California Vehicle Code: ... (3) with a white or yellow reflector on each pedal visible from the front and rear of the bicycle from a distance of 200 feet; and ...

The MA law makes more sense -- reflector bands are probably more useful than bike pedals.

No, but the Shimano one had holes ready to mount, so mine now have reflectors. I put these on them and they work fine.

My wife decided to make the jump and go SPD this weekend. We'll see how she likes it! She was tired of clips.

+100

thank you!!

I put those on my commuter... just so I could switch back and forth as needed. The one odd thing about them is they seem "sticky," they do not rotate as easily as other pedals I have used. I can't help but wonder if they really are "dragging."

As far as a good concept... I love them. I wear spds and can walk in them when I need to, and if I am just running to the store, I just wear my sneakers... the concept is great.

I run SPDs on my inclement weather bike, and SPD-SLs on my fair weather flyer.

I haven't had the chance to get into clipless but for me - city or ice/snow I ride BMX platforms (with all the spiky studs - watch your shins!) and in rural/summer conditions I use clips.

in the city I wear through a set of brake pads every 1000 km, so you can imagine that I drop my foot often, and as far as snow and ice goes, my sorels don't come with cleats :)

Spd-sl

Just a comment on the 'street' shoe use and quick runs to the local store.
I used Shimano M520's and now Time ATAC XS and both have enough platform to let me easily and safely ride a mile or so at low speeds (~10mph) on low use streets in my hood to get a coffee or go to the convienience store. This is in dry conditions.
If I am going futher I put on SPD sandals which are as comfortable as a regular sandal.
Al

I used to do this and wasn't very happy with it. Why settle for a pedal that can only awkwardly be ridden in street shoes, when you can get a combo clipless/platform pedal that is very comfortable to use with either clipless or street shoes? :)

I have commuted with Look and SPD pedals. I bring a pair of regular shoes with me and change into them. Once, I got caught out without my bike shoes and had to ride home with regular shoes on the SPD's. It was OK; I took it easy and made it.

I find that I can get into the Look pedals faster from a stoplight than my SPD's. I used to ride a lot of MTB; back then I was used to the SPD's and I was fast in them. But now, the tread on the bottom of the shoe messes me up.

My vast preference is SPD, because I can walk comfortably in the shoes. I always walk around a bit getting the bike ready to go, locking up, and going to my office. My SPD shoes have ski-type buckles, so they're quick to get on and off, too!

Because it is as easy to slip on my Shimano sandals when leaving the house as any other shoe.

And also because if I don't and instead wear my regular sandals I already have on to get a coffee, that it is not awkward to ride a mile or so. Far from awkward in fact, the only reason I don't ride faster is because I have no need to when cruising the hood to get a coffee.

Al

I agree with all that :) It's just that... what's the downside to the clipless/combo pedals? The only downside I can think of is the learning curve for clipping into single-sided pedals. And there are major upsides, such as the fact that you can comfortably ride much longer distances in street shoes. Maybe not an issue for me, but I often want to do that.

Its all persona preference, so there is nothing to debate, just to discuss.

Anyway, the downside for me goes beyond the learning curve. I can flip and clip a double sided pedal no problem (used clips/straps for years) But I can't do it as quickly as double sided entry and with the platform/clipless one must look down to know if it needs flipping or have a 50% fail rate.
I almost always clip my 2nd foot in on the very first rotation of the crank, foot on the pedal at 3-12'oc when the pedal gets to the 9'oc I am clipped in, 95% of the time, ready to pull up on the first upstroke possible. I can't see doing that with double sided and don't want to take eyes off road to look at pedal either.

I also found in trying platfrom/clipless pedals that if ones foot was missplaced slightly a slight wiggle adjustment did not let the cleat slide into the pedal easily as the metal cage around the clipless grabbed the shoe and didn't allow lateral sliding in, so it actually made clipping in a bit harder.

Al

Eggbeaters

My Shimano M520 SPD's came with a flat plastic platform on one side and reflectors on the edges, which i promptly removed so I could clip on both sides of the pedal.
They're pretty unexpensive and easy to unclip at the loosest setting. Replacement cleats are available at most any bike store.
Pair them up with a good mountain bike shoe and you're ready to start going clipless.
I've never tried Eggbeaters, but I see no point in them unless your daily commute involves going through miles of mud.

Well, I switched from clips and straps to SPD clipless this summer, and loved it. But my commute is really too short to make it worth the hassle of changing shoes for work and etc (my Shimano shoes should probably be size 44, instead of 43, and walking around in them for hours is unpleasant). So I went down to the LBS and picked up some Wellgo double-sided pedals with plain cage on one side and a clipless side on the other. So now I can ride clipless when the urge strikes me, but the majority of my miles on the commuter bike are sans clips. The double-sided SPD pedals went on the new-to-me roadie, to replace the platforms with icky plastic toe clips, so all is well.

I still think that toe clips are the most versatile solution, but I've become a bit spoiled. I really prefer clipless to everything else! As for toe clips themselves, I like the old-style steel variety - XL to fit normal shoes or even hiking boots. Plastic? PAH! They can fit bigger shoes, but I care not. I've never used a plastic toe clip that I didn't hate.

I had serious problems with EggBeaters and hotspots until I bought a decent pair of shoes. Now I can't believe how good they are :)

What kind of problems did you have that a good pair of shoes got rid of?

Thank you all for your comments, I'd like to give back to the community.

I got the Shimano A520, and used them twice already on my commute (about 4.20 Km each way) with running shoes.

The SPD side is like a regular SPD pedal, the cage is below the SPD thing, so it can't be used.
The other side of the pedal isn't flat at all.
It has a ridge where the bearing is, which isn't convenient at all.

I ended riding the SPD side.
I guess I'll look for some SPD shoes that look ok for work.
I don't want to carry 2 pairs of shoes.

Tal.

I use Eggbeaters. If you want something with a platform, try either (Eggbeater) Candy or Smarty pedals.

+ 1
 

My shoe size is such that I can only get road clipless to fit my feet. On my commuter bike, I've gone back to clips & straps so that my street shoes work. On my road rides, I switch back to clipless since I'm not going to be walking much with those big hard lumps under the ball of my foot.

In Germany this fall I had a helluva time finding clips & straps for my bike. The local LBS's said 'no one uses those anymore'. At least there are multiple types of clips that are available via the web.

Tal, your other option--besides getting new shoes--is to get a clip-on platform which attaches to the SPD pedal and turns it back into a platform pedal. Nashbar sells those for around $10, I believe. Hope that helps.

I tried a pair of the Crankbros Smarty pedals but the cost of buying new cleats for all my shoes would have been prohibitive. Also never got used to the lack of 'click' when engaging the cleat/pedal. They did look a lot nicer and were lighter than most of the SPD pedals I have with the exception of the XTR pedals.

Also have the Nashbar Rodeo pedals and one of them has some bad threads/pitch such that it has stripped two of my cranks. I'd use the platform/SPD pedals if I only rode one bike.

I have a pair of these and I do not recommend them if you are thinking of taking them on or off on a regular basis (engaging the pedal ain't so easy without your weight behind the cleat and disengaging these without a screwdrive is impossible). If you want mine, they're yours for cost of shipping.