Kertrek

I've seen the Shimano A530 pedals, which look cool, and it would add some versatility (I could jump on it in whatever shoes I got on for quick errands, and I could comfortably lend the bike to a cyclist who's never done the clipless pedals). But with the Shimano A530 pedals only having the the cleat fixture on one side, I'd lose the ability to clip in from multiple sides. I've looked at the Eggbeater pedals (both with the platform and without), and they look nifty, and provide multiple points to clip in. Which pedals would you recommend, that are decent quality, be relatively easy to clip in and out, and would work well for both touring and local commuting? I'm not sold on the Shimano A530 pedals, and if it's too much of a compromise, I might be better off swapping out the pedals instead of getting a pedal that does everything: I'm pretty resistant to lend my bikes to anyone who's never used clipless pedals. But if the A530 is a great overall pedal, it would save me the hassle. Thoughts?

bikeclub

I have both A530 and M324 pedals on my road and mountain bikes, respectively. Advantages: they're pretty convenient for both clip-ins or regular shoes; I have one pair of bike-specific shoes with SPD; and they're durable, and relatively cheap and light.

The nice thing is that in terms of riding with either clipped or regular shoes, you can always start pedaling and going and then search for the right side, which is minor. I also used to have the Crank Brothers eggbeaters, which clipped fairly well, but which you couldn't really get going until you were fully clicked in, which is a pain in commuting or any kind of start-stop traffic.

I hope that helps.

VT_Speed_TR

I have the Crank Brother pedals with the platform (Candy), and the clipless mechanism extends above the platform. So I would not want to ride on those with regular shoes, other than a quick ride.

mrFreel

I have the a530 and a324 pedals and have never found the 'finding the right side' to be a problem. I think they are a great option on touring and 'all around' bikes.

Mike

Tourist in MSN

There really is not a big advantage of having multiple sides of a pedal to clip into. On a bike tour I sometimes like to wear my normal shoes instead of my SPD shoes, thus I really like a platform side and a cleated side. Off road, if there is a chance that I might suddenly come to a halt (soft sand, rocky rough ground, etc.), I like to uncleat and ride on the platform side so that I can get my feet on the ground faster if I need to. That has saved me from some falls.

But if you feel that you must be clipped in immediately on your first pedal stroke, get the pedals that have more than one side for cleats. You might find that the SPD type shoes are most walkable.

I recently wrote up a posting that compared the A530 and M324 pedals: https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/10...l#post18306425

I assume you are in USA, as most on this board are. A couple months ago a local bike shop told me that they no longer can get any Shimano pedals. For reasons that nobody seems to know, Shimano is restricting pedal sales here. I bought my last pair of A530 pedals shipped from the UK. But there are still a number of retailers in USA that have them in stock.

ironwood

You could go with platform pedals such as the Grip Kings or Thin Gripsters both sold by Rivendell, for your around town riding on a bike you might also be loaning to others.

I realize that this is heresy and if you do it you will be called a retrogrouch, but you do not need to be attached to the pedal for riding around town.

Squeezebox

I went with the A530s. Also from Ireland. The M324s are almost 1/2 lb heavier, if that is important to you. What's the availability issue with Shimano pedals?

Wanderer

I have both 530 and 324s. For your intended usage, the 324s are more practical. I actually prefer them. MHO

Hibonite

I agree with ironwood. For around town and even fully loaded touring there is no need for cleated shoes and pedals. An added benefit is now you don't have to carry a second pair of shoes on tour. I did this on my Pacific Coast tour and worked out great with MKS sneaker pedals and Keen sandals. I would only use cycling shoes and spd or equivalent if there is sustained climbing involved.

10 Wheels

Worked for me on five bikes.

fietsbob

People arrive on the coast riding all sorts of gear. platform pedals included , having ridden 2~3,000 miles across the US.

A Pedal wrench makes changing pedals quite simple.so you are free to change pedals, if you wish, for your special Needs.

Biketouringhobo

I have been using Sun-Ringle zuzu Pedals since 2005

10 Wheels

4200 miles

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBx8...eature=related

Tourist in MSN

It is not really heresy, I have seen several bike tourists that are on multi-month tours, or longer, that use normal shoes instead of bike shoes. And lets face it, people that have been living on a bike for many months or years know more about this sort of thing than the rest of us do.

For exercise riding around home, I usually use a double sided SPD pedal (Ritchey Comp V4 MTB). On my errand bike I have platform on both sides. My foldup bike has toe clips on platform.

On a bike tour, I prefer the flexibility to sometimes use SPD shoes and at other times use trail running/hiking shoes. And I like to carry a second pair of shoes for when the first pair gets soaked in the rain.

In other words, it really is personal preference, and that preference can vary by type of usage.

fietsbob

Not everyone starts from the Atlantic Seashore. some start from their house ,

SalsaShark

MKS Sylvan are great platform touring / commuting pedals

veganbikes

A-530s would be my top choice. If I wanted dual sided clipless I would go with the M-785s. I have had very minimal issues when trying to clip in on the A-530s. Nothing that would stop me from liking them at all. They are a quality pedal that is great for riding in any shoe clipless or not.

chasm54

^^This. Platforms are fine for everything other than competition. Obviously if you're racing you need good foot retention, but touring/commuting/jra there is no advantage to clipless.

And I do mean no advantage. People claim that clipless improves their pedal stroke, that they can pull up on the pedal on the upstroke, and that is what it feels like, but tests show that it's an illusion: the upward force exerted on the pedal is close to zero.

OP,I have Shimano Saint platforms on my tourers. The spikes offer as much foot retention as you'll need for everyday purposes, and it means I tour in walking shoes. It's mighty convenient and doesn't impair my performance on the bike.

Kertrek

I went with the A-530s. They're very easy to clip into, and I hardly had trouble stepping on the correct side, so they're designed and weighted well (I didn't have to do any ballet moves trying to clip into the correct side of anything). Now I just have to figure out why my Shimano cleats are scratching and grinding on the cement when I walk in my Shimano MTB shoes.

Tourist in MSN

That will happen, not much you can do about it. A friend of mine got some rubber cleat covers to put over the cleats, wore a hole in them in a few days.

Do NOT make the same mistake I did. I did not realize that the shoe sole sits on part of the pedal, I thought only the cleat did. I built up the shoe sole a bit with some Shoe Goo. Huge mistake, I put Shoe Goo on the part of the shoe sole that actually contacts the pedal, then the cleat was too high up to get it cleated into the pedal. Thus, I had to get out a knife and trim the Shoe Goo off the part of the sole that needs to contact the pedal.

Check your cleat bolt tension every couple weeks for a month or two, initially they can work loose because the plastic part of the shoe that the cleat is attached to will deform slightly over time, initially the cleat will loosen up for that reason. I also carry a spare shoe cleat bolt (I bought the right size countersunk type bolt at the hardware store) in my packet of spares for touring.