There's a reply to another post down there somewhere that says "clipless pedals will turn you from a plodder to a zinger." EVERYBODY but me and one 80-year-old neighbor of mine uses clipless pedals.
I'm not phobic about them, and I'm not worried about being "attached to the bike" in a crash. I've ridden with them quite a bit, and I can get in and out of the things.
After a solid season of use, though, I realized I wasn't going any faster anywhere than I used to with toe clips, and I walked like a duck when I went into the coffee place, so I went back to clips.
Now it's time for new shoes, and since I wear size 15 (Euro 50), I'm pretty much limited to Sidis at ~$200 a pair.In preparation for this considerable expense, I've pulled out my old Looks and SPDs and bolted the appropriate cleats back on my tattered footwear--and I STILL don't go any faster or feel any better/more secure/stronger than I do with toe clips. I know everybody SAYS clipless makes you faster, but has anybody really compared the two? Am I just going to wake up one morning and it all falls into place, or what?

There's a reply to another post down there somewhere that says "clipless pedals will turn you from a plodder to a zinger." EVERYBODY but me and one 80-year-old neighbor of mine uses clipless pedals.
I'm not phobic about them, and I'm not worried about being "attached to the bike" in a crash. I've ridden with them quite a bit, and I can get in and out of the things.
After a solid season of use, though, I realized I wasn't going any faster anywhere than I used to with toe clips, and I walked like a duck when I went into the coffee place, so I went back to clips.
Now it's time for new shoes, and since I wear size 15 (Euro 50), I'm pretty much limited to Sidis at ~$200 a pair.In preparation for this considerable expense, I've pulled out my old Looks and SPDs and bolted the appropriate cleats back on my tattered footwear--and I STILL don't go any faster or feel any better/more secure/stronger than I do with toe clips. I know everybody SAYS clipless makes you faster, but has anybody really compared the two? Am I just going to wake up one morning and it all falls into place, or what?
i don't feel faster, just feels a little more efficient. being able to really take advantage of the entire pedal stroke has gotten me back home a few times. when the legs are burning, you can work on some different muscles by just concentrating on the pulls of the pedal stroke.

but you've always said you liked the straps, so why change? i don't see how there's any difference as long as you have strong contact with the pedal the whole time.

if you dont use them to their advantage then no.........u will not go faster. And most of the time they just take some of the pain out of your ride, and make pedaling easier, not always faster. U have to learn how to pedal correctly before u make a speed judgment, and once u do, u will know that clipless is better..

I just find it easier to have a smoother pedal stroke with them than my clipped pedals. I find it easer to "pull up" on my pedal stroke when I'm seated and climbing and i get tired.

I really, really like them for mountain biking. After you get over how to get in and out in the squirlly conditions the fact that I'm clipped in helps to maneuver in tight sitcuations.

Bottom line, if you don't like them don't bother. YOu've tried them long enough to know one way or another.

BT

The only time I notice a difference is spinning up very steep off-road climbs, where clipless pedals prevent me from rolling the pedal under my foot and getting my shins/ankles all chewed up.

Other than that, I think the performance gains are theoretical. Problem is, whether or not the theory pans out in actual practice, it is an undeniably good theory -- better connection to the pedal, better transfer of power through a broader range of the pedal stroke.

Truth be told, I think that being able to move your foot around as position and cadence change is a far greater advantage that this full-circle pedaling that nobody actually manages to do.

The clips allow you to put power into the pedals all the way around the circle. I used the old straps for years and yes you can push foward an down and maybe a little back and up (if you are careful) but not to the degree you can with modern pedals. I also used the straps with the old slotted cleats. I always had problems with old cleats. My ankles would start hurting (a lot) after an hour or so, regardless of how I had the cleats positioned. The float on modern pedals eliminates that issue for me.

I've seen some discussions that a masher can get as much power and speed into the bike by just putting all the power into the down stroke, but I doubt if it is true for a spinner. A spinner will try to get as much power into the full rotation as possible and try to keep it as smooth as possible. I believe you would get a better high speed spin out of the pedals with the modern pedal systems. If you are a masher, it might not make a lot of difference either way.

if you dont use them to their advantage then no.........u will not go faster. And most of the time they just take some of the pain out of your ride, and make pedaling easier, not always faster. U have to learn how to pedal correctly before u make a speed judgment, and once u do, u will know that clipless is better..

I always thought it was kind of an oxymoron to call them clipless pedals when in fact you "clip in" and they are in fact anything but clipless. I guess toe clipless but....

Personally I could never use toe clips. Once I got somewhat serious I started there, and it lasted about a week. I had trouble getting in and out of those far worse than any "clipless" pedals. I don't know anyone that has made the switch that has ever gone back.

U have to learn how to pedal correctly before u make a speed judgment, and once u do, u will know that clipless is better..

Yeah, I guess the two guys in the second picture just don't get the fact that clipless will make them faster. Perhaps the race winner (first picture) might have won by more if he'd been going clipless ...

FYI, many track riders will use toe clips with straps since they are MORE secure than clipless pedals.

