MePoocho

I did a 'search' for info on clipless pedals in 'Posts & Threads'. I was hoping to find a bunch of 'Pros and Cons', but I didn't find much. So,,, being tired of the daily hunt for the sweet spot on my pedals what are the thoughts for going clipless?

Sorry if I'm resurrecting a tired old subject. If so just point me to the thread.

Thanks

Buddha2499

If you ride more than a few miles, regularly, you should get some clipless pedals. Don't be worried that you might fall over at an intersection when everyone is watching. You definitely will have that experience, probably several times, but that will just make you like everyone else

Seriously though, I hate riding on regular pedals for a couple of reasons:
1. Comfort/Fatigue: There are a lot of muscles you use to keep your feet on the pedals. You don't really think about it or notice it, but your legs and feet are using a bunch of energy to keep your feet on the pedals while moving. Once the pedals are attached to your feet, you don't use those muscles anymore and the result is much more comfortable and steady.

2. Stability: My feet have slipped off platform pedals before, usually when its wet. That hasn't happened a lot, but when attached to the pedals, it never happens. Even if my legs go in some direction they aren't supposed to, they remain on the pedals.

3. Power: You can generate A LOT of power by pulling UP on the crank arms with one foot while you're pushing down with the other. There's a whole large muscle group just waiting to help you up those hills.

But really, its about comfort. Once you get used to attaching the bike to your feet, you'll wonder how you ever did without. Make for a much smoother and secure experience.

caloso

Pro: they keep your feet attached to the pedals.
Con: you'll have to change your shoes.

mcours2006

Just do it. It's not like you can't go back. Foot retention is the number one reason for me, and yeah, you get the same spot every time, but I do that without clipless too.

Oneder

For me the biggest against is worry about repetitive strain. Applying constant pressure to your feet and in the same exact location is great for efficiency but things like that are not so great for longterm joint health.

CroMo Mike 

The hardest part is explaining to the unknowing why the things are called clipless even though they clip onto your shoes.

CliffordK

One option is to go with toe clips. No fancy shoes to buy. You can also get half clips that just hold the toe in place, but don't hold the foot to the pedal.

If you like the toeclips, then you'll like clipless even better.

If you dislike toeclips, then you probably won't like clipless either.

CliffordK

There are pull-outs that happen from time to time, and can be rather disconcerting, and possibly dangerous, although they usually happen at the lowest speeds. Rare if tension is adjusted properly, but they still can happen.

As far as power, I agree that one has greater instantaneous power, especially in low gears with the clipless.

However, there is some data to indicate that the overall efficiency doesn't significantly change.

There is also that first second delay as one is getting clipped in.

MePoocho

Thanks for all the input..... gonna make the change.

cyccommute 

Good for you but just go with mountain bike shoes and pedals. You can walk in the shoes...sometimes for most of a marathon...and they are mostly 2 sided so that you don't have to fiddle with flipping them over to clip in.

You also don't need to spend a lot of money on pedals. The Shimano M520 is every bit as good as its more expensive cousins. Stick with the Shimano over other brands as well. They work better and last longer.

one4smoke

When I first considered going clipless, everyone said "you'll fall over at least a time or two until you get the hang of it. So, I assumed the getting unclipped part would need to be "mastered." When I got all set up and tried it out, getting unclipped was easy. The hard part was finding the sweet spot to clip in. Everything went smooth for a couple of rides, as I was getting the hang of finding that spot of clipping in on my left foot. Right is easy because I start out with it already clipped in before I get going.

So, as I'm getting the hang of it, the thoughts of being told I'd fall a time or two occurred to me. I thought, Ha!, naaaaa that ain't gonna happen to me, I pretty much have the hang of it. Fast forward 4 days later as I've traveled 40 miles to ride in an organized event with about 300 other riders. First rest stop coming up about mile 15. There it is, just up the small hill where all the riders have gathered. Let me pause my Strava as I get ready to come to a stop. Uh oh.. Oh s**t!! Down I went. Was asked if I was okay by someone. Yeah, just my pride is severely injured.

Moral of the story: Unclipping is easy ...as long as you've remembered to do it.

Dirt Farmer

I rode clipless as a noobie when mountain biking, on scary, technical, steep singletrack. Never had a problem. I'll never go back, mountain or road.

Cuyuna

Agree with that completely. In fact I use Shimano Deore XT PD-T8000 pedals, with SPD clips on one side for my Giro Rumbles and pins on the other for use with other shoes, including my 5-11s.

