Going back to unclipped (cages) from clips

[skywalkerbeth]

Hello

The thread from yesterday articulated what I've been thinking since I went clipless: this seems to be adding a subtle layer of uneasiness to my morning rides. I've fallen twice, left side, and the second fall was definitely because I could not get my foot out in time - and I was preparing for a left side dismount, this wasn't a sudden surprise stop.

How many of you tried clips and decided against committing to them and went back to either cages or platforms? I'm debating this and I'd like to hear from others who switched back and what they thought. I know I can give this more time, but I have friends who ride pretty seriously (meaning weekends devoted to riding, mini triathlons, etc) and went to clips a few years ago and they still feel uneasy with them.

I REALLY don't want platforms, but I'm starting to think I want to go back to a cage. It's kind of a middle ground I think - I do not tighten the cages, they are just there and offer some sort of upward resistance when my shoes hits them so I'm unlikely to have my foot slide off the pedal. I can get in and out quickly. I realize my feet aren't going to be planted in the same spot if I change back.

I'm fine using the clipless when I'm moving (for the most part) but I'm always aware that something may come up that will make getting my feet down quickly a necessity and I'm still just not confident about that - not yet, and who knows if ever. Controlled things (meaning stop signs) are bad enough and those are the easiest... what about stopping or starting on a hill, for instance. Or a surprise. I dread each and every stop sign when I see it coming, and as my rides get longer I am going to encounter more of them. I think I'm afraid of somehow losing momentum as I cross the street and fall IN the street!

All the reasons for the clips I'm not seeing yet. It hasn't made me faster, that I can tell. What will make me faster is more riding. Everyone has said "clips are so much safer" which I think is plain and simply horse puckey.

I am not confident that I'm not going to end up getting hurt before this is all over, and the entire reason I want to ride is to get in better shape and enjoy myself - and my goal is this century ride three months off. I don't care how fast I finish this century, I just want to finish it.

Dunno. I know this sounds like a lot of rationalizing... I feel kind of wussy about it...

[ny biker]

If you don't like them, take them off. Nothing to think about. You can always try again at a later date if you feel like it.

[Rchan]

I went clipless in January of this year, and most the time I thought I liked them. But I had a total of 4 falls. 2 the first day trying to stop (newbie falls), 1 on an 18% grade I could not sustain, and was going too slow to be able to get out of the pedals, and simply fell in slow motion trying to unclip. First 3 falls I had only bruising. Mother's Day, however, in a downpour, in a gentle turn my tires slipped abruptly, I heard a "pop, pop" before I even hit the ground, and I tore my ACL and MCL, entirely due to the clips not unclipping. I have switched out my shoes and pedals, had to wait 6 weeks to get back on my bike, tho I did use my trainer, and now, I even have a faster average than I did before my injury, which seems unreal. I thought I had read everything related to cycling, but I have since found out that women tear their ACL 10 x as often as men. I think they are dangerous. Everyone has their own comfort level, skills, etc, but no more clips for me ever!

[KnottedYet]

I liked my Frogs quite a lot. Passive release, extremely easy to use.

What I didn't like was having to change shoes just to ride my bike, and not being able to shift my foot placement on a whim.

They gained me about 1 mph, but overall I didn't feel they were worth the hassle. I felt fine and safe and not clumsy with them, they were just a hassle for the kind of riding I do most.

All my bikes have pinned BMX pedals, which I adore. (I am such a geek, that I even have a box of spare pins in 2 different lengths and play with my pin pattern and pin heights.)

I also have a long-handled pedal wrench. I highly recommend getting a wrench with an extra-long handle, it makes a HUGE difference. Even I, wonder-wuss that I am, can get my pedals on and off by myself whenever I want to switch them around.

A collection of pedals, a long-handled pedal wrench, and you can Rule the World!

[wackyjacky1]

I recently switched to BMX-style platforms and LOVE them. (Read thread here.)

Caveat: I never did clipless (they scared me, shoes+pedals always felt too expensive for my budget, and they didn't seem necessary for my fairly casual riding/commuting style) so I can't speak from experience in that department. I went from cages to platforms and have absolutely no regrets.

[roadie gal]

I think the cages are more dangerous than the clipless pedals because they tend to grab your feet more if you fall, but going back to platforms is certainly your choice if you don't enjoy being clipped in.

[Jolt]

Caveat: I never did clipless (they scared me, shoes+pedals always felt too expensive for my budget, and they didn't seem necessary for my fairly casual riding/commuting style) so I can't speak from experience in that department. I went from cages to platforms and have absolutely no regrets.

You sound just like me... I find the thought of the whole clipless thing scary as heck and impractical for errand riding around town, plus am not a fan of having to have special shoes (that I wouldn't be able to walk in when I get off the bike to do whatever). I'm sure they help with speed, which I certainly could use help with, but the safety issues outweigh that advantage for me. Glad to hear I'm not the only one who continues to use platforms.

[trista]

I rode with SPDs on my road bike for 1 season and decided to go back to platforms. Maybe frogs would have been better for me, or some other system, but it was SPDs I tried and they didn't work for me so I decided I wanted to ride free.

For me, clipless is really dangerous. I had one fall that was extremly painful, leaving me with a humongous bruise on my hip and limping for days. Plus I just do not like the idea of being attached to the bike if something were to happen.

