Clipless... clip-in... whats with the jargon?

Ok... I have to say it... cause it has been bugging me since I started reading cycling articles and forums...

Maybe its mountain bike origins of which I freely admit I know little...

Maybe this question is hugely naive or dumb for some other reason...

But I havta, havta, havta ask....

Who on earth decided that pedals that you HAVE to CLIP your foot/shoe INto should be called clipless?????????

I used pedals with nothing but pedals when I was a kid...

When I started cycling again last year, I used pedals that had toe ends/cages and straps... I "strapped" or "tied" myself in...

Now I have cleats in my shoes and I "clip" IN

Please... someone explain the logic behind calling the pedals you clip IN to "clipless"???

Pleeeeeease???

I'm really guessing here, but I suspect it is related to toe clips. As in, before "clipless" pedals, cyclists used toe clips and straps. And to get a better connection, cleats on shoes slipped over the edge of the pedal, and straps were used to trap the riders shoe in the toe clip and support pulling up and back.

So today's clipless pedals are missing the old toe clip - even though we clip our shoes in to the pedals.

--- Denise

Nobody's ever explained the why's and wherefore's to my satisfaction, either.

I suspect (though I may be ceremonially stripped of my cleats for letting the secret out), that such senseless language is nothing more (or less) than a rite of initiation. Once you can comfortably talk about "clipping in" to "clipless" pedals, you are an initiate to the cult, and there is no turning back. Kind of like a secret handshake.

This is my current theory and I'm sticking with it until proven wrong.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MomOnBike

Nobody's ever explained the why's and wherefore's to my satisfaction, either.

I suspect (though I may be ceremonially stripped of my cleats for letting the secret out), that such senseless language is nothing more (or less) than a rite of initiation. Once you can comfortably talk about "clipping in" to "clipless" pedals, you are an initiate to the cult, and there is no turning back. Kind of like a secret handshake.

This is my current theory and I'm sticking with it until proven wrong.

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Don't forget to drink the Kool-Aid! :D

Seriously, though, Denise has it right according to my husband. The Clip referred to is the toe clip that wraps around the shoe. Clipless simply means that there is no toe clip to cover the toe of the shoes. Why they didn't name the new peddles to be Click-in or snap-in or something that actually makes sense is beyond me.

Which brings us to the dictionary portion of our program:

"clip-less" is synonomous with "clip-ins" which is synonomous with "step-ins"

spazz

Thanks ladies... kind've what I was wondering

This historically has been a male-dominated sport --- dare I ask if this is an example of how men will not change terminolgy to something logical and let jargon evolve?

I don't know... maybe?

I would have called them "bike bindings" due to the resemblace to "ski bindings", but I tend to be way practical sometimes... really, sometimes I am.

spazz

Why do we drive on the parkway and park in the driveway? :p

Um... parkway?
Don't know that term down in the antipodes...

parkway=street. In my old home state of Indiana, the streets named "parkway" usually had center medians with grass on them and ran by the edge of the river but I can't speak for the other 48, New Mexico is a desert state and very old Spanish stettlements here so everything has Spanish names.

Gotta love the differences nah? :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by spazzdog

I don't know... maybe?

I would have called them "bike bindings" due to the resemblace to "ski bindings", but I tend to be way practical sometimes... really, sometimes I am.

spazz

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LOL, I have an acquaintance who thought they worked like that too... they'd automatically release in the event of a wipe out... NOT....

Well they kinda due assuming your feet point in the right position... mine don't.

spazz

LOL... does anyone's feet point in the "right" direction willingly???

Thanks for the definition of parkway, btw :o