Eric F 

Much like a well-made sauce for linguine.

Koyote

Still waiting.

I'm going to take your non-response as evidence that the responses to Jen were not actually gendered...Which makes your claim kind of weird and offensive. Also silly, and not in an amusing way.

Bah Humbug

indyfabz

An employee of one of my employer's owners was named Becky Peed. Imagine how much she got teased as a child.

seypat

I'm sure she got really POed at times.

datlas 

Mike Hunt! Any mail for Mike Hunt???

indyfabz

True story: One of our school librarians was an older lady from Virginia with a bit of a southern drawl. One evening a student got on to the waiting list for a book on reserve. He used the name Mike Hunt and was later paged when a copy of the book became available. "Mike Hunt please come to the front desk." An uproar ensued. Afte that, you were required to leave your school ID to get on a reserve book waiting list.

Teenage boys will be teenage boys.

Bob Ross

My Dad earned his post-graduate degree in Foreign Trade and so many of the classes were taught entirely in Spanish (because, presumably, in 1959 everyone thought the world's next economic powerhouse would be South America?). One of his professor's would always use the name "C. O. Jones" whenever speaking or writing about a hypothetical individual.

Koyote

I worked my way through school in a restaurant. Late one night, I overheard a waitress named Bobbie going from table to table, asking if anyone was named Mike Hunt -- there was a phone call for him. ("Are any of you Mike Hunt?") Over at the kitchen entrance, I saw three of the cooks peeking around the corner, laughing their heads off.

Yeah, I did intervene to spare Bobbie any more embarrassment.

Chuck Naill

Just think how Fred Turd felt.

Camilo

This I swear is true. There was a woman in my school named Wanda Dick. If you don't believe me: (none of these is her AFAIK:

wanda dick - Search (bing.com)

Then of course there is the Legendary Ima Hogg

Ima hogg - Search (bing.com)

Camilo

I quit reading at the efficacy/efficiency, data/datum/data set, is/are points in the thread. But...

I think the main advantage (I said "main" not "only") of automatic aka clipless pedals for me is just keeping my foot on the pedal at an automatically set position fore and aft, angle, etc. And it doesn't slip or get bumped off. I guess that's efficacy, not efficiency.

My wife didn't like using automatic pedals so the last thing in the world I would do is make one single comment to her encouraging her to use them, because it is not worth even one fall to a mid-60s enthusiast. She'd fallen a couple of years before that and it put her off the bike for most of a season (cracked her elbow). Flat pedals, hybrid/city bike, poorly maintained rail road track - a good 1" proud of the pavement. (was corrected soon after that!)

I did get her some of the old Speedplay Frogs when we had a tandem. Secure attachment to the pedal is critical for the stoker on a tandem (in my admittedly limited experience). If the foot gets knocked off the pedal, it's very difficult to get it back on when the bike is being pedaled. She had a heck of a time getting clipped into Shimano SPD's but found getting into the Frogs much easier. But on the tandem, there was little or no chance of falling since as the "captain" and being larger and stronger than her, it was easy for me to hold the bike up when stopping. She only unclipped when we were actually getting off the bike.

So, I have no argument with people who say it's just not worth it getting automatic pedals. To me, if the efficacy of keeping the foot in place is not needed for a cyclist, don't bother. On my bike that I use for traveling around the country with our travel trailer, I use pedals with SPD on one side and flat on the other. I really don't find a heck of a lot of difference in my speed and efficiency when I'm riding with the flats. Definitely handier for just jumping on the bike to run a quick errand or cruise around the campground.

Bah Humbug

I went to high school with a Crystal Waters and Bowen Darrow.

Kapusta

Many people manage to mountain bike with clipless pedals where emergency exits are a regular occurrence. Though mtb pedals are generally bit easier to get in and out of than rod pedals. I know a lot of people who road bike with mtb clipless systems.

OTOH, I do think the benefits are a bit overstated. They make a real difference during high intensity bursts (so they are a no-brainer in competitive situations) which is really the only time most people are actually pulling up on the pedals, but outside of that, not so much outside of simply what feels more comfortable.

I will also say that if you haven’t tried modern, good flat pedals and shoes, you really don’t know what flats can deliver. Any time I hear someone talking about slipping off flat pedals on the road, I know they have not tried modern offerings.

Just use what you are comfortable with… and then be a d!(k about it.

tomato coupe

I have no argument with those people either, but only because I have no idea what automatic pedals are.

Camilo

Re "automatic pedals", I'm making a tiny, Quixotic effort to move the terminology from "clipless" to "automatic" (and did start my post by writing "automatic, AKA 'clipless'"). I read somewhere that the term is sometimes used (although web references are very sparse!). It just makes more sense to me and I'm sure many who aren't hip to cycling terms (like "saddle" vs "seat"). Clipless is just such a stupid description of the pedals, based on a waaaay outdated way of looking at pedals, old technology that I would say that any cyclist younger than 50, and most casual cyclists of any age would have no idea of. Most people I know who are less "serious" than most of us call them "clip-in", not "clipless". I think that maybe even Look originally marketed their pedals calling them "automatic" because that's what their step-in ski bindings were called back in the day when they were new to the market? Not claiming any of that is a fact though.

I did say Quixotic effort. I understand that it is. And very OT, sorry.

tomato coupe

Good luck with your QQ*


*Quixotic Quest

Eric F 

"Automatic pedals" sounds like something from an e-bike. I'm not interested.

seypat

"Latch" pedals?

rsbob 

Acoustic pedals

Koyote

I regularly ride my commuter bike, which has good flat pedals, and I disagree with this statement. Even when I'm not pulling up on the pedals, I find it much easier to have my feet attached at the right position.

Eric F 

Part of the big issue with "clipless" is that it's based on the old "toe clip" term, which was already pretty poor. "Toe straps" evolving to "strapless" pedals would have make more sense, and still be clear terminology with modern pedals.

Eric F 

I'm with you. I don't have much experience with flat pedals, but a good pedal stroke is not just up/down, push/pull. It involves forces in multiple directions throughout the circle. Being attached is important for "round" power.

Toward the end of my racing era, I was working with a former Olympian. One of his focuses with me was developing a pedal stroke that recruited additional muscle groups to contribute to powering the bike. This paid off the most in keeping the big power muscles fresher for when big power was required. As my stroke improved, it was noticeable how much fresher my legs felt at the end of races. I miss that feeling.

Bah Humbug

Apparently in German and possibly related languages, they're "click-pedals". That's much more sensible than "automatic", which sounds like they engage and disengage on their own. No.

Eric F 

Ejector pedals!!