Toe Clips??

[GreenLady]

Any recommendations for shoes and pedals to buy? I am looking at clipless pedals (and thank you for all the advice in this thread); what should I get? And what do you like?

Thank you!

[nuthatch]

We all have our favorites (just like saddles)! Mine are any old mountain shoe and Crank Bros. Candy pedals. I like to be able to walk around when I get where I'm going.

[Crankin]

I love my Speedplays. They are so easy to get in and out of. If you want mountain shoes, get the Speedplay Frogs. I have road shoes, but many riders wear the Frogs for touring/walking around.

Robyn

[runner2]

[QUOTE=RoadRaven]When I first started, I used toe clips/cage - but took the straps right off... I have never cycled with those straps tight and holding me in - the thought of coordinating myself as I came to a stop to lean down and loosen a strap I found almost terrifying.

I find the cleats much more secure in terms of getting out - both practically and psychologically.[/QUOTE

Same here, no straps for me.
I have using both of them, clip-toe for my commute bike, and clipless for my road bikes, and since I stand so much, I found clipless is better for me in or out of the pedals.
And I always use dual side pedals.

[KTeach]

GO CLIPLESS! Once you get used to them you'll never go back! I was very wary, but my LBS convinced me to try clipless and they are great.

[maryellen]

go clipless before you have an opportunity to overthink it.

That said, i did a 560 mile aids ride last august with toe clips (without the straps) on my trek hybrid (7500fx), so you surely can do the day ride that you are planning with or without clips

[KSH]

HI All,

Newbie here. I have a Trek Hybrid bike with just regular pedals. I'm seeing all kinds of info on clipless pedals. Does anyone use toe clips? I feel like I'd get claustrophobic (or kill myself) with clipless pedals. I am training for an 84 mile charity ride and will need all the help I can get!!

Thanks,
Patty

When I did a test ride on my bike... my shoe got caught in the toe cover... and down I went. I knew there was no way I was riding with those things. So, I got clipless pedals right then and there.

If you want to ride serious distance... like training and riding 84 miles... just bite the bullet and get clipless pedals. Learn how to use them early on... and you will not regret having done it.

I also strongly suggest the Speedplay pedals. They allow for some float (movement of your foot) on the pedal, even while you are clipped in. They are also very easy to get in and out of. VERY EASY!

[Geonz]

I know that *if* I go clipless, I will go with the pedals that go both ways. (I always just said I was too cheap to get them... but now that I have spent beau coup bucks on a bicycle powered blender I guess that's hard to support - but hey! I can't afford clipless, I'm broke buying the blender!) I looked at some Shimano's on a guy's bike last week - one side for the funky bike shoe, the other side if I am in my sneakers. I don't mind having to fondle the pedal with my feet to get it on the right side (as it is I do a fun little flip to get the clip right-ways up). The guy said he liked those pedals for his week-long rides, because sometimes after the main ride he'd wnat to just go a mile to a store or something, and didn't feel like walking around on the bike shoes.

(Oh, and I have a Trek hybrdid - 7500FX and a Giant Nutra Hybrid.)

[mimitabby]

I have been riding with cages or clips across my feet for a few years now.
everyone else in my family has the SPD's, my two adult sons and my husband who thinks a perfect ride is 100 miles long.
But as it has been explained to me, if i convert to the SPD's I WILL fall, and
not being the most coordinated person in the world, I will probably fall a lot.
If falling is an issue for you, that should be a consideration.
I ride a tandem with my husband. he's got those SPD's on his pedals and i have the cages and both times he's done a slow motion dump of the bike, I've landed on my feet and he's gotten scraped elbows.
I probably don't have the things on tight enough, but I am very comfortable with them and at this point, i'm not sure i'm going to change. I'm 54 years old and it hurts to fall down.
I agree with the others, do get the kind of pedals that "go both ways"
everyone i know that has them loves them.
mimi

[Grog]

But as it has been explained to me, if i convert to the SPD's I WILL fall, and
not being the most coordinated person in the world, I will probably fall a lot.
If falling is an issue for you, that should be a consideration.

