Troul 

always depends.

daihard 

All of these. I have double-sided flat/SPD pedals. For a long ride, I like being physically attached to the pedal in the same positions. For quicker rides (i.e. a few miles), it really doesn't matter to me.

rsbob 

If you are just riding a 5 mile loop, stay with flats. You dont need the extra expense of clipless pedals and shoes.

I have been riding clipless for decades and there is zero extra work associated with clipless. They don’t force you to pull up or double your work or any of what you have heard. They do make you more efficient, which means you get more power from the same effort as flats, but for 5 miles it’s not worth it.

PeteHski

This^

The original premise was just wrong.

wolfchild

MTB style platform pedals are perfectly fine for longer distances. Freedom to wear whatever shoes I want is more important to me than gaining a little bit of extra efficiency from clipless pedals.

georges1

Deore XT SPD 780-T on the mountain bikes, look pp247, look pp356 and look pp286 on the road bikes for optimum pedaling efficiency on long distances.

beng1

Nothing is easier than just walking up to a bicycle with your everyday clothes and shoes and jumping on it and riding. Cycling-specific clothing and shoes can be fun, but if anyone thinks they are necessary for anyone but a pro then they have been badly misled.

Troul 

especially if it's not your bicycle?

jadmt

I am not that old yet....do they make them biker specific.....

rsbob 

I feel so duped! Looks like back to cut-offs, sneakers and t-shirts for my 60 mile rides. Man, I feel like such an idiot wasting all that money. Better throw away my clipless pedals and shoes too because I bet only pros need those too. I’ve been scammed by big bike!!! Thanks Beng for your clarity of reason and unyielding dedication to your truth. You are making the world a better and more affordable place.

terrymorse 

Implicit in this statement is that only pros are worthy of high quality, which is rubbish.

No clothing is strictly "necessary" to ride a bike, but riding naked is less than ideal.

If anyone tells you that since you're not a pro, that won't benefit from some high end kit, they are telling you a fib.

Cycling kit options lie on a spectrum, from naked to high end, with practical improvements at each level.

Phil_gretz

Clipless for me on all of my bikes. Easier? Yes. More efficient? Yes. More secure foot position? Yes.

Downsides? None for me. But:
- special shoes
- cost of pedals
- another maintenance item and point of failure

My wife doesn't use any form of retention. This works for her. So...

phughes

Once again, you are racing, a six hour gravel event. Sure use them. Sorry, but long ago, we didn't have clipless, though they were invented a very long time ago, they weren't widely used when I started riding. No one died, no one had horrible injuries from riding long distances. A large platform pedal supports the foot well, and one can ride as far as they like with no issues with their feet. With clipless on the other hand, you need to rely on special shoes and very stiff soles, which simply replaces the platform for supporting the foot. You also have to get them set up right, for you, to prevent issues. If for some reason you have an issue, you cannot move your foot around on the pedal, because you are locked in. With a platform, you can move if you would like.

Wear clipless. I think they are great. I am once again discounting the ridiculous implication that riding long distance is something that one cannot do effectively with platform pedals. I just always laugh inside when roadies talk about long distance, something they rarely do compared to a bicycle tourist, and then they come away with strong opinions of what is needed for long distance riding. A bike tourist will do long distance every day, and believe me, if they were riding platform pedals and had pain, they wouldn't be able to ride again the next day.

Once again, don't get me wrong, ride clipless, they are a great thing for those who like them, and especially for those who are competing, but a large platform pedal will support your foot very well, preventing issues, and if properly equipped, will prevent the foot from slipping. They also allow for the use of any shoe. For commuting in traffic, I much prefer a platform pedal. Ride what you want, but long distance is very pleasant on platforms.

Eric F 

It is not required to be a paid professional to recognize and appreciate the advantages of clothing and equipment designed specifically for the activity you're participating in. Riding the way I ride, in my everyday street clothes, would quickly become uncomfortable and unenjoyable. Hopping on my bike for a 5-10 minute cruise to the local store (for example) is not part of my cycling activities.

CAT7RDR

Just my anecdotal observation: I occasionally see riders on platform pedals with obvious biomechanical issues.
Their pedal stroke is awkward and their knees and legs stick-out. My first thought is raise your saddle, but I think it is also lack of focus when pedaling and since there is no pedal/cleat interface, their pedaling is wonky.

