Cleat pedals for cycling. Advice please.

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I'm currently using toeclips but planning on getting some cleats. I was thinking of the double sided pedals that I can use normal shoes on one side and clip in on the other. Main advantage being that I sometimes cycle to a run so I wouldn't need to carry my running shoes. DH says I would be better off with full cleats as it's easier to clip in rather than have to flip the pedal round, but I have to do this anyway with my toeclips and don't really find it much of an issue. But of course I wouldn't have the benefit of toeclips when I wasn't using the cleats which I might miss.
Does anyone have experience of either/both pedals? Advice much appreciated. Thanks.

Hi there - I used double sided pedals as you describe and they are great. They are on my bike all year round so commuting in heels and then weekend jaunts in bike shoes! One point to note if you are currently using plastic pedals is that they are quite harsh/scratchy on normal shoes (no no cycling in shiny black patents). You get used to flipping round to the right side depending on what is being worn. Good luck

I didn't think anyone still used single sided cleat pedals.
How are you going to carry your running shoes if you're wearing (eg) SPDs for cycling.
they take some getting used to, but faster to click in/out than using toe cages.

I have look road cleats and can only clip in one one side... it is standard for a lot of road pedal systems. You can’t really pedal more than a few strokes on the side without the cleat. You just get very good at clipping in quickly and by feel.

The pedals you speak of would be ace for a beginner with cleats... that’s what I started off on. I went for SPDs, mountain bike shoes and touring pedals (so clip one side, platform on the other). I found them amazing as approaching traffic lights or junctions I was able to unclip a long time before and continue peddling on the platform side. Subsequently I never had any embarrassing falls. The platform side was quite grippy so fine to pedal with trainers.

Swapping to cleats is definitly the best option as it makes peddling so much easier and more efficient. It’s also safer.

Thank you everyone for replies. I carry a rucksack anyway when I'm going to a run/race for my other stuff so my running shoes would just go in that. But it would be easier if I could wear running shoes to use with the flat side of the pedal. It's good to know it is grippy enough for this. And yes, I am also a bit worried about the not unclipping in time and falling over so it's good to know that when using cleats I can swap to the flat side early coming up to a junction too and carry on pedalling with cleats unclipped for a bit.

Cycling is my second sport, I'm really a runner, but DH is a cyclist and I'm going out with him more and doing some sportives now so I wanted to upgrade. DH has cleats both sides of his pedals and thought the double sided ones would be trickier to use but it sounds like they would be fine, so I will go for them!

I would also recommend the pedals which you can wear with ordinary shoes as well as cleats for a beginner. You always then have the choice of which shoes to wear. You will probably have to use the shimano spd mtb cleats with these types of pedals and I would also recommend the beginners cleats (the bit you attach to the bottom of your shoe) as they are easier to get out of quickly as you get used to them. Look for the SH56 ones rather than SH51.

I have three bikes. 2 are cleats (SPD) and the other double sided. It's really no bother at all flipping the pedal round to whichever side that you want, it comes naturally. I've found the normal side quite useful sometimes when I'm only going short distances in normal shoes. Cleats are the way to go though, far more efficient pedalling stroke.

Can't see the problem with you getting double sided though, ebay for some, or I presume by now they are cheap enough to buy new. It will give you more choice. You'll soon find that once you get used to cleats though the flat side will become more and more redundant.

Possibly a silly question, but why is cycling with cleats safer Noodl? I'm a regular London cyclist but the idea of cleats terrifies me. I like to know I can put my feet down in a hurry if I need to!

I think you can have better control of the bike with cleats in, more maneuverable. I doubt there's that much in it for most cyclists, but hurtling downhill, I like the extra contact.

I never heard of SH51 vs. SH56 before! May explain why some of my cleats are shite, though, keep slipping out feckers.

I have dual side pedals on my hybrid and they are great. I think mtb cleats are easier to learn to use as well. That said, on the odd occasion I ride my road bike in normal shoes (not far though), its ok as long as they are soft soled so they grip

For local rides, certainly under 2miles, I just wear ordinary shoes with my SPDs. Heck, we all have SPD pedals & 3 of us wore ordinary shoes for a countryside ride recently (10m round trip?). Maybe we're just used to small pedals.

I quietly opine... Some folk may be head to toe in lycra, but the 'real' cyclists are the ones with interesting pedals & matching shoes.

I quietly opine... Some folk may be head to toe in lycra, but the 'real' cyclists are the ones with interesting pedals & matching shoes.

When I was obsessed with cycling, I used to overtake the odd fully kitted out roadie on their carbon uber bikes on my trusty steel framed Dawes Ultra Galaxy touring bike. The majority of them would seemingly be well pissed off being overtaken by a girl wearing a fluro pink flowery t-shirt wearing SPD sandals on a "crappy" tourer, and used to race like mad to overtake me again. I played leap frog with one chap for several miles who kept speeding up to overtake me and then going back to his previous pace, which was slower than mine. I still can't decided if he deliberately turned off up an unassuming little side road to try and save his manhood, or if he was plannng on going that way anyway!

I cycle to work in jeans... and spd sandals (too!).
I've got colleagues who turn up wearing all lycra after a shorter ride.

I found using SPDs best when commuting as they were easier to click in and out of & as they are double-sided you didn't need to look down, plus you can walk in the shoes. For longer rides in the countryside where stopping was rare, SPD-SL were better suited as it felt like you had better contact with the pedals, but walking round was a PITA.

I've got the A530 shimano pedals and I really like them.

Most serious road cyclists seem to use SPD-SL.