Leaked retailer listings, trademark filings and recently published patents suggest Shimano is preparing to launch a new road bike pedal system called SPD-SLR – potentially including long-rumoured power meter pedals.
Shimano’s clipless pedal technology has remained relatively stable for decades. Riders broadly have two options: SPD, the two-bolt recessed system generally used for off-road riding, and SPD-SL, the three-bolt road-specific standard.
Now, there are signs Shimano could be preparing to introduce a third system: SPD-SLR.
It’s unclear whether SPD-SLR relates to a line of power meter pedals or a new clipless design, and Shimano declined to comment on the matter when approached by BikeRadar, but here’s what we can glean from the leaked information
Leaked retail hints
I first spotted the pedals via a listing on Neo Zigma – the official Shimano distributor for the Philippines. It shows multiple new pedal models bearing the SPD-SLR name.
The listings include:
| Shimano product name | Shimano product code |
|---|---|
| Dura-Ace SPD-SLR Pedals – +4mm axle, w/ cleats | PD-R9300 |
| Dura-Ace SPD-SLR Pedals – standard axle, w/ cleats | PD-R9300 |
| Ultegra SPD-SLR Pedals – +4mm axle, w/ cleats | PD-R8200 |
| Ultegra SPD-SLR Pedals – standard axle, w/ cleats | PD-R8200 |
| SPD-SLR Cleats – wide mounting range | CL-SL130 |
| SPD-SLR Cleats – 2° float | CL-SL120 |
| SPD-SLR Cleats – 6° float | CL-SL110 |
| SPD-SLR Cleats – fixed | CL-SL100 |
Clicking through to the products reveals no specifications or images, and none are available to purchase at the time of writing.
On its own, an erroneous listing is not proof that a new product line is imminent.
However, the product codes and SKUs align closely with Shimano’s existing naming conventions, suggesting these are not mistaken entries.
It is also common for retailers to be supplied with a list of product codes prior to products going on sale, and for those to sometimes be published accidentally. I have found pre-release products in this manner before and expect the same to have happened here. That the listings are on an official distributor's site is also notable.
Assuming the codes are accurate, the listings appears to confirm the next generation of Dura-Ace will be called R9300.
Trademark confirmation
Supporting evidence that Shimano is developing a new pedal system under the SPD-SLR name comes from a recently filed trademark.
Shimano registered SPD-SLR as a trademark with the USPTO on 25 March 2025. The trademark covers a broad spectrum of categories, but it all but confirms that SPD-SLR relates to pedal technology.
Most interesting is the inclusion of power meter pedals in the description of goods covered by the trademark: “Bicycles, including electric bicycles; parts, fittings and accessories for bicycles, including electric bicycles, namely, pedals, pedal which contains bicycle power meter inside, bicycle pedal cleats, toe clips.”
It is entirely possible that Shimano is merely covering its bases with the filing by referencing power meter pedals, leaving the door open for future developments.
However, it is hard to envisage where the existing SPD-SL system can be taken from a development perspective, or to understand if Shimano would even have the desire to fundamentally change a well-liked system, without integrating new technology such as a power meter.
Shimano has resisted pedal-based power meters even as Garmin, Favero and Wahoo have made them mainstream products.
Given their widespread adoption and Shimano’s well-publicised difficulties in developing reliable crank-based power meters, entering the power meter pedal market could be a savvy move.
Technology has moved on a great deal since then, but a patent filed in 2014 and granted in 2018 shows the brand has seriously investigated the possibility of producing power meter pedals in the past.
That the SPD-SLR range appears to be limited to Ultegra and Dura-Ace-level components also appears to back this up.
Although third-party manufacturers, such as Stages and 4iiii, offer power meters down to 105 level, Shimano’s range of crank-based power meters extends only to its two premium road bike groupsets.
If Shimano follows through with its typical naming conventions, the ‘R’ in SPD-SLR is likely to stand for Race. Power meters have historically been reserved for Shimano’s race-level groupsets, hinting further that this is a new power meter system.
All of this leads me to believe a power meter pedal system is the most likely direction of travel for the SPD-SLR system.
What might Shimano SPD-SLR pedals and cleats look like?
However, the potential existence of new cleats gives me pause for thought.
As with its new CL-MT001 MTB cleats, ensuring a new power meter pedal system had backwards compatibility with its existing pedals would be in keeping with Shimano’s overall philosophy.
With that in mind, to see standalone cleats marketed as SPD-SLR for sale suggests the new name may not denote a power meter pedal – or at least, potentially, not just a power meter pedal.
But what form might new SPD-SLR pedals and cleats take?
If we assume the overall clipless design won't change fundamentally, at the basic end of the scale, Shimano may make similar moves to its CL-MT001 cleats, making it easier to clip and unclip within the existing form factor of the SPD-SL cleat.
SPD-SL is among the easiest road pedal systems to use on the market, and they aren't too hard to walk in.
However, the same could have been said of its existing two-bolt SPD cleats, but Shimano CL-MT001 cleats are claimed to bring small tangible improvements. Could we see the same for SPD-SLR?
Into more speculative territory, while its pedals have among the lowest stack heights on the market, Shimano may also look to slim down its cleat system.
It’s worth noting that Shimano has quoted SPD-SL pedal stack heights, including the cleat (unlike most competitors), which makes them appear taller on paper than they are.
For example, a Dura-Ace PD-R9100 pedal is listed at 14.6mm, but that figure includes around 5mm for the SPD-SL cleat, putting the true pedal-only stack height closer to 9.3mm.
Even still, if this is a racing-focused product, Shimano could look to squeeze out a little more ground clearance and a closer shoe-pedal interface – although I have no evidence to support this assumption.
Looking into more outlandish territory, Shimano has released a flurry of patents in recent years relating to pedal and cleat technology.
A recent Shimano filing shows a pedal and cleat system that operates differently from Shimano’s existing SPD and SPD-SL designs. Instead of a spring-loaded jaw that clamps the cleat when you stamp down, the new design uses a sliding, track-style interface.
The cleat is shaped to fit into a channel on the pedal, locking into place in a docking motion rather than a forceful stomp. A small locking mechanism or flexible element secures the cleat.
Shimano has also filed patents describing electronic, automatically adjusting cleat systems, which would adapt as you ride.
As always with patents, there is no guarantee any design will ever reach the market – Shimano, in particular, regularly patents concepts, from the mundane to the outlandish, that never see production.
What’s next?
For its part, Shimano declined to comment on the leak, issuing its boilerplate statement: "We are constantly in development of new products, and Shimano does not comment on rumours or speculation about products, whether they are in development or not."
However, taken together, the evidence points towards an imminent release and update to Shimano's road pedal ecosystem – potentially as part of a wider refresh of its road bike groupset line-up.
The potential integration of power meters would be a significant departure from Shimano, but not a move without precedent.
Recently filed patents could hint at a new design direction for its road bike pedals, although there’s no strong evidence to suggest what trajectory this may take.
If and when SPD-SLR does arrive, it would be the first major shift in Shimano’s road pedal ecosystem in decades.
