I've been looking at some shimano spd pedals and trying to find the best one for the price. Ideally, the pedal would have a solid platform around the cleat area. I don't know if I will really want the dual functional flipflop pedals with the platform on one side and cleat on the other, because I will likely only use one side for touring, and the other side will only be in the way. For commuting, I have a steel fixie with toe clips.. Here are the one I've been looking at:

M424 - seems to be perfect for what I'm looking for; extra support cages for the cleats, cheap.. but the plastic cages are known to have issues, and the end cap have fallen off on some because it's made of aluminum, and expands different with the plastic cage
M545 - essentially the M424 but with the plastic cages replaced by aluminum. they're kind of heavy though, and in the upper end of the price range I'm looking for
M530 - has really good reviews, light, cheap... but I think it's more geared towards trail riding. Also, I'm not sure if the support area around the cleat will really support the rubber sole of a touring shoe
M324 - is flip flop platform/clip, which is convenient for switching back/forth, but again, I don't know if the cage around the cleat will support the rubber sole
A530 - a lot of people recommend this, but it has no cage around the cleat clip to support the foot, which I want. Also, the platform does not have the option of toe-clips. If I ride platform, I'd like to have toe clips.

I've also looked at nashbar pedals, but then found out that their pedals/cleats are not compatible with shimano, So I'm going to stick to shimano

thoughts/suggestions?

I've always been a bit suspicious about the caged SPD pedals, and whether they would work with all shoes, however I haven't tried them. Anyway, I wouldn't worry about requiring a cage for extra support. Your cleat attachment and SPD compatible shoe should give you plenty of support. So, the M520, and similar styles of pedals without cages should be fine when using cleats.

As far as toeclips, the problem is:
If you mount the toeclips on one side of a platform pedal, then the SPD side becomes useless because you can't ride for hundreds of miles with the toeclips dragging on the ground. So, to change from SPD to toeclips, you would have to mount or remove the toeclips and straps every time you do the transition.

There is a Winwood Instep SPD Toeclip adapter (somewhat rare) that mounts into the SPD cleat. I tried it out. It did work, but I thought it was suboptimal (slippery platform, looser than a toeclip.

There is also a Winwood Deckster (more availability than the Instep) which gives you a click-in flat compatibility if you wish.

Otherwise, you may find it preferable to install and remove pedals. I don't like doing it myself, but some people swap pedals as needed.

An option (rather expensive) would be to go with MKS EZY pedals, or similar.
For example, mount toeclips on the MKS EZY AR-2, and then use the MKS EZY MM-Cube with 2 bolt shoe cleats. Thus allowing one to quickly and easily change from one type of pedal to another.

Or, you could choose the MKS EZY-SUPERIOR line of products with slightly different options.

My suggestion is to skip the toe clips. If you really want platforms some of the time I'd go bare platforms and when you really want retension put on the bike shoes. If you are really set on this you could consider powergrip straps.

I personally found that on tour I am happier with no platform. I can ride a mile or so to the store with running shoes or even Crocs on even the tiniest spd pedals if I really want to, but when going any distance longer than that I'd rather put on my bike shoes.

My companions on the TA used pedals with platforms on one side and spd on the other. After the trip I asked one if she would pick them again of go with a two sided spd pedal. She said that for a long tour she would probably go all spd if choosing a pedal specifically for the trip, but probably wouldn't bother to change them if she already had one or the other on the bike.

I do like pedals with a platform on one side for running short errands and so on at home. I had them on my folding bike that did duty on a sailboat and found them especially nice for that.

I'm kicking a pair of PD-T780's around...

If there was a single best pedal, we would all be using it. I think you need to decide what works best for you for the situation.

For example, I use different pedals for touring than for around home use on my touring bikes. And still a different pedal type for my errand bike. And my foldup has pedals with a quick release allowing me to remove the pedals from the crankarms without tools.

Just this past Thursday I switched a set of pedals off one bike (SPD both sides) so that I could use hiking boots on that bike for that day. It was too cold to wear my cycling shoes, thus I wanted to wear hiking boots to avoid frostbite.

I have 520s on my road bike and 530s on the dual sport. At first it was a mental thing about having something under my foot with the 530s. But I've had no issues with the 520s.

I think the 530s are still big enough to use a regular shoe on for short runs. But there are better combos out there now.

use 520s which have performed well for the last 5 seasons, I would suggest sticking with Shimano simply from my experience that shows that their construction of both the clipping in parts and the bearings of the actual pedals should provide years and years of perfect service.
I mentioned in another topic post that I still ride my first Shimano spd pedals that I bought in 1992. They were the only pedals that I used for all my commuting etc up until 5 years ago so until 2009 they were used all summer each year, with probably an average of maybe 2000-3000km per year, so even at the low end of guesstimating how much I rode on them, they must have at least 35000km on them and still work reasonably well.

While I still have platform pedals on my commuting bikes, I use PD-A600s on my touring bike. Since there are so many styles of SPD compatible shoes and sandals available I don't have a need for platforms on tour. I have personally never had a need for a pedal with a platform on one side and SPD on the other, but everyone's different.

I have the M324s and A530s. Both work well for my needs. The platform on both is nice to have.
The 324s are significantly heavier.

I run several sets SPD pedals: 520, 540, 324,and A520.

