trainchaser

...it happened!
got new dual mode Shimano SPD pedals for my new Sirrus, along with new shoes with recessed cleats. They all told me that even after practicing I would probably take a tumble. I said "never, no worries"...

Well, the right hand bar end and edge of the right pedal now feature some minor scratches after taking that tumble they all told me would happen. After years of riding and just putting your foot down to stop - you have to get it into your head to learn new habits before coming to that stop - UNCLIP YOUR FOOT!!!!

FM1178

This would be me over and over again. I think I will stay with flats.

trainchaser

...my "incident" occurred at a place where the bike path crosses a road, it looked like the road was clear and then a car sped through, in my watching out for the car I simply forgot to unclip before slowing down...lesson learned, I shall remember next time - and will probably use the flat pedal side while riding this section of the trail from now on.

travbikeman

I had taught myself how to use my SPD's while the bike was on a trainer this past winter. It really helped me figure it all out. I'm now at a point that it's just second nature to clip out when even coming to a quick stop, like when my daughter decides to just stop in front of me on our rides together. I have had a few close calls, where I just barely clipped out before falling. But so far these pedals have been great.

I never thought I would say this, but I absolutely enjoy riding the bike with these pedals and will not go back to flats.

FBinNY 

It's a sort of Baptism. Just about everyone who goes clipless forgets and falls early on. The good news is that for most this is a once and not again thing.

trainchaser

After having them for a week now, I completely understand and agree with what you say, I won't go back to just flats either. These new pedals give me the option of wearing my normal athletic shoes for quick jaunts or for those days when its raining and I don't want to wear my expensive cycling shoes in the wet stuff. I was actually amazed at how much more power I had while riding, really noticed the difference when powering up hills. My sore leg muscles told me which areas were not used to being utilized while cycling with flats.

FXjohn

https://www.bikejames.com/strength/do...hen-you-pedal/

trainchaser

Thanks for the link, I've read about this as well, one of the main reasons I wanted the dual purpose pedals...

Cheers!

coominya

I don't know trainchaser, I read that page and he says



Sure we mightn't be running but are legs are moving backward and forward and going up and down alternately, which is a lot more akin to running than squatting. When we walk even we push off and come up on the ball of the foot, all boxers and karate proponents keep their weight up an the ball for stability, so it makes sense to me that I would want to keep the contact patch where maximum power is transmitted, located on the pedal. But if it works for ya go for it

DaveQ24

I just started a month ago to really clip in - after 30 odd years of serious riding, after having owned multiple pairs of mt and road shoes with spd and keo - and having dual pedals on virtually all my bikes. Just decided it was time to lose my clipless virginity.

Glad I did. Fell twice, both in those circumstances - sudden stop due to traffic appearing - a few scuffs to the bike, a little blow to the ego / no big deal.

It was strictly about fear and anxiety. Crikey, I've had bad medical diagnoses that made me less anxious than the thought of not being able to unclip fast enough.

So I'm no longer a 51 year old clipless virgin.

Look boys, man up, lose your virginity, it's a fun ride. 😃😜

trainchaser

Hey guys, reading that article hasn't "converted" me, the useful thing I pulled from it is the fact that there are times when you want to move your feet around, change position for a bit of time. I did that yesterday on my ride, unclipped and used the flat side to give my feet and leg muscles a change...certainly not moving back to just flats...

canklecat

Interesting. I was already doing intuitively what those articles discussed.

Years ago I rode with toe clips and cleated shoes locked into one position, with the ball of the foot over the pedal axle. That was the conventional wisdom in the 1970s. While I felt some small increase in efficiency spinning downhill, I occasionally felt some knee twinges climbing or mashing.

When I resumed cycling last year I began with platforms. After a year I'm not feeling any pressing need to change. I like being able to shift my foot as I prefer. I still feel more efficient spinning on flat roads and downhill with the ball of the foot over the axle. But I feel stronger without knee pain shifting my foot slightly forward for climbing and mashing into the wind.

And last week being able to set a foot down without unclipping may have saved me from painful road rash. Some recent road maintenance left a patch of gravel that felt like ball bearings in the middle of a turn. It was practically invisible -- the road crew had blacktopped over the loose gravel, rather than cleaning it up first or embedding it into the road with asphalt as they'd done elsewhere on the road.

I skidded sideways, the rear end fishtailing counter-clockwise. I set down my left foot, instinctively turned the front wheel toward the direction of the skid, and recovered without falling. I could not have done that if I'd been clipped in, and certainly not with old style toe clips. These things happen too quickly for us to respond with theoretical remedies that can't be put into practice by ordinary humans (gymnasts or Peter Sagan, maybe).

