For short rides there is little reason to use clipless pedals.

You'll just have to try and see what works for you. I don't like clipless for commuting in the city, too much stopping and unclipping, but I use SPDs for weekend rides outside of the city (little traffic, little stopping). There is always a chance that you will not unclip in time and swerve or even fall and I wouldn't want that to happen when I'm 2 feet from a city bus (although I never actually fell, but I had few close ones that resulted in some scare and I saw people fell when they failed to unclip in time).

Also, even with SPD shoes there are issues with walking, scratching floors, etc., so if your commute includes errands or walking through building lobbies, etc., that might not work well.

I use large platform BMX style pedals with grip pins (studs?) and wide sole sneakers or skateboarding shoes. That provides tons of grip even in wet or freezing weather, I never slipped off of my pedals.

Nashbar used to make a Shimano SPD compatible pedals, that even looked like Shimano pedals, but were half the price. I have a pair, still good after like 7 years.

Those are road style pedals. Not great for commuting because the shoes and cleats that go with them suck for walking.

To me that advantage for clipless during a commute is largely situational. If you use clipless regularly outside of commuting you might prefer them for commuting too just because of the feel they give you. But from a performance perspective, I think the advantages are fairly minimal unless a couple of minutes a day are important to you.

That being said, I do use clipless for my non-winter commutes. I've grown accustomed to them and feel more "at one" with the bike when I'm using them. My favorite commuting pedal is the A530 because they give you the option of using regular shoes if you like. It takes awhile for them to break in though and you may find yourself having to flip the pedal to clip in until they start to spin more freely.

Note: The platform side of the A530 is not very grippy so you'll want your clipless shoes when riding in wet weather.

I was a holdout with toe clips and straps for quite a while, but now I have Crank Brothers Eggbeater pedals on two bikes. I like being connected to the pedals using one of these systems, so I don't use plain platform pedals, although my toeclip pedals are just platforms with the clips screwed to them. I highly recommend Eggbeaters if you decide to go clipless. They're really quick and easy to both clip in and out, but retention is really good (i.e., they don't tend to let go of your shoe when you don't want them to). I have the cheapest model in this line ($40-ish online) and they have held up well. I think the more expensive models are just lighter, which I don't feel the need to spend extra for.

I think that even if you decide to go with platform pedals, it is definitely worth it to spend a little more (say $40) to get nicer ones. The difference is in durability. I've had a couple pairs of cheap $10 ones wear out before they should have, so the bigger initial investment pays off. No matter what you get, you still need to check for play in the bearings and roughness occasionally and service the bearings as needed.

Shimano M324s have a grippy platform side (better than the A530s) and a clipless side. However, I only use them in the winter when I expect to use winter boots. Rest of the year on the commuter, XT pedals (M780).

Improved power transfer, feet not slipping off the pedals and climbing out of the saddle are primary advantages.

Non-Shimano SPD-clone pedals should be avoided. You may have good luck with them, but pedals are not something you want to go cheap on.

I love my Crank Bros Candy pedals. 4-sided entry, but still enough of a platform you can ride them for short distances unclipped or with normal shoes.

I hate riding without clipless pedals, even for short distances.

LOL!!!!!!

my shimano A-530s lasted about two years. my forte campus pedal (SPD clone), which were less than half the price of the A-530s, are still going strong in year 5.

sometimes you don't get what you pay for.

I've got some inexpensive Wellgo SPD pedals that must be at least 12 years old with many thousands of miles of use, and they are still going strong. However, I'm currently using Shimano M-540s on two bikes and they appear to be better quality, but only time will tell.

For those with the pedals that are platform on one side and clipless on the other (like the M534 or the A530) how well do they do on the side you want up staying up? Right now I love the M520s, but am thinking the ability to just go with whatever shoes I have on sometimes would be nice. But not if I have to flip the pedal over at every intersection like I used to have to do when I had pedals with clips and straps. I love being able to just stomp down and go.

It\s a matter of personal preference. I have gone away from clipless and suspect many others have - and it has nothing to do with falling over. Lots of negatives.

For commuting, a platform type pedal with straps or mini toe clips work very well.

I've gone from plain platform pedals to type clips and straps to cooked pedals over the three years I've been bike commuting and riding more seriously. My least favorite setup by far was the plain platforms. I used you're clips and straps for a couple of years, and they were far superior. I finally got some Shimano M520s and a pair of sneaker-like SPD shoes over the holidays. I wad very careful at first as I was afraid of the dreaded clipless newbie fall. I managed to avoid the fall, and I can now say I strongly prefer the clipless pedals to anything I've ever used. My commute is 7 to 7.5 miles each way, most of which is on an MUP. To the OP, I'd say clipless is the way to go eventually, even if you just get a cheap pair of platforms for now. with the length of commute in question here, you'd be doing yourself a big favor by getting clipless, or at least toe clips and straps.

