Clipless/ flat pedal combo

Has anyone used or is using pedals which combine both clipless(SPD) and flat pedals in one?
Need new pedals and also thinking of going clipless. Just unsure whether to fully commit. Is a combination pedal a good idea?

IME the clip side works well but I’ve yet to find any with enough grip on the flat side.

I’d get a pair of Shimano M520s and give it a go, you can get them for under £30 and they’re pretty much bombproof.

I’ve had a set on my bike for 4 years and they’re still going strong after zero maintenance and several thousand miles.

Is a combination pedal a good idea?

The general consensus seems to be “no”. For various reasons the non-clip side of these pedals always tends to be a bit rubbish, and if you want to clip in, then buy some clipless pedals and get on with it. Literally thousands of folk (some, probably, with less co-ordination than you) manage perfectly well. Riding a flat pedal in cleated shoes is never going to be a good idea (and vise-versa) , so you’ll be forever trying to spin the pedal around so the side you want is under your foot, which seems a distraction that no-one really needs.

IMO they’re only any good if you intend on changing your shoes mid ride.

Been here done this
tried:
510 and shimano shoes

1st pedal Xpedo ambix – clip one side flat the other
conclusion : clip was excellent, althoguh when weighted the spd mechanism didnt offer enough platform, causing discomfort in my foot, and allowing my foot to move too much (less gippier than a flat pedal). Flat pedal up was ok on grip, and flat side up was default orientation.
This pedal is now on my gravel bike. being sat down all the time it doesnt cause much issues, or i use the flat side a lot more as i dont need so much grip.

2nd pedal – Magped Enduro…. worked wuite well, mderate grip all the time, easy enough to magnetise in, and pop out.. didnt feel any significantly better than a flat pedal, might try stronger magnets in the future.

3rd pedal, DMR V Twin – true clipless pedal with platform support on both sides. Truly excellent, easy to clip in and bail out on, ive jumped over the bars and somehow unclipped before now. these are my go to when i want to ride in clips. much easier to get in and out of then a fixed mechanism.I believe the cheaper Shimano 5…. somethign or other have a floating mechanism also.

My personal conslusion from all my messing around..Ive got plenty of grip on flat pedals, i dont need to mess with it, exceptions as follows…

On the gravel bike just spinning for miles on end down the road.. being able to relax my foot somewhat is quite nice.
On the DMR pedals being able to get up over the bars and really push into a sprint, the clips shine.

neagtives to the clips i found, where you think you need them, hard climbs… is when i dont want them… that’s when i’m at walking speed, and if i suddenly slip on a root.. thats it. im stationary and stuck.. until im horizontal and stuck

Thanks for the feedback.
After researching a bit which confirms what you say also. Most combination pedals appear not grippy or big enough on the flat pedal side.
I think I will just buy both a flat and clipless set and see from there👍

Late to this but agree with all the above. I put a set of those metal shimano ones on an old scott scale when I was riding exclusively SPDs, for a ‘guest’ bike mainly for my kids to use when home so I’d not have to swap pedals. Seemed like a good idea but would not repeat as they’re not a great compromise – slightly worse for riding clipped in and heavier, and slippy as flats for off road.

The other thing is that the non-clippy side usually has a larger platform, so is heavier, so the pedals usually hang clippy side up/non-clippy side down. Getting a foot on the non-clippy side is therefore often awkward.

They do have their uses though. I’ve used some Shimano clippy/non-clippy pedals on a touring bike in the past – I forget the model, but the non-clippy side isn’t super grippy. Use the clippy side during the day when in “cyclist” mode, use the non-clippy side in the evening when in “person riding bike to pub/restaurant/supermarket/sight-see” mode.

Yes, but not for MTB – I have them on my “pub/commuter” bike (somewhat neglected right now!) so that I can clip in for a 15+ mile commute or wear normal shoes for nipping the 1.5 miles to Aldi. Works fine for that, wouldn’t want it on with the MTB or road bike.

+1 I have them on my dad bike / touring bike / pop to the shops bike. Useful in that flexible sense but less so in a perforce sense.

Hans Rey sometimes does clipless on one foot and flat on the other!

Hans Rey sometimes does clipless on one foot and flat on the other!

Didn’t some BMX racers do that BITD? Before leaning to track stand, obvs.

Changing pedals takes a minute, you probably spend longer in each ride kicking pedals to get them the right way up

Everyone says no. But I love mine. I’ve used them for years, they are currently on the gravel bike which I use for gravel biking (SPD) but also for commuting to the station (flats) and riding with the kids (flats) and taking on holiday for all purpose family/gravel/road riding (both). They work fine on both sides. I am massively in a minority being so enthusiastic about this though.

“ Didn’t some BMX racers do that BITD? Before leaning to track stand, obvs.”

Sounds possible! I think he started it when doing his trials stuff on his eMTB – clips better sometimes but not fast enough to unclip at times, hence the compromise.

https://www.cyclist.co.uk/reviews/5800/shimano-deore-xt-pd-t8000-pedal-review

Does anyone have any experience of the Shimano XT touring pedals? The non-clip side looks a bit more usable than most pedals of this kind.

Shimano clipless/flat pedal user here (or I was till about a year ago when they died).
Great for what I wanted them for, S/S commuting and general pub bike, with the option of commuting in closed toe sandals in the summer!
The bearings were just the right preload, so they didn’t spin freely, which meant if your pedal was on the wrong side you just lifted your foot and replaced after half a turn, very little faff.
There’s no way I’d want to do any proper MTB’ing with them though, as others say the flat pedal is a gripless platform and I wouldn’t want to miss the clips at a vital point.

I’ve got super cheapo Crank Bros double shot, which are plastic. I wanted to learn to ride clipless during lockdown, since I can’t go anywhere very fun to ride. My experience, is that the double sided design doesn’t really offer any benefits, at least to the learner. What ends up happening is constantly hunting for the right side of the pedal. If I was buying another set, I’d just go for some Mallets or similar.

I ended up buying both flats and clipless. Shimano ME700 and Dartmoor Stream flats. Interested to see how I like being clipped in

I’ve still got a pair of M646:

They currently live on my Fixed town/pub bike and can be used clipped in or pretty comfortably and acceptably grippy with a pair of Vans…

One piece of advice. When you stop, unclip BOTH feet, or you will soon find yourself tipping over into the nearest bush!

I use Funn Mambas on my hartail, dead handy for jumping on the bike at short notice or short rides with the kids. We do a lot of cycling and I got sick of swapping out pedals all the time and these are really versatile.

I have to agree with the comments on here though, the flat side isn’t great… I’m gonna change out the pins when I can find the miniscule pin spanner that was supplied with them! It could also be the compound of the Giro Chambers that I use tbh.

I use Alpkit Jekyll on my Camino and they work remarkably well. The flat side is only used for school runs and quick stuff, clipped side for longer excursions. Having to flip the pedal to get the right side occasionally is a small price to pay for the versatility and convenience.