The rear wheel was warped by the snapping skid and stop, but the LBS fixed that. And I didn't have to pick gravel out of road rash. Been there, done that, too many times years ago with toe clips in races and early attempts at riding gravel.

Even after a year back in the saddle I'm limited by my own conditioning and minor physical disabilities, not by riding platforms. If I make any change at all it'll be from plastic pedals to metal, and from soft soled low top hiking shoes to cycling shoes with somewhat stiffer soles. But I don't see myself going to clipless. I'm not even sure I'll bother with gripper type toe straps, which carry the same risks as toe clips for being trapped in the pedals depending on the shoes I'm wearing.

gsa103

That article is great, but simultaneously incredibly mis-leading.

1) Most shoes let you achieve the same mid-foot position shown. Many people recommend setting cleats 2-3cm behind the ball of your foot... ie mid-foot.

2) Float.
The pedals shown in the article have ZERO float, due to the interface of pins. The only way to adjust your foot angle is to physically pick your foot up and put it back down. Clipless pedals allow some rotation of your foot while still maintaining a solid pedal connection.
I actually had some significant knee pain after riding with flat pedals, simply because my pedaling motion seems to involve a very small amount of foot rotation at some point during the stroke. Either that or I'm very sensitive to foot angle, and I could never get it just right with flats, because you can't make small rotations.
In this case, the flat pedals actually allow less movement than a proper clipless pedal.

ColdCase

After two sprained fingers, scrapes, bruises (ego included), bent components in 400 miles, I switched to flat pedals with traction pins and have never had another incident in 1000 miles. Much happier, the bike is in much better control, more fun to ride without that stress. Clipless is for street racing, I found them to be impractical for any mixed use. There are a lot of fanboys out there, however.

My feet remain planted on the pedals and release when I need them. They can power through any pedaling technique... of course ones shins look like a battle ground unless you wear long socks for protection and are somewhat careful

FXjohn

coominya

It's true, clipless or their earlier cousins, toe-clips, are not for everyone. They are not necessary for the average rider who is not overly concerned with efficiency, who just wants to cycle across the city or up a trail for leisure or some exercise, that's why bikes come fitted with flats. Clipless arrangements are basically designed for those with performance goals in mind or those who just like to pedal fast and don't want to be concerned with their feet moving on the pedal, or god forbid, coming off.

FXjohn

clipless pedals are not more efficient. why do you say that?

coominya

Is this question @ me? Perhaps my post was a bit ambiguous. I think they are more efficient, for me at least, because I can put more power into the crank without the fear of a foot coming off. A lot of it is concentration, I can concentrate on the most efficient gear etc and ignore where my feet are because they are always in the same place. The more things I have to divide my concentration between the less goes into each one.

ColonelSanders

I can't imagine these would be the easiest to get out of in an emergency?

DorkDisk

PowerGrips are easy to get out of. They also are good training for SPDs as they require a heel out movement.

I never fell due to SPDs; the biggest issue for me has been involuntarily clipping out during a sprint or jump, staying clipped in during a crash, or being unable to clip-in in muddy conditions. For anyone hesitant about going clipless due to "falling down;" don't be

travbikeman

Oh I did forget about that. I have involuntarily clipped out a few times. One of the times, my heel hit the chain bar of my bike on an upstroke when it unclipped...wow that hurt!

zorrofox

I fell off my bike the other evening. Right outside my gate & onto sand so no big deal and no audience. I blame the excessive intake of Pastis.

Wanderer

Another thing to remember, when just starting out clipless, is to adjust the retention as light as is possible. This may enable you to just pull your foot out in an emergency situation. Just put the smallest amount of tension on the adjustment screw to keep it from falling out.

You just may find, that you really don't need any more, even when you get proficient with snapping your foot free.

Andddddd, it really will come to be second nature, after awhile!

zorrofox

I've actually found the converse to be true. I find it easier to disengage with the tension set to 4 (out of 10). That way I know when I've hit the 'stop' and a little bit of extra pressure is required. As ever, YMMV.

jmohme

I put the same pedals on my DS 8.4.
I expected that at some point I would forget to unclip and go down. I did not have to wait long.
I pulled into the garage after a ride and sure enough, stopped and couldn't put a foot down!
That embarrassing moment kind of set my mind straight and I have not forgotten to put landing gear down when stopping since.
That said, last week my daughter and I were riding a semi paved trail when she got a flat tire. I circled around to check on her, hit a patch of sand and the bike tried to go out from under me, but my feet were firmly clipped in, so down I went!
That's two, and I have been told things like this happen in threes, so I guess I got one more coming. :-)