clipless pedals?

[sookiesue]

I am relatively new to road cycling, and have a two-day, 150 mile charity ride coming up in mid-September. I got a new bike about 3 weeks ago, and now am trying to decide if I should try out clipless pedals at this point or just stick with my flat pedals and gym sneakers and focus more on the training rather than adapting to something new. My husband insists that clipless pedals make a huge difference in preserving your energy because you can use more muscle groups, but the bike salesman (who does a lot of touring riding) told me he went back to regular pedals so he didn't have to deal with lots of different shoes and didn't find it to be a problem.

I just joined this forum and am very appreciative of all the questions and answers I have been reading!

[tangentgirl]

If your ride is in September, you have some time to get used to clipless pedals. They do make a huge difference, since you can power your bike both pushing and pulling.

They are relatively easy to install and remove, so you could always get a set, ride for a week or two, and if you feel like you are not going to be able to adjust in time for your ride, have them removed. You could also get a pedal wrench and remove them yourself - no bike shop trip required.

Good luck!

[westtexas]

I love being clipless. I'm not sure what the LBS guy meant about dealing with lots of different shoes - I've got one pair of shoes I always use with my bike, and you can walk around in them if you have to. I think the benefits of clipless are great and I'll never go back

[Owlie]

How do you feel about switching to clipless pedals? Were you riding before you got this new bike? Yes, they do allow you to use your hamstrings as well as your quads and can be really helpful on hills, but I wouldn't say it's the huge difference your husband says it is, or that you'd notice the benefits if you don't have a mileage base to begin with.

If you just got into riding, I would say that you should continue to build up your base and get comfortable with the bike and riding on roads and everything before you add clipless pedals into the mix. If you want a little more grip on the pedals, you can try toe cages or BMX pedals, which have little pins that grab the soles of your shoes.

Edit: I should say that I do ride with clipless pedals (Shimano SPDs) and love them, and I can walk around in the shoes. It did, however, take me nearly a year to make the leap.

[indysteel]

I don't know that there's any one right answer to this. I know plenty of people who waited to try clipless until they were more experienced on their bikes. I know people who don't use clipless at all. And then there are those, like me, who started using them right away. I like using them, personally, and didn't find them that hard to learn how to use. I use Look Keos by the way.

Give it a shot. The worst that happens is that you take them off and try them some other time.

[goldfinch]

I compromised because I do not feel ready for clipless. I got Power Grips. They are very easy to use.

[Nick]

I recently started with clipless (Crank Candy 3s) and they did take some getting used to. If you plan to get them for a mid-September ride, I would recommend getting them ASAP and riding with them as much as you possibly can before the long ride. For me, it's not the clipless pedaling that takes some getting used to -- that part is easy (and does seem more efficient). It's the clipping in and out. Personally, I would want to be comfortable with sudden starts and stops -- & handling unexpected jostling if I were planning a group ride.

[Jen12]

I just switched to clipless and I don't think they're all that. I haven't been on any super long rides, so I can't speak from personal experience as to feeling like they're more efficient. If anything, I feel more limited on them because you have to maintain a specific position.

[indysteel]

I just switched to clipless and I don't think they're all that. I haven't been on any super long rides, so I can't speak from personal experience as to feeling like they're more efficient. If anything, I feel more limited on them because you have to maintain a specific position.

To me, that's sort of the point. With a smooth pedal stroke, you don't want your foot moving around a lot. That's not to say that they're everybody, but I like them for sure. I haven't moved over to clipless yet on my mountain bike, and I find it rather distracting to have my feet all over the place. Of course, I don't quite feel ready for clipless from a skill standpoint, but not having fixed feet just feels weird to me after years of riding clipless on my road bike.

[ZenBiker]

I'm another one who was leery at first, worried about being able to clip out when I needed to. It did take me a while to get past that, but now I wouldn't ride without them. It just doesn't feel comfortable to have my feet "loose". For one thing, I tend to fly off a flat pedal because I'm expecting to stay attached through the top of the stroke. Can be quite unnerving when I want to get off to a quick start at an intersection. Anyway, because it may take a while for you to adjust (or just to decide if you do/don't like them) I might wait til after the Sept ride. Or, as some have suggested, be willing to take the pedals off if you aren't comfortable with them. You certainly don't have to use them, for this ride or ever for that matter. But you might love them!

By the way, I use Candies. I know they're not real road bike pedals but they're simple and consistent to use, and give me just enough platform to pedal on if I don't get clipped in right away at an intersection or just want one foot out for a bit in certain situations.

[Sky King]

Not that you need another opinion here but I ride the Shimano A530 - clipless on one side, platform on the other. I can clip in or not clip in, wear any shoe I feel like. Love, Love them. I also ride in a mountain bike shoe as opposed to a road shoe - the cleat is set deeper into the shoe so I have no problem walking. I noticed on our Iron Man triple brew pub tour that the ferries have signs posted with no cleated shoes on deck and I didn't have to worry as my cleats don't scratch a floor.

[Eden]

I also ride in a mountain bike shoe as opposed to a road shoe - the cleat is set deeper into the shoe so I have no problem walking. I noticed on our Iron Man triple brew pub tour that the ferries have signs posted with no cleated shoes on deck and I didn't have to worry as my cleats don't scratch a floor.

Technically they (the WA State ferries) want you to take off even your recessed cleat shoes (and it's not just cyclists, no soccer cleats/other sports either) because even recessed cleats can and do scratch floors. I wouldn't allow you to walk around on my wood or tile floors with them....

[Sky King]

Eden, thanks for the info. Now I feel bad about walking on the ferry as just because I know my cleat doesn't hit the floor doesn't mean I could have been setting a bad example. I too have a wooden floor and walk on it with my shoes, my metal cleat doesn't hit the floor. Next trip I will change out my shoes as I strap my merrill sandals on my rear rack so super easy to grab.

[sookiesue]

Thank you all for the input. I appreciate hearing about pros and cons, as well as types of pedals that work for different peoples' needs. I think I'll get some clipless pedals to try out on shorter/recovery rides but not feel too worried about adjusting to them or using them for my 150-mile event.
As Jen and Indysteel discussed, it seems to me that clipless pedals force you, for better or worse, to stay in one position. I tend to move my feet around on the pedal a lot to rest different muscles and to alleviate lower back pain and saddle discomfort. Any other thoughts/experiences about knee/back/saddle comfort related to the fixed location of a clipless pedal?
Thanks so much!

[indysteel]

I would argue that there are more effective ways of dealing with saddle, knee and back discomfort than moving your feet around on your pedals. But then again, I'm not sure any of the fit issues I've had on my bikes would have been alleviated by moving my feet around more. Even if you don't go with clipless pedals, there are benefits to wearing a stiff-soled shoe.

Admittedly, you need to know how to set the cleats up correctly in the first place. Some people swear by float to address knees issues; some people insist that float hurts their knees. If you do go with a no-float cleat (like an SPD), then you really have to get it set up correctly or it will likely give you knee problems.

Have you talked to a fitter about your bike fit in general and/or clipless shoes?