Clip on Shoes?

thank you for a great reply responsive to my question. Somehow I have
managed to keep my feet on the pedals without a "foot retention system" for
the last 35 years. It seems I don't need anything more than the stock
pedals and so will skip everything else. Your wisdom is much appreciated

"Peter Cole" wrote in message
news:Qz21d.164627$9d6.46806@attbi_s54...
"Bob Marley" wrote in message
...
I bike for exercise; nothing serious, maybe 25 miles per day. No racing
and
very little off road stuff. I have a very early MTB which is sturdy
enough.
I just want to get my miles in every day and am not interested in saving
a
few grams on weight here and there or having a jersey to match my helmet
and
frame.

I was wondering, however, about the shoe/ pedal clip things. Is
there
really enough advantage for a casual rider like me to invest in them?

Any foot retention method has mostly safety advantages with a little added
efficiency in that you don't have to maintain pressure on the pedal just
to
keep your foot from slipping. "Clipless" (like SPD) pedals have a bit
additional safety, convenience and comfort. It's really a matter of
personal
preference. If you don't bike aggressively, or over rough surfaces, you
probably don't need any kind of foot retention system. Otherwise, clips
work
very well, but don't offer the automatic release in a crash that clipless
do.
Forget all the claims about "pulling up" and "using different muscles",
those
practices don't add anything. I'd stay away from Power Grips, they're
simple
and cheap, but are very prone to trapping your foot in a twisting fall.

On Mon, 13 Sep 2004 14:16:58 -0700, Bob Marley wrote:

thank you for a great reply responsive to my question. Somehow I have
managed to keep my feet on the pedals without a "foot retention system"
for
the last 35 years. It seems I don't need anything more than the stock
pedals and so will skip everything else. Your wisdom is much
appreciated

"Peter Cole" wrote in message
news:Qz21d.164627$9d6.46806@attbi_s54...
"Bob Marley" wrote in message
...
I bike for exercise; nothing serious, maybe 25 miles per day. No
racing
and
very little off road stuff. I have a very early MTB which is sturdy
enough.
I just want to get my miles in every day and am not interested in
saving
a
few grams on weight here and there or having a jersey to match my
helmet
and
frame.

I was wondering, however, about the shoe/ pedal clip things. Is
there
really enough advantage for a casual rider like me to invest in them?

Any foot retention method has mostly safety advantages with a little
added
efficiency in that you don't have to maintain pressure on the pedal just
to
keep your foot from slipping. "Clipless" (like SPD) pedals have a bit
additional safety, convenience and comfort. It's really a matter of
personal
preference. If you don't bike aggressively, or over rough surfaces, you
probably don't need any kind of foot retention system. Otherwise, clips
work
very well, but don't offer the automatic release in a crash that
clipless
do.
Forget all the claims about "pulling up" and "using different muscles",
those
practices don't add anything. I'd stay away from Power Grips, they're
simple
and cheap, but are very prone to trapping your foot in a twisting fall.





How can you pedal circles without clipless pedals? I've tried toe clips,
clipless, and regular pedals, and I would never go back to non-clipless
pedals. On my mountain bike, I do use a combination pedal, with a cage
around a clipless pedal.

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

said...

How many steep, loose dirt, root and stone strewn hills have you done
where if you stop pedaling for a second you fall down?

IMHO, depending on the type of riding you do, SuperSlinky may have
stated the dangers perfectly. In mountain biking, where you have to
challenge terrain which you do not believe you can make it up or down
(otherwise you will never know), clipless riding requires a lot of
practice or you will hurt your self. It almost always hurts more to
fall down on a rocky hill with your foot still locked in than it does
with your foot off the pedal. Sometimes, you fall so fast you don't
have time to unlock.

Exactly. And stop and go riding in busy urban areas with traffic
presents some similar dicey moments. And if you fall when clipped in,
you can't control the fall, which is almost certain to make it even more
painful.

Bob in CT said...

How can you pedal circles without clipless pedals?

People do it all the time.

On Sun, 12 Sep 2004 17:52:03 -0400, "tcmedara"
wrote:

SuperSlinky wrote:

(snip)

For your description of your riding, don't waste your money. Clipless
has a painful learning curve which will have you falling down and
cursing for a while until you get proficient with them.

