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Shimano PD-EH500 — Specs & Analysis
Manufacturer specifications, compared against every other pedals in our database. We do not test gear in the field — we measure, verify, and compare.
SPD on one side, a flat platform on the other, 383 g the pair. This is the pedal the dual-sided argument is usually actually about — Shimano's SPD system is what most clipped-in bikepackers are running, and this is the version you can also ride in trainers.
If the dual-sided pedal is the format the touring numbers favour, this is the one most riders mean by it. SPD on one face, a flat platform on the other, 383 g the pair.
The case for it on a bikepacking bike is the case for the format generally: a loaded day is not one kind of riding. There is a long graded climb where clipping in is genuinely pleasant, and there is a rocky section, a stretch of pushing and a resupply stop where it is not. A dual-sided pedal means that decision is made per section rather than per trip, and it means a lost cleat bolt or a hot spot on day nine is an inconvenience rather than the end of your riding position.
The SPD detail matters more than the platform detail. When BIKEPACKING.com counted the 2025 Tour Divide field, over 72 percent were on clipless pedals and they noted that most of those were SPD specifically. Whatever you think of clipping in, SPD is the system with the most cleats sitting on the most shop walls between here and the far end of a long route — which is a real argument on a route where resupply is the constraint.
The honest costs of the format apply here as much as anywhere. It is heavier than a pure design because it carries two mechanisms. The flat side is a flat side, not a pinned platform, so it is meaningfully less grippy than a dedicated flat pedal in the wet. And you have to flip it to find the face you want.
Weight is per pair, from retailer listings — Shimano publishes a price on their own storefront but not a weight. The price stored is Shimano's own $85, not the $95 one major retailer lists as MSRP.
Who Is the Shimano PD-EH500 Best For?
Riders who want SPD for the long road sections without being committed to it all day. If that describes your riding style, the PD-EH500 should be at the top of your shortlist. It sits in the Pedals category alongside 6 other products we track.
How It Compares
At 383g and $85, the PD-EH500 is 28g heavier than the lightest option in this category (the OneUp Components Composite Pedal at 355g). The most budget-friendly option is the OneUp Components Composite Pedal at $49.99.
The price-to-weight ratio comes in at $22 per 100g — a reasonable middle ground between performance and value.
What We Like
- +SPD, the system with cleats available almost anywhere
- +Clip side and flat side, so the choice is per section not per trip
- +A failed cleat stops being trip-ending
- +Cheaper than most dedicated flat pedals
Watch Out For
- −Flat side is a plain platform, not pinned — less grip than a real flat pedal
- −Heavier than a pure clipless pedal
- −You have to flip it to find the side you want
- −Shimano publish no weight themselves
The Bottom Line
We haven't scored the Shimano PD-EH500, and neither has anyone else we can cite. It's here for its verified specifications and dimensions, which is what the fit tools run on — a score is an editorial judgement, and we don't hand one out until someone has a basis for it. What this page can tell you is measured: 383g, $85, and how both sit against every other pedals product we track.
Price and Weight checked against the manufacturer on 30 August 2026 — see the source.
Specifications and dimensions come from the sources listed above. Where a page draws on first-hand riding, it says so.
How it compares
Against the 7 pedals we hold published specs for.
At 383g the PD-EH500 is lighter than 3 of 6 alternatives we track. The category median is 383g.
At $85 it undercuts 3 of 6 of them, against a median of $85. That works out at $22 per 100g — above the $22 median for pedals.
Weight and price come from published specifications. Cost per 100g is a blunt measure — it rewards light gear and says nothing about durability or whether the thing works — so treat it as one input, not a verdict.
More in Pedals
Flat, clip-in and dual-sided pedals. Weights here are per pair, which is how makers publish them and how you buy them.