Which SPD pedals?

Reading this again, just remembered the XT pedals have a reflector strip built in, which is a pretty big deal for riding around UK streets in the dark.

Mock me if you must, but I have T700s on my road bike and they work just as well as the M530s on my MTB. They also have a little more platform, enough that they're rideable without cleats if necessary. Also, I've never had any slippage issues on my M530s with flat shoes on the road.

I've got Crank Brothers Eggbeaters on my CX/commute bike, after seeing them  on the bike-porn pages of Rouleur. They're awesome for clipping in, they are 4 sided, and you just roll your foot along them until you clip in

there's none of this 2 sided, choose your shoe business though. Not tried them without cleats, can't imagine you get the same performance ....

Get down to Halfords (not something I am normaly prone to say) as the Boardman Pro MTB pedal is an absolute steal at £25.  The Boardman MTB pedal is £23 and a little bit heaviers but just as well made. These SPD compatible pedals are fantastic quality and look very slick. I have had the Wiggle branded version (not made anymore) for a couple of years and they are just as smooth and haven't required any maintenance or adjustment. Engagement with my Shimano cleats is better than with Shimano SPDs!

The XT trekking pedals are pretty sweet for urban riding, as you can clip out, then spin the pedal to flat for getting out of junctions quick. The older Boardman SPD Pros were very solid and light too, try eBay.

£40 and £25 respectively.

Another vote for the A520s. I've got a dodgy knee and they provide more support than the m520s I had before. Over 100 miles and I do get slight hot spots but that could be my shoes.

m540's ... one set is 5 years old and had nothing but abuse, mud, grit, crashes

and a squirt of GT85

I've got the M324 on my Gravel Bike and they are brilliant. I have Shimano M520s on two other bikes so I think I can compare them. Its a more stable footing using Shimano Shoes. Obviously you can quickly pedal away from any junction, no matter what way up they are, and they will dangle down so you can clip in within a second. I find them idea for commuting all year. If the surface is looking dodgy, (for example, slippy mud, gravel or ice), you can unclip, flip em over to the flat side, and carry on. If you happen to skid out, you wont be clipped in, and should be able to get a foot down.

Another A530 user here.

I've had two sets of these pedals (first set were on my bike when it got nicked ) - no problems with either and I never serviced them.

They definitely work better when wearing SPDs than normal shoes. With both pairs of mine I've found that they don't really rotate much when your foot is off them, so you quickly learn a technique to get them to be the correct way up when you come to re-clip - ie I clip out with my foot at the top of the pedal stroke, then bring the other foot up to the top when I'm waiting at the lights and once I've pulled off by the time my free leg engages with the pedal again the SPD bit of the pedal is more or less where I want it. Even if the pedal is the wrong way around  you can just do a pedal stroke on the flat side and take your foot off part way through the cycle so that it comes back around in the correct orientation.

The same is true when you're wearing flats, you can still push on the cleat side, although not as efficiently. The flat side is definitely a bit slippy and as such I end up with the pedal in my arches when in flats, especially in the rain.

I use, and like, the A530s. I don't find it difficult to get the clip side up (if anything it's the reverse) and I do like the ability to have one free foot when I'm riding in a busy built up area (especially on the tandem).

I would agree that the non-spd side is not as grippy as you might like but I've never slipped completely off it either. And that's without wearing Shimano shoes.

May I recommend the Deore XT T780 pedals instead? They're another trekking design with an SPD side and a platform side. I've used mine for a year or so and I've gotten along well with them.

They have a newer brother, the T8000. Not sure if they've been released yet, but the T8000s remedy the only real complaint I have with the T780s: the platform side is rather slippery by itself. The newer pedals can accept four traction pins at each corner of the platform side. Otherwise the T8000 pedals are basically a slightly more angular looking version of the T780s.

I second your quote there, dottigirl. Having faffed around with all sorts of road pedal types over the years and settled on speedplays, the pedals for my 'other' bikes have been really straightforward: M540s and haven't looked back.

I had flats on my MTB at the time I changed jobs and my commute went a bit off road - couldn't use my road commuter. My MTB was just my 'other' bike at that point so hadn't used it for any serious off-roading or MTB stuff. M540s were on sale at wiggle, £20ish. After a while on the new commute I decided to get another 'other/commuter' bike to mix the commute up and bought a CXer. M540s on sale again at Wiggle.

