Giving up on SPDs

[laura*]

How on earth can you get into them starting up this 30% grade you mentioned?

Bike semi-crosswise to the grade. Brakes on. Butt on saddle. Right pedal raised with right foot in toe clip. Left pedal turned to position toe clip for entry. All at once release brakes, push off with left foot, and push pedal down with right. Swing/kick left foot into toe clip as it comes around in time to push left pedal down. Steer toward uphill, move hands to L-bend bar ends, and lean forwards off the saddle.

Occasionally, my left foot would miss the toe clip. In that case I'd simply stop, set up, and try again.

They were lower-line Shimanos, and absolute death traps! ... My current MTB came with Shimano M520 pedals, and they have been wonderful.

Hmmm, the M520's are Shimano's current lowest end double sided SPD pedals. Might your previous bike have had the discontinued M505 or M515's? Looking at the exploded parts lists, the M520 style pedals have a different style cleat holder... while the M505/M515 use the exact same part as my M324's and several other models across the range.

Maybe what you REALLY need is to add a road bike to the stable! Then you could have good clipless on the MTB and whatever you need on the other bike.

In that case the "road bike" would need to be another nearly identical MTB. One could be set up for errands and the other for sport rides.

After having toe clips for 19 years (and never crashing that I can remember!), having to sometimes flip pedals around is second nature. I thought I could meet both needs with a combo style pedal.

I ... got some shoes that look more like normal sneakers (similar to what Irulan posted) that I can walk around in. I say get some good quality clipless pedals that you can use both ways (i.e. with shoes that will clip in, yet you can walk around in).

I have a prior year of these "clipless" shoes (and hey, they're on sale here!):



They're OK for a quick errand, but not if I'm going to spend many hours on my feet off the bike.

Maybe you'll have better luck with the same pedal style, just different brand and attachment system. http://crankbrothers.com/pedals_mallet.php

Are those rideable wearing regular sneakers? Don't the eggbeater loops stick up above the platform?