rs_woods

i commute "pretty far" every day (have a computer on order). only have one bike. thinking about going clipless coz it makes sense. is there a dangerous learning curve? i can only put the pedals on this one bike, which i will use to get home from work the day i get the pedals, so if it's likely i'll bust my ass/face/appendage-necessary-for-cycling, i might put it off until i get another bike.

BIG-E

Do it on a weekend so you can go somewhere safe and practice.

It's worth it. You can spin a lot smoother, put down more power, and generally control the bike a lot better.

Bklyn

I ride clipless in New York, and there's lots of stopping and starting and clipping and unclipping. And it's no problem at all. I feel really secure, and I can take off from a light with great power. They're much easier to clip into than toeclips, but they do require you wear the clown shoes. (Make very sure they fit you before you buy! I think cycling shoes tend to run narrow.) The learning curve is not steep. You can ride a bike "pretty far"? You have enough balance and sense to clip in and out at ease. You won't fall your first time out. But you will fall, and it'll be comical: at a light, in front of a group of the Tulane women's swim team, you'll just slowly, helplessly tilt over. It's a rite of passage. It won't hurt. Apart from the bruised pride.

daredevil

Do it, you'll love it.

charles vail

Stay with regular pedals...try MKS double sided touring pedals or some other platform/cage/MTB pedal!!!
Riding clipped doesn't make you any faster and if you are wanting a secure attachment that lets you ride in normal shoes, that you may have to walk in, get powergrips or old school toe clips and keep your straps on the loose side. Read "Bicycling Medicine" my Arnie Baker M.D. specifically page 118 if you don't beleive what I am saying!!! For commuting having the versatility of using any shoe that is needed is really great and if you have foul weather you won't have to buy all the speciality booties either.
Don't fall for the commonly held misconception that you need clip in pedals to maximize your performance. Unless you are actually racing for money or riding a high bottom bracket recumbent, you won't notice much difference in performance in spite of what others may like to believe. Thats my opinion and I'm sticking to it! In addition....don't listen to the clip in pedal manufacturers either for obvious reasons.

Ricardo

I have to disagree here.

Clipless pedals DO make you go faster as long as you pedal as you are supposed to. It doesnt make any sense riding clipless just for the looks and continue pedaling like regular pedals.

Ricardo

daredevil

Go clipless I'm tellin' ya. You will not regret it.

fillthecup

Besides pedalling efficiency, the reason for clipless or toe-straps is that it is safer. Having your foot slip off a platform pedal during a moment of stress is not something you'd want to happen.

Learning curve (my experience): after one or two rides, and a close call or two at stop signs, I have never had a problem clipping out. I've never actually fallen, just come close. Take a few joy rides, hit some stop signs and red lights, and pretty soon disengaging your feet will be second nature. At some point you may forget, and slowly start to tilt over. If this happens, just freakin clip out and put your foot down quickly. No prob.

TRaffic Jammer

Every aspect of riding clipless is superiour in my mind. Acceleration, top speed, climbing omg hills are so much easier. A proper pedal stroke is so much easier to achieve clipless. Go for it and you'll never look back. You can get tons of styles of shoes so you don't have to worry about "clowning", but I do recommend stiff soles if you're spending any significant amount of time riding.

Az B

I simply wear a pair of mountain bike shoes. They're fine for walking and look like normal tennis shoes. Interestingly, it means I only need one pair of shoes for road and mountain too. Simplicity, baby!

I rode toe clips for years and they work fine. I've been using clipless for a couple years and they work fine and are more convenient. Obviously, either will work.

If you think you can ride the same in platform pedals, you're not riding very hard. I considered platforms for mountain biking to make it easier to dab in technical spots, but the climbs were much harder and occasionally my feet would slip off accidently... usually at high speed and in the air. Not fun.

Az

Zero_Enigma

I'm curious abou tthe added maintance clipless pedals bring to the bike. Do you need to tune the "clips"? Are they more prone to failure from dirt getting into it? Etc?

Thanks.


Zero_Enigma

daredevil

Nope, nothing to maintain to speak of. Occasionally check to see that the cleat bolts aren't loose maybe. At least that's the way it is with my spd's.

Bklyn

A valid point. There's lots of hype to get lost in. I mean, we're talking about a trip to work, not an etape in the Alps. But I'd never go back to platform pedals, because I like to ride a certain way. I most definitely feel a performance boost. You especially feel it with a singlespeed, when you're bound to one gear for a hill. You can mash, which is sort of your only choice with platforms. Or you can actually feel your legs powering in a perfect circle, you can feel when the centripetal force is equal all the way around. Sounds mystical. And how much performance boost am I talking about anyway? If I beat one red light, there's the one after that that's going to catch me. So the point, I guess, is how much enjoyment you derive from it. It feels different, and I prefer it.
But the special-shoe thing is not to be discounted. It's a hassle if you're the kind of person who pops on the bike to go to a bar or a movie or dinner or whatever. But if you just commute, and you're going to change shoes anyway? Give it a try, I say.

GeoKrpan

Shimano PD-M324. Platform pedal on one side, clipless pedal on the other.
You will be certain to get back from the bikeshop without incident.
Try platform verses clipless, back to back.
You be the judge.

straightedge

I just bought clipless shoes and pedals a few days ago (finally). I bought a pedal with one side being platform and the other SPD. This way I'm not stuck wearing my bike shoes if I don't want to. Also if I don't want to clip one or both feet in, I can use the platform side for a bit. I know someone that uses Shimano MTN bike shoes, which are easier to get off and walk around in and don't look much like a bike shoe. I went in looking for those but settled with a modest road shoe. It has a recessed cleat, and smooth rubber bottom so I can still walk fairly well, much better than the full blown road shoes. So far, I haven't had any problems with the setup, before I left the shop, I just had them set the pedal tension fairly loose, enough to keep me in, but so I can unclip without much effort. You shouldn't have any problems when you first start if you just pay attention, my first ride with them was down a narrow busy street with lots of traffic lights to get back to the trail home. It was more of distraction to me clipping in each time, but I'm getting the hang of it.

legot73

+1 more on the platform/SPD combo. Best of both worlds.

SPD are easy enough to use. The inevitable 2 falls come from forgetting that you're using them and not yet releasing out of them instinctively. As others have said, I believe there is a significant improvement in efficiency with clipless. My spin is more fluid, and adds up to about +1mph overall, all else being equal.

You can get the same performance with toe clips and straps, but to use them properly means tightening them so that your foot can't come off (or out of) the pedal, and releasing the straps with your hand when you need to stop. Powerstraps work well with regular shoes, but don't necessarily maintain your optimal foot position and have pretty much the same release motion as clipless.

Most SPD pedals can be adjusted with a small hex wrench to change the tension, which is pretty straightforward. In winter, I put a drop of oil on the springs and tension screws to protect from salt. As far as the ride home from the shop, put them on yourself. If you don't already have one, buy a cone spanner (thin wrench) for $2-3 that fits, and ask the shop to put a dab of lithium grease on the threads for you and a plastic bag to carry.

hopperja

Depends. I've ridden both SPD and Eggbeaters. I will NEVER ride SPD again because: 1) they require maintenance (Eggbeaters require no maintenance) 2) more importantly, SPDs do clog up with mud, which can make clipping in difficult and if the mud freezes - which it did on me the last time I rode with SPDs - the frozen mud will make it nearly impossible to unclip. I've never heard of nor experienced Eggbeaters clogging with mud.

In May of 2004 I dislocated my right knee and turned to mountain biking because running was no longer an option (at least at the time). I was riding in Jan. 05 on a fireroad and the mud froze in my SPDs. Not knowing this was the case, I came to a planned stop on a fireroad, but couldn't unclip due to the frozen mud, so I fell down onto my right knee. This was excruciatingly painful, especially given I had dislocated it only 7 months prior. I immediately ordered Eggbeaters and gave away my SPDs... haven't looked back since.

Michel Gagnon

First, there is a tension adjustment. For on-road cycling, I think you should reduce the tension a lot so your feet disengage fairly easily. That's a once in a lifetime adjustment. Almost.

As for regular maintenance, I almost never had any problems.

