Why Single-Sided SPD Is The Perfect Type of Bikepacking Pedal

Dare I ask: clipless or flats? It’s a hot debate in the bikepacking world, and a conundrum I’ve wrestled with many times.

Many of us enjoy the feeling of riding clipless, but there’s something intimidating about heading off to a foreign country or multi-month journey with nothing but SPD bike shoes (and perhaps lightweight camp sandals).

I’ve been all the way around the full circle of bikepacking pedals and shoes. I started touring with flats and running shoes, added Power Grips, upgraded to flat bike shoes, took the leap to clipless, and eventually found myself back at flats for bikepacking technical trails.

With that experience in mind, I’m here to boldly suggest that there is an ideal type of pedal for bikepacking and it’s the single-sided platform SPD pedal.

For bikepackers on mixed-terrain routes this type of pedal offers max versatility, reliability, and comfort. It’s the ultimate compromise pedal, the best of both worlds with very few downsides.

Read on to learn why I’m such a big fan.

Did you know? “Clipless” pedals are actually the kind that you “clip into” or “click into.” SPD pedals are one example of clipless pedals. The name comes from back in the Old Days when cyclists used toe clips for foot retention. When Shimano invented the sleeker systems we use today, people called them “clipless.”

How They Work

Single-sided SPD pedals are different on each side. There is a platform with an SPD mechanism on only one side. The other side is just the platform and traction pins.

With the SPD side up they act like SPD pedals with a supportive platform. With it down they act like regular old flat pedals.

This does mean you need to rotate the desired side up. They have a tendency to stay in the orientation you put them in, so if you want to change sides you need to rotate the pedal with a well-timed flick with your toe. This quickly becomes second nature, though doing it too often can be a bit annoying (more about this downside in a minute).

SPD refers to the 2-bolt foot retention style originally used by mountain bikers, and now popular with gravel and even road cyclists for its recessed cleat that allows a (mostly) normal walking gait.

Single vs. Double-sided Platform SPD

If you’re familiar with double-sided SPD platform pedals, you might be wondering if single-sided is really that different. Can’t you still sort of pedal an SPD platform pedal without clicking in?

You can, but the SPD mechanism is an uncomfortable lump that interferes with good foot position. In my experience the difference between these two styles is how long you can pedal for without clicking in.

A two-sided SPD pedal can be turned for a few revolutions, as in unpredictable city traffic or a short spin to the grocery store in camp sandals. But a one-sided SPD pedal with a true flat platform can be ridden on the platform side for days (pretty much indefinitely).

Clipless Confidence

Many of us can remember the terror of attaching our feet to the bike for the first time, and the first time we fell over after failing to unclip (in my case it was on a trail, directly into poison oak). 😬

Even once we’re used to riding clipless, there are still some situations where it’s more confidence inspiring, or just more convenient, to unclip and ride a platform for awhile. A couple examples:

Stop-and-go urban traffic: When navigating a loaded rig through busy city streets, clipping and unclipping at every stop gets old.

Technical trail: Wish I could say I’m a good enough mountain biker to fearlessly tackle every obstacle with my feet attached to my pedals, but when it gets gnarly I prefer to click out so I’m ready for a smoother emergency dismount.

Comfort and Biomechanical Flexibility

Not having to think about foot placement is one of my favorite benefits of clipless pedals. But on long trips where nagging overuse issues can pop up, sometimes it’s actually helpful to vary foot placement while working through pain or tightness. Flipping single-sided SPD pedals over to the platform side makes this very easy with no cleat adjustment needed.

The large platforms on these types of pedals add comfort during long days by spreading pressure over a larger part of the foot. This allows for flexier shoes (better for walking, a frequent need of bikepackers) and can lessen foot pain and nerve issues.

It’s possible to find double-sided SPD pedals that also have a large platform, but most don’t, and pretty much all single-sided SPD pedals do.

Mud and Snow

If you’ve ever had an encounter with Death Mud, you know sometimes your cleats are simply not available. Ditto for snow and ice. Both can build up on the bottom of your shoe until the thought of clipping in is a distant memory.

When slogging your way through miles of these conditions, a flat platform pedal is incredibly useful. Sure, you can sort of turn a regular SPD pedal without clipping in, but the foot placement and comfort are worse and this situation is already hard enough.

Mechanicals and Other Weird Stuff

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from bikepacking it’s that weird and unexpected sh!t tends to come up on bike trips, especially long ones.

This could be something as simple as losing a cleat (not actually unexpected – carry a spare cleat and bolts!). It could be a mechanical issue with the SPD mechanism on the pedal.

Or it could be as weird as your bike shoes disappearing from outside your tent during the night. Was it a dog? A raccoon? A desperate shoeless fellow cyclist? You’ll never know.

In all these cases, having a rideable platform pedal can get you through hours or days of riding until your clipless capabilities can be restored.

Multiple Shoe Options

Blisters and hot spots often pop up on a long bikepacking trip, especially as shoes start wearing from use. Bike shoes can also be problematic day after day in super hot weather or relentlessly wet conditions (think rashes and other fun skin conditions).

With single-sided SPD pedals you can comfortably ride in camp sandals or other non-bike shoes, like those emergency sneakers you just bought at the local thrift store, as needed. This broadens your options if foot or shoe issues pop up in an out-of-the-way place.

It’s also nice for rest days when you might want to pedal around town while taking a break from your bike shoes.

The One Downside

After bikepacking many thousands of miles with one-sided SPD pedals, I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s only one real downside (pun intended): the need to spin the pedal to the desired side when switching between clipped in and not.

It’s no big deal to do occasionally, and it quickly becomes second nature. But if the need for unclipping is frequent or the need for platforms is rare I will use a different type of pedal. Specifically:

Sustained technical routes where I want to spend a lot of time unclipped for singletrack riding: I just use flat MTB pedals.

Short straightforward pavement and gravel routes where I spend all my riding time clipped in and the chance of needing platforms is low: I use double-sided SPD pedals with a small platform just for support (specifically these Shimano road touring pedals).

In short, if there isn’t much to be gained from the one-sided pedal then I do have a slight preference for not having to worry about which side is up.

Models to Consider

If I’ve managed to convince you to try single-sided SPD pedals on your next bikepacking trip, here are some models to consider.

Funn Mamba and smaller Mamba S: Big grippy MTB-style pedals with configurable pins and a handy grease renewal port. 

Shimano EH500 SPD Sport Road Pedals: Shimano calls these road pedals, but the platform side has 8 pins and looks suitable for gravel and a bit of light trail.

Rockbros MTB Single-Sided SPD Pedals: A decent option for smaller budgets. I would expect these to get the job done for awhile but lack in finer details of design and durability.