Shoes & Pedals for Commuting...

[Norm]

Posted a little while ago, I have (thanks to RyanW) a pair of Specialized Sonoma shoes, like this...

Flat sole and recessed cleat, so they are easy to walk in. And velcro so I don't need mummy to dress me any more.

That's the theory, anyway.

I've also got M530 pedals, flat on one side and clipless on the other, so I can get the benefits of clipless but still ride in normal shoes.

On the plus side you'll be so much faster and cycling will be so much easier with clipless......though strangely these improvements are rather hard to quantify....funny that.

Can I point you towards this thread. My first ride on a regular route with clipless, and I beat my previous best of 43 minutes by around 2'30".

 

[Deleted member 1258]

I use my work boots with platform pedals, toeclips and straps to and from work. I only use cycle shoes on the club runs.

 

[Peter10]

Thanks for all the replies I will start looking around for a few and see what looks good for me.

I will be literally getting to work, going into my locker & changing and then carrying the bike up a flight of stairs, so walking etc isn't a big deal. Thanks again. of course, if you have anymore ideas, please share.

Pete

 

[ferret fur]

+ 1 for sonomas. I use crank brothers pedals of various sorts. I find them really simple to click in & out of.

 

[MacB]

Can I point you towards this thread. My first ride on a regular route with clipless, and I beat my previous best of 43 minutes by around 2'30".

Indeed you can and I had read it before and appreciated the real world data, though you are the exception, rather than the 'norm', in this. A 6% improvement is quite something from one change, if all else is equal, which is why it surprises me that this sort of evidence isn't plastered over the web by shoe/pedal manufacturers. It may be that the benefits are so apparent that they feel no need to demonstrate. But even at 6% I'd have to weigh up the inconvenience aspect and the potential danger of falls etc. I have to accept that your numbers don't lie so either you input more power or you transferred the usual amount of power at a more efficient rate.

My experience didn't reflect yours and I didn't enjoy being attached to the bike. I could be bias, I could have a rubbish pedalling technique, I may have set the cleats/shoes up wrong. But I do feel that these sorts of threads need a balancing viewpoint and I'm currently filling that post

 

[Bayerd]

But I do feel that these sorts of threads need a balancing viewpoint and I'm currently filling that post

..and putting doubt into the minds of others...

I was nearly sold then....

 

[Whrrr]

I tried SPDs and practised with them on local roads before venturing out on the daily work commute. I also slackened the tension setting right off. Half-way through my first clipless commute I tumbled off my bike because I simply could not get either of my feet free from the pedals. I knocked myself out on the road (despite having a helmet) and ended up in hospital for a few hours! Luckily the car behind me was at a distance and stopped in time. I've never had the confidence to use them again and just use ordinary shoes with flat pedals now. In other words, get plenty of practice before going on roads if you do use them!

 

[BentMikey]

Blimey, knocked yourself out whilst wearing a helmet?

I think that's probably at the extreme end of the scale, it's normal to have a fall or two, and suffer no injury apart from your pride. I'd not ride without clipless pedals now, especially not on a recumbent. On a recumbent they are a safety feature - stop you getting leg suck when you run over your own leg. Most likely to happen on a trike.

 

[Evilcat]

I commute in my usual road cycling shoes using Speedplay Zero pedals. Double-sided means that clipping in is very easy -- much easier than the guy yesterday who took a few goes to get into his SPD-SLs while traffic sped around him on the Hammersmith gyratory. Yes the cleats are big, but I do manage to carry the bike up 5 flights of stairs in them, and did manage a 2km walk to the office when I had a puncture. Not the cheapest pedals/cleats, but in my view great for commuting on a road bike if you don't need to walk too far at the other end.

EC

 

[Jezston]

Had a go on some clipless for the first time ever last night!

Guy in the LBS gave me his shoes (same size as me) and got me on his bike. Once I'd mastered clipping in I started to wonder why I'd never done it before!

(also added fuel to my regret about the sales ending and everything being more then 2x the price it was last month grrr!)

One question in case I don't get to try standard SPD pedals - I was trying this on Crank Brothers 'egg-beater' style pedals and found the whole thing remarkably easy and solid, and the chap demoing them said he wouldn't even consider using standard SPDs now as they are much more hassle to clip in and clip out of, and I'd be much more likely to have a tumble after being suddenly somehow unable to clip out which he said he found would happen with SPDs sometimes.

Crank Brothers pedals are LOT more expensive than standard SPDs. Is there any truth to what he's saying, and thus it's worth paying 2-3x the price?

 

[MacB]

..and putting doubt into the minds of others...

I was nearly sold then....

Hey, I never rule anything out, when they come out with some real world figures then I'd weigh up the options again. The negatives are well documented so it's not unreasonable to expect some hard facts around the positives. To be honest anything less than a 10% improvement wouldn't be enough to outweigh the negatives for me.

But I cycle for utility, pleasure and fitness, in that order, not to race and have no ambitions to eke every last ounce of power out.

 

[adds21]

Crank Brothers pedals are LOT more expensive than standard SPDs. Is there any truth to what he's saying, and thus it's worth paying 2-3x the price?

I've never tried egg-beaters, but I've been using standard SPDs for over a year, and never had a problem either clipping in, or clipping out once I got used to them (which only took a couple of rides), I've also never had a clipless moment (that's blown it!). I originally bought double sided flat/SPD pedals, but have since replaced them with SPD only pedals because I was finding I never used standard shoes on the bike anyway.

 

[Jezston]

I've never tried egg-beaters, but I've been using standard SPDs for over a year, and never had a problem either clipping in, or clipping out once I got used to them (which only took a couple of rides), I've also never had a clipless moment (that's blown it!). I originally bought double sided flat/SPD pedals, but have since replaced them with SPD only pedals because I was finding I never used standard shoes on the bike anyway.

Couple of rides? Hmm .. see it took about 30 seconds for me to get used to clipping in and out of these, but then maybe that's just because I'm totally awesome.

I'll have to see if I can wrangle a test ride on some regular double sided shimanos this weekend.

 

[adds21]

Couple of rides? Hmm .. see it took about 30 seconds for me to get used to clipping in and out of these, but then maybe that's just because I'm totally awesome.

Yeah, that's probably it! But it's not just a case of being able to clip in or clip out, it's clipping in and (more importantly) clipping out without thinking about it. If I ride a non-SPD bike these days I find I still subconsciously try to unclip from it .

 

[MacB]

Couple of rides? Hmm .. see it took about 30 seconds for me to get used to clipping in and out of these, but then maybe that's just because I'm totally awesome.

I'll have to see if I can wrangle a test ride on some regular double sided shimanos this weekend.

strangely they are meant to be significantly harder to work out than flipping a stem, you must have been on a roll