I’ve been switching back and forth between my standard M540 SPD and flat pedals recently and started wondering if platform SPD pedals might be the answer.

I tried a pair of Shimano DX and some of the new Nukeproof Horizon with my Shimano AM45 shoes but to me they feel identical to the small M540 pedals.

The shoe does not really seem to contact the flat pedal and all weight is transferred through the cleat/spd interface just as with my M540 pedals. I was I bit disappointed that they felt nearly identical and am wondering what the point of them is? When unclipped the pedals don’t really work as flats either as the cleats get in the way too much. Am I missing something or using the wrong shoes perhaps?

From memory the shimano style SPD’s sit your foot a little higher so contact is less than others. Using Spec 2FO’s and Mallet DH’s I can feel the shoe resting on the platform when you need it. The difference is probably that the mechanism sits more inside the pedal than the others.

Shimano DX as in the big DH ones with the black plastic cage? They definitely feel very different (and way better to me) using Shimano AM9s and Teva Pivots. Less so with stiffer shoes. I can feel much more shoe/pedal contact. They do feel better unclipped if I’m riding around the car park in flip flops, but I’d never try to ride them like that.

If you’re not feeling any difference, maybe try some of the DMR ones if you like Shimano style clips. Or try Mallets. Or just stick with the smaller pedals or flats?

Yeah perhaps its the shoes at fault.. although they are not especially stiff soled. I’ll try and borrow some other shoes and see how I get on. I like the feeling of full foot contact and added support with flats but have realised that ultimately there are too many sacrifices compared to SPDS thats why I’m looking for a compromise.

When there is a larger impact and your shoe flexes a bit more, the cage may still provide useful grip to stop your foot rotating in the pedal, even if normally you don’t notice it.

When unclipped the pedals don’t really work as flats

They’re not designed to.

Do you unclip coming up to trail features you don’t like the look of?

From memory the shimano style SPD’s sit your foot a little higher so contact is less than others.

Yeah. Even though IME your shoe (M200 in my case) doesn’t contact the cage (XTR 9020) when clipped in, they’re easier to clip into because the extra cage makes it easier to spin the pedal to locate the clip section. It’s not a big issue for me (I can clip into the small pedals without thinking, having used them for over a decade), but I suspect it might help some people, especially if you often clip in/out for corners (I don’t). They cage is also pretty useless as a platform when not clipped in.

So… as far as Shimano pedals go, I don’t think the caged (‘trail’) versions offer a lot over the small XC ones. However, other brands like Mallets look a bit more useful.

They’re not designed to.

Do you unclip coming up to trail features you don’t like the look of?

More like sometimes if you are starting from stopped on steep tech then no time to get clipped before you are bouncing down rocks 🙂

I just switched to Time MX4. That has resolved the conundrum for me – what a brilliant product – I am not going to say the predictable “best of both worlds” but I am tempted.

I started out with Shimano SPDs the ones with a cage make it easier to get clipped back in. Switched to CB Mallets these feel absolutely awesome but they are both expensive and made of cheese. Now I’m on Time MX pedals they have a similar engagement mechanism to CB so feel good but the platform isn’t as good. If I could afford to have new pedals every 3 months then I would have Mallets.

I run the DXs on one bike, they give you somewhere to put your foot if you’ve dabbed (or inadvertently unclipped) and the cleat hasn’t clipped back in, and you don’t want to think about that until the next pedally bit.

I haven’t really considered the benefit or otherwise in terms of providing additional support, as I run reasonably stiff soled shoes. I would think that a stiffer shoe would really be the answer, but I have no experience of other pedals/less stiff shes that might work well in the way you want them to. If you get too much contact, you will struggle to unclip of course.

I like the feeling of full foot contact and added support with flats but have realised that ultimately there are too many sacrifices compared to SPDS thats why I’m looking for a compromise.

After using spds since they were first introduced and only having used flats for the last 18 months I’m realising that, for me anyway, there aren’t any real sacrifices. In fact, quite the opposite.

