I ride clipless, (mtb) I find it a lot more efficient for riding. I feel it makes me a lot more surefooted as well. The best thing about clipless is that you can adjust the spring tension on the pedals by turning an allen wrench bolt, it's super easy. You can make them so loose that your feet will come out at the slightest pull, and you can make it where your feet are locked on the bike and are not coming off no matter what (true story, and have the scars to prove that "Yes I was that stupid") I say go clipless, it's a bit of an expense, but in my opinion well worth it.
I appreciate the insight.
It makes me feel better knowing the tension can be adjusted for a "quick release" if desired. And since you experienced my greatest fear of the clipless pedals - being stuck and falling over (OUCH!!) - but still recommend them, that gives me confidence that the benefits will outweigh the risks.
John, the fact of the matter is simply that you will fall over because you forget to clip out, it just happens. Fortunately, that's only at first...but I'll tell ya, it's pretty humiliating to come to a dead stop at a busy intersection and just fall over because you forgot you're clipped in. With a decent amount of practice, the act of clipping out will become an act of muscle memory.
I'm a fan of the clipless system, I feel way more confident and secure knowing I'm semi locked in. I have Crank Bros Candy pedals, the cleats have two different release angles, which can be very helpful to the beginner...just a hint of a twist and you're out. These don't have adjustable tension, but I don't feel that's a necessity due to the cleat design.
As I've started riding more and more this past month, and am in a routine/have a good route to go to & from work - I've been thinking how more efficient my ride would be with clip less pedals.
I've shopped around on a few website looking at the various styles/brands/models and have been reading articles on them but am a bit overwhelmed.
I need to stop at the bike shop and talk to a "professional" about the pedals, but probably won't be able to get over there for a couple weeks - so in the mean time I'll pose the question to you folks: does anyone have clipless pedals? If so, will you share some feedback?
Is there a noticeable difference in power/efficiency between standard and clipless pedals? Are they easy to clip in and out of - have you ever wiped out because you couldn't unclip your foot quick enough?
I've been clip less for years. Like Joe said, you will have the slow speed fall overs at first but after you build the muscle memory those go away. There is a big difference in efficiency especially climbing. They will also keep your feet stuck to the pedals when you hit gnarly spots at speed. The brand of pedals people use is personal preference so everyone will have different opinions. I use Shimanos and love them. They are bullet proof and have adjustable tension. Just do it, you wont be sorry.
Joe & Leonard - thanks for the info and sharing your experiences.
I definitely need new "riding" shoes anyways, I used to have a nice, stiff pair of New Balance cross trainers that worked great for riding but those wore out and got thrown away a while ago...
So that (and increased efficiency) is what got me thinking about clipless. I've been debating between just getting a new pair of regular athletic shoes for riding ...or... switching my pedals/shoes to a clipless system since I need new shoes anyways.
Sounds like the clipless system is the way to go, that's definitely what I'm leaning towards right now. I'll have to get over to the bike shop soon and see what they offer - and check out the $$.
Because the shoes I'm wearing now for riding just aren't cutting it. They're a very flexible, thin-sole "walking" shoe - which makes riding a bit more challenging & difficult than it should be because when I ride, the shoes flex like crazy and I don't get very good grip on the pedals with them so I've slipped off the pedals more than a couple times...
Check out Five Ten shoes John, I hear great things about them and plan to get a pair when I get new riding shoes.
Joe, I looked around on their website and dang!!! i was overwhelmed. It took me a while to check out all the shoes but I found a few that I really liked. I tried to search for nearby dealers but didn't find any results on their site.
So I'll just have to keep an eye out for them whenever I'm out-and-about.
Check out Five Ten shoes John, I hear great things about them and plan to get a pair when I get new riding shoes.
Joe, I looked around on their website and dang!!! i was overwhelmed. It took me a while to check out all the shoes but I found a few that I really liked. I tried to search for nearby dealers but didn't find any results on their site.
So I'll just have to keep an eye out for them whenever I'm out-and-about.
Which pair(s) are you looking at getting?
I can't remember the model, but they look like a skate shoe, and have an orange bottom with the SPD.
I'd recommend checking out Zappos or Pricepoint.com. IIRC, PP had the better deal, but with Zappos you can return them for free if the size is wrong. One advantage to Pricepoint though it they do shoe/pedal combos. There was one combo for Time Atac pedals and the show I was describing for $179...separately, they would've been closer to $200. I'm kinda getting on a tangent here...but yeah, zappos.com or pricepoint are great sources for Five Ten shoes.
haha it's all good. thanks for the links though, very helpful.
