Quite often I set off down a steep descent with a foot in wrong position in flats, and yeah the 510s don’t want to move! But it kind of doesn’t matter too much as a big pedal area, but you’re not settled in until you’ve moved it about

id suggest borrowing somebody else’s shoes and pedals for a bit if your only clipless curious, rather than investing in an expensive setup.

then when you realise clips are shite you go running back to flats it wont have cost owt.

I’ve got shoes and Shimano pedals already. My shoes are the stiff XC type. In the future might get some of the more laid back/flat styled SPD shoes though.

I don’t I’ll be running back, I think for me, it’s good to use both

Two things:

1) SPD pedals with a platform are pointless fashion. When using any SPD pedal your only point of contact is the cleat. It has to be so or your foot would be in the wrong place. The platform is superfluous if using decent shoes, alluded to in this review https://www.pinkbike.com/news/review-shimano-saint-m820-clipless-pedals.html

2) “XC” or none trainer-like shoes have moulded sections in the sole to match the pedal and direct the cleat into the clip. Any “flat” trainer type shoes don’t do this so are actually not as accurate for clipping in, leaving you flailing round on a slippy pedal mechanism if you miss.

See soft rubber sole around cleat here:

not as good at directing cleat as hard rubber channel around cleat here:

I run mine these days with the cleats slid back on MTB for better balance, but on road they are on the ball of my foot for max efficiency.

Always amazes me how much pedals seem to polarize opinions – one or the other are always invariably shite and anyone who uses the “other” is missing the point…. Anyway, for what its’ worth, I started on clipless, tried flats (DMR Vaults and 5:10’s, so didn’t skimp) – hated them, tried for a good while and couldn’t get on with them – binned them off in the end after a big off landed me in A&E, then went back to clips and have been happy ever since. Another thumbs up for Shimano pedals with multi-release cleats, easy to adjust tension and no issues with unclipping until you want to. M530’s are my go to pedal – like everyone says, they are cheap and pretty indestructible!

Thanks all.
Shoes arrived today and picking the pedals & multi release cleats up later.
Will wait until I’m back of holiday before i try them.

The ‘pedal groove’ on the bottom of the shoes is pretty impressive!

I alternate between flats and clips, flats are nice in mud as its fast to get a foot down, they do feel fun when pushing in corners too
I prefer clips over fast high ground though as you stop having to try keep the feet on the pedals.
AM7s are great shoes hard to beat, the cleat trench is a great idea – thanks Athertons
Likewise Mallet DH Pedals are ace
Mallets win the pedal war because
1: you can stand on ’em not clipped in (and even when clipped the pins can [depends on adjustment] engage with the shoe for a far nicer platform feel than XC clip shoes will provide, theres a reason the DH guys are predominantly on Mallets).
2: you can clip in backwards with the Crank Bros mechanism, put foot on too far forward wiggle back –
this is FAR safer than pushing the foot forwards into the cleat on tough terrain, a proper bump hit can take you right off the front, very nasty
AM7s make that backward clip in easy, comfy wide shoes too.
win win