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

[RoadRaven]

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???

[DeniseGoldberg]

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

[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.

[effulgent]

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.

Don't forget to drink the Kool-Aid!

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.

[spazzdog]

Which brings us to the dictionary portion of our program:

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

spazz

[RoadRaven]

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?