My GF is pretty new to MTB and although she rides clipped in on the road, and uses spd on her gravel bike, she likes the ability to v quickly remove her foot when riding rougher stuff.

Can anyone recommend a platform and clip pedal that is useful in this scenario?

Thanks

Ian

Either switch to flats, or teach her to ride rough stuff clipped in.

Teetering over rough stuff unclipped is a sure fire way of her coming off.

Alpkit / Sonder has a pedal called the Jekyll that’s SPD on one side and flat on the other. The flat side’s a bit compromised in size, but works okay for occasional use, but maybe she just needs to run her SPDs at light release tension or bite the bullet and try flats.

My experience of Shimano’s resin platformed SPD pedals is that they’re heavy and don’t give you much grip when you’re not clipped on though I guess that depends a little on the sole composition of your shoes.

Funn Mamba pedal has a similar 1 sided option as well, probably best used with a chunky spd shoe with a well recessed cleat.

The downside for me of these designs would be unclipping and reclipping whilst riding, having to check first which pedal side I was on. If she is more likely to be making a planned choice of clipped or on the flat side for each section of trail, it might suit her better?

Can anyone recommend a platform and clip pedal that is useful in this scenario

no, because the pedals nor shoes have enough grip. I’m happy feet out of the clips on silly steep stuff but everything else I’m clipped in. Your GF just has to learn how to ride off road clipped in or use flats.

My goretex northwave shoes are useless unless they are clipped in while my northwave enduro shoes have better grip but I’d not use them not clipped in on rough stuff.

Mallet dh, ht x2, dmr v twin or nukeproof horizons are probably as close as you’ll get.

As above with standard spd type shoes they won’t work well for grip,you need a set of clip flat type shoes ala five ten spd or specialized 2fo clip.
The grip on my mallet dh is i guess about 75% of my nano x when I’m not clipped in which is to say better than poor to average flats but not fantastic. Entirely rideable when I’ve picked up the wrong shoes… (Edit, not comfortable though as the mechanism stands a little proud)

50/50 pedals are bad, mechanism is always* on the opposite side to the one you want and they tend not to be good at either.

I’m currently riding Time’s caged pedals with Shimano ME7 shoes. It’s the first clipless combo I’ve tried where you can pedal not clipped in with any degree of comfort = mainly due to the grippy sole, escpecially around the mid foot) and the shape of it which means it doesn’t balance on the pedal bars when not clipped in.

It’s still neither as good as being clipped in or riding flats. My advice would be to ride flats and switch to clips later if she wants to. Riding clipped out is going to end in tears.