And that seems to be a pretty sweet combo deal - pedal and cleats alone looked like they'd be in the low $100s if I buy them from Amazon. So getting a combo of all 3, with the shoe at basically 50% off, very nice!!
I'm having a hard time figuring out which shoes have the SPD mounts though....is there an easy way to search for this feature? Maybe I missed something and a couple of the ones I like don't actually have SPD mounts....
A lot of them don't have spd mounts, they're more designed for downhill...SPD should be in the description. If not, look for a shot of the shoe's sole and see if it has two holes near the ball of the foot, that's what you're looking for.
A lot of them don't have spd mounts, they're more designed for downhill...SPD should be in the description. If not, look for a shot of the shoe's sole and see if it has two holes near the ball of the foot, that's what you're looking for.
d'oh!!! .... i was making it a lot harder to find the SPD shoes than it should have been.
And yep, it looks like most of the ones I was originally looking at don't have the spd mounts. But I'm still diggin' the Minnaars and Falcons. Either of those would work.
Also wanted to say - for you "smart-phone" folks - if you want to track your route/elevation change/speed while you ride and don't have a dedicated GPS unit for your bike, check out the free MapMyRide app & mapmyride.com.
It has some really cool features and will keep a log of all your previous workouts too, it's a great way to track your rides, if you're interested in that sort of thing.
I would call myself a "Trail Rider" as we don't have any mountains in my neck of the woods. We do have some great trails in the Dallas/Ft Worth area, though. Some pretty wicked ones too, I might add. Most of them are single track loops anywhere from 3-30 miles long.
I ride an old 2009 Gary Fisher hard tail. I agree with letsgowithbob. Clipless is the way to go. Everyone has had that time in the parking lot where they forget they are clipped in and fell over in front of everyone. Even though it's funny as hell, almost noone laughs because they've all done it a time or two. I'll say this, though. Having my feet clipped in to the pedals has saved me from eatin shat quite a few times. Barrelling down a downhill run and catching air unexpectedly is one of those times you need all 4 points on the bike to keep it under you. Unless I'm on a pump track, or going out specifically to jump, I will be clipped in.
Snapped one of my pedals riding the MTB/single-track trails last weekend - crank set, bearings and everything else is fine, just the pedal was trashed.
So that sped up my "clipless pedal" search - and after going to the bike shop, I am definitely going to go clipless, thinking I'll have that on my xmas list (since it was a little more $$ than I wanted to spend right now) - so I ended up getting a cheap-o pair of nylon/plastic BMX platform pedals and I gotta say...wow!!
Even these are a tremendous improvement over my old metal/plastic MTB "stock" pedals.
The surface area is bigger than my old pedals and the nylon material gives me a much better "grip" than my old pedals did....rode about 45 miles on the new pedals this week & they are awesome!
I hope to get a ride or 2 in this weekend and I hope y'all get a chance to do the same. Ride on brothers!
"It never gets easier, you just go faster."
- Greg LeMond
For the type of riding you do I would look for the lightest, stiffest shoe you can afford. That will give you the best efficiency. Keep riding!
Thanks leonard, I'll keep that in mind.
I really like the fiveten shoes that Joe mentioned - just the idea of having a 2-in-1 type-shoe that I can wear as a "casual street shoe" but also clips in seems great. It would be nice if the fiveten (or a similar pair) was comfortable and efficient - and handled both tasks equally well.
If not though, I'd rather have 2 pairs of shoes that are great for their intended use, than one "hybird" shoe that is only ok at both things. You get what I'm trying to say?
But either way - I definitely need to do some more research and stop by the local bike shops to try on shoes.
What do you guys do when the temp drops?
Put away your bikes? Keep riding and wear "special" bike-specific winter clothing? Or wear regular, warmer clothing (jeans, sweatshirt, etc)?
It's been upper-40s, low-50s the past few mornings and, before the temp dropped I was wearing breathable, under-armor type tees & athletic shorts. Not sure what to do/wear now...it's only a 7 mile, 25-30 min ride into work but I'm not trying to freeze my a$$ off either. What do you all do?
Comments
It makes me feel better knowing the tension can be adjusted for a "quick release" if desired. And since you experienced my greatest fear of the clipless pedals - being stuck and falling over (OUCH!!) - but still recommend them, that gives me confidence that the benefits will outweigh the risks.
I'm a fan of the clipless system, I feel way more confident and secure knowing I'm semi locked in. I have Crank Bros Candy pedals, the cleats have two different release angles, which can be very helpful to the beginner...just a hint of a twist and you're out. These don't have adjustable tension, but I don't feel that's a necessity due to the cleat design.