Don't let people scare you too much. I have never fell from not unclipping in time. I have been scared of falling once but didn't. It's been two years now. Maybe one day I will, but I still haven't.

I started with mountain SPDs at the lightest tension, rode these for more than a year, and now I have SPD-R (road), which are tighter. The first few days were a bit difficult so I always unclipped WAY ahead of time, both feet (as I always did with the other SPDs) and clipping-in was the hardest thing to learn again. But now I'm fine.

So it's not UNAVOIDABLE that you will fall. Possible. But if you first practice in a trainer, and then on grass, or leaning on something to hold your balance, you'll be fine I'm sure.

[SadieKate]

Thank you, Grog. That needed to be said.

[mimitabby]

please don't bad guy me. I think all sides of this argument have room to be heard.
I'm a timid rider and would love to be like all the "cool folks" and their SPD's
but I don't think it's going to happen. There are plenty of people who have already posted here about how great SPD's are, and plenty of others who have recounted about their falls with their feet still firmly in place.
So please don't beat me down for being in the minority.
thanks
mimi

[Aggie_Ama]

Mimi- Whatever works for you is what you should do.

I switched to clipless last year because my husband assured me I would love it. I have some SPD style pedals now. At first the tension was too tight and I fell trying to figure them out. Adjusted the tension and I still had a few spills. I even took so many tumbles I had to replace my handlebars! That being said, I iced the bruises and kept trying. Now I would never go back because I love the way it feels.

If you are concerned about falling, you probably will. I am not very coordinated and I fell. But if you want to try them, just get an ice pack and a good attitude. If you want to stick with toe clips, go for it.

For a recommendation (going back to Greenlady). I would find something dual sided. Either Speedplay or Crank Brothers Quatro (actually these are 4 sided). I have to flip my pedals to clip in.

[Geonz]

It's a minority but they're respected here ;-) Go to other forums for the fun of mutual bashing :-)
I find that my sneakers mean people treat me a little more like a novice - and that suits me FINE because while I'm strong, it's unwise to assume I'm going to know what I'm doing. Just yesterday on my commute home I went the 25 mile route into the cornfields and at my left turn there were cars to the left, a truck to the right, okay, my turn... oops! Sorry, Jim! It wasn't even really close, but I obviously saw him a second later than I should have, tooling right at me 'cause he wasn't turning (and even if there *were* a stop sign that would have been a silly expectation). HOpefully he didn't recognize me (yea, right!)

[SadieKate]

Mimi, we are not bad guying you. We are bad guying whoever emphatically stated that you "WILL fall." This is the same negative lesson taught by my parents to me as a child: "Oh, honey, you stay here with me and we'll watch your brother do it." That's crap. Sorry. My parents only taught me fear. There are no guarantees in life about anyone's learning curve or aptitude until put to the test. If you haven't tried clipless yourself, you don't know that you will fall.

From my perspective, I see two discussions on this forum about clipless pedals: 1) which pedals to buy or 2) how much/often/hard each person will fall. Those who have mastered the pedals quickly don't say much because it sounds like bragging. There are some skills I've conquered faster than someone else but I'm not going to splash it all over the forum because I don't want others to feel inferior, yet I'm sure those others have mastered other skills faster than I. Due to this, we discuss the trials and tribulations of learning clipless but not the immediate successes.

By the way, a 65 yr old friend of mine just started riding seriously last fall. She got her first clipless pedals a couple of months ago and put in 300+(?) miles and has yet to fall. It's her attitude and the attention she gave to learning. She didn't just get on the bike and go for a ride. She spent some time doing nothing but clipping in/out and stopping/starting.

I've had this conversation with others offline and the general consensus is that the atmosphere on this forum is one of "you WILL fall" and it just teaches fear. We need to support, encourage and find ways to help each other learn, not surrender.

OK, off my soapbox.