I tend to agree with Staehpj1. The 520 type SPD pedals are what I have used for the last 3-4 tours. I can pedal for short distances wearing my running shoes without any problem. I also like the double sided clips, especially when starting, and clipping in on steep hills.

If you look at any SPD pedal with the shoe clipped in, you will see that the only contact with the pedal is at the cleat, regardless of shoe or pedal type. The sole of the shoe does not contact the pedal. The A 520 is the road version of the mountain 520 with a cage around the clip. With my road shoes on, the cage is just a decoration. I think my wife wore her mountain bike shoes riding her road bike with the A520 pedals a few weeks ago. Even with Mtn. bike shoes the soles of her shoes did not contact the cage. The shoes and pedals would have to be pretty closely matched to be able to clip in to have the sole of the shoe have significant contact with the cage.

The 324 pedals just beat the heck out of my shins when walking the bike or loading it on a train etc. There are a lot of sharp, pointy places on those pedals.

going off the Shimano Res.. Crank Bros Mallet https://www.crankbrothers.com/product/mallet-2

and Time pedals Time Sport, velo luxe, velo carbone, Pédales, ATAC MX & DH both are double sided with the Spud mech in the center.

Spongy Trainers will give a good grip, around the slight Bump in the center .



Note: Nashbar gets Welgo to rebadge their shipments, so the cleats are commonly available by asking for Welgo Cleats .

I wouldn't have a Toe clip installed on the Underside, and thus dragging on the ground when using the Clipless side .

a Better plan, in that case, A QR Pedal , pop off.. the SPuD, and put on a Toeclip one , MKS makes that Easy

https://www.mkspedal.com/English/catalog4.htm

Each person is different. I was reluctant to give up my toeclips. However, almost all my rides, even to the "corner store" are about 20 miles RT minimum, and it seems best to just go ahead and use my cycling shoes. The SPD type shoes seem good enough for wandering around stores, however, on occasion I'll bring a pair of shoes with me if I'm planning on spending a lot of time off the bike at the destination.

As I'm cutting down on my driving, I went ahead and picked up some "winter" cycling boots. So far I've been out in the rain with them a few times, and down in the mid 20's for temps without problems.

I agree with Doug64 that the 324 pedals can cause shin pain. I've been using them for years and you basically learn the hard way. I like them a lot because of the flexibility to use any shoe. If I buy a new bike I might try the 520s because they are lighter.

I decided on m530s. They're essentially the same as the m520, except with the cage. I've seen a review where a long term user vouches for the added lateral stability provided by the extra cage, which is verified by the extensive wear pattern across the entire pedal. and the verdict is that the m530 also lasts longer than the 520 because of the cage. this is for trail riding though, not touring. but I suppose wearing rubber touring shoes, the extra lateral support will come in handy during those long days.

Dont forget though that for day long comfort, the shoes are the big factor here. When I went new shoe shopping, the range of how diff models and diff companies shoes felt rather diff for my feet was very noticeable, so I'd still put a priority to finding shoes that fit your specific feet best, arch support, width etc.

I love my Shimano PD-T780 XT SPD Trekking pedals.
They have a platform and clip in on one side only.
I don't like being clipped in on really technical terrain and appreciate being able to ride the flat side of the pedals in situations where I feel there is the potential for a fall.
For normal riding I like to be clipped in.
These pedals suit me down to the ground.

I agree. It appears that the pair I ordered (shimano ct40) are ok for my wide feet. I found them on sale for $52 on nashbar. I can always fit insoles for the arch support. we'll see

I love these pedals for the exact same reasons you do. The SPD side works fantastic, and I like the platform side of business minus they fact they don't have the best traction with the shoes I wear. Great pedals if a mixture of road and technical riding are your style.

I've read of people drilling and pinning the platform side. I figure if/when I part with the $$ for the pedals I'll ask one of our machinists to drill and tap the pedals and put pins in them.

A520
https://www.amazon.com/Shimano-PD-A52.../dp/B000YB31II

I have used the smaller SPDs for years, but I'm making a shift to M424s on my 'bents, and eventually my touring bike. I generally just get double sided pedals, and I like the wider foot support.

there's a video out there telling you how to modify the m424's (or M545's) so that the spindle cap doesn't fall off and render the pedals useless. apparently it's a common issue that they havent bothered to fix. also, the cages don't seem to give you any extra support. I even talked to a bike mechanic who said they're really only there to protect the pedals. and he also told me to stay away from the m424 because the plastic cages are pretty fragile against rocks. Either he was reading the same reviews I was, or he actually has experience on the pedals. either way, the reviews helped me steer clear of the m424 in favor of m530

I have the 545's and I don't like them. My girlfriend has the A530s and she thinks they're the best.

Couldn't find a snap showing the platform side.

I think these pics were taken on the first day I got my wheels on the frame.
You can see there is no chain on yet

Ah... theres one

I had thought about those, but ended up finding some 520's at a good price. I've never seen the two beside each other in person. I've wondered if there's much difference between them besides color and weight.

I have A530's on the commuter. They clip easier than the 520, but that could be individual sets of pedal age and not model specific. They are slick when wet, if I can ever remember some little sheet metal screws when I'm at the hardware store I think I will try a few to act as the set screw pins on nice platform pedals.