anyone riding their "good" road bikes with flat pedals?

[kiwisimon]

I have my road bike with Time Xpresso pedals and Sidi shoes. Walking is pretty much not something I do unless it's the 3 meters from the house to my bike and back, or I have to get off mid ride for some reason (dropped something or someone else did).
I usually ride the 25kms (semi rural) to work and change into casual shoes there.
Mondays(and bad weather/road days), I ride the heavier fendered bike( time Atak pedals) with panniers to carry in my change of clothes for the other days, .

Sometimes I have errands about 10kms away and I take the road bike for the 25-30 minute urban ride. I can ride with the current setup but being in Japan removing cycling shoes to go inside a business for a one minute stop is not that convenient. Thinking about using flat pedals.
I haven't ridden with my feet not clipped/strapped in since the early eighties.
Does anyone here ride a road bike at a good pace with flat shoes?
What pedal and shoe combinations work best? FIA..

[weisan]

I have been using a pair of Giro Ventana shoes as my dedicated go-anywhere cycling shoes + shimano spd pedal over the last 3-4 years. It's a bit on the heavy side but it serves my purpose of having a walkable shoe that look like a normal shoe that I can go into a store or anywhere without being noticed. When I travel oversea with my bike, it's especially helpful that I can easily park my bike somewhere, lock it up and do a bit of exploring on the foot.

https://www.backcountry.com/giro-ventana-cycling-shoe

I am a subscriber of a YouTube channel called henrywildeberry. He and his partner Ms Cools highlight their cycling adventure. She's a very good cyclist and I think she rides on normal shoes without cleats.

Check it out:

https://www.youtube.com/@Henrywildeberry

[lorenbike]

Yep I go through periods of clipless vs flats on my road bike. When I used to strava, I never noticed a difference in time. I think most people last rode flats (outside of MTB) on old metal bear trap pedals or cheap plastic take offs.

Modern flats are so good. For me, I’ve found the wide platforms paired with a minimal zero drop, wide toe box shoe has eliminated all hot spots, arch issues, etc. I’d argue my Sense of Motion shoes (RIP) plus flats are actually lighter than my cycling shoes and clipless pedals.

I also would say that mtb branded shoes are overpriced, and the best bag for your buck is spending more on a good set of pedals. Yes the 5.10 soles are really grippy, but I’ve yet to find any sort of bike marketed flat pedal shoe that looks good. The whole point is to be incognito as a cyclist with normal looking shoes so you can go inside a gas station or store, etc.

[Veloo]

No flats on my "good" bike but it does have M8020 MTB pedals. Bit of a larger platform. I've never tried street shoes on them.

My commuter has Saint MX80 pedals. Nice larger platform and the spikes keep me so secure it almost feels like being clipped in.

Perhaps an SPD platform adapter with spikes? Not sure how common they are. May have to look to the Aliexpresses of the online world?