area than road-specific SPD-SL.
How much do the PD-M520 and PD-ME700 weigh?+
Neither Amazon listing publishes a weight, so we do not publish one. What is knowable from the listings is relative: the ME700 carries a wider trail body around the same mechanism, so it is the heavier of the two.
Will clipless pedals make me faster?+
Less than the internet implies, and more than nothing on climbs, where being attached lets you pull up as well as push down. The bigger real gain for most beginners is a stiff sole and a foot that stays exactly where you put it.
Do I need special shoes for these pedals?+
Yes — a shoe with two threaded cleat holes in the sole. Any SPD-compatible shoe works with both pedals on this page, and the gravel-style ones keep the cleat recessed so you can walk normally.
Sources
Specifications come from the manufacturer or the retailer listing, dated. Where a figure is not published, we say so rather than estimating it.
Park Tool — Pedal retention systems and cleats — Cleat systems do not interchange between brands; off-road cleats are recessed into a softer walkable sole; float lets the foot rotate rather than locking the leg joints (accessed August 18, 2026)
Shimano — Component product list — Shimano's own component lineup, from which the road groupset hierarchy is read (accessed July 23, 2026)
Shimano — GRX gravel components — Shimano's gravel-specific groupset series and what it is designed for (accessed July 23, 2026)