I definitely need new "riding" shoes anyways, I used to have a nice, stiff pair of New Balance cross trainers that worked great for riding but those wore out and got thrown away a while ago...
So that (and increased efficiency) is what got me thinking about clipless. I've been debating between just getting a new pair of regular athletic shoes for riding ...or... switching my pedals/shoes to a clipless system since I need new shoes anyways.
Sounds like the clipless system is the way to go, that's definitely what I'm leaning towards right now. I'll have to get over to the bike shop soon and see what they offer - and check out the $$.
Because the shoes I'm wearing now for riding just aren't cutting it. They're a very flexible, thin-sole "walking" shoe - which makes riding a bit more challenging & difficult than it should be because when I ride, the shoes flex like crazy and I don't get very good grip on the pedals with them so I've slipped off the pedals more than a couple times...
So I'll just have to keep an eye out for them whenever I'm out-and-about.
Which pair(s) are you looking at getting?
I'd recommend checking out Zappos or Pricepoint.com. IIRC, PP had the better deal, but with Zappos you can return them for free if the size is wrong. One advantage to Pricepoint though it they do shoe/pedal combos. There was one combo for Time Atac pedals and the show I was describing for $179...separately, they would've been closer to $200. I'm kinda getting on a tangent here...but yeah, zappos.com or pricepoint are great sources for Five Ten shoes.
Here's the combo with the shoe I like. http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/22458-285_FIVTM9_KIT-1-Clothing-133-Shoes/Mountain/Five-Ten-Greg-Minnaar-Shoe-w_Time-Atac-Alium-Pedals.htm
Just the shoes. http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/21179-285_FIVGM9-1-Clothing-133-Shoes/Mountain/Five-Ten-Greg-Minnaar-Shoe.htm
And at zappos http://www.zappos.com/five-ten-minnaar-spd-white-black-red?zlfid=111&recoName=zap_no_res
And that seems to be a pretty sweet combo deal - pedal and cleats alone looked like they'd be in the low $100s if I buy them from Amazon. So getting a combo of all 3, with the shoe at basically 50% off, very nice!!
I'm having a hard time figuring out which shoes have the SPD mounts though....is there an easy way to search for this feature? Maybe I missed something and a couple of the ones I like don't actually have SPD mounts....
And yep, it looks like most of the ones I was originally looking at don't have the spd mounts. But I'm still diggin' the Minnaars and Falcons. Either of those would work.
It has some really cool features and will keep a log of all your previous workouts too, it's a great way to track your rides, if you're interested in that sort of thing.
I ride an old 2009 Gary Fisher hard tail. I agree with letsgowithbob. Clipless is the way to go. Everyone has had that time in the parking lot where they forget they are clipped in and fell over in front of everyone. Even though it's funny as hell, almost noone laughs because they've all done it a time or two. I'll say this, though. Having my feet clipped in to the pedals has saved me from eatin shat quite a few times. Barrelling down a downhill run and catching air unexpectedly is one of those times you need all 4 points on the bike to keep it under you. Unless I'm on a pump track, or going out specifically to jump, I will be clipped in.
So that sped up my "clipless pedal" search - and after going to the bike shop, I am definitely going to go clipless, thinking I'll have that on my xmas list (since it was a little more $$ than I wanted to spend right now) - so I ended up getting a cheap-o pair of nylon/plastic BMX platform pedals and I gotta say...wow!!
Even these are a tremendous improvement over my old metal/plastic MTB "stock" pedals.
The surface area is bigger than my old pedals and the nylon material gives me a much better "grip" than my old pedals did....rode about 45 miles on the new pedals this week & they are awesome!
I hope to get a ride or 2 in this weekend and I hope y'all get a chance to do the same. Ride on brothers!
"It never gets easier, you just go faster."
- Greg LeMond
I really like the fiveten shoes that Joe mentioned - just the idea of having a 2-in-1 type-shoe that I can wear as a "casual street shoe" but also clips in seems great. It would be nice if the fiveten (or a similar pair) was comfortable and efficient - and handled both tasks equally well.
If not though, I'd rather have 2 pairs of shoes that are great for their intended use, than one "hybird" shoe that is only ok at both things. You get what I'm trying to say?
But either way - I definitely need to do some more research and stop by the local bike shops to try on shoes.
Put away your bikes? Keep riding and wear "special" bike-specific winter clothing? Or wear regular, warmer clothing (jeans, sweatshirt, etc)?
It's been upper-40s, low-50s the past few mornings and, before the temp dropped I was wearing breathable, under-armor type tees & athletic shorts. Not sure what to do/wear now...it's only a 7 mile, 25-30 min ride into work but I'm not trying to freeze my a$$ off either. What do you all do?