I agree with Bill. Speedplay frogs are great! I've been using them since 1995(?) and I love them.

- Christian

"next to your keyboard. roadbikereview.com and mtbr.com can be helpful, but you'll notice that -- at least in the reviews of MTB pedals -- a lot of these people have never ridden clipless pedals before and carp about everything while buying into all the market-speak.

There's also a tendency to assume that you need more ""float"" than a check-kiter and more ""mud-shedding ability"" than a successful politician. Neither is necessarily the case, especially the latter if you're putting the pedals on a road bike. The cynic in me suspects that most of the world's aggregate supply of ""float"" isn't being used to protect people's knees; it's being used to allow shops to install cleats quickly.

Personally I use single-sided SPD pedals. They have every imaginable (or imagined) defect: low float, bad mud-shedding, tricky entry (you have to kick them over) and no exotic materials. They also click in and release like silk, are utterly reliable and cost $40. I've got 4,000 miles on the cleats and see no need to replace them.

When you go shopping, take your existing shoes with you. That will allow you to compare fit side-by-side, as well as giving you a point of reference for how much (if any) stiffness you're giving up.

Peter Storey"

"If you want a recessed cleat shoe without waffle stomper lugs on the sole, choices are few and far between.

Not easy to find (Piermont Bike has 'em), but enthusiastically endorsed by the all-knowing curmudgeon Mr. Jobst Brandt is Shimano's SH-T092.


"

I currently use Time Atac mountain bike pedals with Specialized Sonoma mountain bike shoes. The SPD cleat is neatly hidden so they are easy to walk in.

I would have spent 5 times the price if Toga Bikes suggested it. I'm very happy with their advice and I saved a lot.

"Since you want a recessed mount cleat that leaves you with mountain bike pedals which are just as nice and usefull as road clipless pedals. You have also narrowed your choices by asking for the ability to ""safely"" wear street shoes on occasion.

The best 2 options are:

Shimano PDM324 Multi-Purpose
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=108&subcategory=1078&brand=&...

Crank Brothers Mallet Pedal
http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?category=108&subcategory=1078&brand=&...


You can order both of these on-line but if this is your first time using clipless pedals I would really suggest going to a bike shop you trust for initial fit/installation and follow up support.

Also, if you new to clipless and will be getting one of the pedals mentioned above it really helps to wear one street shoe and one cliped in shoe for a few rides to get comfortable with them. Then switch shoes but still only use one cliped shoe for a few more rides. When you feel that you can safely engage and dis-engage from both feet then you can move up to using both clipless shoes and pedals at the same time. This has helped many peple overcome the initial fear of being ""clipped-in"" all the time.

Hope this helps.
"

>>- easy to get into / out of
- fits into shoes I can walk in (not like a duck)<<

All the mountain cleats fit those rqmts. Although I had a hard time getting out of the Atacs. They weren't for me.

>> I like the thought of having regular pedals on the other-sode so I can ride my bike in street shoes occasionally... <<

I have a pair of Shimano 545's that have big platforms you can ride without cleats. But you can also buy a simple wrench and a pair of flat pedals for $20 for when you want to go casual - which might not be that often once you get hooked.

>>...and a bike shop with selection would be....?<<

Any one of the larger ones will have a selection to choose from. Toga, Larry & Jeff, Sids, R&A... Ask if they'll exchange the pedals if you don't like them for something else. If you have odd sized feet you might have to go mail order for the shoes though. R&A had the most shoes I've ever seen in a bike store.

Coloradocyclist... & excelsports.com are both great websites and very helpful. They would even mount the cleats for you but you'd need to have a friend or local shop get the fit right.

Or you could find them on ebay... People like me change pedals like changing underwear. Although I swear I'm gonna stick with these frogs. It's been 3 years so far. The pedals not the underwear.

Slippery as sh*t indoors, probably not the best choice for a newbie (I've been using them for ~5 years and have them on 3 bikes right now).

I'd be inclined to vote for Frogs for someone who's never used clipless pedals before.

Concentrate on shoes you like. They'll fit many diff kinds of mtb cleats.