Why should my feet be attached to the pedals?

[GulfCoastAmy]

I am so confused about all this clipless, toe clips, straps, cage stuff. I have done searches to read up on the different options and I have learned a lot about the different types and how to use them. But I have yet to read anything that tells me the point of attaching your feet to the pedals. I'm sure there must be a good reason, but it seems to be a well kept secret. :confused:

[Biciclista]

the point is that you conserve energy. You can use the whole 360 degrees of your stroke with power if you want to. I've found particularly on hills that the motion from 6 oclock to 10 o'clock is a great way to power up a hill.

Now if you're happy not being clipped in, don't do it.

[Veronica]

You don't have to have your feet attached to the pedals in any way at all.

People will tell you you get more power through your stroke because you can actively pull up when attached. Maybe you can... I don't know. It seems to me that a push is more powerful than a pull and one leg is always pushing, while the other is pulling. People will tell you that it works for them, but I don't see it.

I've ridden both ways and done some serious road climbing unclipped, but I generally ride clipped in because I prefer it that way. I don't think about my feet at all and I like the connection to the bike and I like the stiffness of my bike shoes.

Ride what makes YOU happy.

Veronica

[salsabike]

Another good reason is that your feet don't slip off the pedals when it's wet, when you're making a lot of effort going up a hill, etc. That was the original reason I switched, because I ride through the winter here, in the rain, and my feet would slip going up a particularly tough and traffic-ridden hill, and it scared the crap out of me.

[Veronica]

Another good reason is that your feet don't slip off the pedals when it's wet, when you're making a lot of effort going up a hill, etc. That was the original reason I switched, because I ride through the winter here, in the rain, and my feet would slip going up a particularly tough and traffic-ridden hill, and it scared the crap out of me.

Now that's a good reason. :)

Veronica

[KathiCville]

I biked for about a year without clipping in. Then I made the switch. Wow! What a difference! I get MUCH more power out of each pedal stroke when I'm clipped in. Instead of wasting energy trying to keep my foot in the right spot on the pedal, the clip does it for me. So all of my motion and energy goes into moving the pedal smoothly and strongly. Now I can't imagine doing a ride of any length without the benefit of being clipped in.

I do 'cheat' a little bit by not having clip-in-only pedals. Mine are platform pedals with a Shimano SPD clip system installed on one side; smooth, flat 'traditional' surface on the other. When I'm coming to halt or worried about something like a dog running out into the road, I'll gently clip out, flip the pedal over and use the flat surface for a few pedal strokes.

I also have my clip-in tension set pretty loose, so that anything stronger than a hiccup:) releases the cleat almost automatically. So, if I panic and can't turn my heel out in time, I basically pop out straight up!:p;) The set-up has been working almost perfectly for me for over a year now.

[GulfCoastAmy]

Hmmmm... I am intrigued. Thanks for the answers! They sound especially great from the standpoint of making hills a little easier.

[Eden]

I also have my clip-in tension set pretty loose, so that anything stronger than a hiccup:) releases the cleat almost automatically. So, if I panic and can't turn my heel out in time, I basically pop out straight up!:p;) The set-up has been working almost perfectly for me for over a year now.

Be very careful with that - if you do ever have occasion to stand up or try to sprint away (say you get chased by a dog or are trying to get out of the way of a car) you can take a nasty spill if both of your feet pop out of your cleats at the same time.

[KathiCville]

Good point, Eden! So far I haven't come unclipped when I haven't wanted to be, but it's good to keep that possibility in mind. (And my description of a hiccup being enough to unclip me is a little exaggerated, LOL! It takes a quick hard yank upward driven by panic.;)).....Overall, I guess I'd rather unclip a little too easily than find myself unable to get off my bike in a flash if I need to.

[indigoiis]

I went from flat, to cages (and once you master cages with straps, you can for sure master clipless) to clipless with encouragement from redrhodie and my husband. I love it. It feels right in the same way a safety belt feels right in a car.

I'm still getting used to my mountain bike clipless, though. I have a tougher time with that. Left foot is mostly clipped out.

[Ana]

For more tipping power ;)

Just kidding :p I just couldn't resist :D

[Jolt]

Does anyone use Powergrips? I am thinking about trying them to ride more efficiently while still being able to wear whatever shoes but would like to hear from people who have experience using them. Are they easy to get your foot out of at stoplights etc.?

