Combined cleated/flat pedals

ErikH

Hi All,
I have just started to get into cycling (and exercise) after a long time doing nothing. Bought myself a Specialized Allez recently (my first bike since I was a kid) and took the toe clips off the pedals.
I now use the pedals without these(they are now what I think are called flat pedals?) and am looking to updgrade to better pedals, unsure that I want cleats at the minute but wanting good quality flat pedals I am thinking about getting some Shimano A530 pedals, that have a cleated side and a flat side. (flat side for now and then a cleated side if I decide to go down that route at a later time.)

Does anyone have any opinions of these or are their similar types you could recommend.

Thanks,
Eric

Rule74Please

Have a pair on my commuter.

about 18 months old and still fine.

danlikesbikes

Got a few different choices but I have some M324's on my commuter bike and they seem pretty good, as I'd expect from the manufacture though pretty much most of their stuff I own seems to do the job without any issues.

Gizmo_

Danlikesbikes wrote:

Got a few different choices but I have some M324's on my commuter bike and they seem pretty good, as I'd expect from the manufacture though pretty much most of their stuff I own seems to do the job without any issues.

I've got M324s on my hybrid too. they're perfect for that use - clip in for a proper ride, but if I'm just bimbling around I can wear trainers.

ErikH

Cheers guys, how easy are they to fit/take off old pedals, havent really looked at how its done.

Thanks,

snoopsmydogg

pretty easy to remove, some pedals will require a spanner between the pedal and crank arm, others you can use an allen key behind the crank arm. But remember 1 pedal will release clockwise and the other anti clockwise.

If you arent to bothered about using road shoes then m520s work pretty well. can either be double sided clip in or single clip with pedal attachment on the other side. Bonus is they are pretty cheap too

madtam

Removing pedals is one of the simplest jobs you will do. Simply find an appropriate size spanner and unscrew the old pedal, in the style of Haynes manuals, refitting is a reversal of this. Just don't forget that the pedals are opposite threads so that they don't unscrew when you are pedalling. This means the right hand pedal has a left hand thread (I think it's that way round ?).

apreading

Just dont push too hard trying to unscrew them the wrong way - or you might make them so tight they never come off!

I am always forgetting which way to turn them, but now have a simple rule I got off here: With the pedal horizontal and in its farthest forward position, put the pedal spanner on, facing horizontally towards the back of the bike and push down. Much easier than trying to remember clockwise/anticlockwise etc.

I too have M324s on the mountain bike - so that if things look a little tricky I can ride them unclipped, and so that I can just ride in trainers - rarely do that though.

On my road bike (hybrid but for purely road use) I have clips on both sides though - didnt feel the need to ride unclipped on that. It is a little easier to clip in but its not really a big problem on the single sided ones once you get used to them and work out a technique that works for you.

mikeabanks

I have m324's on my road bike. A proper flat on one side and multi-directional release SPD on other side.
These are ideal for me as I can clip in when on my own or use flat when out with family.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-m324-co ... on-pedals/

snoopsmydogg

apreading wrote:

I am always forgetting which way to turn them, but now have a simple rule I got off here: With the pedal horizontal and in its farthest forward position, put the pedal spanner on, facing horizontally towards the back of the bike and push down. Much easier than trying to remember clockwise/anticlockwise etc.

Thats a much better idea than i use. I can never remember which way so I try to have a spare pedal when i'm doing it and look at the threads to know which way to turn :oops:

Latimer.Todd

I rode a set of Crank Brothers Mallet pedals on my mountain bike last year. I prefer to be clipped in at all times but this bike was dual purpose. I needed to be able to pedal in regular shoes and riding shoes. They worked perfectly for both.

nickel

Please please please remember to put the chain on the big ring when you take the pedals off, if you dont and you slip then the result will be extremely painful. In fact wear some gloves whilst you do it. I say this from very painful personal experience. And I always just remember that the non drive side pedal is reverse threaded.

g00se

Another to consider are Time AllRoad and AllRoad Gripper pedals. They're platform one side and MTB clipless on the other (Time's ATAC MTB system is slightly different to Shimano's SPD - but both fit double-hole recessed MTB shoes).

I find ATAC pedals more positive to clip into compared to SPDs. And they have more float too.

mog812

oh dear... people getting confused or forgetting which way pedals go on, or come off...
let me help you out here...
if you look closely down by the bit that goes into the crank arm, (providing its clean) it should have a little arrow there with the words tighten or perhaps just a + and - symbol... have a look...
and if not, then remember youtube is your friend

team47b

Even easier...

No matter which side of the bike you are working on

ALWAYS TIGHTEN THE PEDAL BY TURNING THE SPANNER TOWARDS THE FRONT OF THE BIKE.

Simple to do, impossible to remember that it is that simple!

A530's are great, you can choose when to be clipped in.

ErikH

Thanks for taking the time to reply. Have only just started cycling ab out a month ago, to lose weight and get some exercise but am loving it..and think I have the bug....just want to get fitter and lighter so I can ride for longer....

klep

A friend of mine uses them and he's quite happy with 'em.
Myself I sometimes wish I had them but I guess I'd never put them on my bike just because they look... erm... like shit.

shouldbeinbed

Good choice of pedal, I've had em for years without problem.

Word of warning, avoid M424 types, dual sided but with a supposedly floating cage to allow normal shoe usage too. They're rubbish, giving minimal grip with normal footwear & you still feel the spd mount pushing through the sole.

v2p

I've got the A530's too, I love that the flat side is very big/wide/long/whatever which makes pedalling in non-clips great as there's a large contact area.

The flat side is pretty much pancake flat though, and although there are those weird grooves pictured, I barely ever notice they are there. Some people I've spoken to dislike that about the A530's, and say that their feet slip on the flat side too much. But for me it's not a problem, and if anything I prefer it to be completely flat than have those bits that stick out on the ends of the m324's, like you'd normally get on cheaper mountain bike pedals.