sloar 

I have touring shoes with recessed cleats. The cheap pedals I’m using now are horrible for clicking in. I went 2 miles this morning before I finally got my left foot seated in. What pedal should I be looking for? Thanks

kingston 

A600

https://cyclingtips.com/2019/02/shim...-pedal-review/

cb400bill

The best that I've found are the PD-A600. I understand is has been tweaked and is now called PD-ES600.

jdawginsc 

Sort of found this by mistake, but love these. PD M324

Bianchigirll 

These. These are Ritchey, unfortunately I only have the Wellgo version.

Bianchigirll 

These are nice on a grocery getter or a 'townie'

rjhammett

For an inexpensive pedal I would recommend Shimano PD-M540. There are more expensive variations of this design too.

noglider 

There are so many! It's hard to say what would suit you best. The newish Click-R are designed for easy in and easy out. I have the PD-M324 and love it. I got it after using lots of off brand pedals, mostly Wellgo. Shimano pedals cost more, and they're worth it. I could tell the difference right away.

MRT2

Currently using the PD M540 for myself and on my wife's bikes. I have an M324 that is on my wife's vintage Peugeot. I have in the past used Wellgo SPD pedals as well, and I believe one set is still on my son's bike. Those pedals survived a couple of seasons on my son's mountain bike, including some hard falls. The cage on one those pedals is slightly deformed but they still work as clipless pedals, so while I prefer the Shimanos, if someone already has a set of Wellgo pedals, I am not going to tell them they have to toss them. They all seem to work well. That said, I think the Shimano pedals are finished a little more nicely.

One thing to keep in mind is, there is a difference in cleats. One type of cleat is harder to clip in and out of than another. I don't remember the specifics but I believe the silver colored ones are easier to clip into and out of than the black ones.

jdawginsc 

The great thing about them is they can use SPD cleats (and they are solid), can be a regular pedal AND you can actually install toe clips if your heart desires...

lasauge 

Assuming we're only talking about the common 2-bolt pattern SPD pedals here, I'd second the M540 as the best all-around option: they're readily available, inexpensive, not too heavy, durable, and work exceptionally well.

squirtdad

i second the shimano difference opinion

SalsaShark

Shimano PD-M520 gets my vote. Easy to clip in/out, not too pricey, durable, easy to service, comes in a few colors. I use Shimano touring shoes with a recessed cleat - these pair great with that type of walkable shoe.

Salamandrine 

I really like the Xpedo M-Force 3 pedals. I've tried a lot and these are my favorite so far. They are easier to click into than Shimano pedals. The cleats are slightly different though, they're not really cross compatible. I've used these for two years now. NO problems and they make a bit more solid connection to the shoe than regular SPD. I might get the fancy Ti body version at some point. 55g lighter...

AFA mini reviews of my most recent pedals, here ya go:

Shimano PD-A600 didn't work well for me. I know a lot of people really like them but for me they were just too creaky and noisy. I had to grease them literally before every ride. The platform thing seems to be for some psychosomatic purpose. With any reasonably rigid cycling shoe it is superfluous. I suppose if you had really flexible SPD shoes that you could actually hike in, then the wider platform might work out great.
(FWIW I have a used pair that I plan to 'pass it forward' once this craziness ends enough that I'd feel safe waiting in line at the post office.

I also have a pair of PD-A530 on my Clem Jr. I dig those and no problems at all, plus if I need to ride to the store or something in regular shoes they work for that. Price seems to have gone way way up though. Still a great pedal for a vintage or vintage style MTB.

I formerly really liked the Ritchey Micro road pedals, but they are built, well, too micro. Had them on my black Mercian. They broke after a few months.

speedevil 

A second for the Xpedo M Force 3 pedals. I have 2 sets on vintage bikes and thy look fine on them. I will be replacing the Shimano XT pedals on the other bikes with the Xpedo pedals. They are very nice. Easy clip in, easy adjustment, cleats provided with pedals, allen wrench install (8mm I think). If you want them lighter, just spend more $$ and they will get lighter.

nlerner

Shimano M-530 has always worked well for me, and often can be found for relatively small money.

Cyclist0108

I have yet to find anything better (or as good as) XTR trail pedals (apart from the new XTR trail/enduro pedals).

A600 are my second-favorite. The main drawbacks I have found are that they wind up wrong-way up 90% of the time, and they scratch really easily. The color on A600 seems to vary form silver to steel blue. I have silver-colored ones, and they look great on my 1987 Bianchi.

gomango

Those are very good. Use them on Yeti.

Everything else gets XT's.

Simple to set up, they shed mud and don't become a pain.

Not so expensive if you watch for good prices.

IsleRide

Isn't this a C&V thread?
I had a drawer full of various SPD pedals. Finally threw them all away. I ride various flat touring pedals with half-clips. Liberating.

dddd

Shimano M520 double-sided pedals are functionally perfect and are tough, but their bearings require much more frequent adjustment than the better M540.
Adjusting these is a messy 20-minute job requiring certain tools to go smoothly, so I tend to wait and do three pairs at a time.

I often find the M520's at the Co-op for $5-10/pair, so I use these on most of my collection that doesn't already have SPD-R pedals.

kingston 

This is a common complaint that I think may depend on the shoes. I have 5 pairs of these pedals and none of them squeak. A friend of mine says his squeak with is Lakes but not his Sidis. In any case, I'd get rid of mine if they squeaked too. Other than hold the pedal at the same angle at stops, I don't think the platforms do anything either.

Classtime 

I have no complaints using 520 and 540 from Shimano. But I've always wanted a pair of "The Best" XTR. If I was starting over with n=0, I would get some MKS double sided pedals and their cleats.

bikemig 

I really like Time ATAC pedals. Very positive engagement and lots of float.

Here's a review comparing shimano to atac.

https://puregravel.com/blogs/reviews...tac-xc8-pedals

noglider 

It's a matter of taste. I have foot pain when I ride, and it is minimized when I have a cleat to position my foot far forward on the pedal (i.e. the cleat is far back on my foot). This is on the recommendation of a podiatrist I saw who understands cycling.

Flat pedals are best for some people.

IsleRide

Don't get me wrong. I understand that they are favored by a lot of riders (I used them for 10 years) and can help in the way you described but I just moved away from them and back to a lower tech approach.