Cleats getting binned, back to flats!

[Banjo]

I rode with SPDs for a couple of months then went back to flat pedals after a few "moments" now back using SPDs and doing ok touchwood.

I dont think theres a massive performance boost from being clipped in so do whatevewr your happy with.

 

[Tyres]

I'm in a bit of a dilemma too with spd. I'm currently recovering from a muscle strain in the quads. However, before that happened I was looking to move from flats to spd in a hope that they would assist with achieving a better pedal stroke (not that I know there's anything wrong with it). But reading all about knee injuries just puts me right off going clipless.

 

[the_mikey]

I'm in a bit of a dilemma too with spd. I'm currently recovering from a muscle strain in the quads. However, before that happened I was looking to move from flats to spd in a hope that they would assist with achieving a better pedal stroke (not that I know there's anything wrong with it). But reading all about knee injuries just puts me right off going clipless.

I've already lost a tooth from a fall, and have had too many issues with spd (and with even toe clips after I abandoned spd) that I'm returning to flats. I think if I was riding on the road and not expecting to stop, it would be more bearable, but from leaving the home, I need to stop at junctions, crossings and a whole host of unpredictable hazards that seem to make it not much fun to go anywhere, I've gone back to flat pedals and it's easy, and the anxiety has gone. No more panics, falls or anything, except an occasional whack to the shin which is much more bearable than an emergency dentist appointment!

The real problem is the increasing anxiety that comes with using them, given the bad time I've had with them so far, I've worked myself up to panic level with them, so it undermines my confidence to even ride anywhere with them.

 

[kewb]

my experiences with clipless has taught me that some people might be  setting  the clip to tight making clipping out a bit difficult ,

mine are always very loose making clipping out easy , this doesnt mean i can escape the clip in any way during normal riding btw ,

my friend has his much tighter than mine and its an effort to stamp in compared to mine he says he doesnt want to slip out something ive never done in clippless pedals .

maybe i am wrong but setting them this way suits me , theres still no way of preventing un forseen stoppages and getting that foot on the ground quickly enough .

 

[JNR]

my experiences with clipless has taught me that some people might be setting the clip to tight making clipping out a bit difficult ,

mine are always very loose making clipping out easy , this doesnt mean i can escape the clip in any way during normal riding btw ,

my friend has his much tighter than mine and its an effort to stamp in compared to mine he says he doesnt want to slip out something ive never done in clippless pedals .

maybe i am wrong but setting them this way suits me , theres still no way of preventing un forseen stoppages and getting that foot on the ground quickly enough .

I've got mine set to the easiest too, and I haven't had any problems. I've got the SPD-SL with the yellow cleat, I believe the red ones are different but I'm happy with mine. I'm still crap at putting my first foot in though!

I've taken to clipping out just in case after some near misses, just being aware and all that.

 

[kewb]

I've got mine set to the easiest too, and I haven't had any problems. I've got the SPD-SL with the yellow cleat, I believe the red ones are different but I'm happy with mine. I'm still crap at putting my first foot in though!

I've taken to clipping out just in case after some near misses, just being aware and all that.

its so much easier for me and its never resulted in me un clipping by accident even when im really pushing on say a hill ,


but i can almost slip out with a slight twist when i want to ,

dont know why some prefer them so tight .

 

[brokenbetty]

I like toe clips - all the joy of standard shoes but a bit more connection when it's wet.

I dare say clipless would be better in some ways but I'm not sure they are ways I care about - I haven't found the problem that clipless is meant to solve.

 

[ManiaMuse]

its so much easier for me and its never resulted in me un clipping by accident even when im really pushing on say a hill ,


but i can almost slip out with a slight twist when i want to ,

dont know why some prefer them so tight .

I've been gradually tightening my SPDs after having them very loose when I was getting used to them. I prefer them tighter because I always get a decent 'click'. When they were looser there were some times when they felt a bit spongy and I wasn't quite sure if you were in/out or not.

I haven't noticed much difference in how quickly I can unclip, in fact I think I can unclip slightly quicker with them tighter since I make more of a determined twist.

Haven't had a clipless moment or fallen off yet. Haven't had to do a proper serious emergency stop so far but even then at most speeds I'm pretty sure I would be able to unclip and get my foot out far quicker than the time it takes to stop.

I found it quite surprising how quickly I got used to them, I find it really weird riding flats or toeclips now. The most important thing I learnt was that you need to be a bit more aware coming up to junctions or in traffic when you might need to unclip.

 

[e-rider]

I got used to clipless in about 15 minutes!

You say that you experiments with different cleat positions - that's probably your biggest mistake - there is pretty much a very very small window for the 'correct' position for any one persons physiology and riding style. So if you tried 20+ positions, at most only one would be correct and comfortable! Perhaps you never found the right position? You also need to adjust the saddle accordingly too.

For me, riding with cleats is a bit of a no brainer, but I accept that not everyone is the same. 9 months is a pretty good attempt.

 

[MontyVeda]

when i had a roadbike with dropped bars in th'eighties I had toeclips and slipping my feet in and out of them was 2nd nature. Then I got a mountain bike with flat pedals, and eventually (after a year or so) put some toe clips on... and took them off a week later.

 

[kewb]

I like toe clips - all the joy of standard shoes but a bit more connection when it's wet.

I dare say clipless would be better in some ways but I'm not sure they are ways I care about - I haven't found the problem that clipless is meant to solve.

mtb spd shoes are designed to walk in and have better grip and tread than some trainers , and no clip clop sound when you walk either 


the soles firm but slightly curved so you can take actual steps .

 

[crumpetman]

Is there a preferred flat pedal for use with road bikes? Most of the flat pedals I am looking at online are meant for MTB or BMX and while they would probably be fine on the road some of them look a bit heavy/large.

 

[worcester dan]

another one here who just did not get on with clipless, tried for over a year and just about to change back to flats.

 

[HLaB]

Is there a preferred flat pedal for use with road bikes? Most of the flat pedals I am looking at online are meant for MTB or BMX and while they would probably be fine on the road some of them look a bit heavy/large.

I don't know what brand they are but they're are lighter flat pedals on the market, I had a Titanium pair, eventually I fitted toe clips to them. They did make a bit of a mess of my shins though when my foot slipped of in the wet so eventually I changed to clipless.

Edit: MKS do pairs of Flat Road Pedals

 

[kewb]

light platform pedal here -

http://www.fisheroutdoor.co.uk/prod...ategory=640&find_description=&find_part_desc=

my mtb has similar looking ones no identifying marks on them though , alloy with black rims that are toothed for grip .

very much like these -

http://www.parker-international.co.uk/14143/BBB-Mount---Go-Pedals.html




great grip but nasty to whack your shins with (ive bruises to prove it )