Clipless Pedals

[Jen12]

I'm new to road-cycling and wondering if there is a real, concrete reason to go for clipless pedals right now. I bought my bike used, and the person I bought it from had aerobars and clipless pedals on the bike. I took off the pedals and put on cheap flat ones, wanting to get used to the bike itself before attaching myself to it (also wanting to not spend the money that shoes cost). I also removed the aerobars, after experimenting with them because where I ride there are a lot of obstacles---cars, traffic lights, pedestrians, other riders, etc--and I felt it took too much time to keep moving my hands back and forth to the brakes.

I'm reconsidering the pedal thing. I've seen the pedals where one side is flat and the other side has the piece to clip into, and I think that would be a good step between what I have now and the totally clipless ones that were originally on my bike. I'm wondering if there is really a benefit (other than on hills) to spending what will amount to about $200 for shoes plus new pedals. Money is tight right now, but I could sacrifice some other things if this really is beneficial to riding.

At this point, I'm looking at doing long distance riding, versus triathalons, if that makes a difference. What do you all think? Did you move into clipless over time? Is it worth the financial investment if I'm not all about speed?

[Marquise]

I love clipless pedals now but they were too much when I first started riding and was getting used to the bike, traffic. etc. I rode for a month or so without them to get used to the bike, and I didn't feel really confident for a quite while after I was clearly capable. No need to get them unless and until you're ready.

[jessmarimba]

Clipless has its pros and cons. I had clipless on my old mountain bike (that I also used to commute) but I'm not interested in putting them on my current commuter/everything bike at the moment. As someone has mentioned lately, they change the trajectory of a fall (which for me, is just a mental block that I'm not interested in overcoming at the moment) and the added power they would give me isn't worth the inconvenience of trying to either trackstand or unclip at every light I encounter on my ride to work. I might reconsider if I start doing longer distance rides out of the city or using my bike to go bike camping.

I'm not a fan of the half-and-half pedals. But again - just me.

My younger sister switched to clipless on her road bike because she found a pair of bike shoes and fell in love with them...and needed the pedals to match. So you'll find a reason to switch when you're ready, or you don't ever have to switch if you don't want.

[alice]

I use clipless pedals on longer rides where I don't anticipate stopping more than once every five minutes or so. The reason that I switched to them was because I actually felt need to for that type of riding, not because I felt like I should. I basically got tired of my feet falling off the pedals (or even just moving around on the pedals) at inopportune times, so I knew it was time for a switch.

I think you'll know when you're ready; in the meantime, don't worry about it if you don't want to.

[MollyJ]

I've just finished ride #4 on my new bike with clipless peddles.

Ride #1 would be fodder for a comedy, no doubt. Ride #2 was nominally better. Ride #3 I started to feel less goofy and more efficient. Today was impressive.

There are safety concerns. My first rides were on streets with low traffic and I still have yet to plug myself into my ipod while cycling on my new bike. But every ride it gets easier to slide in and out of the locks and I'm not needing to unlock 25 feet away from stop signs. If I start up and don't lock in I've come to some peace with finding that spot for my foot to rest on the peddle platform and just get moving and then get locked in. It's not perfect.

But when it works, it's marvelous.

I think that you just get more power out of each pedal rotation. Though I don't _know_ this with my form, I believe that I am able to utilize the upstroke a bit better. I believe that the techology was developed to help you maximize performance. I think I feel that the most when it's me and the long road, which I did today. (Maybe like, would you rather drive a Jaguar in town or on the open road?)

Perhaps like you, I went from flat to drop-down handlebars. So wasn't that enough change without adding clipless peddles? Well, possibly God protects fools and fifty year old women on new bikes.

There's no one time line that says do this, then do that, then that. It's your ride. Enjoy yourself and keep it enjoyable. You'll know when its time.

[Koronin]

I have regular platform pedals on my Mountain bike and the ones that are platform on one side and clipless on the other side on my road bike. I think the one for my right foot isn't adjusted correctly because it can be difficult to unclip it and that is the foot I need upclipped when I stop. So I end up riding have the time with my left foot clipped in and my right foot unclipped. But I also like these pedals because I can also ride with my regular tennis shoes if I choose to.

[Owlie]

If you're riding in urban areas, I don't think clipless is worth it. There's too much stopping and you don't get the full benefits, but all the hassles.

That said, I think I improved my speed and climbing skills (well, not saying much) with clipless because you do get more power--you can utilize the upstroke. It's also really useful if you start flagging--I just tell myself to pull up, and it takes some of the burden of my tired quads.

Part of me would also like to take the pedals off so going for a ride doesn't have to be a big production, and I can just wear my regular shoes.

Don't change it because you feel you have to to be a "big girl." If you reach a point where you want to try it, for whatever reason (and yes, that can be "just because"), go for it.

[Catrin]

There are advantages to being clipless - it aids in hill climbing and because we can use the entire pedal stroke we use less energy over the same route, and more security in a cross wind (at least to me there is). There are advantages to a good set of BMX or other quality platform pedal - poor quality platforms are not worth the frustration - one less step involved in stopping, wider range of shoes, etc.

There are cyclists who will say that you can't "be" a cyclist without being attached to your bike - but that is of course just silliness. If you want to try it then go for it, but it isn't required. I only do it because all of my riding is in the country. I am fortunate that while I do live in the city, I can ride - or drive - to my beloved country roads very quickly. I do not care for urban riding, but if I DID, I would certainly use my BMX peals rather than clipping in.

