Who is not clipped in and why?

[ianrauk]

If you don't want to wear them then don't. They are not for everyone. Don't worry what others think.
I see loads of cyclists on my commute who don't use cleats. They can cycle just as fast and as well as those who do use cleats.

 

[dasy2k1]

I have half and half SPD pedals,
as often as not (especially if im just riding to the local shop i will just ride in normal trainers,)
its only if I anticipate cycling some distance that I will use my cleated shoes

 

[Ladytrucker]

Thanks all. I'm thinking I'll give them another go. 1 week and see how I feel after that. If I'm not happy they are going on ebye and then I won't think about them again just sitting in the garage collecting dust.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

My bikes are split, my fixed, which is my commuter and the bike I use the most is fitted with clips and straps, the clips have been straightened and rebent to take my steel toe capped boots, I like the fact that the clips and straps give me good foot retention and let me use any footwear I like. My verenti, which is my best bike is fitted with clipless, and I'm limited to cycle shoes when I use it, it gets used for Sunday rides and events. Of the two systems I prefer the clips and straps and I find very little difference between the two systems, I haven't used flats without foot retention on a regular basis for over twenty years and suspect it would take several rides to get comfortable with them.

 

[biggs682]

no old cages with straps for me

 

[ThinAir]

Thanks all. I'm thinking I'll give them another go. 1 week and see how I feel after that. If I'm not happy they are going on ebye and then I won't think about them again just sitting in the garage collecting dust.

I was the same when I bought clip ins for my hybrid, and really wasn't comfortable with them, but I stuck with them and found them to be really beneficial. I knew the pros and cons, but was always worried about having that "off" at the lights. I had it. Felt silly for about five minutes but now im cool with them and wouldn't use anything else for the new machine when it arrives.

 

[MarkF]

Cages on my hybrid, toe clips on my road bike, nothing on my old MTB.

I am swapping bikes all the time, I'll often, on a weekend, use all 3 in the same day and I like to be comfortable on and off the bikes. I use some old Shimano lace up SPD's on my road bike, I like the firm base and they are comfortable enough to use as trainers/shoes all day too, they were my only footwear in 1000 miles crossing Spain. I might use them on the hybrid, or use normal trainers or sports sandals (with toe cap & side support) if it's hot/sunny.

Can't see clips suiting me, plus................they are new fangled and I might fall off.

 

[inkd]

skate trainers and flats for me as I have other stuff to buy first and shoes/pedals is a tad pricey for me at the moment. I will be going clipless with my next cyclescheme though. The big question for me is SPD or SL???

 

[ThinAir]

skate trainers and flats for me as I have other stuff to buy first and shoes/pedals is a tad pricey for me at the moment. I will be going clipless with my next cyclescheme though. The big question for me is SPD or SL???

I prefer SPDs for a couple of reasons; you can generally walk around quite well in the shoes, and they are easy to get into and out of. Especially at when you first getting to used to getting into them, as you can clip into either side of the pedal. Much less embarrassing than faffing about at the lights!

 

[MacB]

I wondered when you'd pop up.

just providing some balance to the prevailing 'opinion presented as fact with no supporting data' - at least my link doesn't pretend to be more than opinion

 

[Ciar]

I have flats on both my bikes, dmr vaults on my MTB and Wellgo's on my hybrid, i actually used to ride in trainers, but they were taking a beating from the trails and constant washing,so i ended up buying some specialized tahoe's they seem to work really well, with both sets of pedals they are very comfy and the pedals seem to stick to the sole..even though they can be used for spd's, either way ride what you feel most comfortable in, I don't like being attached to the bike so this way suits me most

 

[summerdays]

I like to wear a complete variety of shoes, from boots, trainers, sandals, right through to birkenstocks, so flat's for me .

 

[roadrash]

Who is not clipped in and why?

me because im not on my bike , im sat at my computer

 

[Rob3rt]

Is it an image thing? Not for me, I exercise my vanity through shaven legs and matching kit!
Does having "the shoes" make you a like a proper cyclist? No
I'm always reading posts about how wonderful they are. That is because they are wonderful, if you get on with them, or if you use them in a capacity where there is a real performance benefit and when I say a performance benefit, I don't necessarily mean going faster.

My opinion!

I can and do occasionally jump on a bike for a short distance in everyday shoes, but quite frankly, I find it marginally dangerous. I often ride from the station to race HQ in flats, it is only a mile or so, it not only feels unsafe, which I don't like, this actually manifests in my lifting my foot off the rising pedal, causing a loss of grip over the top of the pedal stroke.

 

[MacB]

My opinion!

I can and do occasionally jump on a bike for a short distance in everyday shoes, but quite frankly, I find it marginally dangerous. I often ride from the station to race HQ in flats, it is only a mile or so, it not only feels unsafe, which I don't like, this actually manifests in my lifting my foot off the rising pedal, causing a loss of grip over the top of the pedal stroke.

any of the kids in our road, ages from about 3 up to teens, could explain to you how to pedal properly