I have a gap in my cycling experience. Basically the 90's. In the 70's and 80's I rode flats (I had cages for some of the time, but not enough to count). In the 21st century, when I started getting back into riding my bike again I rode flats. One of my first upgrades was to a clipless pedal. Of all the gadgets I've bought for the bike I feel the clipless pedals have made the single biggest performance difference in my riding.

Couple of reasons:
1) the pedal stroke thing. While I still mash my way through plenty of miles, I have been able to teach myself to pedal in circles for a good chunk of miles as well. It increased my endurance, comfort, and (maybe) a little MPH.

2) the bunny hop. While novices often think it's a safety issue to be clipped to your bike, I've learned it's a safety issue not to be clipped to your bike. Since going clipless I've found I have so much more control over my bike with two additional hard contact points.

While my experience is from flats to clipless, not cages to clipless as you're describing, they've made a big difference for me.

Scot

Am I just going to wake up one morning and it all falls into place, or what?
One codger to another: YES.

Because this is a beginner's forum, and because the person asking the question said that she would be buying a first bike, I assumed that when it came to buying pedals for that bike she'd probably face a choice of either flat pedals or clipless ones. In other words, I was comparing the efficiency of being attached to the pedal to not being attached.

Anyway, at least as far as my personal experience goes, the amount of efficiency gained by being attached to the pedal is utterly profound. With the same amount of energy expended, being attached not only enables me to run a gear a cog or two smaller in the rear cassette, it often enables me to run in the next larger chainring. I know this to be true because my Rambouillet has the two-sided pedals that enable me to wear either normal shoes or cleated cycling shoes. I often trade off between cleated and normal, too, because the Rambouillet is my office bike and I sometimes have to be seen in a decent pair of shoes.

As for the term "clipless," yes it is absolutely awful, but it's what the things are now commonly called. As for using toe-clips, if you're not cinched down and cleated in I''ve found they'll bring you about halfway to the nirvana of being clipped in, but not much further. As for using toe clips the old school way, cleated in and cinched down, it tends to be both scary and uncomfortable. If you're on the track, it's certainly okay. After all, you want to absolutely guarantee you won't come out of the pedal, and how long do track races usually take? But on the road, it was a technology that truly deserved becoming obsolete.

I use to use cleats and straps in the good old days. To get a good upstroke you had to strap them down securely and double buckle them. Yes, I could get a good upstroke but having to stop for stop signs, lights, traffic was a real Pain in the behind. I got to the point I could do a fair track stand, but most of the time I ended up blowing lights, and signs or doing a right turn at the light, a u turn and then another right turn to eliminate the need of stopping. (That was when I was younger and stupider)

Plus, the lack of float caused me ankle problems.

Then you add in all the Arnies I would do in the middle of a busy intersections. (Yeah, I'm cool laying on my back in the middle of traffic with my wheels sticking up in the air, while I struggle to unfasten the buckles, yeah, I'm cool!)

Most of the time I rode with them single buckled so I could get my foot out when I needed to and then tug the strap tight once I was in again. (but, I could not pull up on the pedal with any force with out the strap coming loose)

To me, clipless pedals were the greatest advancement in bicycles in the last 30 years. Just my point of view.

Yeah, I guess the two guys in the second picture just don't get the fact that clipless will make them faster. Perhaps the race winner (first picture) might have won by more if he'd been going clipless ...

FYI, many track riders will use toe clips with straps since they are MORE secure than clipless pedals.

Clipless, faster?

I must be doing something wrong because I've been passed by guys on MTB's with flat pedals, full upright position and overstuffed backpacks.

But I do feel that I can use my muscles more effectively by pulling back and up really hard whereas I would inevitably pull my foot out of the cage or be unable to get out at a red light. I find clipless (I know everyone has mentioned this, but how on earth do you clip into clipless pedals) convenient and simple. But faster? Not for me, baby.



There's a reply to another post down there somewhere that says "clipless pedals will turn you from a plodder to a zinger." EVERYBODY but me and one 80-year-old neighbor of mine uses clipless pedals.
I'm not phobic about them, and I'm not worried about being "attached to the bike" in a crash. I've ridden with them quite a bit, and I can get in and out of the things.
After a solid season of use, though, I realized I wasn't going any faster anywhere than I used to with toe clips, and I walked like a duck when I went into the coffee place, so I went back to clips.
Now it's time for new shoes, and since I wear size 15 (Euro 50), I'm pretty much limited to Sidis at ~$200 a pair.In preparation for this considerable expense, I've pulled out my old Looks and SPDs and bolted the appropriate cleats back on my tattered footwear--and I STILL don't go any faster or feel any better/more secure/stronger than I do with toe clips. I know everybody SAYS clipless makes you faster, but has anybody really compared the two? Am I just going to wake up one morning and it all falls into place, or what?

I have a SS and a FS MTB that are both used for road riding and have platform (no traps) pedals. My road bike has clipless.

Like anything else with cycling the benefit is dependant on what kind of riding you do and what you are used too.

