urbanknight

It's time to get my son a bigger bike and he wants a road bike to go riding with me, but I also want him to be able to just jump on it when he wants to ride to his friend's house or visit Grandma. He already uses SPD pedals on the tandem we ride, so I figured on getting him those combo pedals so he can also ride comfortably with street shoes. That leaves 3 choices, so I'm curious which you recommend and why.

1) SPD on one side, platform on the other
2) SPD on both sides with a platform around them
3) Regular SPD and attach a clip-in platform when using street shoes

I'm leaning toward #3 because there would be no platform to get in the way of clipping in when using clipless shoes, but I have no experience with any of these options and would love to hear real world experiences.

caloso

I have a set of ISSI Flip pedals (option 1) on my commuterized CX bike. They work great either way and it's nice to be able to hop on without having to do anything.

Bigbus

I have #1 and love them. I only wear my clips when the weather is nice so I don't destroy them. Here's a good link to a thread that might help you:

https://www.bikeforums.net/general-c...-pedal-id.html

rbevansjr

I have a pair of Shimano EH-500 hybrid pedals on my Dual Sport, love them. They do exactly what you want, platform for a quick ride down the street and SPD clips for longer, dedicated rides.

spelger

i never ride my bike without my cleated bike shoes so double SPD for me.

dedhed

I run all spd two sided as my bikes are "multi - use". Of course some of the vintagy ones have their original pedals with either platforms or toe clips.
I generally run Shimano pd-M324

urbanknight

But do you ride with your cleated shoes over to your friend's house to play video games, or to your grandparent's house to play with their dog?

spelger

i was born in cleated shoes.

Bigbus

I feel for your momma....

John Valuk

For hybrid pedals...

I like the Shimano PD-T8000, but they might not be "roadie" enough for some tastes.

The PD-M324 have a little bit of a "rat trap" thing going for them that some might find appealing.

Cyclist0108

The problem is the poll question comes up first, out of context. I voted for the second option, and then read the OP, and realized I didn't answer the question you asked. (I ride XTR trail pedals, and answered that.)

I have a pair of those platform things you can snap into the SPD cleat binding. I don't recommend them. Option #1 sounds the best for your kid.

The first time my kid tried SPD cleats, he broke his wrist while messing around. It is good to have other options.

Troul 

I've thus far enjoyed the speedplay zero setup. They are never hungry for the shins, 95% of the time it's quick to click & go from a quick dig, sleek profile for those times you shouldn't crank ahead while in a turn yet these allow for more clearance (imo) to do it, & not easy to grip with plain shoes which makes for a natural random rider deterrent.

urbanknight

Thanks. Your answer gave me a lot of insight. Any reason you don't like the snap in platforms? I figured they would be a plus because it would give him better cornering clearance when using the cycling shoes since he could remove them.

I have noticed my son being a little too free in his child-like movements while wearing his cleated shoes, and for that reason am going to get him some MTB or touring shoes when he gets to the next size up. But yeah, still figure he'd want real sneakers when just doing casual stuff.

urbanknight

lol so exactly what I DON'T want for this situation. Thanks ;-)

Actually, I used to ride Speedplay Zero myself. Definitely the best feeling pedal I've ever used, but I was too lazy to keep them maintained and they developed squeaks too easily. But that has nothing to do with this thread.

Bill in VA

When I use SPD pedals, it is now the Shimano PD-9020 (https://bike.shimano.com/en-US/produ.../PD-M9020.html) a double-sided SPD pedal which have a generous platform for shoe support, but are not optimal for non-clipped use. You can get by with sneakers, but it is a "class C" solution for short distances. I use the SM-SH-56 cleats for easier release. I tried the platform/SPD combos, but always having to flip the SPD side up was a PITA, so I went for the 9020s.

Most SPD shoes are very walkable, but I still found that I preferred a more traditional looking shoe with laces instead of velcro straps. As a result I reverted back to toeclips and straps with Shimano GR5 flat pedal shoes.

I find I am now using my MKS Sylvan Touring Next pedals and toe clips almost exclusively.

urbanknight

I just assumed they SPD side would naturally rest on top because the platform would weigh the other side down more. Sounds like that's not the case, and that would indeed annoy my son who sometimes takes a minute to clip into his regular SPDs on our tandem.

Bill in VA

The pedals I was trying had a lighter alloy platform. I believe that was why the steel SPD clip was hanging down. I also noticed that the construction where the pedal spindle was located also created the balance favoring the platform being up. Other designs might hang differently. I do not remember the brand, but they were not Shimano.

Actually, while I did have a few incidents of failure to unclip (operator error), I found the incidents of difficulty in quickly reclipping, while not common, far more aggravating. I finally resolved it to a large degree by putting a mark on my shoes where the pedal spindle was when clipped in which greatly reduced the clipping in alignment issue.

PaulRivers

I went to using Five Ten flat shoes and pinned flat pedals. It's great - no more hassle with 2 pairs of shoes, it stopped hotspots and foot numbness for me, and I can walk around off the bike in more "normal" shoes without changing shoes. They accompkish everythjng I'd want from clipless - feet stay firmly on the pedals and never slip.

Some people like clipless. Not for me any more but it works fine. Note that it does not provide a speed advantage in regular riding (search youtube for many videos on the topic).

I have used the flat/clipless hybrid solution before and to me it's the worst of everything. Problem is every time you take your foot on and off the pedal you have to look down to see which side is up and half the time flip it. This is at the worst time possible, right at intersections, where you want your head up watching traffic, not staring down at your feet. I really just don't like them for anything myself.

GlennR

Shimano A520