[TsPoet]

Does anyone use Powergrips? I am thinking about trying them to ride more efficiently while still being able to wear whatever shoes but would like to hear from people who have experience using them. Are they easy to get your foot out of at stoplights etc.?

I love the powergrips on my trike. I know lots of folks who like them on 2-wheeled bents. Maybe I would master them on a two-wheeler if I needed to, but I find them harder to get out of then my clipless pedals. It's a similar motion though, twist out.
They work pretty well to improve power transfer and keep your feet on the pedals. Not quite as good as clipless, but you can get a fairly tight connection and twist out with them. I do really like using street shoes on my trike.
You could also get pedals with two sides - clips on one and platform on the other.

[Crankin]

Lisa uses them and loves them.
I recommended them to a friend who was a new cyclist and she loved them so much, she eventually got clipless pedals, even though she said she never would...

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I love the powergrips on my trike. I know lots of folks who like them on 2-wheeled bents. Maybe I would master them on a two-wheeler if I needed to, but I find them harder to get out of then my clipless pedals. It's a similar motion though, twist out.
They work pretty well to improve power transfer and keep your feet on the pedals. Not quite as good as clipless, but you can get a fairly tight connection and twist out with them. I do really like using street shoes on my trike.


Yep I love love love love my PowerGrips on both my bikes. :p
Especially when it's 30F degrees out and I can wear my insulated hiking boots with thick warm wool socks!
I love biking with any of my favorite comfortable shoes.
The straps also prevent my feet from slipping off the pedals when it's wet- a horrible feeling, espec. when going up a hill! :(

[KnottedYet]

I'm a psycho-nut for BMX pedals. Only one of my bikes has clipless (Speedplay Frogs), the others have BMX. I feel I have the same control and power with both, but feel more comfortable with the BMX over all. (Mind you, I am a masher. Always have been, and always will be.) I love being able to customize the grip surface with the set screws. I love replacing screws as they fall out. I love the huge platform that lets me wear any shoe, and grips beautifully.

Try anything that appeals to you. I would never have imagined I'd love BMX pedals so much. I was a devout cage user for 3 decades, then was a devout Frog user, now am equally in love with BMX. Experiment! :D

ETA: as a masher, I tend to pedal at a slower cadence and don't "pull up" on the pedals. Being attached to the pedals isn't as important to me as just having a good non-slip connection. Speedplay Frogs and BMX meet that need nicely, but I don't have a need to be attached. (If you want to get into the masher vs. spinner debate, do a search on slow-twitch and fast-twitch muscle fibers.)

[sundial]

I am a platform pedal user too--Wellgo MG-1's for me. I found platform pedaling to be more appropriate for me for a number of reasons. I don't have to adjust cleats on my shoes, walk in stiff soled shoes, I can change foot positions on the pedal, and can use most any shoe. I also wear 43's so a platform pedal works better for me.

Here's an interesting article about arch pedaling:

http://www.rivbike.com/article/clothing/the_shoes_ruse

[OakLeaf]

As far as clipping in, I'd say "whatever works for you," with the exception of climbing steep hills, where you do pull up quite a bit on the upstroke, and where your foot slipping off the pedal is extra likely because of the forces involved, yet could be disastrous.

But as far as the benefit of stiff soles, that article is way off base. Rhumpty-mumble years ago, when I got my first pair of cycling shoes, it added 1.5 mph (about 8%) to my average speed over a particular course, doing nothing else different - and that was a flat course. A pure 8% efficiency gain, just from the shoes. Your feet can't support themselves cycling as they do walking for the simple reason that your pedal is not the size of your whole foot. When walking or running, your points of attachment to the ground are the two corners of your heel, the heads of your first and fifth metatarsals, and your big toe. There's no bicycle pedal in the world that big, and there are reasons for that. (I'll leave the barefoot/foot pathology discussion to the running subforum, there's plenty of it there).

[SadieKate]

But as far as the benefit of stiff soles, that article is way off base. Rhumpty-mumble years ago, when I got my first pair of cycling shoes, . . . Your feet can't support themselves cycling as they do walking for the simple reason that your pedal is not the size of your whole foot. When walking or running, your points of attachment to the ground are the two corners of your heel, the heads of your first and fifth metatarsals, and your big toe. There's no bicycle pedal in the world that big, and there are reasons for that. (I'll leave the barefoot/foot pathology discussion to the running subforum, there's plenty of it there).

