Dual platform pedals: clipless and SPD

I use the Shimano A530s on my Surly Cross Check, they work pretty well for me. I generally wear normal shoes for quick errands and switch to cleated bike shoes for my longer commute into work. The only annoyance is when you are spinning up at intersection and trying to clip only to discover you are on the wrong side of the pedal. When I had a pair of cleated Keens (recessed cleat) it wasn’t to big of a deal because I could pedal on the flat side until I got an opportunity to flip the pedal, but with cleated road shoes (exposed cleat) my foot slips of the pedal. Hope that helps.

I have Shimano A530s, too. I almost never use the flat side. It’s a bit small, so I’d hesitate to use it for very long trips, but it’s certainly usable. As mentioned above, I think they’re really designed for quick trips when you don’t feel like putting on bike shoes.

I don’t often have the problem of the flat side being up when I start, but it definitely does happen.

I have the A530s on my commuter. No complaints at all about them…they were relatively cheap and they do exactly what I need them to do. That said, my understanding is that they aren’t really built to last…and just recently, mine have started to squeak a bit, like maybe the bearings are going bad. But that’s after almost two years and several thousand miles of heat, rain, snow, dirt, etc…but I think I will upgrade to a more durable model like the M785 (even though they aren’t “platform” pedals), or something like the Crankbrothers Candy 3.

@Arlingtonrider 64029 wrote:

Many of us use these and really like them, for the reasons described in the post above. I bought the Performance Bike version (Forte) and have had no problems with them. The set I bought generally keeps the same side up after you unclip, so I haven’t had the issue Andrew describes, except when I first start a new ride with a different type of shoes.

Arlingtonrider’s point is valid, I only have this issue about 10% of the time.

@TwoWheelsDC 64030 wrote:

I have the A530s on my commuter. No complaints at all about them…they were relatively cheap and they do exactly what I need them to do. That said, my understanding is that they aren’t really built to last…and just recently, mine have started to squeak a bit, like maybe the bearings are going bad. But that’s after almost two years and several thousand miles of heat, rain, snow, dirt, etc…but I think I will upgrade to a more durable model like the M785 (even though they aren’t “platform” pedals), or something like the Crankbrothers Candy 3.

Pedals are intended to be serviced…

@TwoWheelsDC 64044 wrote:

Shhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! The correct answer is “honey, I have to upgrade to these better, more expensive pedals.”

Better value pedals. The benefits reaped in longevity and pedaling efficiency easily outweigh the slightly higher initial cost.

@mstone 64099 wrote:

Also, FWIW, the crank brothers have a bit of a reputation for being delicate, vs the non-bottom-end shimanos which are generally pretty bombproof. (Try googling “crank brothers broke”.) Both will require routine maintenance, but some of the crank brothers have non-serviceable bearings which you can either replace or treat the pedal as a consumable.

+1. Yeah, crank bros are garbage. The pedals only last me 1 year and that is with regular grease injection. They are cheap, but not worth it (apparently it has taken me 5 pair to learn this). Tech support says that you are supposed to rebuild (new bearings, seals) every 6 months. Who has time for that? I am wearing through my last pair and then switching to my mtb pedals (Time Atac) on the commuter.