clip in shoes

[cambsno]

I have that dilemma too. Plan to get a road bike and it will be just for exercise, will still use the hybrid for trips out with family etc... Something scares me about clipless but then I do get the logic around being connected to the bike.

 

[Darius_Jedburgh]

@cambsno
Do I know that user name from elsewhere? Maybe a photo forum?

Anyway. I use SPD pedals and shoes on my road bike. Have done for many years, back to when they first came out. When I ride without them it seems strange, even on my pub/shopping jalopy.

I'm used to them. Some folk just dont get on with them. C'est la vie.

 

[Landsurfer]

I'm recovering well from the crash i had nearly 3 weeks ago that clipped pedals were the main cause of falling ... my fault , didn't unclip my right foot early enough.
I'm back riding again, and despite the purchase of a pair of DMR V8 pedals .... i'm still riding clipped in ...
After 40 years of cycling clipped it it just feels natural ......

 

[Mo1959]

I'm recovering well from the crash i had nearly 3 weeks ago that clipped pedals were the main cause of falling ... my fault , didn't unclip my right foot early enough.
I'm back riding again, and despite the purchase of a pair of DMR V8 pedals .... i'm still riding clipped in ...
After 40 years of cycling clipped it it just feels natural ......

Yep..........only bike I have flat pedals on now is the mountain bike and I seem to be constantly adjusting my feet trying to get comfy when I use them. On the road bikes, once clipped in you can just forget about your feet as they are always placed right on the pedals.

 

[cambsno]

@cambsno
Do I know that user name from elsewhere? Maybe a photo forum?

Anyway. I use SPD pedals and shoes on my road bike. Have done for many years, back to when they first came out. When I ride without them it seems strange, even on my pub/shopping jalopy.

I'm used to them. Some folk just dont get on with them. C'est la vie.

Great spot - yes, hoping this will be cheaper than photography!!!

 

[Darius_Jedburgh]

Great spot - yes, hoping this will be cheaper than photography!!!

@cambsno
I'm not sure about that 🤔
It really depends, like the photo game, how seriously you want to take it.
To keep SWMBO happy I sold a load of gear to fund a decent bike. "You can't carry all that gear on a bike" etc.
Buying bike gear is a bit like buying photo gear....sneak it in and then claim you've had it for ages. You know the score👍

 

[MichaelW2]

As a beginner you should stay away from clipless pedal systems. To use them safely you need to be able to control the bike on autopilot, so you have enough brain capacity left to remember to unclip.

Use plain platform pedals until you are a more experienced rider. Then you will be in a position to choose for yourself.

 

[simongt]

Yep..........only bike I have flat pedals on now is the mountain bike and I seem to be constantly adjusting my feet trying to get comfy when I use them. On the road bikes, once clipped in you can just forget about your feet as they are always placed right on the pedals.

Definitely agree on this point. And no risk of your feet slipping off the pedals in wet / muddy conditions either.

 

[JRTemple]

So my new clipped shoes finally arrived and I fitted the pedals, Friday evening after work came the time for me to go out in them, so off I go up my road in all the gear including my new shinny white shoes, I get to the top of my road and the neighbours daughter is there with her friends, (they are early 20's) so stomach in and right foot out of pedal onto floor, FANTASTIC no problems feeling good about myself, OK so road clear and right foot on pedal to push myself away, oh hold on, what's holding me upright CRASH! there I am on the floor with the girls sniggering and a massive bruise on my arse! lesson learnt, unclip left foot to use right foot to push away!

 

[plastic_cyclist]

I was in your exact position back in March this year. I had to start from a blank cycling page. All I had was a bike, no helmet, no gear, no idea. But gradually, you pick things up as you go, this forum has been a godsend. I'm still very much a newbie, I've since fell off, cracked my £50 helmet and ruined it, walked home, had a pedal snap off mid-ride and recently discovered BIB shorts (to my families disgust!).

I started off with flat pedals and trainers, no shorts, no jerseys, I was wearing my running gear ! Then I switched to clip in shoes and pedals (SPDs) and I would never go back, they are so much better, the SPDs seem to be easier to snap out when wanting to put feet down. I think you'll be wondering why you didn't do it sooner if you leave it.

 

[JRTemple]

New shoes

New bruise!

 

[vickster]

Take extreme care walking on SPD cleats on road shoes

 

[si_c]

Take extreme care walking on SPD cleats on road shoes

Very much this. None of the advantages of MTB/commuter shoes with added slippiness and danger.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I started off with flat pedals and trainers, no shorts, no jerseys, I was wearing my running gear ! Then I switched to clip in shoes and pedals (SPDs) and I would never go back, they are so much better, the SPDs seem to be easier to snap out when wanting to put feet down. I think you'll be wondering why you didn't do it sooner if you leave it.

I've been riding bikes with normal pedals wearing regular clothing for 45+ years so far and I certainly don't feel that I'm missing out on anything.

 

[Paulus]

Take extreme care walking on SPD cleats on road shoes

The cleats on those shoes won't last too long, wrong shoe choice I think, really needed MTB shoes with recess for SPD cleats.