Originally Posted by
bluefoxicy
Shimano A530 pedals work well for me, but there is a learning curve. I've eventually learned how to flip the pedal in transit, usually by taking my foot off at BDC and then locking on at TDC once the pedal has flipped on its own.
In hindsight, I should have gone with a double-sided clipless system, because I got on my bike once for a quick 1.5 mile ride with regular shoes and a block and a half later seriously was not happy not being able to clip in. How the hell I ever managed without the damn things I'll never know. But single-sided clipless is not bad.
I felt the same way after I first got my A530s. I rode with cycling shoes over 90% of the time anyway so having the option to use regular shoes didn't seem to have much value, - until I switched to pedals I couldn't effectively use with regular shoes. That's when my appreciation for the A530s grew.
The other thing that happened is that my A530s broke in. The bearings were pretty stiff at first and they didn't seem to hang any particular way consistently. After they broke in, they started to hang with the clipless mechanism facing rearward. Once I realized that, I change my technique to push the top of the pedal forward before trying to clip in. Now I get the right side almost all the time.
The other thing I realized that ending up on the wrong side of the pedal is something that can be addressed when convenient and I don't have to fumble with the pedals trying to get across an intersection.