"Most of it wrong" with no explanation?
My post was a less than serious attempt to share my impression of SPD pedals, and address some of the blind enthusiasm, and bike shop sales pitch that over emphasizes its advantages while glossing over their limitations.

With no thought of agreement with either side of any safety or efficiency issues.....

I just got back from my first ride on the 324s that I got yesterday. This makes the sixth model of SPD pedals from 2 manufacturers that I have used. They are BY FAR the easiest "clipping" of the pedals that I have used. I took the wrench with me to adjust them and stopped within the first half mile to increase the tension.

Pedal journey
 

Im no stranger to clipless pedals, having tried several different brands and models. In the end however im a fixed gear addict who cant stand being attached to his pedals. Clips and straps for me. Distance and speed are no issues at all for me. Granted im not racing but more frequently on and off the bike with a lot of in traffic riding. I wont ever clip in again, i just love the freedom of flat pedals too much.

I've ridden with them for about 10 years, and I'm ambivalent about them. To me they're a mixed bag compared to toe clips. I don't think I would change to SPD if I had to go through the expense of pedals and shoes again, I'd probably just keep riding with toe clips.

Since I have them on both of my bikes anyway I'll probably just keep riding with them, though I do switch to platforms for the dead of winter when I'm riding with big stompy boots.

Let us know how it works out for you. It was about 6 years ago I showed off my velcro non-clicky clipless on a thread here ... no one was impressed. Including me. But I can't help wanting to revisit the idea from time to time. Let's see what you come up with.

I use these for my clipped as in old school clipped pedals and my daily commuter with simple flat pedals. One of my best acquisitions ever.

I commuted with pinned platforms for many years for the conventional reasons. When my office moved further away and I increased my cycle commuting up to 4 days/week+, I started to experience severe cramping of my leg muscles during evenings and early mornings. I switched to clipless on the advice of a cycling friend, and the cramps disappeared in short order. Coincidence?

I ride clipless on all of my bikes, mostly because I've already invested in the various shoes, pedals, neoprene booties with cleat cut-outs, etc. But I agree with what [MENTION=112025]wolfchild[/MENTION] says ^. If I were recommending a starting point for a newly commuting acquaintance, it would be simple platform sans pins.

I've been using SPD for many years, and I finally got a pair of these pedals. I agree. I never should have waited.

LOL, I tried the Shimano M-324 for a few days and didn't feel the love, happier with two-sided Ritchey SPD mountain-biking pedals. Just goes to show, there is no accounting for taste in pedal selection!

I don't see any cycling shoes as usable off the bike in any meaningful way, the rigid sole is a killer for me, even with the superfeet inserts that I love.

that greatly depends on the shoe in question. and the person too, i suppose

my recently deceased shimano sh-mt22 SPD shoes lasted 8 years of daily riding and walking as my main everyday shoe.

i couldn't eve begin to calculate how many thousands of miles i walked in them.

i personally think that qualifies as "usable off the bike in a meaningful way".

Chris Froome took an unexpected hill run recently in his clipless cycling shoes, and it turned out OK for him. :p

My SPD shoes are fine for walking around the grocery store, which is the only place I use them for walking...well, I did have to walk up and down a 25% dirt hill one time. They work fine for that purpose, and immensely superior to SPD-SL shoes.

I wouldn't walk around work with them on all day long. But for short periods, they're fine.

Once the pedal axle loosens up some they'll gain a preferred orientation (usually SPD side up).

And yes, on any hard, uneven surface SPD pedals are going to make some noise. That's the nature of the metal cleat.

Truth:
During the summers I ride exclusively clipless, about 40-80 miles per day. I still have clipless induced tipovers.

Are you talking about Forte Campus pedals? If you want them to settle at the same orientation every time, pry the seal off the axle, trim the lip a bit with scissors, then put the seal on backwards. Works with brand new pedals.
I prefer the Campus pedals to Shimano's 324 pedal. Campus lighter alloy cage, Shimano steel. Campus pedals grid off easier if you have a pedal strike, Shimano being steel will lift the rear end of bike and throw it sideways.

I've posted this before. I have Shimano's A530s and after a break-in period they started hanging a consistent way, - mostly vertical with the clipless mechanism facing towards the back. They are tipped slightly forward. This makes it pretty easy to get the desired side most of the time with practice. In fact, most of the summer I've been commuting in my running shoes and even though the platform side is probably slightly harder to hit consistently, I don't have much trouble.

It is all about trade-offs. You can get a very walkable, almost runnable SPD shoe if you're OK with sacrificing stiffness. But stiffness is an advantage while riding which is why you see a lot of cycling shoe advertising emphasizing stiffness.

I had some very flexible SPD shoes that I liked a lot but I just plain wore them out. As a birthday present, my wife said she'd get me another pair of cycling shoes. All I had to do was pick them out. That was back in July. I still haven't done it out of laziness. Frankly, even though I have a preference for SPDs, my sneakers are good enough for commuting and I have a pair of road shoes for longer rides.

If someone were to ask me if they should invest in clipless shoes and pedals, I don't know that I would recommend them just for commuting short to moderate distances. I already have them because I found them really helpful on my longer rides and I gained a preference for riding clipped all the time. But it wasn't *that* strong of a preference and not much of of loss on my commute to go without. But, sooner or later I'll pick out another pair of cycling shoes and I will be commuting with them again.

^ This. It is a tradeoff between stiffness and performance and less stiff for comfortable walking. Maybe this is why people have a couple of pairs of shoes. Think can convince my wife?

