What's a clipless pedal?

I've seen several references to them in recent posts. They're deemed illegal
by one poster and not wanted if you want to bunny hop.

John

On Sun, 18 Jan 2004 20:47:15 -0000, "Eatmorepies"
wrote:

I've seen several references to them in recent posts. They're deemed illegal
by one poster and not wanted if you want to bunny hop.

A pedal system where there is a cleat on the bottom of the shoe which
engages in a clip system on the pedal. They are called clipless
because in the Olden Days you had platform pedals with toeclips.

Best known brand is Shimano SPD; also you can get them from Look,
Time, Crank Brothers, and UTC&A.

There's a picture, and a description of when they are illegal, on this
page:
http://chapmancentral.demon.co.uk/Web/public.nsf/Documents/rvlr
(just over halfway down).

Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://chapmancentral.demon.co.uk

"Eatmorepies" writes:

I've seen several references to them in recent posts. They're deemed illegal
by one poster and not wanted if you want to bunny hop.

Bizarre, isn't it?

A pedal which any ordinary english speaking person could see has a
fancy patent clip on it is called 'clipless', whereas a pedal which
doesn't is called variously a flat, a rat trap, or whatever...

Once upon a very long time ago, there were things called
toeclips. Actually you can still get them, but they're uncommon. A toe
clip is a thin strap of (usually) metal which ran from the front of
your pedal forward under the toe of your shoe and then back up over
your shoe to terminate in a loop above your instep. A leather strap
ran through the pedal body and through the loop on the top of the toe
clip, with a spring loaded buckle on the side away from the bike.

Riding a bike with toeclips, if riding a short distance you would not
normally tighten the straps but if riding further you would - once up
to cruising speed you would reach down to one pedal, and then the
other, and pull the straps tight. This of course meant, particularly
if you were wearing cleated shoes, that you could not take your feet
off the pedals without first reaching down and releasing the straps.
As you can appreciate this meant that you could not get your foot out
of the toeclip in an accident, and this was sometimes bad news.

Hence new pedals were introduced which firmly located the shoe on the
pedal with a quick release mechanism like a ski binding. The best
known of these ski-binding-like pedal mechanisms is Shimano's
SPD. Because these pedals don't have toeclips, they were called
'clipless' - another of those bizarre bits of perverse language for
which English is known and loved.

--
(Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

I shall continue to be an impossible person so long as those
who are now possible remain possible -- Michael Bakunin

"Simon Brooke" wrote in message
. uk...

Once upon a very long time ago,

About last Friday (c) AA Milne

there were things called
toeclips. Actually you can still get them, but they're uncommon.

raises hand

Please Sir, we have seven bikes in regular use, with nine pairs of pedals
between them. Of these, four pairs have toeclips, two pairs have no clips
(being clipless but not clipless) and three are clipless (2 x SPD, 1 x
Look).

--
Guy
===

WARNING: may contain traces of irony. Contents may settle after posting.
http://chapmancentral.demon.co.uk

Eatmorepies wrote:
I've seen several references to them in recent posts. They're deemed
illegal by one poster and not wanted if you want to bunny hop.
John



If you have ever skied imagine a similar system on a bike.You clip
in and out. The same only different. Truly clipless? No.Tension
loaded? Yes.



--

there were things called toeclips. Actually you can still get them
but they're uncommon

My 2003 Dawes Discovery 501 came with toe cages as standard

If anyone knows of a system where I can use both (single sided?) that i
highly recommended, I would be interested. I would like to go "clipless
but I need the ability to ride in normal shoes as well


-

Rabs wrote:
there were things called toeclips. Actually you can still get them,
but they're uncommon.
My 2003 Dawes Discovery 501 came with toe cages as standard!
If anyone knows of a system where I can use both (single sided?) that is
highly recommended, I would be interested. I would like to go "clipless"
but I need the ability to ride in normal shoes as well.


on my commuting bike I use dual function pedals, where one side has a
spd binding but the other just has the body of a normal flat pedal
Quite useful because I can then ride in trainers or bike shoes


-

try these

http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=10570



--

"Simon Brooke" wrote in message
. uk...
"Eatmorepies" writes:

I've seen several references to them in recent posts. They're deemed
illegal
by one poster and not wanted if you want to bunny hop.

Bizarre, isn't it?

A pedal which any ordinary english speaking person could see has a
fancy patent clip on it is called 'clipless', whereas a pedal which
doesn't is called variously a flat, a rat trap, or whatever...

I had a funny feeling that someone would tell me that SPDs are also called
clipless pedals. Are they truly illegal as someone suggested in a previous
post?

John

On Mon, 19 Jan 2004 20:06:51 -0000, "Eatmorepies"
wrote:

I had a funny feeling that someone would tell me that SPDs are also called
clipless pedals. Are they truly illegal as someone suggested in a previous
post?

Only at night if not fitted with reflectors and fitted to a bike made
after about 1985.

Guy
===
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://chapmancentral.demon.co.uk