Have an urge to try a double sided pedal, these ones any good?

On an all-round bike which gets used for shopping locally and various little jaunts where I’d rather not use cycling shoes.

Do the 530’s naturally come to rest cleat up, or do you have to do the toe clip flip every single time you get on the bike?

Not much grip on the non clip side, I found wellgo r120b to be better,

I bought some of the posh ones (A600s) for my Tripster. Didn’t like em. Can’t remember why now! Helpful? 🙂

I use them on my touring bike. I like them. I don’t find any problem clipping in so I guess they must default to cleat up, which means you’ll need to flip them when wearing civilian shoes.

I’ve got them on one of my bikes and find them ok. Don’t really use them with normal shoes much but nice to have that option for short trips.

I’ve also got a set of the posh ones on my diverge and they are a pain in the arse, always the wrong way up.
Find it easier just riding in normal shoes on a pair of m520s on my pub bike

I have those on my commuter, do the job and I find are easy to use for clips. Not so great for flat use but will work.

My dad has a pair on his MTB – (clipped in for mtb, flat for fetching the paper on sunday) and seems to like them well enough.

donald – Member
I use them on my touring bike. I like them. I don’t find any problem clipping in so I guess they must default to cleat up, which means you’ll need to flip them when wearing civilian shoes.[/quote

agree with this – have them on a couple of bikes and flip nicely – great for popping to the shops etc

very slippery in the wet

Got a pair and the flat sides OK with the right shoes – trainers with lugs like running shoes are better than flat soles (Vans etc). There is a bit of pedal flipping but I’m used to it so can’t really remember which way I have to flip them! Quite often do a half turn of the crank to get them the right (or opposite) way.

I’ve got them on my commuter, decent compromise. Easy clipping in and the flat side is good for short trips in trainers. Only real downside is they get a bit slippy when wet.

I prefer the XT trekking pedal (T8000) which you can get with or without replaceable pegs plus it has reflectors built in.

Edit – Pedal rests vertical, so foot forward for flat and foot backwards for clipping in.

I like the A530

Mainly used with SPD shoes, but used it loads with normal shoes – i.e. lunchtime yesterday, trips to shops with kids etc

Weighted so it’s easier to use with SPD than flat, but it’s really no issue

The other Shimano one, the one that’s more square, has space to add a reflector so you can make it turn the right way for you. I have these on another bike. The A530 is prettier though (mine are black)

I’ve put a few thousand miles on this bike/pedal combo in the last 16 months and it’s been great

Not very grippy and too small for my giant feet but work for my daily commute in flats and clipped in for road rides. They mostly seem to stay the right way up once you have picked one for that ride, lift foot off on the upstroke and the pedal flips if wrong way up

Always a compromise ( I still have a set of the original M323 pedals!), but the A530s are particularly crap as a ‘flat’ pedal. Platform is too small and there’s no grip. You really wouldn’t want to use them in the wet. No better than using those plastic cleats you get on new bikes with SPDs, so you can ride it home from the shop in ‘normal’ shoes. I tried a set of A530s for a day, and they came straight off the bike again. I’d rather use the M323s; far better as a flat pedal. Those new XT8000s look even better though.

I borrowed some A530 pedals just to try out SPDs.

They were a bit shit to be honest, trying to get it of a junction quickly while flipping the pedal was dicey.

Those new XT8000s look even better though.

Bet they’re not £20, like the Wellgos though!

True, if I had known about those Wellgo pedals I would have gone for them instead of the Shimano XT T780 (~£55).

I don’t regret buying the T780, as I never have to think about them – they just work, the addition of pins (for another £30!) is wasted on me as I just use the flat side for the pub/shop jaunts and nowt technical.

Been using the A530 for a few years on my tourer/commuter/do everything bike.

Easy to clip in (they hang vertical as said, with the spd side facing back) and adequate for popping to the shops in my normal shoes. Not quite the same level of grip as proper flats 😉 but not designed for the same type of riding either.

I would love a larger platform on the flat side though.

The flat side is probably crap if you’re used to grippy flats (which I am)

But to be fair, it’s pretty good for the type of pootling that I use them for (kids, shops etc)

Got them and like them but like others have said, the flat side is very slippy when wet in the wrong shoes

I have them like them on my road bike. I had the ultrgra pedals which were crap. They are weighted wrong always on the nome clip side.

Got them on my winter singlespeed/pop to shops/riding with kids bike. SPD side works well for proper riding and flat side is fine for the other stuff. Saves on pedal swapping.

Thanks for the responses everyone.

Looks like the Wellgos would be the best bet, more grip, similar weight and they’ve even got a grease port – not seen one of those in ages.
🙂

Wellgos have arrived.

Quick man-flued up spin round the block and I’m well impressed.
Grippy enough, seem excellent quality.

Spot on, just what I was after.
Highly recommended, ta everyone.
🙂

Where did you get them from?

Halfords in the end.