Best clipless pedals for distance or touring?

Not a fixed/track question but I think there's enough people on here who tour as well. The other clipless threads don't seem to address this head on. I'm new to clipless pedals and am looking for something that can take decent weight up hills with a medium load (not self-sufficient) but also not a straight mtb setup. Not single sided either so a road clip with shoes I can also walk in fairly easily, not off road or on paths. Any ideas or experiences to share? Thanks.

any decent road shoe, pedal and a set of cafe covers. Shimano 105/ultegra/DA have a great solid platform paired with decent (carbon) soled shoes. I'm 90+kg and find my setup fine for 8hour rides.

I tour using the same as I use for commuting - Time ATAC....either using casual mtb type shoes or (whisper it!) sandals - Shimano sd66...theyre actually brilliant for hot weather touring!

If I had to walk in the shoes I cycled in, I'd go for a MTB pedal with a platform. For me it would be a Crank bros candy, but most MTB system pedals have a platformed version.

If its just a case of long stints in th saddle. I'm with benjam
stiff shoes + road pedals = no hotspots.

Touring involves more off the bike. MTB SPDs. Cheap, effective. There's no way I'd use road shoes for touring.

mtb spd. easier to get spud cleats than times, and spd's last longer

Time atac Z perhaps?

cleats don't last long, and harder to get hold of

Cheap MTB shoes + tiny pedal contact area = painful hotspots on long road rides (in my experiance)

Definitly worth getting stiffer shoes, and a pedal with a platform.

Hotspots = girlie geisha feet. HTFU.

If you continue to cry, try stiffer shoes. Pedal system makes fuck all difference to my feet.

thanks everyone. i'm actually not envisioning much walking other than rests. so stiffer shoes i think. what are hotspots? points of tension/pain in the foot?

free wi-fi areas

free wi-fi areas

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotspot

Shimano PD-M324 is worth considering. One side is SPD, other side ordinary pedal.

Dual-purpose SPDs seconded. You've got the SPD side for the long distance, and then the flat side for the little city jaunts, or when your SPD shoes are wet

Hotspots = girlie geisha feet. HTFU.

If you continue to cry, try stiffer shoes. Pedal system makes fuck all difference to my feet.

Hey. My girlie geisha feet need their TLC.

But yes. Invest in stiff shoes, before expensive pedals.

thanks everyone. i'm actually not envisioning much walking other than rests. so stiffer shoes i think. what are hotspots? points of tension/pain in the foot?

The small contact area of the MTB cleat to the shoe, can allow the shoe base to flex. Especially if the shoe is not stiff enough. This can cause heat build up. In my experiance a platform surrounding the MTB pedal mechanism really helps.

But if you really dont need walkability. Road pedal cleats have a more spread bolt pattern. You can get road shoes with some added walkability from rubber lugs.

Sidi Dragon shoes and Shimano A530 pedals are my personal choice for touring, the shoes are the stiffest youll find for MTB's and I have never had comfort issues even with 10+ hour rides, definitely worth the dollar, and the pedals are double sided with a nice large platform (youll use the non-clipless side more than you think, especially when needing to clip in after traffic lights on a steep hill for example!)

Cheap MTB shoes + tiny pedal contact area = painful hotspots on long road rides (in my experiance)

Definitly worth getting stiffer shoes, and a pedal with a platform.

This.

much more comfortable, I'd advise not going for the flat/clip combo one, it can get a bit annoying having to flip your pedals round when on a busy road.

Or go for a cheap Shimano one that have a plastic flat clipped in.

SPD's definitely.

any decent road shoe, pedal and a set of cafe covers. Shimano 105/ultegra/DA have a great solid platform paired with decent (carbon) soled shoes. I'm 90+kg and find my setup fine for 8hour rides.

Great for 8hour rides but shit for 8min walks, which could happen when your touring.

Touring involves more off the bike. MTB SPDs. Cheap, effective. There's no way I'd use road shoes for touring.

This.

M520s are fine, and cheap.

road spds = slightly more comfortable on the bike but harder to walk in
mtb spds = easier to walk in.

any will work

Didn't stop Vin Cox from using road pedals.

speedplay pedals, simply because they are the best ;) And a good set of road shoes. If your touring do you not carry shoes that you can walk around in anyway?

speedplay pedals, simply because they are the best ;) And a good set of road shoes. If your touring do you not carry shoes that you can walk around in anyway?

The knee friendly nature of Speedplay could definitly be good for distance cycling.

BeBops have the same non-centering design. But fit (just) on MTB shoes. As the cleat is pretty big, they dont seem to cause hotspots. I had these on some cheapish shoes, worked brilliantly.

Didn't stop Vin Cox from using road pedals.

I'm sure vin cox spent very little time off the bike compared to your average touring cyclist, so was probably happy to make that compromise

The new m530's look pretty good, for something a little more stable than the 20's and not much more costly: