tjspiel

I usually put my "campus" pedals on whatever bike I happen to be using the most for commuting at the time. For those of you who may not use the term, "campus" pedal is sometimes used to refer to those pedals that have a clipless mechanism on one side and a platform on the other. Some people really like them. Others think they are the worst of both worlds.

I like them because I have a general preference for riding clipless but there are times when that's trumped by the convenience of regular footwear.

Anyway, by the middle of last summer, my favorite PI clipless shoes were starting to get pretty ratty. There are almost 9 years old after all. So I quit wearing them and just opted to go with regular shoes until I could replace the PIs. Well, it's 9 months later and I still haven't. All that time I was just riding on platforms and was perfectly content.

That was until last week. The Revolights Eclipse+ lights that my family got me for Father's day last year finally arrived and I needed to pick a bike to put them on. And the bike I chose had spd pedals on it. So I dug out the old ratty PIs and have been riding in them ever since. Now, I remember why I liked being clipped in.

There trade off between regular footwear convenience is still there, but I'll be purchasing a new pair of PIs soon, especially since I dumped some pizza sauce on the old ones last night. I'm afraid of what would happen if I tried to wash them.

john_mct

if you like PI, I just picked up a pair of their Allroad clipless shoes on closeout for a reasonable price on amazon and am pretty happy with them...I love clipless as well but can't stomach paying over 100 bucks, especially for velcro closure shoes...

mcours2006

I ride in the suburbs, so lights are farther in between. But if I were living and riding downtown I'd probably go with platforms as well, and probably wouldn't bother with cycling gear either. Come to think of it, I rarely see people in cycling specific clothing downtown.

Piratebike

I just posted something very similar here: https://www.bikeforums.net/general-cy...-no-clips.html

Darth Lefty 

I'm trying it again too. I remember ten years ago it seemed amazing compared to my original cage pedals, but today it's not a quantum difference from my good platforms. I do like the smaller q-factor compared to my boots on platforms and I'm never trying to hunt for a foot position that isn't rubbing the shoe.

kuroba

Sometimes I'm lucky with this eBay store for cheap cycling shoes (not lately, I'm a size 5 so it's hard to find, but I got a pair of PI X-Alp Seek V from there) apparelsave | eBay Stores they don't list cycling specific shoes so I search by brand (I've found PI, Shimano, Giro, Serfas, etc).

tdonline

I converted my road bike into a more friendly townie a few years ago. That included taking off the clipless pedals and replacing them with some cheap platforms. I think I'm ready to to replace the platforms. This weekend I rode with a group, it was my first time on the bike in about 7 months. I've been riding my folder exclusively since the end of last summer.

Riding with the group, it did make me yearn for a little more efficiency and stamina that comes with clipless pedaling. But I don't want to go clipless 100% either. So would hybrid clipless/platform pedals be the answer? If so, any recommendations for moderately prices ones?

InTheRain

Platforms on my commuter... clipless on my road bike.

srestrepo

i used to have the cages on all of my bikes. but my first foray into clipliess pedals (shimano SPD's) made quick work of getting them on both of my bikes. i really like the way the shoes feel when clipped in, they're just whatever my LBS had lying around for mtb shoes, and they're fine to walk around in when i commute to work.

RubeRad

That's me. My wife doesn't mind them, but I always found it too much hassle to find which side I could clip into.

For me the convenience of regular footwear (wearing and more importantly buying) trumped the 'in-crowd' cachet of clipless, so I switched to pinned platforms.

Interesting. I could try the same experiment, but I don't even know where I put my ratty old SPDs, and I'd have to swap out pedals... not worth the effort.

cplager

I've got dual sided platform/SPD pedals. It turns out I almost never ride them not clipped in, but they are there just in case.

Once you get used to clipping in, it is hard to ride without doing it. It's like riding a bike without actually holding on to the handlebars. It just feels kind of scary.

(I leave work shoes at work, so it really doesn't matter what I show up to work wearing on my feet).

RidingMatthew

I ride in cycling specific gear downtown but I am also riding 12-15 miles one way. Work is downtown and home is in the suburbs.



I have campus pedals and they work well for clipped in rides to/ from work but I can also lolly gag with my 7 yo on the greenway in whatever shoes I want.. best of both worlds for me..


clipless SPD on road and mountain bike.

RubeRad

When I ditched clipless, it took me a few days to get used to having to decide where to put my feet, but now I don't miss clipless at all.

I also keep shoes at work, because my cycling shoes are super-ratty old sneakers, with the insides of the heels hacked off with a boxcutter (I am seriously duck-footed, and need pedal extenders and hacked shoes to avoid hitting the cranks/chainstays all the time)

cplager

For me personally, I very much riding clipped in.

That being said, there are many good (and some not so good) reasons to not use clipless pedals. Ride what you want to ride, how you want to ride it. Just ride, damn it.

InTheRain

Interestingly enough, I prefer the platforms for my commute. I ride an ebike for a commuter, so I'm not really concerned about being efficient with my pedal stroke. I also find the platforms easier for the more frequent stops and starts along the commute. However, I did commute with an spd/platform combo pedal for many years... I never used the platform side on my commutes. I made the switch to platforms when I converted by touring/commuter bike to an ebike. But yes, clipless are more efficient... just doesn't matter on an ebike.

Eric S.

With good rat-trap pedals, Zefal half-clips are fantastic. I used to be a clipless snob and wear MTB SPD shoes to the grocery store. For some reason I dug out an old set of pedals with Power Grips and used them for awhile, but they could be tough to get into depending on shoes. I finally arrived at the Zefal clips and they're perfect for me.

Steely Dan

+8 trillion

Campus pedal, versatilty is thy name.

I LOVE riding clipped in, except when I don't. The campus pedal gives me the absolute most number of options, and i like options.

I also must have above average foot dexterity because I don't have issues with finding the right side of the pedal that some others apparently struggle with.

I have campus style pedals on all of my bikes.

Goriot

I had the exact same experience.
My SPD clip ins were holed/falling apart and I just couldn't find anything to replace them (I'm picky...)

So I started wearing runners on the bike and really didn't notice the difference. When the runners died, I actually went back to the old SPD clip ins and the difference was amazing, 360deg power delivery was immediately apparent. So now I'm back to my ratty clip ins, with a shoe cover to cover all the holes/defects until my new shoes arrive- A pair from Northwave.

kickstart

I generally like riding clipless, but I also like simplicity and versatility of platform pedals, so it's either campus pedals or platforms. I don't have any full clipless pedals.

I do notice that if I haven't used platforms for a few weeks, it takes me a minute or two to adjust, but then I'm fine.

San Pedro

Clipless on the road bikes, it's just so comfortable to me. Platforms on the hybrid. With my daughters I'll ride my SPD-SL pedals with regular shoes, or going to the store from work.

PatrickGSR94

All 3 of my bikes have SPD, and my road commuter and e-bike have the dual-purpose type "campus" (never heard of that term) pedals. For shoes I love my Bontrager SSR shoes. They walk and look like normal shoes, but have SPD cleats.