I've been through a couple of sets of cleats, but the pedals are still going strong and adjustable few thousand miles of abuse later, including a commute that is part mud-fest, occasionally flooded and part normal road commuting, a few winter road rides, and a couple of local CX races. I find them flat enough to use as 'flats' with a pair of trainers too if I'm just nipping to the park with the kids. And having the multi-release (I use these for stop-start commuting) and more pronounced heel-out (CXing) cleat options for a few quid is great too.

Cracking (and cheap) pedals and system.

M540s are marginally nicer than M520s, but 520s have the advantage that you can get a pedal spanner on'em if they're hard to remove., 520s are hex-only.

I have had (all for road bikes)- 

A530s (dual purpose-  SPD clip on one side, flat on the other)

A600 (single sided)

M520 and M540 (single sided)

XTR Race M9000 (for the best bike)

Unless you are actually going to be riding in ordinary shoes a fair bit, don't get the A530s-  big, ugly and a bit of a pain to get the right side up.  They are slippy too, unless you have Shimano shoes-  the tread of a Shimano shoe "mates" with the pedal and gives a much better grip.

The A600s were nice looking, but I don't see the point-  the double sided are much easier to use.

No real difference between the M520/ M540.  Since they are both pretty cheap I'd tend to treat myself to the M540.

The price jump to the XTR race can't be justified on any rational basis.  But they are on my best bike and speaking with heart rather than head they are definitely the ones to go for!

What pedals do you currently have?

The difference between M520 and M540 is the quality of the bearings. I use M540 off road and they're fantastic - have taken all the abuse of rocks and so on and you can easily re-grease the bearings, so what's not to like, unless you want more support.

I have M324 on my hybrid, which is great as it's also my pub/station bike and has daughter's bike seat on the back, so I can easily ride it in any shoes. The main thing you do need to watch is if you're clipped in, it's easy to catch the cage on the ground if you're pedaling round corners, which could throw you off. Getting away from a junction is not quite as slick as either the M540 or SPD-SLs I have on other bikes, but it's easy enough to get going and then sort out which side you should be on. If you are clipped in, there's no more support for your foot than you'd get with the M540, so won't help your ankle. And they'd look stoopid on a road bike.

Have you considered something like the Crank Bros Candy or Mallet?

Like SimonE I have used M520 and A520. I like both of them.

I use the A520s with some touring shoes (Shimano RT81) which have quite a thin sole, and the support does help a little. They are also a little lighter than the M520 with only one binding mechanism. I suppose a one sided pedal is slightly more faff, but if you are used to it the then flicking the pedal happens without thinking.

The M520s are good pedals andI use them for commuting and cyclocross racing, where fast starts are an advantage. Using them with proper MTB shoes they are very comfortable and not lacking in support at all.

I have the M530 (in white) on my main bike and the A530 (in black) on my partners bike.
I really like the M530 usual quality shimano build (as all shimano pedals I've tried) and if I have to pedal without spd shoes for any reason they are comfortable enough for at least 5 miles (that's as far as I have needed cycled in converse so far).
My Partner really likes the A530 as she wants to be able to jump on the bike with any shoes for a short ride but be able to use cleats on longer rides. Having the cleats on only one side of the pedal is not really an issue as the other side is heavier so the cleat side is pretty much always on top. I don't think that the non spd side is slippy, but I suppose it depends what you are comparing it with.
In addition I also have the M520 paired with the SM-PD22 Pedal Adapter on my spare bike and while the combo does not look that great they are just as good as either of the above and have the advantages of being road legal and a removable cage.

Hope that helps

I have been riding M520 and A520 for a number of year. The A520's platform feels a little better underfoot but it's no a deal-breaker for me. However, if you're unclipping regularly there's more faff flipping the pedal to get clipped in again. The M520s are better for stamp-and-go, which is ideal if you're in stop-go traffic or starting on a slope.

Have seen mention of the single-sided M530 recently, the platform looks a bit like my A520, but you probably need to check whether it actually contacts your own shoes (or buy online, providing the seller has free returns).

A600 is a slightly lighter A520, IMHO not worth the extra (and the weight difference is insignificant). Similarly, M540 are not great value IMHO, too similar to their cheaper sibling.

Unless you actively prefer a single-sided pedal I'd suggest either M520 or M530. Both are £20 at Halfords at the moment, BC members can get 10% off that price.

M520 or M540 (M540 do look a bit more sophisticated, I admit) are all most normal cyclists would ever need. I run them on all my bikes. As close to to a cheap, fit and forget component as you're ever going to get.