When riding my SS I spin out at around 24 MPH and 125 RPM (both estimates as I have no computer). My feet do start to come off the pedals. If I were using the clipless pedals I have no doubt I could get a few more RPM and thus MPH. However I don't really need it.

Climbing at low cadance on my FS I also get some lift and would benefit from clipless.

However, for very recreational type riding I think the benefit of street shoes out wieghs the benefits of clipless pedals.

Most people who only use clipless pedals will struggle with platforms until they get used to them. On the other hand I may not get the full benefit from my clipless because I'm used to platforms.

Just do what feels right and don't worry about what others think.

I always thought it was kind of an oxymoron to call them clipless pedals when in fact you "clip in" and they are in fact anything but clipless. I guess toe clipless but....

Personally I could never use toe clips. Once I got somewhat serious I started there, and it lasted about a week. I had trouble getting in and out of those far worse than any "clipless" pedals. I don't know anyone that has made the switch that has ever gone back.

I did. I went clipless in 1988, used 5 or 6 different systems, some great (Old-style Times and Speedplays) some OK (Look, a couple of others), and some dreadful (Sampson). Then, about 2 years ago, I got a set of the old Shimano 600 Ultegra pedals, and the associated "winged" cleats. I'd always wanted to try them, so I put them on the bike. After couple of rides getting used to getting into cleated, toe-clipped pedals, I love them.

Pros:

1. Retention can be as good as clipless, if you use slotted cleats. Using the 600 / D-A pedals and cleats, with tight straps, it's better. Because the cleats hold so well by themselves, I tend to leave one strap loose in traffic, and only cinch up when I need to be fully locked in.

2. Tunable retention, on the fly. This is a good thing.

3. Versatiltiy. My "utility" bikes have alwys worn clips and straps, becuase they get used more if I don't have to "suit up" to ride. This is not really an advantage for the Shimanos, because the pedals are quite small, and the little metal piece that engages the wings on the front of the cleats dig into soft soled shoes a bit. If I only had the one bike, it'd probably have quill or cleatable platform pedals on it.

Cons:

1. Good shoes for toe-clip pedals can be tough to find. The fewer velcro straps, the better.

2. Cleats. Slotted cleats are not easy to come by. Yellow Jersey has 'em. The cleats for the Shimanos are even tougher to get, and they're really expensive now. Trackies buy 'em all.

3. Riding buddies. Most cyclists will think you're a "fred", because "real" riders use clipless pedals.

4. Entry and exit are more difficult, if your straps are tight.

--Shannon

How about we REFRAIN from posting the wide images? That way the text doesn't get stretched across the screen and require scrolling to read the thread.

If you DO post a wide image -- how about you EDIT or REMOVE it and save us all a lot of grief?

Is that being unreasonable?

Jeez! :mad:

Is that being unreasonable?

Jeez! :mad:

Left it big so you could see the toe straps and the context of the photo. Toe straps do not show up very well in smaller photos. If you casually browse any number of posts I have made that contain photos, you might notice that I keep them a more reasonable size.

...and I think they're all key factors. Maybe the biggest one that I haven't heard mentioned: your feet don't go to sleep anymore, which used to happen all the time when you cranked down on the straps for a crit race...

unless you have to walk in them, or try to get clipped in when the cleats are worn, or get unclipped in a hurry...

OK, so they sucked. I still have a set if anyone is interested... lol

A long, long while ago I used toe straps on both my MTB and Road bikes. Now days I use clipless pedals exclusively.

For one thing my feet stay where they're supposed to be. I've suffered with one leg being longer than the other, so when I get a good "fit" I want to keep using that position. The float that is now available has been wonderful for the knee on the longer leg.

Another plus is that I have better control of the bike when I'm clipped in (to my clipless pedals?) This includes bunny hopping; pedaling on really steep hills; and staying on the bike after a hard bump. Admittedly the those reasons apply mostly to MTBs, but all have come to play for my road riding too.

I'm not much of a believer in this pedaling full circle stuff. I've certainly used it on occasion, but as a general practice I can't say as I've found it worthwhile. I'd agree whole heartedly with the note about getting extra RPM, however.

Last, now days I have a much, much better chance of getting out of the clipless pedals in a hurry than I ever did when I was somehow supposed to reach down and loosen a belt of some sort while heading directly for an impending disaster.

One thing I have come to hate with a vengeance, however, is the shoes that are used with the road going clipless pedals. Last summer I slipped while wearing a set of the %$%@! things and broke my femur. I've now got a chunk of titanium in my leg that looks as though it'll have to come out - small leg, lotsa metal implies big pain. My Trek road bike now has ATACs to match my Santa Cruz MTB. I will never take another step in those disaster-about-to-happen slick soled roadie shoes again.

Oh, the previously long leg is now the short leg. If I'd planned better, maybe they'd have come out the same.

In the end, you're the rider and you gotta ride what works for you. In my opinion clipless pedals add to the enjoyment of my biking, but I sincerely doubt that they'll make any night and day change to anyone's riding. Hopefully the various write ups will give you a hint on what to try. Good luck.