Looking for advice regarding clip-in pedals...

[Chislenko]

I have used SLs for about ten years and am happy with them.

Yes, your first few rides you may forget to clip out when approaching a junction or whatever but after a short while it becomes second nature like "riding a bike" as the old saying goes.

Depending on which side you clip in / out you end up replacing one side cleats roughly 2 to 1. Demon Tweeks had a massive clear out of yellow ones some time back so I bought a fair few for not a lot of money so I am sorted for replacements for quite some time.

 

[Mike_P]

The win for SPDs for me are walkable shoes. All my bikes have dual sided SPD pedals so for example my road bike can make a rare appearance to the work bike shed in place of the pedelec ebike while using the shoes I would use with the ebike.
The ebike goes their via a pretty steep hill, to get up that on the road bike requires as light a kit as possible (cycling bid shorts and jersey) so if using the road bike on the commute it goes a longer way with more gentler gradients.
The commute is just under 2 miles so its not time efficient to have to change kit and shower.

 

[Hover Fly]

I have a boxful of tried and rejected clipless pedals (safety pedals as they were known in the early days of Look) , yep they might make a difference that is noticeable if you keep a close watch on your computer or are racing, but as soon as you dismount that marginal advantage goes, as you clip-clop across a floor, and if you do any distance walking recessed plates soon start to show, get detritus stuck in them and finally waste all those seconds you saved trying to undo corroded cleat screws.
I know of at three fatal accidents caused by cyclists toppling over sideways due to SPD (etc) pedals.

 

[simonali]

I recently made the mistake of buying some single sided SPD pedals. Difficult to clip into and the painted finish is all chipped where I have been stamping on them trying to engage my shoes. That'll learn me for trying to save quids and grammes at the same time...

These: https://road.cc/content/review/shimano-pd-es600-spd-pedals-278807

 

[fossyant]

Banana Industries have a number of Wilier branded SPD pedals in stock for a very reasonable price

 

[Dogtrousers]

This is what is supposed to happen if everything is set up correctly. Every time I've crashed my cleats gave disengaged.

I'm not sure road cleats do the same. Only this week on our gravel ride a friend went down. Against our advice she's using road cleats on a gravel bike. We had to unclip her as the cleats didn't disengage and she couldn't do it.

I did notice in the Tour last week when Georg Zimmermann crashed (apparently after hitting a bottle in the road) that he was down and clipped in. I think a helper may have unclipped his foot for him, not sure.

 

[simonali]

I bet pros have the spring tension maxed out

 

[vickster]

There's an FAQ thread here if not already posted above somewhere
https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/clipless-pedals-faq.74358/

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I did notice in the Tour last week when Georg Zimmermann crashed (apparently after hitting a bottle in the road) that he was down and clipped in. I think a helper may have unclipped his foot for him, not sure.

I prefer my feet stay attached in a crash. Don’t want to have them flailing about or going into wheel spokes etc.

 

[presta]

When you say except for Lycra cycling shorts, presumably you wore them under your RonHills or just them on there own.

After I switched to Ron Hills they went under them, when I was wearing polycotton walking trousers prior to that they went under those.

I've clipped in on Hard Knott. No, not on the 30+% section. 🤣

It's only the 30% bits that I grind to a halt and need to set off again.

 

[kingrollo]

Definitely worth it. For commuting I used single side spd with a platform on the other side. This takes the pressure off clicking in when in traffic - you can then click in as the road conditions become less complex.

One piece of advice - practice and by that I don't mean ride 25 miles - where you might click in 3 or 4 times .
Go out for 30 minutes and do nothing but click in and out - practice starting , stopping , gentle hill starts.