Eric F 

Racing? Nope. I don't do that to myself any more - LOL. My goal was just to finish. That said, I put a lot of effort into making my bike and my gear as efficient and comfortable as I can for the effort and terrain, based on my preferences. I think the only bike I've owned that had flat pedals was my childhood BMX bike in the '70s. I rode with clips and straps until clipless. I've been on rigid shoes and clipless pedals since the early '90s.

Did anyone actually say that? If I recall, the poster indicated that they couldn't see themselves riding long distance without clipless pedals. A personal preference, not a mandate for others. Maybe I'm remembering wrong.

I appreciate your perspective. Riding long distances in Crocs is not something I ever would have guessed is a preference for people, but I understand and respect your viewpoint, even though it's not a choice I would be likely to make for myself.

Koyote

False dichotomy. Before clipless became the norm, cyclists were using toe clips and straps which accomplished the same end result.

Broctoon

Nothing is easier than just lying down on the ground and going to sleep. Modern coil spring and foam mattresses can be fun, but if anyone thinks they are necessary for anyone but a pro sleeper, they have been badly misled.

Nothing is easier than just throwing out the perishable food you aren't going to eat right away. Refrigerators can be fun, but if anyone thinks they are necessary for anyone but a pro eater...

Nothing is easier than cutting materials with a sharp rock. Scissors can be fun, but...

jadmt

nope you are remembering it correctly. see post 15. post 15 has not been edited exactly how it first appeared. Never said anything about others just myself. for the record I have ridden 40+ mile rides on flats and was not for me. as was posted I can't see myself doing long rides on flats. for me a long ride is 60-100 miles. others would consider this a short ride for sure but I was referring to myself.

badger1

That's how I remembered your post as well; I just checked again because I was looking through the thread to find support for the assertion that someone, or anyone, has said or clearly implied that "riding long distance is something that one cannot do effectively with platform pedals."

Lots of people who have said or implied that they have a personal preference for clipless for most or all of their riding -- a preference this Fred shares -- but that strong claim? Nope.

phughes

Please read the word, "implication." I don't always ride in Crocs, but the point is, most any shoe will work with a good platform pedal. And again, I think clipless are great, but they are certainly not necessary for riding distance.

phughes

Ridiculous response. Not a false dichotomy. Yes, some were using toe clips, but so many were not, just as today not everyone rides clipless.. Also, not once have I discounted clipless as not being good, instead I have simply refuted the ridiculous implication that they are needed for riding long distance. Those who did not use toe clips did not suffer horrific issues by using platform pedals. Todays platforms are even better, providing even better, more comfortable support for the foot.

Ride clipless, they are a great system, but they are not necessary for many riders, and a good platform pedal will allow you to ride long distances without any issues. That is the point.

Carbonfiberboy 

Better workout is the question? Then it's clipless and it doesn't matter how hard or easy your ride is, clipless is still better. Why? Because clipless pedals (and toe clips and straps) encourage you to use more of the muscles in your legs, simple as that. With foot retention you can push forward at the top and pull back at the bottom and maybe 30° on the way up. On the backstroke, as soon as the knee joint gets close to maximum bend, the hamstrings stop working and you just let the downstroke leg finish the job of getting the backstroke pedal close to the top. Clipless actually don't make you go faster, just more comfortably for longer. It's the same ride, it's just more fun with clipless - and safer, because your feet can't slip off the pedal and allow your lower legs to get hammered by a spinning pedal.

Yeah, some people forget they're clipped in and fall over at a stop. That's not all that uncommon while getting used to them. It's good to keep the tension adjustment really light to start with, so you can rip your foot out of the pedal if you have to. So far I don't know of anyone who quit using clipless because of this issue. Riders usually become converts in the first few minutes of pedaling with clipless, it's that obvious.

For most folks, SPD pedals with mountain bike shoes work best because the cleats are recessed and thus it's easy to walk in your bike shoes. Not that they're comfortable for long distances, but fine to get something to eat or walk around in a store. If you do a lot of walking when you ride, flats are probably better, but most people separate out walking and riding.

Eric F 

It doesn't seem to me that anyone implied that clipless pedals were necessary for everyone riding long distances. Obviously, you have found it not to be true, and sharing your contrary experience is valuable to the discussion. I suspect there are folks on both sides of this particular fence.

There are lots of different ways to ride a bike, and lots of different bikes to to ride. People who ride a lot tend to find what works best for themselves, with the way they prefer to ride, and it may be different than what another person has found. No one is wrong. Well...except those guys who insist that their way is the only way, and everyone else is a moron.

Eric F 

I do. A moderately-regular BF member struggled to adapt to clipless, and gave up in frustration.