Abu Mahendra

Look into Crank Brothers clipless pedals. So easy to clip in and out. Low profile looks.

Dirt Farmer

I ride Time ATAC mountain pedals with mountain biking shoes on my road bike. So easy to clip in and out, buttery smooth. Nice and comfy for walking.

Gconan

8020 xt. Easy to clip in click out. Spin instead of mash. Using more muscles.

canklecat

I switched to clipless on my road bike this January. Love it. Really helps on climbs, fast downhills when I'm spinning around 120 rpm, and rough roads where my feet would bounce around on platforms.

I'd used toe clips and straps back in the 1970s, so the transition wasn't difficult. One slow-motion fall the first week, just a minor bruise. A couple of near-falls, more comical and embarrassing than anything else.

But I'm using Look pedals and cleats with rigid shoes. Not great for walking off the bike. Sounds like wearing high heels with taps. Still, I prefer these to the more casual Shimano SPD type mountain bike shoes that are suitable for walking. Better support for my arches, which tend to go into painful spasms without the rigid soles.

I still prefer platforms and regular shoes on my hybrid. It's also my errand bike and I ride it most of the time in casual group rides around the city. I don't like messing with foot retention in traffic with lots of stop and go riding. Distance isn't really a factor. I ride 20-50 miles on the hybrid, same as the road bike, but under different conditions. Most of my road bike routes are rural, very few stops.

I hadn't ridden my hybrid for a couple of weeks, so last week I nearly tumbled off the hybrid trying to unclip from non-existent retention. Twisted my left foot, never felt the telltale *click*, panicked, jerked my foot off and caught myself just before falling... and realized I was on my hybrid instead of the road bike. The driver behind me must have thought I was an idiot when I started laughing.

That's the only disadvantage I've encountered to using foot retention on some bikes and not on all of them.

SylvainG

I went to clipless last year. Last week, Wasn't sure if I would keep my clipless until I had to use my old bike because I didn't want to bring my good bike downtown and leave it chained to a post. Old bike doesn't have clipless. Hated not being able to pull on the pedals. Hated having to rearrange my feet on the pedals. Decision made, I'll stay clipped

Bill in VA

This! I originally used KKT Campy-clone quill pedals for years and years with cleats. The vintage shoes eventually ceased to fit well and lo and behold I found I was riding an anachronism! So at age 60 on the advice of my sister, I bought SPD pedals (Shimano PD-M530, a double-sided platform) with road looking MTB shoes. WOW! They were walkable! Then came the emergency and I could not unclip even on the loosest setting. Teetered over and felt like the largest fool on the road. No damage, except to my pride.

I rechecked the tension and then realized that the unclip was not a natural movement for ME. I did some research and because I really liked the shoes and the clipless concept, and I found Shimano SPD cleat # SH-56 - the silver SPD cleats. The normal SPDs most encountered (and which I was originally using) are the black SH-51 cleats that came with the M530 pedals I was using. The difference is the silver SH-56 cleats are able to release with more types of foot movements. Both types cost $12.99 a set.

When I asked about them, the bike shop person told me they were popular with tourists and gravel riders and people who had knee issues due to the easier release, but that they did not pull loose. I started with them on the lowest tension, and try as I could, I could not pull out during accelleration or climbing, but they would twist out easily at a stop. I was hooked and they are my standard. I later upgraded to the Shimano PD-9020 XTR pedal, a similar but lighter design, with a larger platform that I got at a screaming good mid-winter sale.

From the Shimano website: Sh-51 Fits all Shimano mountain pedals with 4 degree float except 858; Sh-56 Fits all Shimano mountain pedals with top plates and 0 degree float except 858.

FrenchFit 

I know there have been hundreds of posts, but I am adverse to this new layout and search function so:

My opinion is clipless is 80% marketing hype, 20% utility. Most of my road bikes are clipless, but it's just because I might end up climbing or high cadence with a group and clipless are more efficient, and I don't want my investment in shoes and pedals to go to waste. I've gone back to pinned pedals on my MTB, and my fun bikes are all platforms and mini cages. I would never think about commuting is clipless unless I didn't have a choice.

They are not dangerous, you don't fall over, they are simply a nuisance and unnecessary. Kinda like cycling kits.

P>SP - Many riders have gone back to platforms from clipless, as the history of posts on the BF will confirm.

dksix

I'll respectfully disagree with the advocates of SPD. I started out with SPD's and then started using SPD-SL on my road bike but after riding with a guy who was using Crank Brothers I noticed he seemed to clip in and out so much more effortlessly than I was. After the ride I asked him about them and he too had started with SPD's and urged me to invest in a set of CB pedals.

