You can walk around on SPD cleats, But that does do some wearing
on the concrete, of the cleats, at a significant replacement cost..

1 set of cleats comes with the pedal, the replacement cleat can cost
half again the cost of the pedals.

I use Shimano SPD's (two sided, mountain bike pedals) on my DaHon folder commute bike; no problems! For shoes I have some Answer BMX shoes for the winter, i.e. colder than 45 deg.F and 6-6-1 sandles for warmer weather. Works well for me!

I have to walk down stairs and up escolators at the Metro stations at both ends of my commute and both shoes work well for that . . . wouldn't want to do a long hike in either of them though!

Re: Crank Bros. Egg Beaters, I have a set on my fixed gear bike (which I have yet to commute on) and they work fine, never had a problem with them. They are just the basic chro-mo Egg Beaters (w/o the platform), bearings still smooth with no slop, so I'm happy with them for that application.

Rick / OCRR

I'm saving my pennies for the new Keen Arroyo Pedal. As for clipless pedals, I'm using the Nashbar Highlander pedals. Heavy, but durable and can be used with cleated or regular shoes.

Well I got 20 more to go. Let's see how many I can do today. I have only a few things to trade so I'll meet you in the thread but I would trade USD otherwise.

-Mike

Toy around with all the MTB/commuter cleats, comfort and fit varied from shoe to shoe depending on your feet. Shimano M077 fitted me the best, looks more like soccer shoes but they walk pretty good. If you got a REI near you, check for the next garage sale event and show up 1hr early for some decent deals.

Do you REALLY need the clipless, though? I bought into the whole scheme for a while and got A600 pedals fitted on both my bikes, but have since replaced them w/ MKS Lambda pedals and found they work just as well. Started doing some local club TT's and I certainly don't see the pedals being a limiting factor -- even if I'm the only goof w/ Fred pedals on a carbon road bike amongst people w/ crazy aero equipment (I did get a clipon aerobar, not sure how well it matches the carradice saddlebag). I've read stuff on mid-arch pedaling and, instead of being limited by a cleat that stays in the ball of the foot, just scooted my feet a little forward and reaped its benefits.

A lot of people say clipless is faster, a lot of people will tell you it's faster if asked, and likely 90% of that is in your head (and I do believe there's research to back that up). Unless you're having trouble with your foot consistently slipping off, the cheapest alternative might be to realize what you have now works just fine.

I have a pair of Sette mountain shoes. Been wearing them all weathers for 3 years now, they're still in good shape. I forget that I'm wearing them sometimes. I have SPD cleats on them.

Before them I had a pair of Shimano mountain shoes. They lasted about 4 or 5 years before I tossed them.

I paid about $40 for the Shimanos, $35 for the Settes. The Shimanos came from eBay, the Settes I think on sale at Performance Bikes.

FWIW, I'm not really a believer in clipless. I have it because people said it was so much better but I have not really found that to be true. It IS true however that cycling SHOES are worth it - the stiff sole is great. When I ride long with sneakers my feet cramp like crazy.

SPDs and Pearl Isumi MTB shoes work great.

I took the clipless pedals off my commuter and don't use straps either, and ride in my sneakers. I just didn't feel safe riding clipped in even though I've been using clipless from the time of the original Looks. My commute is 10 miles each way and I don't feel the need to get every watt out of my body to get there. I keep the Keos on my road bikes though, I wouldn't change that. This all reminds me that I have a pair of MTB shoes with SPDs on them, but I don't know where the pedals are.

Egg Beaters are SPD compatible, however, they have a specific cleat that's manufactured by Crank Bros. About $20 a pair at REI - still have my original pair and they still work great!

Cleats typically come with the pedals.

I do feel that I need either clipless or toe straps though I don't care which.

I made this decision after my sneaker-clad feet slipped off the platforms TWICE in one day when I was stopped at a light in the rain. Light turns green, I go, my foot slips off, I come to a screeching halt with my shin grinding down the front of a pedal, the pickup behind me nearly flattens me.

I decided that keeping my feet on the pedals in the rain was a primary safety concern.

switched to SPD and now kick myself for not going sooner.

my shoes are easy to walk in. i leave my work shoes in my office and just bring clean socks as part of the clothes i change into.

Thank you. I want to try them out.

I agree with this suggestion (Shimano MT 22s). I have the MT 21s (very similar but no longer made) and they're super easy to walk in - easier than regular SPD MTB shoes (I own a pair of Specialized MTB shoes). Note that the sole is softer than some MTB shoes so you will lose a little efficiency.

I also agree with the Crank Bros Candy suggestions. I have 3 pairs, two from the current generation and one from the previous. All of them work great on my bikes. I love the four-sided entry!

This is not the issue - the proper and more efficient way is to not only push down but to also pull up each pedal on the upstroke. When you are pushing the left down you are pulling the right up. This uses different muscles and is more efficient riding. Also it is hard to do in toe clips.

I recently bought a pair of Keen Austins for two reasons. The first is quality. I wanted a shoe that would hold up for a few years of regular service. The second is style. I'm not into looking like a guy with a weird shoe fetish anymore. The Keens look like normal shoes. Well, to be honest, Keens don't really look normal to begin with, but they are close enough. The build quality is terrific and they are comfortable enough to wear all day. And they are as waterproof as any shoe with a hole built into the bottom of them can be.

I just got a pair at REI and they are on sale for $75. My daughter has them and likes them. On regular concrete they will make a grinding sound, but on every other surface they are silent.

I like their style, but can't find a pair in my size. No one answers the phone number listed on their website, nor do they return calls.

Anyone no where to get a 42 or 43 in the District?

This is my exact setup. PI MTB and Shimano A530 SPDs. Just bought a second pair of PI shoes as Nashbar had them on sale for $64 a week ago.