SPD's

I have some new Shimano A600 single sided SDPs which I've had "on test" for a few weeks now and so far mainly good. Great in fact.

Normally, I use double sided XT SPD for off-road and tandem with double-sided Speedplay for road and my one unforeseen issue so far is how I had not appreciated how convenient a double sided pedal is for stop-and-start cycling. Your foot just knows where the pedal is, slam down and go. With a single-sided pedal, I find myself having to look down to check that the foot is on the correct side before engaging but that might come with time and confidence.

At the moment, though, I would be inclined to say go with some kind of double-sided (or quadruple in the case of an Eggbeater) pedal for commuting and tooling around and only go single-sided for a bike where you have a reasonable hope of clicking in for a reasonable distance.

The fact that Shimano's SPD cleat is usable on both their double and single-sided variants means you could have shoes for mtb, commuting and "racing" along with bikes for same and be able to use any of your shoes with any of your bikes. Hard to foresee a situation where you'd use "racing" shoes on the mtb, obviously, but it's handy to be able to ride any bike to work, for example, based on weather conditions or whether a bike is temporarily out of commission.

I've considered getting dedicated road pedals but am not convinced I'd be any faster commuting and time trialling with them. I'm also not keen on having two cleat systems.

I tried some single-sided Shimano A520 pedals last year, probably going to buy a pair. They are shaped like a road-style pedal with a better platform for the shoe compared to my double-sided M520 SPDs. There is a favourable review at roadcyclinguk.

I'd probably stick with spds with stiff shoes if you have to stop and start often.

If you have used spd sl (105 type pedals) and can clip in and out quickly then you should be fine.

(As Dave mentioned, walking in spds and rugged shoes is great) I tend to use spds for short 20 mile rides if I am going to stop and walk in cities.

Training wise-proper road pedal but I hardly stop to walk around.

not unless you're unhappy with the spds or you've got a pile of money burning a hole in your pocket and nothing else to spend it on. I do most of my long rides on spds and i've never had any problems, plus you can actually walk when you get to the cafe. In terms of performance you're really not going to notice the difference. Or, at least, I don't. Certainly you're not going to be shaving minutes off your commuting time.

if you want a more roadie look with your spds then Shimano's new RT81 shoes are definitely worth a look