Originally Posted by cyccommute

When you put your foot on the pedal 'one side' if the pedal is up. Which side depends on a number of factors but always having the proper side for the shoe that you happen to be wearing is impossible if you wear two different kind of shoes. You have to flip the pedal depending on what shoes you are wearing and how the pedal is hanging.

I've seen, and tried, the combo pedals. I don't buy the argument that the pedals hang vertically. If your pedal is properly adjusted, i.e. has free spinning bearings, the heavy side will always be down. That heavy side is the one with the SPD clip. Just like old toeclips, it's going to be the one on the bottom of the pedal that will necessitate flipping the pedal.

Symmetrically sided SPD pedals, on the other hand, do always have the proper side up because there are two proper sides.



You find it a brilliant solution and I find it to be an unnecessary compromise. Like nkfrench said riding a bike isn't just a hop on it and ride sort of thing. If I'm running errands on the bike, I have to carry a whole bunch of other stuff too so changing shoes isn't all that onerous. Carrying around a pedal that is futzy and I have to flip to get to the proper side that I might use in 1 out of 100 rides just isn't as useful as having a pedal that engages if I happen to put my foot on it. I did the toeclip thing for many, many years. Asymmetrical pedals is going backwards.