I did and no how them on my road and trail bikes. The only way I'd try any other system is that if it was cost free. I find the CB to be so much simpler to clip in my cleats and have never had a problem unclipping. The Crank Brothers cleats will fit SPD shoes but the cheapest Crank Brothers pedals are more expensive than the lower costing SPD pedals.

What makes the CB pedals work better is that you just slide forward to clip in due the having a platform and the retention system is 4 sided and rotates.

I recommend the Crank Brothers all the way.

Buddha2499

Teamprovicycle

You just have mind your shoe choice when the weather is nice i can run my road shoes but if it rains my winter boots do better . my road shoes give me more power . my spd boots give me less . you might need to invest in a bad to carry waalking working shoes too . there are some very walkable shoes out there i just rock my road shoes and stumble around the super market ..

GeneO 

If you go with mountain bike SPD pedals you should consider Shimano multi-release cleats. You virtually can't fall down on these because you can release them by pulling in any direction, unlike other clips and cleats that require you to release by twisting your shoe by a certain angle.. I never had any issues with them accidentally unclipping.

Kapusta

As far as road use, if you are racing competitively, they are a must. Otherwise I think they are way oversold.

I say this as someone who has used clipless almost exclusively for two decades on both my mountain bikes and road bikes. Then about three years ago my commuter bike (which has flat pedals) was out of commission, so I put flats on my road bike to commute on. Then, for the simple reason of being too lazy to change the pedals, I ended up doing a lot of road riding with the flats, including long rides in the mountains. I was expecting to be slow, or realize some other downsides. I was not slower (with one caveat below) and there were no other downsides.

The ONLY downside I see on the road comes when I want to put down as much power as I can, like on a sprint. Being able to pull up does give you more muscles to put into action, and simple means more power available. These are only short bursts, though. However, in a competitive situation, it is VERY relevant. This is why I think they are critical for competitive road racing. Or if you just ride with people who like to see if they can drop you on bursting sprints. So if these situations apply to you, I recommend going with clipless.

Otherwise, I really do not see much point. I do not think they are any more "efficient" over the course of a ride. There have been a few studies which throw doubt on the claim that clipless are more efficient, and I am not aware of any solid ones that actually support the claim that they are. And while there is undeniably more power available for intense bursts, there is no indication that this is more "efficient".

Much of the (in my view inaccurate) conventional wisdom regarding flats vs clipless comes from the fact that most peoples' experience with flats are with sneakers and the crappy cheap pedals that came stock on most bikes. They have never tried a set of really good flat pedals with a big wide platform with pins for traction, and cycling shoes specifically designed for use with flat pedals.

For example, "slipping of the pedals": Use a decent set of flats with pins and a set of 5.10 shoes, and there is no way in hell you are slipping off of it on the road. Think about it: mountain bikers use flats all the time in bad conditions, and the only time they come off the pedals involves either being in the air or when doing some sort of stunts.

The other thing I learned on my own was that one of the biggest advantages I was realizing with clipless shoes and pedals had nothing to do with actually being clipped in.... it was the stiffness of the sole. Again, people's experience with flats is often soft-soled sneakers. Additionally, many of these cheap "bear trap" style pedals make it worse by digging in in the very front and back, making it even more uncomfortable with soft-soled shoes. Shoes meant for flats riding have stiffer soles. I started using a set of mtb shoes without the cleats and it was a vast improvement over sneakers. And good flats have a wide, long platforms that do not cause much in the way of "hot spots" even when used with softer soled shoes.

Also, contrary to roadie dogma, you can maintain an efficient pedal stroke with good flats/shoes pretty much as well as with clipless. The reason is because despite the term "pedaling circles", most of the time you are NOT actually pulling up on the clipless pedals, you are just unweighting them. You do push forward over the top and back across the bottom, but you can do the same with good flats and shoes. Does it take a little more attention to form? Yes, it does until you develop the muscle memory.

So after 20 years riding clipless exclusively on the road, I have mostly gone back to flats. I don't race. But I do long and hard rides. I do, however use them for mountain biking, simply because it is what I am used to in technical terrain. Also, with some of the technical riding I do, I do need to do intense bursts with everything I've got (for example, I have 20 feet to get up enough speed to hop a log). But again, that is just my preference.

Oh, and if you DO go clipless, I find the standard SPD style to be my least favorite. I have preferred every other type of mtb pedal I tried: crank brothers, time mtb pedals, and speedplay frogs (which is what I settled on years ago).