I do all of my tours on SPD-A530s, which are flat on one side and SPD's on the other. The best of both worlds!
The flat side comes in handy when I'm on dirt or unstable surfaces and riding with a heavy load, so I can get a foot down REALLY fast without dumping the bike. Or occasionally at the end of a very long say when I just want to be able to move my feet around more.
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Knows the weight of my bike to the nearest 10 pounds.