[emily_in_nc]

I don't agree with those who don't like riding clipless in urban areas, BUT (big caveat) I have been riding clipless for well over a decade and would feel naked without them. My feet would flying everywhere! :D They're as natural to me as bread and butter. But I probably wouldn't START with them in an urban area b/c there is a lot of stopping and starting. It would be a challenging way to learn clipless, and scary.

With mine (Eggbeater Candies), I can pedal with the second foot out of the clip if needed and a lot of stops are anticipated. But I always keep my first foot clipped in. Helps give leverage for all those starts!

[Becky]

What Emily said. Clipless and urban/near-urban riding can be done, and I find it beneficial. Occasionally annoying, depending on traffic, but beneficial overall.

[withm]

No worse than driving a stick-shift car in traffic.

[KnottedYet]

Just depends on what you feel like.

Like Catrin said, you don't have to ride clipless to be a "big girl" or a "real" cyclist.

I rode with toe clips for decades, then took a bike skills class AND STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF CLASS to remove my toe clips. The wild things we did in class made it very clear to me that my beloved toe clips had some limitations.

Later I got Speedplay Frogs (IMHO the easiest and most foolproof of all the clipless systems, which is why I bought them). Loved them.

Rode a bike with BMX pedals (the huge flat things with pins sticking up all over them like hedgehogs). Fell in love with them, and now have BMX pedals on all my bikes.

Platforms, BMX, clipless, toe clips - doesn't matter. The most important thing is that you have a pedal wrench and know how to use it!

Have a wardrobe of pedals just like you have a wardrobe of clothes, and change whenever you feel like it! THAT'S where all the fun is!

Every woman should have her own pedal wrench and her own vibrator, and know how to use both. ;)

[alice]

Just depends on what you feel like.
Platforms, BMX, clipless, toe clips - doesn't matter. The most important thing is that you have a pedal wrench and know how to use it!


I concur! It really doesn't take more than 3-5 minutes to change pedals. I have friends who ride platforms during the week and clipless on the weekends.

[Jen12]

Just depends on what you feel like.

Platforms, BMX, clipless, toe clips - doesn't matter. The most important thing is that you have a pedal wrench and know how to use it!

Have a wardrobe of pedals just like you have a wardrobe of clothes, and change whenever you feel like it! THAT'S where all the fun is!

Every woman should have her own pedal wrench and her own vibrator, and know how to use both. ;)

LOL..pedals as accessories. Love it!

[westtexas]

I concur! It really doesn't take more than 3-5 minutes to change pedals. I have friends who ride platforms during the week and clipless on the weekends.

Well, maybe not your first time doing it! I think it took me like 15 minutes the first time and my hands got FILTHY.

For me... when I started riding my road bike, it came with clipless. I rode it that way for a long time. I only switched them out once for regular flat pedals so I could ride with my (very slow) friend because I had to keep stopping. But I went back when she moved on to running instead of riding. I LOVE them. Can't imagine it being any other way. It's just one less thing to think about while you are zipping along.

[jennyrc]

I was worried about clipless when I started too...However, you can adjust your pedals to how "easy" it is to clip out of. So my shoes clip out with not much of a turn in my foot, and that makes me feel better about the whole clipless thing. Also, after pedaling up your first hill with clipless you might just be convinced they are worth it...I was :)
Also, there are some discount websites that people on this forum have turned me onto...the one I've been impressed with is bikenashbar
So, if you decide you want to go clipless (and can go to your lbs to find what size you need in a specific brand), you can probably get a basic shoe/clip setup for around $100

[Catrin]

.....
Platforms, BMX, clipless, toe clips - doesn't matter. The most important thing is that you have a pedal wrench and know how to use it!

Have a wardrobe of pedals just like you have a wardrobe of clothes, and change whenever you feel like it! THAT'S where all the fun is!

Every woman should have her own pedal wrench and her own vibrator, and know how to use both. ;)

Seems to cover it all, especially that last line :cool: :D

[zoom-zoom]

I still have yet to plug myself into my ipod while cycling on my new bike.

No one picked up on this, so I will.

Don't get in the habit of riding with music. I tried it a couple of times with just 1 earbud, out of curiosity, but I didn't like it (and my hubby really tsk tsk'd). While running I will have sport headphones that allow ambient noise and keep the volume low, but then I am facing traffic, not going at high speeds, and the wind doesn't distort the speakers and make me have to have the volume too high for safety or for the health of my hearing.

To the OP, I would ditch the tri bars for now. I'm a relative noob, though I've put close to 5k miles on my road bikes in less than 18 months -- I still don't feel comfortable with the thought of tri bars. I may get some clip on ones for future time trials or duathlons, but I wouldn't use them much otherwise. Definitely not while riding with others.

[trista]

I don't ride clipless. I did for awhile on my road bike, but I decided over time that I just didn't care for it and didn't see any benefit, so I went back to regular shoes on flat pedals. I'm very happy riding free and wouldn't have it any other way.

I've discovered that I can get power to nearly all of my pedal stroke when riding free that doesn't involve mashing. It's just all about technique.

Regarding the iPod, I used mine a lot on the bike when I was riding on my slower hybrid. But when i switched to the road bike, I had to stop, because at higher speeds the wind whooshed in my headphones and it was too loud.

[teawoman]

I went clipless after a couple of years in toeclips. Nothing says you have to do it; if you want to try it, wait until you feel you're ready. Even after a year I still unclip waaaaaaaaaay before lights and stopsigns.