– I lubricate my clips with a couple drops of oil when it looks like there are 1-2 rust points. That happens once or twice a month in Winter and maybe once every 2 months in Summer.

– At about -5 C, some types of snow tend to pack quite well into my clips (i.e. on the boots) and I have a problem clipping in. The foot still stays pretty much in place, as if I were riding on platform pedals. Usually knocking my feet 1-2 times solves the problem. I never had any problems in gravel and muddy gravel, but my mud is pretty civilized.

Two Buck Chuck

Clipping out becomes second nature after a few days, but plan to take a fall or two. I fell twice in the first week. The first time was when a truck made a sudden move in front of me and I had to come to a quick stop--I wasn't thinking about my pedals at the time and fell in what felt like slow motion. I knew I was going down, but couldn't really do much about it. Several bystanders came over to check on me. I went down slowly on my knee--it was more embarrassing than anything.

The second time was when I was about to run a yellow/red light near the Capitol but realized at the last second that there was a Capitol Hill police car at the light (they are pretty strict and don't mess around!), so I slammed on the brakes and fell over on the curb. This time I hit pretty hard it hurt! The cop stopped and rolled down the window and asked if I was okay and gave me a funny look as if I were crazy.

So, plan on taking a few spills, but don't worry. Just try to fall away from the path of moving vehicles!

Thor29

Shimano PD-M324 pedals suck! Every time you unclip and then try to get going again, you have a 50/50 chance of hitting the wrong side. Same thing happens when you wear your normal shoes. Either go clipless or go BMX platforms. Don't be a namby pamby flip-flopper.

Personally, I have agonized mightily over the pedal question. On my fixed gear bike I run clipless pedals because toe clips are too fragile, don't fit big feet very well, and aren't as easy to get into or out of on a fixed gear bike. But now my main commuter is a Surly Karate Monkey, set up as a 1x9 right now, and it has BMX platforms so I can wear normal shoes. I love the feel of clipless, but for shorter distances I'd much rather wear my regular shoes and not have to change shoes when I get to where I am going. And most important of all, doing wheelies is much better (safer) on platform pedals.

mastershake916

Narrow? oh crap, I can barely find regular shoes.
I guess I'll never go clipless.

nashcommguy

Dual sided mtb clipless. Spd cleats. Shimano PD-520's are available from performancebike.com for 55.00. Wellgo makes a real nice knockoff for around 40.00. Either would be available from your lbs for a little more $$. Not much more, I'd assume. DON'T get nashbar cheapies...they're complete crap! Touring shoes w/strap/lacing combo. Cannondale, Lake, Shimano all make a pair you can walk in off the bike without your cleats making a ton of racket or you sliding all over the floor. Be careful going up and down stairs as the cleats can slide. Like another poster said...resign yourself to the fact that you will fall...because you will. Just smile and wave at the cagers as you get back on and ride away...clipless and confident.

bmclaughlin807

I'd have to disagree heartily with this... I have the Forte Campus pedals from Performance and I love them.

I love being clipped in most of the time, but having the freedom to use other pairs of shoes is very useful at times. Particularly when it's cold... I have a pair of waterproof boots that I wear when it's cold, and not having to swap pedals makes my life much easier.

It's become second nature to take my foot off the pedal at the proper point so that it's turned correctly at the point when I'm ready to put my foot back on the pedal. I pull the left foot off at the top of the curve, so when I press down on the right foot the left pedal comes up to the top of the stroke with the correct side up so I can put my foot on it and either clip in or pedal on the platform, depending on which shoes I'm wearing.

BikeManDan

I just discovered multi-release SPD cleats and for a beginner they can be a god send. They make getting in and out really easy.
I've tried Time and Crankbrothers pedals and as a beginner they were just too hard to get in and out of. May move up to them in time but I say stick with SPDs with the spring tension set on low with the multi-release cleats

BIG-E

I ditched my SPD type clipless after getting frozen into them and tearing the cleat out of the bottom of my shoe as I fell. I love my Time ATACS, they've held up for many many years.

One sided pedals are a PITA because you have to look down to see which side is up.

Toe-clips and straps are just plain dangerous.