I appreciate any input.

I am riding a road bike. I want to use shoes that I can walk in which seems to limit me to mountain bike pedals. I am currently using Shimano XT M780s. This is all I have ever used and I am happy and comfortable. But, I am curious what the distinction/ value of the other brands might be. I am curious if I might prefer the Speedplay Frogs or the Time ATAC 8 or 6, or the Crank Brothers, or the Mavics, etc. I am riding slow, but long rides and comfort is important over speed and therefore weight.

Again, I ask out of curiosity, not need. I could easily continue happily with Shimano.

Thanks.

I have Time MTB pedals Havent put them on the cranks in Years ..

Release on time, depends on the cleat placement one has a star in its casting putting it on one shoe or the other is the release angle ..

Muddy shoes will engage the pedal better with them or crank Bros ..

Frog is a Bayonet like a camera Lens to a camera Body , the release is foot angle there is an easy float within that range..

I pretty much use Regular shoes and platform pedals for the Most part Now . Toured on toe clip and strap pedals so the shoes could fit loose and be comfortable

SPD shoes will come off your feet if as loose. I put in super comfortable insoles...

Weight, cost, longevity, clipping/unclipping mechanics. If you are happy with what you have and aren't concerned about weight, stick with it. XT's are pretty high end anyways.

I would consider these to be the "latest" mtb pedals:
SPEEDPLAY : HIGH PERFORMANCE PEDALS

I have been mostly a commuter over the last 10 years and most of my gear is focused on commuter needs.

I have two pairs of Shimano MTB shoes (and no road bike shoes). My 'new' shoes are an older version of these: Shimano M089 Mountain Bike Shoes - Men's - REI.com I have enjoyed these and would get more Shimano shoes. I replaced the insole with Superfeet insoles (factory insoles were terrible). I have also used these shoes on century rides, so they've been good for comfort for long rides.

I ride Eggbeaters on all my road bikes (keeps it simple). I started with Eggbeaters because they are very easy to engage the first time every time (important when riding in traffic). Again, in addition to commutes, I ride century rides on the Eggbeaters and have nothing bad to say about them.

The biggest problem with any clipless pedal system is shoe comfort. Good shoes have very stiff soles, so stiff that you cannot tell what pedals you have. It is the shoe that supports your foot. All that the cleat and pedal do is to attach things together

Thanks for the input, everyone. Much appreciated. I do like my Shimano pedals and shoes. I was just wondering if the grass was greener. But, I am in a position of "if it ain't broke..." It seems like everyone has a favorite and I am curious what Time claims their unique value proposition is versus Speedplay versus Crank Brothers, etc. Again, this is most likely just an academic exercise for me. I should remain loyal to Shimano since in three years using them (since going clipless) I haven't fallen or had any problems. (He says knocking on wood.) but, it is like the guy who has only eaten one type of candy and then discovers the millions of other candy available.

If you want to use street shoes, the MKS "Urban Platform" pedal provides good support for soft-soled street shoes when used with a toeclip and strap.

This is by far the main thing. After this, there may be subtleties that are more important/noticeable so some, like how much movement the shoe has with respect to the pedal in various directions.

Just an update... For kicks and giggles I got a set of Time ATAC 8s. Put them on hit the road. They were tighter than the Shimanos, but my understanding is they will loosen up after a couple of rides. I did like them. I felt like I was getting more pull on the up swing-- which might be because they are tighter. But, realistically, I can't really tell much of a difference. I think I'll leave them on. To paraphrase alcjphil, it's the shoe that counts...

for many years and thousands of recreational and touring, i used spds. i found them to be almost indestructable and inexpensive to buy. in fact, i usually bought used ones, and never experienced any problems.

at some point, about 10 years ago, for some reason i tried CB eggbeaters, probably because i occasionally found myself fumbling with getting into the spds and i was attracted to the four vs two entry points. i immediately converted all my bikes (about five at the time) to eggbeaters and have never thought about returning to spds.

they occasionally get some criticism from MTBers from a durability POV, but as a road rider, in admittedly good weather conditions, i've only rebuilt one set, of the five or six sets i've got, in over 40,000 miles of riding. and that set of pedals were used when i bought them.

BTW, i prefer the stainless steel Eggbeater 2's. the even cheaper model is essentially the same except for the chrome moly spindles and the stamped wings and an insignificant weight penalty.

I had some Shimano clipless on one side and flat pedal on the other. I found I rarely want to wear my cleats so I ended up using the flat side all the time. So yesterday, I pulled the trigger on a set of these "Saints". I like 'em a lot and it's nice to have a two sided pedal again.

Agree. I have SPD's and just got my new custom D2 cycling shoes. The only reason I got custom is the fact that I have one leg 3/4" shorter than the other, so the manufacturer added the 3/4" to the sole (well between the shoe and the sole plate). I was out yesterday riding in the wind, uphill, and actually gaining speed from pulling on the upstroke. So for me, going uphill, in the wind shifting up, and a comfortable, proper fitting tight shoe made for an awesome ride!
To me, having an extremely stiff sole coupled with whatever attachment system is a winner-no matter who makes the attachment.

I'm a fan of Crank Bros Eggbeaters as well, never have issues finding the pedal and they're actually pretty light (about 280ish grams for the pair)

Glad to hear you finally got your shoes.

If you're still interested in Shimano road pedals for more "walkable" SPD shoes, I'd recommend the PD-A600. They're described as "Ultegra level" SPD road pedals, and I'm a big fan of the pair I have on my road bike.

Thanks for noticing/remembering!