Pedals for touring
 

I'm new to the forums here. What kind of pedals do you all like for touring—like multi-day trips?

Clipless? Platform? Toe straps?

Thanks for your ideas.

Matt

I've done toe straps and clipless. Finally settled on platform. Simple, and no more dealing with an extra pair of shoes for walking about.

There are strong arguments, pro and con, for all three. Personal decision, sort of like which saddle. Go with what works best for you.

If you are doing a survey...

I primarily use pedals with toe clips and straps, it gives me a greater choice in shoes. I also use platform pedals on a couple of bikes.

Aaron :)

I use Shimano double sided (SPD/platform) pedals PD M324 or PD A530 with Shimano MTB shoes MO76. The shoes have a recessed cleat so you can walk around in them all day. The pedals give you the option of clipless or platform.

Shimano PD324, but honestly whatever works.

Toe Clips on MKS Sylvian Tour

M520 and never looked back. Simple, easy in and out and walkable shoes.

I'm in the middle of a two-year study of clipless pedals on my road bike. The results are still inconclusive. I can't feel any extra power. My feet are always correctly positioned. They're plenty comfortable. I've fallen twice due to lack of time/ability/quick-wittedness to get my feet out (Club Tombay.) As a result, I'm not seriously thinking of replacing the platform pedals on my touring bike.

I've never liked clips and straps - I had a few falls when I was younger, including one that could have cost my life - slipping on gravel, having my foot stuck, and going down in front of oncoming traffic.

My platform pedals give me two good advantages - I only bring one pair of shoes on tour - not a riding pair and a walking pair - and that saves weight, especially with my size 14 feet. The other is that the shoes I bring are extremely comfortable and excellent for long hikes - I buy a really good pair of running shoes before each tour - a nice way to pamper one's self. I can see the advantage of 520's - SPD shoes are okay for walking - but okay isn't the same as excellent. Admittedly, I've never tried walking far in them so I may be wrong. Indeed, my opinions seem to be in the decided minority, so I may be wrong about everything. However, my choices work for me and I'm satisfied.

Does the choice of pedal depend on how long you all are touring for?

So far I tried the dual cage-spd and toe clips. Both work fine but the clips give you more shoe options and the loss in performance is small.

I'd love to use platforms but I've been using clipless for so long I'm afraid of trying anything else. The clipless system is an addiction.

Shimano A530 dual platform/SPD's, and SPD sandals. I tour in the warm months. :-)

I've used Speedplay Frog pedals for commuting, recreational rides and tours. On last summer's one-week tour the only shoes I took were Keen sandals and found them to be well suited for walking as well as riding.

I use the same pedals and a laced shoe with the recessed cleat. The sole of the shoe is stiffened so it wouldn't be comfortable to walk in all day, but getting off my bike and going into a grocery store with the shoes on is OK. I carry sandals for walking.

Platforms. I used to be a clip-a-holic. Had to have a clipless pedal. I was a hard core roadie. I thought platforms were a joke.

After injury prevented me from cycling for 4 years ..... when I could ride again .... I thought .... wtf am I doing with these silly clip-in pedals ? They're like a ball and chain. Instead, I got some Wellgo MG-1's , and have never looked back. Being able to wear any shoe is a huge plus, and the pedals grip my feet just fine . The need to clip in is highly over-rated. It sells fancy pedal systems and shoes. Think about it .... when you were a kid , did you ever think you need to be clipped in?

Some will argue it's more efficient ... blah blah ..... efficiency comes from the human being doing the pedaling , not the pedal.

Half clips on mks touring pedals.

I use gnarly triple-cage bmx platform pedals on my tandem. It's just a lot easier to deal with the off-road situations we get into with the platforms. When I tour on my half-bike I use clipless. I'm willing to carry a lightweight pair of extra shoes to have the added comfort of my cycling shoes all day long. Besides, it always rains on me when I tour, so it is nice to have dry shoes in the campground. I tend to average 100-150 miles per day and have size 15 feet, so foot comfort is important to me.

Time ATAC XS pedals with Specialized BG mountain bike shoes. I've tried a lot of the options out there, spd, eggbeaters, bmx pedals, powergrips, mks touring pedals with straps, etc, this is my favorite setup.

spds

+1 those are good pedals I have a set of them.But I now ride with clipless.

Shimano PD324 (SPD/platform). Flexibility good.

Toe-clips on MKS GR9 pedals... running shoes. I like only having one pair of shoes... oh and flip flops around camp

Speedplay frogs and shimano MT31s for me

Clips give you a lot of versatility. If I'm just commuting or going around town, I keep them lose and they are like a platform pedal. If I'm doing the distance or stumping the hills I can tighten them up for maximum performance.

On a bike I have power grips on MKS quills but I'm putting clips on those as well. The power grips are ok but not as easy to reset; changing shoes often requires you to pull out the tool kit to readjust the strap.

I met quite a few riders coming from Norway who warned me about very steep gravel roads. They were all very experienced tourists using clipless pedals and they all had numerous crashes where they couldn't unclip and fell over.
I rode these same tracks on my metal toe clips with lose leather straps. I had a few close calls but I could always get my feet to the ground after losing control. I never use tight straps; its not safe.

I've never tried clipless. I'm kinda' bow leg so I don't like the idea of being locked in.
Platform for me. I take some of the little screws out, maybe leave in 4 or 5 because they are too grippy to allow my feet to shift around easily.