I have been going through numerous pedal threads and am daunted by the options. I do touring, mostly rail trails and such.
No mountain biking or tough trail stuff.
I use speedplay clipins for my road bike.
For my touring bike, I want to go platform pedals, with toe clips.
There are many options out there but two concerns I have:
Right now I have a cheap, generic flat pedal and that has been fine for my modest use. Now, my wife and I plan to do the Erie Canal trail in a few months and
time for a pedal upgrade.

* the common metal stud/pins look aggressive and I worry about getting my shins shredded if I spill. I'd like some traction pins that are less aggressive for that reason.
* I'd like to add toe clips but, it is not clear which pedals can support toe clips or not. Many descriptions don't mention it.

Am I looking for unicorn? Any good suggestions?
Thx.

if you intend to go with flats along with toe clips, I don't see why you would want to use flats with pins.
Flats without pins can result in slip-offs, depending on specific pedals, your specific shoes, if wet, etc etc but toe clips will stop that.

I use all kinds of pedals, mostly spd's, but flats with pins also commuting (summer months as well as Canadian winter months). I am wary of shin scraping, but so far over the years (touch wood) haven't had bare leg incidents (luckily only one or two when having falls wearing full on winter clothes, snow pants, thick long underwear)
I use RaceFace flats and similar looking but less expensive ones on my winter bike (as they get the heck salted out of them here)

I do tend to dial down the studs to a lower position to have them not sticking out so much from how they are when sold, and still find they hold my feet well in place even over very rough city roads we can have here -- certainly more secure than non stud flats that I have used--but don't forget, shoe sole differences can make a real difference here too.

there certainly are a million flat pedal options out there, different shapes, sizes, qualities (and prices) but having the option to mount toe clips will probably reduce your options, and I suspect have more options of just so-so quality pedals---but I freely admit I don't know the market enough.

good luck with getting some suggestions
As with a lot of bike stuff, not getting cheapie stuff usually is better in the long run, good quality pedals will work better and last much longer. Going into bike stores and feeling how diff pedals turn and the overall build quality can give you a much better idea than just looking at photos online.

MKS GR-9

you can get these old classic style quill pedals with clips and straps.
these are cheap examples........better quality options available.
https://www.amazon.com/Universal-Com.../dp/B07CV8XDC6
https://www.amazon.com/Bucklos-Bike-.../dp/B0CCD5XRB6

i have normal size 12 feetses, so prefer a larger platform.
see if you can find some wellgo B158's.
they have a squared off profile, are drilled to accept clips (or reflectors).
pins are removable.

most pedals of this style have a recessed spot for the reflectors that make mounting clips impossible, or require a thick bushing. 158's can bolt clips on direct to the surface.

similar to these B143's
https://www.ebay.com/itm/375767273853

https://d3d71ba2asa5oz.cloudfront.ne.../136145.01.jpg

I am heading out to a LBS to look at options.
Here is something at REI that looks good.

Race Face Ride Pedals | REI Co-op

I am men's shoe size 10.5.
I may have to give up on toe clips. That's ok though.

Over the decades there have been lots of pedals that could be fitted with toe clips.

I use some MKS pedals with toe clips on my folding bike. Consider that brand too. I think this photo is the pedal I use on my folding bike, I pulled this photo off of the MKS website.


Note the sharp pointy thing on the bottom on the right side, that that means that is the back of the pedal. The sharp pointy part is so that when the pedal does not have your foot on it and the pedal is hanging upside down, you can rub your shoe sole moving backwards on that to rotate the pedal so you can get your foot into the toe clip. You can see two holes in the front of the pedal on that flat plate. The two bolts that hold the toe clip in place goes through those two holes. You do not really need that sharp pointy thing, but it helps.

You do not need those two holes if you have large washers or a plate that can go over both sides of that straight flat back, but the front side where you mount the toe clips has to be straight and flat like on that pedal. If you know with certainty that you will always want toe clips, I would get pedals with those two holes.

So, that is what a pedal looks like that uses toe clips.

The specific pedal above, you do not want that pedal, that one is a quick release that I use on my folding bike, you don't want the quick release mechanism.

I think any of these MKS Sylvan pedals would work well.
https://www.mkspedal.com/?q=en/product/term/7

But there are many other good pedals too.

