I have several rides on these pedals now, and I think I know why they are a bit polarizing. They work great as either flat or clipless pedals, BUT not both at once when out on the trail. The trouble is that the flat side has terrible grip with clipless (cleated) shoes, at least with the Shimano shoes I ride in. The hard soles of clipless biking shoes just slide off the flat side of this pedal. If you think you can use both sides of this pedal while out on the trails, think again. It's not the compromise setup one might expect- you can't clip in and then use the flatless side for a dicey part of the trail for example. The flat side just won't hold your clipless shoes. The clipless side works great though. I've had no trouble at all clipping in and out, and at least for my set of pedals, there was no break-in period required. The flat side DOES work great with non-biking shoes. I've ridden with sandals, Pumas, running shoes, and boots. They all grip well and cause no problems. Like most (if not all) clipless pedals though, the clipless side is terrible with regular shoes. These pedals work fantastic for someone like me- I have just one bike, and I ride about 50:50 on nearby singletrack and on my 30 acre farm. I don't usually feel like getting out my cycling shoes if I'm just riding down to the mailbox, rounding up my pet pigs who roam all over, or just going down to the barn to get a tool or something. They are a compromise though as one has to sometimes search for the clipless side when on the trail, but I've gotten pretty quick on it. Overall, these are the perfect pedal for my situation, but I think you'll be unhappy if these are for the trail only. Read more