I prefer riding free because I want to be able to move my feet around. I want to select my shoes on a whim. I can wear running shoes to ride to the track for a run... or my sandles to ride to the pool for a swim.

When I switched back to platforms, my speed & calorie burn didn't change, so I figure it wasn't worth the risk anyway.

[Geonz]

On my commuter bike, I've got toe clips with no straps. I've never done clipless - one more thing to forget... the cost...
Another option would be to get on a trainer and practice the getting on and off routine 'til it becomes motor memory.
On my go-faster bike I've got clips and straps adn they work fine for me.
If you go back to cages, you can always change your mind.

[Owlie]

Clipless, IMHO, is completely not worth it on a commute/errand bike or if you ride in urban areas. There's not enough open road to get the benefits of clipless, but you get all the hassles of having to clip in and out, and you have to do it more often. Plus the shoe thing. I use SPDs, so I can walk around just fine, but it would necessitate bringing a second pair of shoes.

I'd put clipless on a fun-only road bike in a heartbeat, but probably just BMX pedals on an errand bike. I should add, though, that I went straight from platforms to clipless. The movement necessary to get out of cages is not exactly intuitive for me, and would probably have been more dangerous.

[ZenBiker]

I agree there's no real need for clipless for most commuter/errand bikes (though there are some folks with long enough commutes to be an exception!). I chose to be clipless on both my road and commuter bike just because I want clipping out to be pure reflex. I don't want my brain to have to jump through the "which bike am I on?" hoop before reacting in a tight spot. Others may have more nimble minds. Plus having gotten comfortable with clipless, I do prefer them to platforms now even on short trips. But preferring and needing are two different things, and no one needs to feel like they have to use clipless.

[featuretile]

I use platforms with half toe clips (no strap). They are easy to get into and feel like there is nothing obstructing getting out. I have never fallen because I could not get out, so I don't have any anxiety. I also tore my ACL skiing some years ago, and don't want to risk re-injury.

First, I used plain athletic shoes, but people in the club kept telling me about how much more power you have with a stiff sole. So, I bought a pair of cycling shoes at a PI outlet store and use them with the half toe clips, but no cleat. It is also easier to walk in them. The mountain bike soles are a little too thick to fit well in the half toe clips. Anyway, that worked even better then the athletic shoes. So, that's my recommendation.

[rivergal]

I grew up on cages - that was all we had on my brother's 10 speeds growing up. So when I got my first road bike of my own 3 years ago that's what I had. Found out pretty quickly that I wanted something better, but was still a bit leery of clipless, mainly because of knee issues.

What I ended up with were Power Grips, which I love. Very easy for me to get used to, just angle in and straighten, and your feet are in the grip.

They don't give quite as much power perhaps as clipless, but they're miles above cages, and I don't need special shoes, above some athletics with fairly smooth soles. Right now I'm using the Pearl Izumi Syncro Seek II running shoes.

Here's the link to Power Grips http://www.mountainracingproducts.co...rips-products/
My first set were the performance group. The second set I used the strap kit with purple VP MTB pedals. They're about $60-70 on ebay for the set, and $20 or so for the strap kit.

For me, this was a good compromise. I'm planning to pick up another set for the bike I"m putting together.

[skywalkerbeth]

I never did update this, although I think I announced this elsewhere...

I had a pro-fit done 6 weeks ago. For other reasons I've been off the bike for two months, so this wkd was my first ride after the pro-fit (BG - Specialized).

At any rate, he talked me into spds. WOW. SO easy. As in, astoundingly easy. You don't even realize you just clipped in when you put your foot on them, and getting out is super easy - barely a flick in either direction.

The anxiety factor has gone down significantly now. As I use them more and more and realize the odds of going down at weird times has decreased I'll feel better.

I've no doubt challenges will remain, such as if I go up a hill and get way too slow or have to stop quickly, or even re-starting on a hill perhaps.. but this is so much better.

It also makes "starting off" easier because I don't actually have to have one foot clipped in to do so. By this I mean the speedplays were so foreign to me (and tiny) that unclipping both feet meant a big hassle getting going after a stop. The shoes were so slippery and the pedal so small that trying to pedal without the foot being clipped was actually kind of dangerous. You couldn't rely on it to cross a street safely after a stop.

My old flow with cages was first right foot down, and the left one down next so that each stop sign meant two feet planted. To start I'd kick the right pedal to get me moving and then mount. I can now do the same thing because clipping is so easy. Plus, the other side of the pedal has no clips which means I could choose from time to time, too.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

What I ended up with were Power Grips, which I love. Very easy for me to get used to, just angle in and straighten, and your feet are in the grip.
They don't give quite as much power perhaps as clipless, but they're miles above cages, and I don't need special shoes, above some athletics with fairly smooth soles. Right now I'm using the Pearl Izumi Syncro Seek II running shoes.
Here's the link to Power Grips http://www.mountainracingproducts.co...rips-products/
My first set were the performance group. The second set I used the strap kit with purple VP MTB pedals. They're about $60-70 on ebay for the set, and $20 or so for the strap kit.
For me, this was a good compromise. I'm planning to pick up another set for the bike I"m putting together.

I adore my Power Grip straps too, on both my bikes. Wouldn't use anything else if you paid me! Added bonus: you can adjust them a bit bigger in wintertime to perfectly fit around your nice snuggly warm insulated hiking boots with double heavy wool socks!