To cleat or not to cleat?

[Bethany1]

From someone who just crashed re-learning a road bike (not due to pedals just stupidity) take time to learn to ride first. I put plastic BMX pedals on my fat bike which I love as they are large and give tons of leverage for climbing. I'm looking for nicer flatform/bmx pedals for my new cross bike. I liked these xpedo ones and put them on my wish list. Given you have a Dolce which is far sweet and feminine looking than my aggressive cross bike, these may look kind of "off".

I do have a pair of really nice shoes and clipless pedals that are awesome, but I'm still unstable enough that they are put away. I use a pair of skateboard shoes as they are stiff and flat when I go mountain biking.

Enjoy the learning process and have fun.

[luvmyguys]

When I got my roadie, I hadn't really been on a bike since my early 20's, and I was never what you call coordinated. I was somewhat in the same position that you're in now, and I jumped into clipless pedals way too soon. The result was about 6 falls in 30 minutes - not what I'd recommend. I got the pedals with a platform on one side and the clip-in on the other, so I could choose when I was ready. Three months later, I was better able to handle the clipless pedals, and I have been okay ever since.

I'm with the others - wait.

[gocard]

I have been road cycling around 5 months and only just made the switch to clipless shoes. While it was my first road bike, I felt that I adjusted to it pretty easily and I believe part of that reason is because I wore running shoes instead of going straight to clipless. I knew that I'd be able to put my feet on the ground in an instant if I needed to, and that left me free to concentrate on getting used to the bike first.

I have the Shimano A530 pedals because at the time, I wasn't comfortable with the idea of being clipped in and it was nice to use the platform side first and not have to get new pedals if I ever decided to switch.

I actually like the A530s a lot - I got fairly used to being able to switch to the platform side without having to look down (when I was wearing running shoes). For me, I think I was better off having waited until I truly felt comfortable enough on the bike before moving to clipless shoes. Just go at your own pace and wait until you feel like you want to make the switch, if at all.

[Jolt]

Another platform pedal user here...I just don't like the idea of being attached to the pedals in a way that will make it hard to do an emergency stop without it turning into a crash. Have thought about putting on a set of mini toe clips, just to prevent inadvertently coming off the pedals on trails or rough roads, but haven't done it yet. My other reason for not going clipless is the need for special shoes that aren't always so good for walking in, as opposed to being able to just go for a ride in regular sneakers/sandals. Why overcomplicate things?

[Over50Newbie]

Another senior biker who does not clip in and I definitely consider myself a "real bicyclist."

I do have straps on my pedals to help me "pull" on hills, but I keep them really loose so I will never have trouble getting my feet out in an emergency.

Here is a pic of what I have.

http://bicycling.about.com/od/allabo...e_pedals_3.htm

Lynette

[Crankin]

I started riding on a mountain bike with slick tires. I very quickly went from sneakers to a pair of mountain bike shoes without the cleats installed. I quickly learned that I needed the stiff sole of a cycling shoe. After awhile, I had the cleats installed, to use in spin class. I am not sure how/why, but I continued to use these shoes with my flat pedals. I guess the recessed cleat didn't interfere. I am pretty sure I didn't have a second pair of shoes. After about a year and a half, I bought a road bike, with spd pedals. I was already used to clipping in and out from spin class, and although I was scared and went slowly (I spent 3 weeks riding on flat streets, with one foot clipped out), I never crashed.
I guess the message is I took this in stages and I was ready in each stage. Although I was not as much as of a beginner as the OP, I was 47 years old, and I am not particularly coordinated.
Some people like using Power Straps, which give you the same ability to "pull" as clipless pedals, but are attached to flat pedals. You use the same motion to get out of these straps as getting out of cleats, so it is a good intermediate step for a lot of people. They are more intuitive than the old fashioned cages.

[lph]

What they all said. While all elite riders use cleats, because they add a little more power to your pedal stroke, there are many many experienced, veteran, long-distance riders who don't, for various reasons. I commuted without cleats for many years. Everyone blathered on about how I should have them so I tried, and to tell you the truth I still don't think the added power is particularly noticeable. But I quickly got used to the ease of being attached and not being able to slide off, it's relaxing in a different way, believe it or not. So now I use them all the time, and feel very unsafe without, like I'm about to pop off my pedals any moment!

Once you want to try them you'll need a while to engrain the muscle memory, and once you do it's second nature. But there certainly are advantages to cycling without too, like wearing regular shoes.

[JasonM]

At first I've been using flat pedals. But most of my friends are shifting into clipless pedals. They suggest that i should change too since its more efficient especially on long rides and uphills. they i get used to it a couple of tries then im confident enough for long rides with clipless pedals.

[Trek420]

Thanks for the bump.

All 10 (yikes. How did that happen?) of our bikes are platform pedals, various and sundry brands and kinds. I had to give up on clipless because of a foot injury. My road bike shoe days are over.

I don't miss it. All of our platform pedals are grippy, steady, can even stand on a hill or to accelerate. The only time I miss clipless a teeny tiny bit is on descents. With clipless there's little to no risk of loss of contact with the pedal when you hit a bump. I really felt connected with the bike. That can happen with platform but has not yet.

OTOH or foot, OTOF with platforms I can just grab a bike and go. I never even have to change shoes though sometimes do for footwear that's a little stiffer and or more grippy.