I guess I have to disagree with the statement above. It took me all of
about 5 minutes on the grass to learn the ins and outs of clipless pedals.
I can't say that I've ever fallen over as a result of not getting my foot
out in time, and I ride exclusively off-road. I actually think they're
easier than clips/straps in that regard. I'm sure a lot has to do with the
type of pedal you choose. I read a lot before making the move to clipless
and went with the TIME ATAC. They'll work on any MTB or road bike. I also
hear similar good things about eggbeaters. I barely have to think about
getting my foot off the pedal -- a little twist of the heel and I'm out.
There's even enough of a platform that they can be ridden without the cleats
if you need to hit the local 7/11.

Tom

Yup, Tom I have to agree with you. I think if you know the bike and
pay attention to your new clipless pedals, the learning curve will be
easy.
I started with Shimano SPD 324 pedals, which have a platform and a SPD
clip on only one side. I still use them on my old roadbike.
On the LeMond I have Shimano SPD-SL pedals. In two years and almost
4000miles, I have fallen one time. This was on a hill, when my chain
derailled to the inside of the smallest ring. I got a N-Gear JumpStop
to make sure that never happened again.
I think people have trouble with clipless, when they buy a new bike
and the pedals at the same time. They pay attention to shifting, etc
and forget about the pedals, then down they go.
After a while, it becomes second nature, to unclip when stopping.
Of course, some people just aren't very coordinated.
Going clipless, improved my performance and for me are safer. I think
once you get them, you'll wish you had done it sooner. At least I did.
If you need to do some walking, get a mtb type shoe and go with a
pedal that is SPD compatable, I think that means, most 2 bolt cleats.
Try them, you'll like them;-)


Life is Good!
Jeff

wrote

IMHO, depending on the type of riding you do, SuperSlinky may have
stated the dangers perfectly. In mountain biking, where you have to
challenge terrain which you do not believe you can make it up or down
(otherwise you will never know), clipless riding requires a lot of
practice or you will hurt your self. It almost always hurts more to
fall down on a rocky hill with your foot still locked in than it does
with your foot off the pedal. Sometimes, you fall so fast you don't
have time to unlock.

I think there are 2 distinct issues with clipless pedals. The first is when
you want to deliberately release (say to dab) and don't get out in time and
fall down. The second is whether your foot releases during a fall, especially
with twisting loads. You can get injured either way, although the second case
has greater potential for serious injury. A friend recently had surgery to
reconstruct his lower leg (a plate & 10 screws). He is a very experienced
cyclist who had a low speed fall while riding off-road. His pedal didn't
release (Crank Bros. Eggbeaters) and the twisting force was enough to shatter
the bone. I experienced broken ribs when I went over backwards on a steep,
rocky climb when the clips and straps I was using didn't let go. I've never
had a foot get trapped while using multi-release SPD pedal/cleat, but I have
bounced them loose a few times while riding very rocky trails fast (could have
got hurt, but haven't yet).

I know people who have had serious crashes from almost every type of pedal
mishap: too tight straps, slip off platforms, pull out of clipless, etc. No
system is foolproof, it's wise to think about the potential liabilities of
whatever method you use.

"Bob Marley" wrote in message ...

[...]
I was wondering, however, about the shoe/ pedal clip things. Is there
really enough advantage for a casual rider like me to invest in them?


Yes. A foot retention system helps you to pedal better and is more
comfortable and I think it is also safer (ignoring the initial
slow-motion tip-overs). If you are using your bike to exercise, a
pedal system is great.

I've tried clips/straps, SPD, and eggbeaters(candy SL's).

Of these, my favorite is the candy SL's from crank brothers. They use
shoes that are SPD compatible. They are supposed to be for MTB's but I
put them on my road bikes too. One nice thing about the candy's is
that you don't need to adjust any tension on the pedals-- just install
your shoe-cleat to taste and go.

I have had bad experiences with cheap SPD's, but I hear the higher-end
ones are good.

YMMV, so just do some shopping and trying. Foot retention is a highly
personal individual preference. As a result, ebay is full of slightly
used clipless pedals of all types because people buy one brand, decide
they don't like it then sell it and buy something else.

-H.