But all of those pedals would be very uncomfortable with soft shoes, you will want to use cycling shoes or a hiking shoe with a stiff sole. If a hiking shoe, that might not fit in a toe clip very well. I assume you already know that, but I mentioned it just in case.

For touring I use a pedal with SPD cleats on one side, platform on the other. There are several models of such pedals out there. You might consider SPD cleat pedals and shoes too, but that would cost more since that would mean another pair of shoes.

Race face makes the pin and non pin ones like your showed here. With wet soles, the pins really help keep shoes planted.
But as others have shown, there are other pedals that can take toe clips.

If I can back those pins down enough, I can possibly adjust their height such that they are moderate enough for my liking.

All of our pin flats have the ability to back them down about as low as the actual platform, using a 2 or 2.5 mm Allen key.
Bring some with you to a store and you can play and see what I mean with the pedal in your hand.
Mine have always kept their position after adjusting them.

But if you are keen on cages, I'm sure you'll find some options.

The MKS pedals in post 3 look great. No sharp edge under the arch of your foot, and easy to fit toe clips to.

If you do end up using toe clips (which is a very good idea), you can dispense with the straps. They're basically useful only for sprinting. Without straps, your foot can easily exit the pedal to the side and to the back. The only painful shin damage I ever experienced on a bike was the result of riding with pinned pedals without toe clips.

I would add that using flats with larger platforms than "regular" does help with less pressure on the foot.
Shoes with a good stiff sole also makes a real difference.
Check out the larger platform options available now, lots of them (and lots of varying costs too!)

The most accomplished bicycle tourist I know swears by these:

I have the Race Face Chesters and haven't had any problems with slipping and shredding my shins! These pedals along with flat pedal specific bike shoes have worked great.

I've been using SR sp elevens for 20 years. Specifically made touring pedals. I have strapless toe clips on them. Tough and rebuildable. I see there are NOS sets still available on eBay pretty cheap.

My favorite is the DMR V12 magnesium. There are other pedals like them that are cheaper as well. Welgo is a cheaper option. I have ran those too. They give great grip, and are comfortable, and I can use any shoe, even Crocs.

With the Chesters, can you screw down the pins almost all the way?

I'll take a photo of mine and show you. I meant to yesterday but never got around to it.

I've been using pretty aggressive pins for years and have never gotten a scratch. A friend cringes when he sees them. I sort of enjoy that.

Just to give you an idea. You can have them as low as you want pretty much. I don't worry too much about riding, but I'm sure they could be a pain doing hike a bike. I use spd with that and have caught my shins or legs when schlepping the bike over steep rough stuff, glad I didn't have pins.

I used a pair of Power Grips for at least a season or so---still have them in a box of stuff somewhere. The straps are thoroughly scuffed and worn-looking from lots of miles of use.

So I gave them a good try, but I eventually reverted to using toeclips without straps. That's the best setup for me, short of clipless. And it's a near thing between the toeclips and clipless.

Velo Orange Sabot pedals check all of these boxes. Metal pins but they aren't shoe or shin killers. Plus they are the best "spinning" pedals I've ever used. https://velo-orange.com/collections/...u-sabot-pedals

With these kinds of pedals, your choice of shoes is probably as important as the pedals.

I like plastic BMX flats. Vans stick to em real nice but I often wear water resistant lowtop hikers if there's much chance of weather or water crossings. I try to limit my walking in my bike Vans so they stick longer.

Odyssey Twisted on one of my bikes: (I don't bother with clips, and these would probably require some work with a Dremel in order to mount clips.)

one potential issue with RF Ride pedal is the raised portion (‘hump’) where the shaft / spindle passes through the pedal body :




this might or might not be an issue ?

the VP 536 pedal is similar :

.



the VP 538 pedal is a similar pedal - but does not have the raised portion :

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If you desire a flat pedal with concave shape - Xpedo Juvee is an option :

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Thank you for all the good info and options. I went to my LBS but, unfortunately they did not have many options to look at.
I am heading to REI today to see what they have in stock to look at.'

These look interesting:

Shimano PD-EF202 Flat Pedals | REI Co-op

Race Face Ride Pedals | REI Co-op

They also have the Chester pedals which a lot of folks like
Race Face Chester Pedals | REI Co-op