I can’t say I’ve ever really noticed the benefits of caged SPDs over normal ones for pretty much any riding, no matter how severe it is. The cleat does the work, not the cage. The only advantage is, as you state, when you’ve come unclipped in something really rowdy. I gave up on them about 5 years ago and don’t miss them.

After using spds since they were first introduced and only having used flats for the last 18 months I’m realising that, for me anyway, there aren’t any real sacrifices. In fact, quite the opposite.

Not sure 90% of DH and Enduro riders would agree 😀 The main thing I miss with flats is the ability to put the power down properly over rough sections. Especially in more rolling up/down but rocky terrain. I find with SPDS it is easier to get those odd few pedal strokes in the right places where with flats once you are moving quickly over rough terrain, pedalling is not really an option any more.

Not sure 90% of DH and Enduro riders would agree

I’m an old bastard though – my DH and Enduro days have long gone

I have been pondering this conundrum whilst riding the fargo on some slightly technical trails where im backing off through lack of confidence in being clipped in. Im currently running the budget shimano cage-less spd pedals, considering some of these: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/shimano-xt-t8000-spd-trekking-clipless-pedal/rp-prod156186

Anyone used these particular pedals or similar for a similar ‘purpose’?

The shoe does not really seem to contact the flat pedal and all weight is transferred through the cleat/spd interface just as with my M540 pedals

They wont work with SPD’s as the cleat sits proud on the pedal. I’ve got Time platforms and the cleat is basically flush so the shoe sits on the pedal platform. They work a treat. Perfect for unclipping and if you don’t hit the cleat first time then you can still pedal and wiggle your foot to find the cleat.

I’ve got the new nuke proof horizons in the dh version, just gave them a thorough testing in the alps for 2 weeks.
It does make a big difference, as you move your feet on the pedal you get support from the big cage, and they are rideable if you dab and miss a clip. I’ve always run xt caged which are good but these are a major improvement.

I use AM5s – with a set of M530s I can feel no benefit to the cage at all – the shoe goes nowhere near the pedal. It does make entry easy, but I wish I’d saved weight and reduced ugly and got the 520s.

However, I recently got a new bike and stuck the 530s on it, wanted something else to replace them on the old bike, so dug out my old 636 DXs. They were perfect! You can really feel the support of the pedal. Granted they weigh 4 tons and are properly smashed up, but it just proved to me that there’s definitely some benefit in using a platform style SPD pedal.

NB: All the above is on a road bike 😀 On the MTB I just use flats.

wondering what the point of them is?

I thought the ‘new generation’ of these things was more about the shoe not rolling off as you clip in, particularly on shes that have deeper recess for the cleat (e.g. grippy mtb soles)?
There is then a bigger set that is about more support for the foot, particularly if you are using flatter skate style shoes.

Reading this with interest as I have just picked up some Shimano DX shoes and am browsing shoes to go with for my first swtich to clipless on the MTB.

I always thought the platforms would provide additional support to give the feeling that your foot isnt perched high up on the clip system and avoid wobble in the rough bits?

not all clip systems are created equal. Shimano SPD’s sit proud of the pedal. If you’ve got trainers or thick and soft soled shoes you might get onto the pedal platform. The Time pedals I use the clips are flush or only protrude very little from the surface of the pedal platform so they work fine, if I miss the clips I can pedal no problems and even take jumps or bumpy rock gardens, albeit at a slightly slower and less aggressive way, and worry about clipping in afterwards when the trail allows. They obviously don’t perform as well as proper platforms in that situation, but good enough.

Unfortunately the Time Z-controls I have are no longer available and their replacements don’t look as good, but I should get a few more years out of them yet.

Noone has mentioned the Shimano “Trail” pedals, which strike a middle ground between the DX-style SPD platforms and the traditional diminutive race pedals.

I’ve been running these in various forms for a few years now and I find them a decent compromise between the two. No, you can’t use them without proper shoes, but I find that on the trail my feet find them that little bit easier than smaller pedals and the slightly larger cage helps to protect the pedal from rocks. So far, I’m yet to trash a set of these (although I’ve knackered the bearings in a set of XTR ones that Madison warrantied).