philbob57

Thanks for this thread. It made me realize why 'clipless' doesn't work for me. Bike shoes that fit my forefoot are loose in the heel., so I have to swivel my foot farther than designers expect, too far to easily unclip. Custom shoes do not fit my budget. Compared to pinned flats and toe clips/straps, and even clips/straps/cleats, clipless might work worse for me even if I raced.

Spartazoo

I started cycling in March of 22 as a way to get fit again. Now I am hooked. I too am in the process of upgrading my bike to clipless pedals and shoes. I am going with Shimano dual pedals so I can still take a stroll with tennis shoes. I will probably be ready next week for my maiden voyage. We will see how this goes...

Polaris OBark

I don't know if it is the clips or the shoes themselves, but today I used flat peddles along with generic running shoes on two rather short rides, and am now experiencing considerable discomfort, which surprises me.

I used to say I liked to clip in for security, which is basically psychological, but right now I am wondering how I could ever ride flats again. It might be just the shoes, but even 5/10s that I used to use a few years ago are now problematic.

This really makes commuting and single-track (instances where I prefer flats) vexing. I hate being vexed.

t2p

if you are accustomed to rigid bike shoes - flexible running shoes could lead to problems

???

ofajen

At a minimum, the muscles of your feet will probably need to develop some strength they lack. With flexible running shoes and platform pedals, there is an exertion required in the muscles of the foot that may be unfamiliar.

Since the large pedals distribute the pedal force without a sharp pressure edge like old metal pedals, it needn’t be a problem. Just a matter of conditioning, at least in my experience.

Otto

Polaris OBark

I got used to flats (along with 5/10s) about 8 years ago. I took a year or so off from SPDs after a severe ankle fracture. Since everything hurt a lot back then, I didn't pay attention, but since then I've likely let some muscle groups atrophy while others strengthened. I was kind of shocked how extreme it is, however.

Polaris OBark

I use the stiffest Shimano XC shoe available, so this makes sense. My surgeon said I had "flexible flat feet" in a way that made it clear it was a Bad Thing.

IcySwan1 

Generally I use double sided SPDs. I had a knee replaced and traveled to the Lower 48 for the procedure, staying with my son and the rotten grandkids. I bought a road bike there and set it up with the SPD pedals that have a flat side. I was concerned about clipping out with the surgical knee. It worked fine for the rehab period and I was fine with clipping in about 5 weeks post op. But the bike stayed in the Lower 48 with the combo pedals. It turned out to be perfect for riding with a 6 and 8 year old. You won’t believe the number of times you have to put your foot down with little ****ers. That was a positive unintended consequence of flat pedals. So that is that.

Mike