fixed gear, clips or clipless?

[Bicycle]

1. is it possible to run clips slack on fixed gear or am i risking my feet coming out at 150 rpm?
Yes it is possible, but not too slack. My feet have never slipped off the pedal at any speed.

2. do you have to run clips tight?
No.

3. is running clipless worth the extra hassle of carrying spare footwear?
No.

4. do the benefits outweigh the inconvenience?
No.

Dear Sir/Madam,

The above is great sacrilege.

In this matter of opinion, the only opinion worth hearing is mine.

I have long believed this and I find all my own opinions utterly convincing and credible.

Clipless is the way to go on fixed-gear.

There is no other.

Taste the delight of clipless and the dull vanilla of rat cages will never appeal again.

I say "Pah!" to anyone who disagrees.

 

[wheres_my_beard]

Dear Sir/Madam,

The above is great sacrilege.

In this matter of opinion, the only opinion worth hearing is mine.

I have long believed this and I find all my own opinions utterly convincing and credible.

Clipless is the way to go on fixed-gear.

There is no other.

Taste the delight of clipless and the dull vanilla of rat cages will never appeal again.

I say "Pah!" to anyone who disagrees.

+1

Get some spd shoes with an inset cleat, so you can wear them when not cycling as normal shoes. Obviously this is dependent on finding shoes that are appropriate for your work/ activity.

I have SIXSIXONE Filter SPD which are ideal for me as I can wear trainer looking shoes at work, and I even wear them for badminton with no probs (extra ankle support is nice

)

Or leave some shoes at work.

Edit: I may have repeated myself in this thread. But it's worth saying twice.

 

[Smurfy]

Is anyone using Shimano PD-M520s on a fixed gear bike? They're fairly cheap, have good reviews and I'm tempted.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-m520-pedals

 

[totallyfixed]

Clipless, no contest, don'y even want to think of the consequences of foot disengaging at 40mph.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Is anyone using Shimano PD-M520s on a fixed gear bike? They're fairly cheap, have good reviews and I'm tempted.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/shimano-pd-m520-pedals

me! i've had em for years, from mtb to brommie now on my fixie (due to answers on here) i like em, but i only use them with shimano winter boots (that's all i've got). can't judge them with anything, but they're functional.

 

[Old Plodder]

The only thing I will bring to this conversation is :-

Don't have laces that could get tangled in the chain/chainwheel.

(Probably the same as catching your trouser leg)

Very painful, & unnerving.

 

[Amanda P]

Is anyone using Shimano PD-M520s on a fixed gear bike? They're fairly cheap, have good reviews and I'm tempted.

http://www.wiggle.co...-pd-m520-pedals

Yep; have them on my commuting fixed bike. In fact, now I have them on nearly all my bikes.

They can start to squeak after a winter or two. But get the special Shimano tool for opening them up, shove in a load more fresh grease (don't bother removing the bearings - they're tiny and there's millions of 'em), re-assemble and they're good as new.

 

[Christopher]

Is anyone using Shimano PD-M520s on a fixed gear bike? They're fairly cheap, have good reviews and I'm tempted.

http://www.wiggle.co...-pd-m520-pedals

Yes. Work well but I set the tension fairly tight, as sometimes I have had a foot twist off the SPD while doing low-rpm climbing and weaving up the 1 in 7 on my commute - tbh probably poor technique on my part. No problems otherwise. Although for long weekend rides I switch to old-style Look PP296's as the bigger pedal feels better.
Only pedals I personally would not use on a fixed are carbon as several times my foot slid off the slick carbon body (Look Keos) and into the front wheel or I bashed my foot against the crank. Ow.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

well i started using clipless, but i just didn't like the fact i was stuck to one pair of boots, plus carting another pair of shoes/boots/trainers was a royal pain in the arse. soooo, i've gone back to clips but upgraded to mks touring pedals and double toe-straps. love it, i only need to carry one pair of shoes (the ones on my feet) and i can use pretty much what i want. my goretex overshoes fit into the straps with no problems so i'm sorted for winter.

cheers for the replies.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

well i started using clipless, but i just didn't like the fact i was stuck to one pair of boots, plus carting another pair of shoes/boots/trainers was a royal pain in the arse. soooo, i've gone back to clips but upgraded to mks touring pedals and double toe-straps. love it, i only need to carry one pair of shoes (the ones on my feet) and i can use pretty much what i want. my goretex overshoes fit into the straps with no problems so i'm sorted for winter.

cheers for the replies.

Plus 1 for the convenience, I've never tried double straps though, how do they compare to single straps?

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Plus 1 for the convenience, I've never tried double straps though, how do they compare to single straps?

imo opinion a lot better, keeps the foot more central. but my single strap/clips set up was cheap n nasty, so maybe the good quality is the improvement i'm seeing.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

imo opinion a lot better, keeps the foot more central. but my single strap/clips set up was cheap n nasty, so maybe the good quality is the improvement i'm seeing.

Looking at the double clips and straps on Velosolo they look more secure, I know what you mean about the cheap stuff, plastic toeclips and webbing straps, goes out of shape when you lean on them.

 

[Rob3rt]

[QUOTE 1405663"]
I used to have straps for about a year. Last year-and-half I've been clipless.

No difference for me in terms of ride but I prefer clipless because I leg-brake. And I went through a lot of toe straps. Clipless more hardy.

Got double-sided on my regular commuting bike.

Single-sided on my weekend bike - which I've ridden in heavy traffic and reckon I could get used to if regularly used on a commute. But then I'm not a fast cyclist so am happy taking my time clipping in.


[/quote]

What sort of straps were you using? I've been riding with straps for 2 years, skidding about with 85 gear inches and have only had the one set of straps, they are pretty dirty, but as far as durability goes, they are still as good as new.

With straps and leg braking/skidding, I like the fact that you can feel when your foot is slipping or is about to come out etc so you can react prior to disengaging, but clipless its much more of a pop and your out kind of thing if you manage to pull out by accident.

Despite this, I am going to switch to spd soon.

 

[al-fresco]

Is anyone using Shimano PD-M520s on a fixed gear bike? They're fairly cheap, have good reviews and I'm tempted.

http://www.wiggle.co...-pd-m520-pedals

me! i've had em for years, from mtb to brommie now on my fixie (due to answers on here) i like em, but i only use them with shimano winter boots (that's all i've got). can't judge them with anything, but they're functional.

Yeah, me too. I took them off my Surly and put them on my Langster while I ordered a replacement pair off ebay (£14.99 inc postage). They work just fine. In fact I find it hard to imagine riding a fixie without cleats.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

What sort of straps were you using? I've been riding with straps for 2 years, skidding about with 85 gear inches and have only had the one set of straps, they are pretty dirty, but as far as durability goes, they are still as good as new.

With straps and leg braking/skidding, I like the fact that you can feel when your foot is slipping or is about to come out etc so you can react prior to disengaging, but clipless its much more of a pop and your out kind of thing if you manage to pull out by accident.

Despite this, I am going to switch to spd soon.

so true, this happened once or twice when i had spuds on. i tightened them up and then they were a pain to clip in to.