What pedals ??

I'm taking up cycling again after a 20 year break..... alot has changed on the component front since i last cycled, after shopping about i can't find any old style shoe's, so what are the best clipless pedals suited to commuting, training runs and easy to use on my ALAN road bike. Thanks

i use Time pedals, as they give you a fair amount of 'float' giving your knees chance to move and avoid pain. I find them easy to get in and out of, in fact easier than Look or Shimano pedals. If you have never ridden in clipless pedals then you may find them difficult at first, but I find sheer panic will allow your foot to come out, in fact the time pedal hardly need my foot/ankle twisting before your foot is free.

Sorry I'd have to disgree with you there, Time pedals aren't really suited to commuting for a newbie IMO.
Get yourself a cheap pair of double sided spd style pedals (possibly with a flat on one side if you want to use ordinary shoes for commuting/nipping to the shop)
These are just about the easiest things to get in and out of and worst case you flip the pedal around & you've got another bite of the cherry
Something like the Shimano 505 which at £19 posted & includes cleats s a bargain...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Shimano-PD-M505-S ... 230f2a2263
Or the slightly better 520 for a ickle bit more http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Shimano-M520-SPD- ... 2562bdcf12

Spd one side flat other type here http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/WELLGO-SHIMANO-CO ... 230ee03463

Trouble is, last time I rode on SPDs they didn't give much float and gave me knee pain, hence why I got Time pedals. I see your point about the double sided thing, but I can ride with foot on the wrong side of the time pedals if you really have to, but one of the great things about Time is that they are weighted to allow quick foot entry.

All down to choice though, and unfortunately the cost and time taken to set up pedals and cleats can be a bar to getting the best at the first attempt. It's usually when you get knee pain that you start to look/gamble at different pedals.

Would be helpfull to know how far the OP has to commute and what terrain

When I first started using clipless it was finding the foot into the pedal that was the hard bit, I tried some single sided magnesium pedals and to be honest they were great for clearance (& light as buggery ) but when you need to get away quick nothing like as easy as double sided.

For sure when you get a bit more experienced with riding clipless then pulling away with only one side clipped in and one foot perched on the wrong side for a rev or two isn't so much a problem but the last thing you want as a returner(or any other time) is to have your foot slip off in the middle of traffic whence pulling away from the lights etc.

I don't know which Time cleats you use personally but spd type shoes with the recessed cleat are very easy to walk in and there's a massive choice too.

Double sided SPD MTB style pedals and shoes every time for me for general riding.

before this goes further, it might be best for Gordy to update on what and how long the commute and training runs are. If I were adding something to an Alan, it might not be double sided pedals, but without knowing how many traffic lights, roundabouts etc are to be encountered, it's hard to say. I was leaning to the training element where a specific road pedal would be best.

It does not matter what kind of pedals you use, if the cleat is not in the correct position you will end up with knee problems, so thats more important then pedal make.

Hi guys, my route to work is about 14 miles each way,10 miles A+B roads then 4 miles in town (Livingston-Edinburgh) and any training/touring runs out in the country, i used to ride with cleats so i'm not worried about moving off/ stopping or should i be i would prefer road shoes to match my bike, i'm fitting a 90's campag c-record chainset(9/16 thread) so does this mean i cant use shimano pedals? i was thinking of look keo's but dont know if they are any good/easy to use? to confuse things more ive seen a pair of NOS Adidas Eddy Merckx old style racing shoes with cleats on ebay. Do i move with the times or stick to what i know, any advice appreciated.

if you are happy sticking to clips and straps then feel free to, nothing wrong with them at all. One of my fleet of bikes has them, like clipless I don't find it a problem getting in amd out of them, plus whatever you use it's good for practicing your track stands at the lights right?