Who is not clipped in and why?

[jonny jeez]

Ride how you feel comfy.


For me,
I've always ridden with clipless pedals (IE with the clip-in spd system...confused?) and have never had a fall (other than a proper stack on an MTB that had nothing to do with pedal choice, just lack of talent)

Thing is though, I've been riding for a good 20 years (5 as a commuter and regular rider) and I've only just...like this summer...started to truly get the benefit of clipless pedals. I always rode by pushing down on each pedal...normal right?

Pulling up on the pedals was a massive hardship and knackered me out really quickly. But as my cycle fitness has improved recently I now pull up an awful lot on hills and flats and the impact is like pressing a turbo boost, I get a huge injection of speed that allows me to coast a little or perhaps ease off towards the top.

Clipless allow me to concentrate on another thing too...Cadence.

By rotating the pedal rather than pushing it, I can even out my cadence and use my all gears to keep the RPM even, this really helps recovery and stops me getting pooped out on longer rides. It also *feels* wonderful, like I have an additional level of control over my bike that I never had before.

If you feel ready, I'd give it another go and resign yourself to practising for 20 rides. (no matter how far).

after 20 uses it'll be habit.

Good luck

 

[Summerking]

Personally I ride clipped in on my flat bar road bike as it is the best thing for clocking up miles, I use shimano spds with mountainbike shoes but when I had a decent road bike I used Look clips and pedals. Offroad on my mountainbike I always use flat pedals as I often need to 'dab' a foot down to stay sunny side up.

 

[Rob3rt]

Myth.

Lies!

*Note I don't know the numbers, nor do I care, I was just making a vague 1 word comment with no regard for accuracy because I had a moment to spare!

 

[MacB]

Thread title - Who Is Not Clipped in and Why

answers on a postcard

 

[Cyclist33]

[QUOTE 2497412, member: 30090"]Ah I see. So this is why you've labelled my post as a myth.

You can't ride clipless. <points to the screen and laughs>

And this is me passing you up a hill because I can generate more power and efficiency. [/quote]


It doesn't say anything about not being able to ride clipless. I can and have done.

Come on, it's hardly rocket science! Don't give yourself airs because you can plug your foot into a socket.

 

[jonny jeez]

Thread title - Who Is Not Clipped in and Why

answers on a postcard

well said....

 

[Crackle]

[QUOTE 2497408, member: 30090"]Whopee, some common sense speaks at last.

[/quote]

Which is a euphemism for someone who agrees with you and the link talked about steep hills.

 

[Rob3rt]

It doesn't say anything about not being able to ride clipless. I can and have done.

Come on, it's hardly rocket science! Don't give yourself airs because you can plug your foot into a socket.

Do not dispute his words, he generates efficiency!

 

[Herzog]

[QUOTE 2497412, member: 30090"]

And this is me passing you up a hill because I can generate more power and efficiency. [/quote]


You'd need a bike first...

 

[youngoldbloke]

[QUOTE 2497634, member: 30090"]Which in turn is what the op was having trouble with. This is why the pros all use toe clips and straps during the mountain stages[/quote]
Do they?

 

[Crackle]

[QUOTE 2497634, member: 30090"]Which in turn is what the op was having trouble with. This is why the pros all use toe clips and straps during the mountain stages[/quote]
She didn't, read it again and see. She was basically musing whether she should persevere with them. There's an awful lot you can do to improve on a bike before you get around to improving pedalling technique, which in 30 years I've never felt the need to consciously do. Someone like Rob on the other hand, might well try to improve it a he is very much into tt'ing. Horses for courses.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

[QUOTE 2497634, member: 30090"]This is why the pros all use toe clips and straps during the mountain stages[/quote]
Do they?

 

[Rob3rt]

She didn't, read it again and see. She was basically musing whether she should persevere with them. There's an awful lot you can do to improve on a bike before you get around to improving pedalling technique, which in 30 years I've never felt the need to consciously do. Someone like Rob on the other hand, might well try to improve it a he is very much into tt'ing. Horses for courses.

Might come as a surprise, or maybe not but I have never made a concious decision to "improve" my pedalling technique other than being able to stomp harder and for longer But as I said before, if I try to ride in normal shoes now, I lose contact with the pedals at the top of the pedal stroke fairly often and it feels rather odd and marginally unsafe not being clipped in, so something has naturally changed in the way I pedal having cycled with clipless pedals for years. It would probably only take a short while to transition back. But it does make you wonder, what gains those adaptations provide, if any. It could simply be a different way of achieving the same thing, it could indeed increase the ability to transmit as much power as possible.

I wouldn't say that I notice pulling up or unweighting the pedals when clipped in either though, I do of course pull up consciously when trying to wrestle over small lumps as fast as possible or up steep hills or when "sprinting" (i.e. accelerating away from the starter or out of a corner) or when churning out big number efforts on the turbo. But when riding under normal conditions or even racing, on the road, it feels like I just press down as per normal for 95+% of the time.

 

[Boris Bajic]

[QUOTE 2497634, member: 30090"]Which in turn is what the op was having trouble with. This is why the pros all use toe clips and straps during the mountain stages[/quote]

You joker!!!!!

To reply to the OP, I think it's whatever you want it to be. Use clipless if you want.

I was a late convert to clipless, having ridden for decades with flats or rat cages. I went over in the late 90s (MTB and road types) and I have to say it improved the riding experience.

For some it may not. I'm not a 'serious' cyclist, but I am keen and I've been known to put some miles in.

Even when riding on flats, I prefer to do so in SPD shoes - as the stiffer sole seems to help with my riding. This may all be in my mind, but then so are the echoing voice of doom and the psychotic bunny behind the sofa.

On fixed, I don't venture further than the shops unless I'm clipped in, as it is a scary old business to have a foot slip off a pedal at speed.

Ultimately, ride what you want and how you want. It is a free (ish) world. There are people who think you 'unserious' if you ride flat pedals, but they are the same people who always tell you the model year when saying what they ride. They take themselves seriously so others don't have to....

Enjoy your cycling.

 

[fossyant]

Clipped in on all bikes here. Prefer road Looks but use SPD most of the time fot commuting. You dont want loose feet on a fixed.