When to go Clipless ?

[MacB]

Think I'll grab a copy of that book. I agree it's easy to forget that we do this for pleasure.

If you go to the Rivendell bikes website you should be able to find 'The Great Shoes Ruse' which lays out the salient information, as Grant sees it.

Some of the claims on this thread, and almost any pedals thread you can find on the web, make me chuckle.

 

[guitarpete247]

I got these 2 way pedals from EBC as my first foray into clipless for the MTB. I don't do much proper off road riding but use that bike when cycling with GF or with granddaughters in the trailer. For the road bike I got some M520's but have since changed to SPD-SL's (R540's). Before going clipless I had the toe-cups on MTB and straps on the road bike so had experience of having to being prepared for disengaging from pedals and having a round and round pedalling technique.

+1 on the advice of checking your cleat bolts regularly. I failed and lost 1 SPD bolt. With 1 bolt missing you can't un-clip. I was luckily against a grass bank and just rolled onto grass then had to unbolt the pedal to get cleat out. I now have cleats bolted in with thread-lock .

 

[Irishrich]

Just made the decision to go clipless early into my cycling life. I bought a Specialized Secteur Road bike last week, have done two rides of 21 miles where I feel confident on the road. After much research on this forum I feel clipless is the way to go as I want to get used to it from an early stage and not be scared of the horror stories I have heard. I went for the Shimano 105 SL pedals but my next question is what would be a decent budget shoe to go along with these? All opinions appreciated, thanks.

 

[guitarpete247]

I have a pair of dhb R1's. The new R1.0's look good and I think will be my next shoes when R1's need replacing.

 

[defy-one]

I wear road shoes with cleats on my best bike. Did a commute today on my Triban,and felt very disconnected. This was quite un-nerving with a heavy panniers and trying to stand on the pedals uphill.
I need to wear shoes/trainers for work, so road shoes are out of the question with the pronounced cleats.
Can anyone suggest comfortable spd footwear and corresponding pedals. I will be wearing these all day,so comfort has to come a close 2nd to being locked in.

 

[slowmotion]

Can anyone suggest comfortable spd footwear and corresponding pedals. I will be wearing these all day,so comfort has to come a close 2nd to being locked in.

I use North Wave Mission SPD shoes and Shimano M520 pedals on my road bike which I use for commuting. The shoes are incredibly comfortable for wide (ish) feet and you can walk and climb ladders with ease, really just like a stiff trainer. They don't smell either. I think they are fantastic. Before I bought them at a branch of Evans, I tried both Shimano and Specialized shoes. They were hopelessly narrow and uncomfortable.

 

[Gez73]

+1 for the Northwave Mission shoes. Just like a nice hiking shoe with the cleats well recessed. Incredibly comfortable too. Sized on the large side I think so try to get them on before you buy, or use the ever-reliable Evans.

 

[defy-one]

Thanks guys ,i'll take a look. I need them to look like trainers as much as possible. Have to visit anything from data centres to plush offices. Usually wearing suit trousers and a shirt

 

[terry_gardener]

what is a good starter pedals and shoe for my road bike with little bit of walking, prefer a trainer looking type

 

[Irishrich]

Thanks Guitarpete, took your advice and ordered the Dhb R1.0's after reading tons of 5 star reviews. Can't wait to feel the difference from my normal trainers on clipped pedals to the R1.0s on Shimano clipless pedals!

 

[Eddie]

Before I went clipless I read all this stuff online about how hard it was and how everyone falls off. Well, i've been doing it for a while and it's easy as pie, and i've never fallen off. Took about 20 minutes to get used to.

 

[Irishrich]

Just an update, my Shimano 105 spd sl pedals arrived today along with the R1.0 shoes so I decided to fit the pedals and try out the shoes in my back yard as I didnt have time to go out on a proper ride. Tension was set to minimum. Cue me easily unclipping my left foot only to realise that I was leaning right and fell into our wooden gates still attached to the bike, causing the gates to buckle and the new pedals to have a scratch on one side already. Thankfully the gates broke my fall but my pride was hurt as my soon to be wife (4 weeks away) and 2 year old daughter were in fits of laughter as I crashed into the gates

 

[defy-one]

We all do it mate. You've had your clipless moment

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

I'm reading Grant Petersen's Book, Just Ride at the moment. He has some interesting things to say about clip-in pedals, and I have to say that I'm broadly in agreement with him, that most people simply don't need clip-in pedals. He suggests that racing/sport/performance riding has too much influence over the way that most of ride. As part of his general 'unracing' stance he suggests that clip-in pedals offer little biomechanical advantage, that they lead to greater incidence of RSI, that they reduce a bike's everyday practicality and ease of use in return for marginal performance benefits. They don't allow us to pedal through 360 degrees, they add another hurdle that people must jump to qualify as a 'serious cyclist'. For what? You're only cycling for pleasure or to get to work, not aiming for Olympic gold. If your shoes slip on your pedals perhaps the answer is to change your shoes (or pedals) for grippier ones.

None of my current bikes is 'performance' enough to warrant clip-in pedals, my road bike sold and my mountain bike up on blocks. My posh carbon soled shoes languish under the bed, my Ti pedals somewhere in the garage. And I don't miss them a bit.

That point about 360 degree pedalling doesn't seem right to me. From experience occasionally cycling with only one foot attached, it is perfectly possible to keep a degree of power through the entire cycle. Certainly, there's more power in the downstroke but the fact that you can keep some tension in the chain all the way round contradicts Mr Petersen.

It's also worth bearing in mind that keeping your foot on the pedal upstroke on flats requires downward pressure, particularly on bumpier surfaces. This downward pressure is actively working against your other foot; there's a degree of forces cancelling out each other involved. Keeping both feet on flat pedals means fighting yourself.

 

[wisdom]

I went clipless a few weeks ago and have found them absolutely fantastic.Its becoming second nature now to unclip at junctions etc.My only problem every now and gain is the engaging after setting off a lights most of the time i clip in straight away, but every now and then i do a fantastic impression of Michael Flattley but the benefits of cleats far outweigh the odd missed connection.
I got shimano pedals with theyellow cleats to allow for some "float"
The pedals came with the cleats in the deal.