Though I wonder how these fare as an all-around:

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/sh...e-shoes/117532

I wanted to get these but they didn't have my size and color so I got the comp mtb which are nice and stiff but a little clunky walking around.

Anyhow, clipless for many years and I have always SPD clipless commuting. Use M540 and XT pedals and multi-release cleats. Never fall over or have an accidental clip-out.

.

(All of this - wife and BDay part) + 1
I have one set of the A530's with many, many miles on my Univega Sportour. Actually prefer the Forte Boulevard knock off design that are on my Bridgestone MB4. Same experience with both of these hanging predictably after break in, as described by TJ.
I have two sets of Shimano M324's and one set left of the Forte Campus.
I tend to wear sandals, running shoes, or go barefoot in the warmer months for shorter rides.
The Forte Boulevard is the best pedal I have for use with minimal/no shoes.
I would like to try the Shimano T420's as they have a nice comfy looking platform side but haven't needed to buy pedals for a while:
http://static.jensonusa.com/images/A...4/G0001ACC.jpg

Lol other people have done more pseudo-scientific testing, like here, and found that the rider felt like they were faster on clipless but were actually the same speed -

This video talks about a rider riding flats getting 2nd place in a pro race, and going through and trying it, and find that flats are faster than clipless:

The thing here is that he's doing downhill racing, where the advantage might be that there's less pedalling and more advantage to be gained by being able to put a foot down on the ground going around corners etc.

But I get the same office commuting to the office, for somewhat similar reasons - I don't have to waste time changing shoes when I get to work or going home from work. :-)

Racers get benefit out of clipless in situations like these -

They're sprinting for the finish line in an all out effort, bike is rocking side to side, the guy you're competing against is right next to you. That's the kind of situation where the additional foot retention of clipless is beneficial vs flats, where your foot is really being thrown around a lot on the pedal.

Mountains out of molehills.......
I simply find that SPD shoes almost always remind one they are wearing cycling shoes in an unfavorable way off the bike, and at my leisurely pace I find having foot retention a little less fatiguing at the end of the day.

I'm actually not a fan of cycling specific gear in general, but I rather change footwear than commute wearing steel toe boots. My compromise is SPD MTB/hiking shoes with Shimano M420 pedals which are SPD on one side, and platform on the other.

I've read a few convincing articles that downplayed the advantages of going clipless when for years I've thought they must be better. So for now I am sticking with platforms. They suit my style of riding perfectly. I often hop on my bike to run some quick errands and it would be so inconvenient to have to change shoes everytime. Platforms for me.

that sounds a lot like when the don't walk light starts flashing its countdown 10... 9... 8... 7... and i launch out of the saddle and furiously hammer the pedals with all out effort as i chase the yellow light. that's the commuting version of a finish line sprint. in that moment i like the peace of mind of having my feet locked on to the pedals.



platforms for me too.

and clipless for me too.

SPD/platform combo pedals for the win!

if i want to change shoes and be clipped in, i can.

if i don't want to, i don't have to.

options are a beautiful thing.

When building up my new tandem, my wife (not a "cyclist") wondered why I insisted on clipless pedals. She didn't like getting in and out and said they hurt her knees. I bought the Shimanos with platform on one side and clipless on the other to satisfy her. Before we had gone half a mile on our first ride with her on the platforms, she learned why I like the clipless when she lost the pedals. We went directly home. I also put pedal extenders on and she has no more knee pain, can clip in and out easily and never uses the platform side. Not saying what is right for everyone else, just reporting our experience.

I love those moments. :thumb:

I think either flat with pins and decent shoes, or clipless pedals, are good solutions to the foot retention problem. My beef with clipless is only the extravagant overhyped claims that people and marketing departments like to push about them.

Lol that's cool, if they work well for you that's great...

Personally I find that to be to risky. I'm old and lame and scared of 2 ton automobiles jumping the gun on the light lol...

I mean experiences vary. Some posters here like them, I had a pair like this for my first pair of pedals and didn't like them at all. Had to look down every time to clip in, right when I wanted to have my head up to watch traffic. Other posters have said that better models always have the same side up, so like clipless is always up, but my feeling on it was more "worst of both worlds". If I wanted to do something like that, EZY pedals seem to be changeable by hand in a few seconds and I'd try that.

Lol sorry if I sound like a downer. Clipless is a very respectable and good system for foot retention. Obviously it's also used ubiquitously by pro bikers. My only beef with it is the overhype and claims that it's much faster or universally better. I went back to flats, and really enjoy using regular walkable shoes on the bike. :-)

yeah, it seems that many people find SPD/platform combo pedals to be a "worst of both worlds" compromise, but i always bring them up in these kinds of threads because WAY too many people always turn this never ending clipless vs. platforms debate into an either/or false dichotomy.

there is a 3rd way that doesn't force you to choose between clipless and platforms. you CAN have your cake and eat it too!

now, many people don't seem to like the 3rd option compromise of combo pedals, but after nearly a decade of riding with them on all of my bikes, i would never want any other kind of pedal on my bikes. they give me maximum versatility and, with 8 years of daily use with them under my belt, i simply never have any issues with finding the correct side of the pedal. i rarely clip out as it is when i ride (i'm a fairly proficient track-stander), but when i do, my foot just "knows" what to do all by itself, no input from my conscious mind is required.

combo pedals really are a beautiful solution to the this age-old debate in my opinion, but many people really seem to dislike them.

maybe some people don't give them enough of a chance?

maybe some people have less natural foot dexterity than others?

maybe some people aren't as prone to fence-sitting as i am?

i find them so ridiculously easy to use that i sometimes struggle to understand why so many seem to dislike them so much.