Speedplay pedals for touring...

I've been using speedplay Zeroes on my bike for the last 10 years, 37K miles. The pedal bearings still feel like new, and only take a minute or two to lube with a mini grease gun every 2K miles.

I've only worn out two pairs of cleats so far, on my third now. So for me, the cleats seem to be very durable vs the old Look cleats I used to wear out every season. The cleats have a hard alloy plate on the bottom, but walking on abrasive surfaces will wear down the back edge eventually. To prevent wear and keep the cleat mechanism clean, all you need to do is use the "Koffee Shop" cleat covers.

I know a couple of riders here who use Frog cleats on their road bike so they can use the recessed cleats with walkable shoes or sandals. Based on my experience, the Frogs would be a fine choice.

Thanks a lot for the info, dhk2!
B.

If you plan on riding and then walking anywhere near a road that has any dirt on it - stay the feck away from speedplays. During long brevet rides I'll ride most of the way from the road to the check in desk but if there's a hint of moisture in the dirt by the end of the day getting my feet out of the pedals will be difficult. I've had occaisions where I've had to leave the shoes attached to the pedal and take my foot out of the shoe - and then ride with muddy sock in shoe for another 6 hours. Not good.

Worst purchase ever. My next bike purchase is going back to Dura Ace SPD-SL. I had the 7800 pedals before but I can see the 9000's in my future.

I used to like my Nike MTB shoes with SPD's. I never felt the shoe/cleat interface when riding. Maybe your shoes are the issue and not the pedals. The old (circa 1996) SPD's were ace. You could wade through mud and still clip in, ride for a while, clip out and walk... It's probably the reason the design lasted so long. If I was doing casual touring I'd go this route. SPD's with some nice touring shoes.