Could be the A530s are a bad design. I've never looked very closely at them. The M324s are very solid and it sounds like you are having a similar experience with the campus pedals. Shimano knock-offs I've used were definitely inferior quality.

The difference is, clip-less pedals are more efficient than platform pedals.

I know that some people are worried about not coming unclipped in time. After a while of using them clipping and unclipping becomes second nature. There have been many "oh ****" moments where I have been surprised at how fast my foot is out of the pedal. I even got caught in a pavement groove at about 15 mph and felt for sure I was going down but was able to unclip and kick myself out of it in a blink of an eye.


Then there is the time I was just rolling slowly along the water front with a friend and stopped momentarily for some pedestrians and leaned the wrong way. Hitting the ground hurt my pride more than anything else.

My 2 cents on the Forte vs Shimano. I stay with Shimano. The 2 times I bought Forte SPD cleats they pulled out so easily it was as if they weren't even there. Maybe you just have to keep them all the same brand.

After the A530s have broken in enough to spin freely they come to rest mostly vertical with the clipless mechanism facing the back.

So when I want to clip in, I push the top of the pedal to rotate it forward and then bring the rest of my foot down to clip in. It took a little while but now I can clip in easily without having to look down at the pedal.

So to answer your question, neither side is really up when the pedal is at rest.

I prefer plaform pedals and Power Grips pedal straps. Kind of the best of both worlds. No special shoes required, but I'm still relatively strapped down to the pedal. Shoe removal is as easy as turning the foot 45 degrees and pulling out. Very natural and simple.

Only issue I've had w/ the A530s are that they can be a little bit slippery in the rain. I may give Grip Kings a try though, as I've really felt no huge performance difference using winter shoes vs SPD MTB shoes I've been wearing previously. The hot spot created by the A530 can bother me as well, since I have some plantar fasciitis I'm still trying to get over.

Also tried the Power Grips, it felt much more difficult to pop out of these guys than the SPDs... should probably transplant it on another bike and give it a second shot.

of that 8 1/2 miles each way, how much of it is Urban?
how many times do you have to stop and put your foot down,
and wait for a green light?

Looks are (to my knowledge) road specific pedals. Some people like them because they have a larger cleat and they feel like they have a larger and more secure contact area. SPD (Shimano Pedaling Dynamics) can be had in both mountain and road style pedals & shoes. The advantage to me is being able to find shoes that you don't have to duck walk in. I have SPD's on all my bikes and like the compatibility and ease of finding affordable shoes and pedals that work together. My favorite shoes are a 10 year old pair of Specialized MTB shoes that are a lot like road shoes, but with some tread on the bottom. I also have a pair of Performance mountain shoes that have full tread on the bottom and are very walkable for when I'm on and off the bike. I consider them to be touring shoes.

both French companies are making MTB pedals, too,
Time (better distribution) and Look.

Fietsbob, for my commute I generally take country roads, and only have about 4 stop lights to wait through. As for how many times I stop and put my foot down, Id guess about 6 times unless I make it through the light. However, I do have a slightly steep overpass I have to ride over that may require me to get off my bike and walk in windy or wet weather.....

The get off and walk eliminates a road racing shoe pedal set, because they are not made to walk on.

That leaves a recessed cleat mountain bike type shoe and pedal, or just a decent platform pedal
with toe clips to flip over, and put your shoe into [probably not a spongy sole running-shoe]

or a bigger platform pedal and what ever shoes you will wear thru the entire day ...

my Daily rider uses Ergon pedals they fall in the last category..
big surface curved so my foot stays centered over the pedal
and smooth rotating due to weather proof bushing design, for a bearing that never needs lubricating.

my daily trip is about 3~4 miles each way . :30 on average.

Haven't seen those first-hand myself! How long have you had them and what do you think?

Which? the Ergon Pedals, they're fine. had them since the summer , 6 months,
.. now with it Pouring buckets, and dark, a lot, coming home..
the big reflectors and the grip tread stuff, works well on my rubber soled and rubber boots.

https://www.ergon-bike.com/us/en/product/pc2

I would say it depends on what your commute is like. If it's relatively long and you are riding on stretches of open road, clipless might be nice. If you are riding in a more urban setting, with lots of stops and starts, the constant clipping/unclipping can be real aggravating. Plus swapping out your shoes is a hassle. I used clipless for a number of years, but I have since gone back to platforms and prefer it that way, primarily because I ride in an urban setting most of the time. I may get a set of Power Grips for touring, but I think I am done with clipless for the foreseeable future.