I agree. His statements about stiff soles are "a bunch of hooey." Otherwise, why would I need my stiff orthotics not only for cycling but for skiing where I have nearly the world's biggest platform? Your feet are very dynamic as they are pressed downward, sideways, etc. There's more to foot "bending" than just the forward motion of walking.

[velouria]

Another newbie here, on a bike after decades off. I'm still trying to figure out how to get both my feet into the straps/cages :o. Gravity dictates that their natural position is hanging upside down. I can generally get one foot in before take-off (still a bit awkward, but hey, I'm beyond using my hand now), but for the life of me, I can't get that second one in! I'm not going to stress about it too much; too busy familiarizing myself with more important things like brakes and gears and not running over pedestrians. It's just funny how, even though my general ability to ride a bike has remained intact after all these years, the "naturalness" of it hasn't quite come back yet.

[GLC1968]

I went from flat, to cages (and once you master cages with straps, you can for sure master clipless) to clipless with encouragement from redrhodie and my husband. I love it. It feels right in the same way a safety belt feels right in a car.


Ditto this. Though - I started with flat pedals and then cages on my MTB and when I bought the road bike, went directly to clipless. The guy in the shop was convinced that I'd kill myself or cause an accident - but it felt very natural to me from the start.

I have since moved my MTB to clipless as well, but it's not quite as natural (mostly because I'm a klutz on a mountain bike!).

When I was riding my around town bike (that had platform pedals) and had to stand to power up a small hill, I really hurt myself when my feet didn't stay on the pedals! Apparently, for me, it's quite natural to use both the upward and downward stroke and I can't do that on a flat pedal.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Another newbie here, on a bike after decades off. I'm still trying to figure out how to get both my feet into the straps/cages :o. Gravity dictates that their natural position is hanging upside down. I can generally get one foot in before take-off (still a bit awkward, but hey, I'm beyond using my hand now), but for the life of me, I can't get that second one in! I'm not going to stress about it too much; too busy familiarizing myself with more important things like brakes and gears and not running over pedestrians. It's just funny how, even though my general ability to ride a bike has remained intact after all these years, the "naturalness" of it hasn't quite come back yet.

Like you said, you get the first one in before you start forward, and use it for the first hard push to get rolling. I just put my foot on the other pedal any old way for the first few strokes to pick up some speed....and THEN I can stop pedaling for a second while i flip the other pedal and slip my foot in. (I use PowerGrip straps). Sounds more complex than it is though- only takes a second.
My husband uses cages but he has them adjusted so that he doesn't have to adjust the buckles to get in or out.

[alpinerabbit]

No one has yet explained why you get more power:

because you can get more muscles to work, hamstrings, glutes, core - you simply have twice the muscle. This doesn't necessarily translate into twice the speed, but maybe twice the endurance (or almost twice).

[KnottedYet]

When I switched from cages to Speedplay Frogs it made an immediate difference of 1 mph on my commute. I was chortling with glee as my 5 mph hill became a 6 mph hill.

That seemed to be the only difference they made speed-wise, but boy was it gratifying! :D

[PG^]

I have been riding for over 15 years, and have always ridden flats. I recently switched from MTB to cyclocross and was considering going clipless. After reading forums, checking out cleats, and talking to my chiropractor and physiotherapist family/friends, I have decided to stay on flats. Check out this site if you are interested in the flat pedal outlook (the guy has some poor spelling/grammar, but his reasons check out): http://www.bikejames.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/FPR-Manifesto-July-2014.pdf

On a somewhat related topic (sorry, new to this forum and cannot find a 'start forum' button), I am looking for some good shoes for flats. When riding on trails I always had to settle for a skate style shoe, but want something a bit more streamlined for cyclo. 5-10s look fine with armour and MTB clothes, but look a bit weird when riding drop bars in the city. For pedals I have settled on Xpedo Traverse 7, JEK or Faceoff 18, but shoes are another matter. I want the grip of the 5-10 style rubber but something that looks a bit less juvenile. Some people suggest plain old hikers, but this does not work as the soles are rough and do not give proper traction on the pedal (to many ridges in the sole).
Does anyone else have advice on balancing flat pedal riding with not looking like a 13 year old skater boy? Should I just write to 5-10 and beg them to make a shoe that appeals to 30-something women? http://fiveten.com/products/bike/all-mountain

Thanks!