Originally Posted by
Koyote
Dual-sided SPD, preferably Shimano XT or XTR. Light, simple, strong, easy to clip it and easy to unclip if you need to dab a foot on, say, a nasty climb.
The only time I need flats is on my run-around-town bike, so it has flats.
Exactly this. The only situation where I'd really want platform pedals would be on a beach cruiser (flip flops), or dedicated townie bike.
Otherwise I run dual sided SPD (XT and XTR) on all of my bikes. Road, MTB, Gravel, CX.
I also (occasionally) ride one of these dual-sided SPD equipped bikes around town in regular street shoes. I find this to be totally fine for shorter distances. I commuted 6 miles round trip thru the city on my CX bike with this setup for years.