I am on a tight budget looking to buy a first real road bike to train with when my shins hurt too much after a long run. I was just wondering how much of a difference there is when it comes to clipless vs. flat pedals. Obviously, clipless make you faster and allow you to put more power down, but is it worth the extra $150-$200 CAD when I only have about $1000 to spend on a bike?
Thanks,
voz
You can do Shimano SPD 520 pedals for $25, a pair of SPD shoes about $80.
Flat pedals can also be pinned pedals, popular with mt. bikers. The GCN YouTube showed not much difference in efficiency. Maybe a bit of a learning curve keeping your feet on the flat pedal. The size of the pedal means better support, so less need for a really stiff shoe.
I personally like SPD as I’ve used them for 30 years, like the feel of my foot engaged when climbing or standing and have no desire to learn how to use flat/pinned.