Should I start rightoff with clipless or start with cages??

[woodlandsrider]

Hey gals...well I am going for my first ever fitting for my first road bike tonight and I have the clipless and shoes as well as cages and wondered if I should just start out with the clipless or what should I do? I will be doing a lot of trainer work as well as weekend rides. I am doing the 2008 MS 150 houston the austin...but have been nudged to just start right off with the clipless but not sure...whats your opinion

Angel

[alpinerabbit]

clipless. I will ride clipless on the trainer as well (just got one).
It's better for your legs than platforms and I can't imagine cages are as good in letting you pull up, and then there's the release problem.

[Jo-n-NY]

I also agree to go clipless right from the start. It is even better that you are on the trainer which is the perfect way to practice.

~ JoAnn

[indysteel]

I agree. Start with clipless. Practice in a doorway, then in a parking lot. Back the tension on the pedals off so that it's easy to get in and out. There is a learning curve, but it's not bad.

[mimitabby]

You know, since you've never been on the bike before and it is brand new; you might try the cages first.

i don't agree with the other two. Introduce 1 new variable at a time.

I just got a really expensive new bike. I had been riding clipless for 6 months and felt pretty confident. I bought a new pair of shoes and tried them and the new bike at the same time. you ought to see the nasty ding i put into the paint job floundering around there trying to get clipped in.
Try the bike with cages, get confident, then go for the clipless.
congrats on the new bike

[alpinerabbit]

I had a friend who let me try his expensive tri bike, clipless and all, all on my own. I've never fallen. (knock on wood). It's not that hard, you just have to keep it in mind.

[bike4ever]

My vote is clipless. I regularly suggest to customers to either use a plain platform pedal or go clipless. I believe the toe cages are more challenging to get in and out of - especially at an intersection.

[firenze11]

I had the same dilemma when I went to get my new bike. I'm a complete newbie and was questioning going straight to clipless. My LBS guy asked if I wanted to try the straps first, but suggested against it. He said the straps have to be pretty tight to help your stroke become more efficient/powerful and then you have the problem of getting out of them if they are too tight during an emergency. So he convinced me of going clipless, although I haven't gone in to get my pedals/shoes yet so I haven't had the joys of falling over or even really trying them out.

Good luck! I hope you have a wonderful time on your new bike.

~E.

[HoosierGiant]

I vote for clipless. When I got my first road bike two years ago I figured I might as well start there rather than learning a different system and then having to change later -- I hate change! Sure, it takes concentration at first, but you'll be amazed at how quickly the whole process becomes second-nature.

[KSH]

Hey gals...well I am going for my first ever fitting for my first road bike tonight and I have the clipless and shoes as well as cages and wondered if I should just start out with the clipless or what should I do? I will be doing a lot of trainer work as well as weekend rides. I am doing the 2008 MS 150 houston the austin...but have been nudged to just start right off with the clipless but not sure...whats your opinion

Angel

I test rode in cages... and fell over since my shoe got stuck. Right then and there I said get my clipless shoes and pedals... never rode my bike without them.

Here's a good tip... unclip the same foot everytime and do it BEFORE you apply your brakes. If you see that you might even be stopping unclip.

I only fell once in 3 years with my clipless pedals and shoes.

Good luck!

[PscyclePath]

Another vote here for going straight to clipless.

Check with your bike shop... there are several types of SPD pedals that have a rubber or plastic deal on them so that you have platform pedals on one side, and SPD clips on the other. This is a great way to transition from platform to clipless on your own schedule, plus it gives you an option fo the occasions when you want (or need) to ride in your street shoes.

I run Shimano SPD-SL pedals on both my road bikes... these too are one-sided pedals and the cleats are kind of big and clunky, but it gives you an option to ride easily with street shoes, or for the times when it takes you a little longer to get the pedal flipped right-side-up so that you can clip in.

Tom

[Possegal]

i agree with those that say why learn twice, just go right to the clipless. i'm one of those that finds the cages even more difficult to get out of and would never ride with them. right now i have pedals that have the platform on the other side and it has been helpful for the reasons others have said. i can ride with street shoes, i can unclip and ride on the other side if i think i'm about to need to stop quickly. and anyway, i've got a cool little war wound from my livestrong ride that i'm kinda proud of, lame though that is. this is what happens when you are busy worrying about the strange noise your sister's bike is making and you forget to notice that you've come to a complete stop. shin, meet curb, curb, this is my shin. it was funny hearing all the folks riding by yelling "been there done that". no one stopped but that could have been because my sister and i were laughing hysterically. i didn't notice the bleeding until i got back on my bike and was riding away. i'm a newbie, so take my advice for what it is worth, just had to share my picture.

[RoadRaven]

Well... I would never use anything else but clip-in pedals now (I refuse to call them clipless )...

But I did begin with cages - but the straps freaked me out. I felt trapped.
So we took the straps off. I had only the plastic cage on the pedals that I could slip into from behind or the side and no straps or ties to "fix" me to the bike.

This was a good stepping stone for me to using the clipin pedals/cleats on my shoes...

Just my experience...

[NadiaMac]

Something to consider: your bike fit will likely be different depending on cages/platform verses clipless (due to different size/shape of clipless shoes and the cleat, which can be bulky depending on the pedal system).

I went right to clipless pedals and recommend this approach if you are comfortable already on bikes/riding. If you are returning to riding after a gap, you might want to start with platforms until you are comfortable on the bike again (or ride on a trainer/spin bike clipped in until you are comfortable clipping in and out).

I personally think that cages are more challenging to beginners than clipless pedals because it is more difficult to get out of cages in a pinch (even if the straps are loose)--the "pull-back" motion required to remove your foot from the cage is awkward and much less intuitive than the "twist-foot" motion used for clipless systems. Plus, the cages can get tangled in your shoelaces.