Pedals(Clipless) - 101

[surgtech1956]

My new bike has toe straps/pedals. How many of you use clipless pedals? Are these better than the toe straps? What clipless pedals would you recommend? Thank you

[KnottedYet]

I used clips and straps for years, and finally switched to clipless (Speedplay Frogs) a couple years ago.

I found the Frogs to be much safer for me and my riding style than the clips and straps were. Easier for me to get into and out of, and much better control of the bike through my feet.

My other bikes have huge platform BMX pedals, which I just love. No hot spots, compatible with all my shoes, and very very grippy.

[Zen]

You won't get as high a degree of transfer of power with those cages as you will with clipping in.

I rode with cages back in the (ahem) 70's and had them on my MTB for a while but I'll never use them again. I feel I'm able to free my foot much easier with Frogs.

[surgtech1956]

Thanks, I'll check out the Frogs. I had the toe straps too, back in the 80's - didn't really care for them all that much then.

[emily_in_nc]

Frogs rule!!! :D

Emily

[elk]

speaking of platforms...

I was looking at the Shimano DX pedals....they're BMX pedals...but I wonder how they'd be on my Aurora...or my Specialized commuter...

I'm not liking my straps...can't remember the name..Lisa and Sandra use them...I either fall over (I think I'm falling one way..get my foot out and fall the other way!!:rolleyes:)

[MM_QFC!]

Thanks, I'll check out the Frogs. I had the toe straps too, back in the 80's - didn't really care for them all that much then.

am a Frogs user here...even have a pair, that I kept from a bike I sold, on my spin bike...they were super easy to learn to use and provide the float for my knees that I wanted too.

[Red Rock]

I use the look Keo's on my bicycle. I was very hesitant to go to the clipless pedals believe me! But now that I know what I am doing, I am glad I did.

I was so terrified, that I made sure my husband held the bike while I practiced getting in and out before I even attempted pavement. Then I went to the local parking lot and did enough turns around it to feel comfortable. Then, I practiced starting and stopping as if I was at a stop light. When I was ok with that, then I finally went for a spin in the neighborhood. From there my rides became longer.

Beware, you will probably fall down at some point, I did. I was told I would eventually. We all have at some point. Just be sure to take one foot out before coming to a stop light or sign. This way you have control of you and the bike before stopping.

I hope this helps.

Red Rock

[tc1]

Love my speedplay frogs. Large amount of float, my knees like 'em, keeps the bad ankle mostly in the correct position. Some day I might have to give them up, on stiff days I have trouble turning the bad ankle the minimal amount necessary to disengage. Then it will be platform pedals, but til then it's the frogs. Don't be put off by the fact they are marketed as MTB pedals, they are great on the road bike.

[Starfish]

Rode a whole first year with the cages, including a tour. The next year, got Shimano SPDs and loved them immediately. Just last week, I got some Ultegra road pedals and new shoes, and now love these immediately.

Wish I had started right out with clipless. I loved them right off the bat.

[Wahine]

I am another Look fan. I don't like speedplays... call me weird.

[OakLeaf]

Another Look rider here, although my opinion doesn't count since I've never tried anything else.

Had a pair of Look-compatible Mavic's on my old road bikes back when Look and Time was all there was. When I got my new bike last year, I tried a pair of Eggbeaters and I literally could NOT get my feet out of them on the trainer in the shop. Like, I'd rotate my ankle and knee to the limit of my pretty normal ROM, and my feet would not come out. So it was back to what I know, "back" to Keo's. My knees are tetchy, but that just means that I have to spend a little extra time with a new bike or new shoes, getting the cleats positioned exactly right. I'm fine with no float.

There's still something I'm not getting about these discussions though, probably because I was on hiatus for so long. I asked before and I think people thought I was being sarcastic, but really I'm serious, it's just I was away from cycling for a long time. Can you still even buy toe-clip style cleats, outside of maybe NOS on eBay? They used to come with shoes, but none of the shoes I've looked at recently had them.

Are you-all talking about going straight from riding in sneakers with toe clips, straight to cycling shoes with a clipless setup? Because that's really two transitions, a transition from a shoe that's just not appropriate for road cycling at all to one that is, but is pretty much useless for anything else; and then a transition from one style of locking into the pedal to another. The latter ought to be a no-brainer IMO. With a toe clip, you need your hands to get out of the pedals, and the pedal has to be somewhere near the top of the stroke. So you can't make hand signals, brake with both hands or downshift at the same time you're unclipping. Why would you want that?

[Starfish]

Oakleaf, when I first started riding, I had a bike with toe clips. Cages actually. My hands were not required to get my feet in and out of them, because the plastic cage provided some structure. Now, I could tighten them up or down, and for long rides, it took extra oomph to pull my feet out (when I had the straps tightened up), but I could still remove my feet without my hands. I started in this setup with regular tennis shoes.

Then, I got some mountain bike shoes. These had a stiffer sole than tennis shoes, but it was optional to use the SPD cleats. I left the little rubber plate over the cleat area for a while, and continued to use the toe clip cages.

Then, I finally got SPD pedals and went clipless. And, I wondered why on earth I had not just started clipless on the bike from the very beginning. MUCH easier than toe clips, IMO.

Now I use Ultegra road pedals and have road shoes.

[HillSlugger]

I have a similar pedal history to Starfish's, except that I've stayed with spd's. I used cages on my old 10-speed and put cages on my hybrid 4 years ago. I never tightened the straps so much that I couldn't easily slip my foot out. Of course, this means I was losing some of the mechanical advantage but they still kept my feet well positioned on the pedals and prevented them from slipping off the front. Having to flip them up to get your foot in is not much different than having to flip over a single-sided road pedal. For someone who may be afraid of clipless, cages are definitely an advantage over platform pedals.

[Starfish]

Having to flip them up to get your foot in is not much different than having to flip over a single-sided road pedal.

for me, getting in and out of clipless is vastly easier than the toe clips...both with the SPDs and the new road pedals.

[surgtech1956]

Are the clipless pedals better for your knees or is there one clipless better on the knees than another? Do I buy the shoes than get the pedals or the other way around? I like the mtb shoes(I like the hiking shoe look) better than road shoes - would this matter on my road bike? Thanks

[KnottedYet]

Get whatever shoes you want. Mountain shoes/road shoes, it doesn't matter as long as they do what you want and you like them. I have mountain shoes and Speedplay Frogs on my road bike.

Buy the shoes and pedals at the same time. By buying the shoes and pedals at the same time, you can be sure they match. If your LBS can't make the cleats fit the shoes you've chosen, you can make the decision right there how you'd like to proceed. (different shoes or different cleats/pedals)

Frogs are often recommended for folks with knee issues, because they are passive release (no pressure required) and have huge float (20 degrees). There are no moving parts or springs or anything on Frogs. It's like a pickle jar (pedal) and a lid (cleat). Extremely simple.

[surgtech1956]

Knot - thanks for the infomation.

[OakLeaf]

Okay I understand now. With a cleated cycling shoe, there was no way to get your foot out of a toe clip unless you loosened the strap. Guess no one remembers those :) The cleat was just a channel maybe 3-4 mm deep that locked your foot onto the rear edge of the pedal. Thanks for the explain.

[Meaux]

I have the Keo Classics on my bike, I like them a lot. I use them with the red cleats because there's a lot of float on them, which I like. I had the SPD's on my mountain bike shoes, they were okay, but I really like the Keos.

[Zen]

No
Yes
The other way around
No