vinuneuro

The current plan is to stick with mtb shoes and spd pedals. Is it better to go for pedals with the extra platform rather than without? I'm leaning towards getting them since I don't want an ultra stiff racing shoe and the only cost is an extra ~70g.

I like Shimano because their stuff tends to be reliabile, but are there any others that work well for long distance? Many of my long rides are gravel which can be a little muddy during rainy season.

CliffordK

I went with standard SPD for all of my riding (commuting, centuries, century commutes, etc.) There are quite a few different pedals available.

I recently snagged a used pair of XTR pedals. Replaced the bearings and repacked, and they seem nice.

My Wellgo pedals have also been good, although I don't think I've disassembled them yet. I do like Shimano's system to disassemble their pedals.

The lightest of the SPD pedals are XPEDO pedals with titanium spindles. I prefer either R-Force, or M-Force-8. Make sure you choose pedals with tapered axles (and bearings not bushings). I did, however, have a the spindle nuts on my R-Force pedals unscrew once, but it was an easy repair.

Oh, Wellgo now has a fairly skeletal model (W41), quite a bit cheaper than the XPEDO pedals.

I don't worry about platform size. The standard pedals (and shoes) hold the feet secure enough.

Tourist in MSN

Since you are interested in pedals for SPD cleats and also platforms, you might be interested in a comparison of a couple models I wrote up some time back. That mix of SPD and platform is popular for touring, thus I posted it on the touring forum. It compares Shimano M324 and Shimano A530 pedals, at this link:
https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/1...30-pedals.html

This website uses different software than it used to use, the photos are now shown twice instead of once.

CliffordK

Each person is different. I used to be a long-time toeclip user. But, unfortunately toe clips and SPD pedals don't work well together. There are few cleat adapters available such as made by Winwood (no longer made, but some are available), but truthfully, I like my SPDs, and so the adapters haven't gotten any use.

I suppose for touring, you have to carefully choose the shoes. I snagged a pair of Specialized tennis shoe type SPD cleat shoes. Comfortable to walk in. Some toe flexibility, and works well on the bike (until I broke the plastic cleat plate, although I still ride them with the crack).

So far most of my rides have been mostly on the bike, not walking, so not enough need for flat pedals, I just use the bike pedals.

Since I do long distance bike commuting, I have left walking shoes at two of my destinations.

Some of the Shimano pedals including the XTR pedals can be disassembled with ordinary wrenches, no special tool needed. You will need small wrenches for the cones, but not necessarily cone wrenches.

unterhausen

I don't think the extra platform does anything

vinuneuro

Standard SPD = with or without platform?

Century commute?!

vinuneuro

Thanks.

CliffordK

None of mine have platforms. That limits them to mostly SPD shoes only (except for perhaps < 1 mile rides which are rare). But, the stability is generally derived from the shoes, so I don't think a platform style is needed unless one expects to be riding in street shoes quite a bit.

The XPEDO pedals (R-Force Ti & M-Force-8 Ti) are extremely skeletal, no platforms.

Double sided are definately easier to get into, and perhaps offers a touring cyclist some redundancy in case half the pedal breaks.

Well, actually not quite century rides...
My typical ride around town is 20 to 40 miles.
But, I semi-regularly ride from Eugene to Portland, which comes in at about 145 to 200 miles depending on the route, and makes for a long day's ride.

clasher

I use wellgo mg-8 a single sided spd pedal made out magnesium, they’ve treated me well for 2 seasons and a couple of tours, and a fair number of brevets. I thought single sided spd pedals would be annoying but I got used to it pretty quick.

siebengang

I really like the Bebop pedals for randonneuring. Compared to SPD they have a much more precise and hard-wearing pedal-cleat interface and lots of very smooth float. That makes them feel very stable and almost like Speedplay road pedals.

Disadvantages: not as good in mud and snow as SPD and a little worse to walk in (but totally ok). Unfortunately they become very hard to find nowadays...

znomit

The A530s are great if you want to vary foot positions now and then.

I usually run M540s.

Machka 

Shimano M324 Combination Pedals

pdlamb

I prefer the extra float of Speedplay Frog pedals, but MTB (aka SPD) shoes are a must for controls and rest breaks - at least for me.


Platforms on a long distance bike? When I'm tired, and it's dark, the last thing I need to worry about is which side of the pedal is up. Stomp, click, and ride!

kingston 

Jan Heine uses Shimano pd-a600

McBTC

Old school...

StephenH

Shimano road pedals in various incarnations.
I selected these pedals after walking into a bike store and going "Doh! I need pedals!" and that's what they sold me.
I have yet to hear of any reason to select them or to avoid them, so I've just stayed with them.
My stoker for 4 years used Shimano mountain pedals.
I know riders that use several other brands and styles, all seem satisfied with what they have.

rando_couche

Time ATAC. Easy engagement/disengagement, solid connection, great float (ESSENTIAL for my knees), ultra reliable, ZERO maintenance (at least in the 20 years I've been using them). I've found one downside: cleats are expensive and don't last super long. Oh well.


SP
OC, OR

vinuneuro

I am reconsidering the mtb pedals for these. While dual sided is nice, I'm not sure we unclip/clip in enough for it to be worth the weight. The 93g weight saving over XTR M9020 and 118g over XT M8020 is tempting. I'm not a weight weenie for frame components but as a higher cadence cyclist I can't help but wonder if removing this rotating weight would help on long rides.

clasher

The wellgo mg-8 I recommended earlier is light, 242g/pair is what they advertise. Apparently they were even made with Ti axles for lightweight riders but I'm not that so I've never looked for them. I get them from ebay, seems like the selection changes a lot and prices have gone up but they're still around 60$US shipped. The single sided thing never bothers me.

kingston 

I have them on most of my road bikes.

Flamme Rouge

Look for something with a decent sized platform to minimize hot spots (plus a stiff-soled shoe). Shimano pedals are nice because replacement cleats are pretty inexpensive.

I've been riding Campy pro-fits for close to 20 years. I *never* service them except to clear gunk away from the locking mechanism... Have never touched the bearings. Thought I wanted to change a few years ago, to try something a little lighter, but after a week I went back. Single-sided so a bit tricky to clip in, until you get the hang of it, but that's not really an issue for long distance riding.

ThermionicScott 

That's interesting! I thought he was wedded to early Looks or Times or something.

I went to PD-A600s myself when lightening up my rando bike.

kingston 

To be fair, Jan doesn't limit himself to one type of pedal. He mentions his Dromarti/A600 combo in the comments section of this blogpost on his 24 hr. 600k in 2015, and you can see the A600's in many pictures of his bikes on the blog and in the magazine. The latest company line since he started selling MKS pedals is that all pedals are good, and his JP Weigle for last year's Concours de Machines has titanium egg-beaters.

cdkarp

Shimano XT pedals. MTB shoes are easier to walk around in.

John_V 

SPD M540 pedals with MTB shoes. The cage around the M540 pedals allow the tread on MTB shoes to make contact with them which results in greater shoe to pedal contact area. It's much more comfortable than having the retainer put pressure to the middle of your foot.