Compromise to clip in pedals on a road bike.

[si_c]

Toe clips need to be done up properly or there is little point as they offer minimal retention - if you are not confident enough to use clipless then toe clips should truly terrify you. Dangling from the pedal and catching on things if you aren't using them and if done up properly you need to reach down to undo them. No thanks.

If you want a proper no-compromise solution then you are looking at MTB flat pedals with pegs - these keep your feet solidly locked in place with no side to side or forward back motion even over the roughest terrain provided you keep a minimal amount of weight on them.

That being said I use clipless on all my bikes - yes I've fallen over having failed to unclip once or twice, but usually at lights and always my own fault with no injury other than pride, worth giving a try in my opinion.

 

[RoadRider400]

No need for clipless or tow clips. I am a casual road cyclist and use DMR V8 flat pedals and trainers for all my rides, often upwards of 50miles. I have no desire to be attached to the bike.

 

[MichaelW2]

Toe clips need to be done up properly or there is little point as they offer minimal retention -

Not so. Clips with lose straps keep your toes in place over rough ground and hard climbs. They extend the arc of your power stroke compared with plain flats.
I generally use plain flats these days but my riding has gone from medium performance to pootling around on my urban utility bike.

 

[oldwheels]

In that case, you can't have done the straps up! ***

Two examples that happened to me...

A 25% climb, a damp road, the back wheel slid out, absolutely no time to reach down to loosen straps, couldn't get my feet off the pedals - BANG, I'm down!

Riding along at a decent pace when some idiot shot out of a side road just in front of me without looking... Emergency braking, absolutely no time to reach down to loosen straps, couldn't get my feet off the pedals - BANG, I'm down!

The biggest problem with clipless is people having the release tensions too high. In that scenario - yes - BIG problem! I set mine to minimum, and that eliminated the issue.

*** If you DID ride with straps done up, I fail to see how it can be quicker and easier to reach down to loosen a strap in an emergency than it is to just twist a foot to unclip.

Since I was a tourist rather than a racer I admit my straps were never so tight I could not get my foot out without releasing them on road bikes.
I had a few near misses and never felt comfortable with clipless even with minimum tension.
My one off was a bit comical really. On a club MB outing we came to a very muddy bit which had been churned by tractors in the middle of a forest. I picked a line and went for it but midway came to a halt still pedalling furiously and slowly toppled sideways, fortunately on to a tuft of grass. Getting up was complicated by not being able to get my feet free of the pedals.
Solo MB riding was in the sort of places where it could take a long time to get found if injured and phone signals were not reliable.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

View attachment 566444

BITD when using toe clips and straps, you would have been wearing leather soled cycling shoes and these plates were nailed on. Getting the correct position was an art and the pedals came with a ridge in which the clip slotted into.

To be effective for climbing hills etc, you pulled the straps real tight. If you had to dismount in this situation, it was very difficult. For just riding, the straps are pulled tightish, but with scope to yank your foot out if needed. When very tight, blood circulation in the foot is restricted and becomes uncomfortable after a while.

The modern clip less pedals resolves all these issues. Just got to master stopping and starting which does not take that long, but you can be caught out if something unexpected happens. But that would have happened with the old system as well.

By the time I was using clips and straps those had been superceded by bolt on cleats, I used them for years and found there was a sweet spot where they were tight enough but I could still wriggle a foot out, I never rode with the straps tightened right down, but I never raced, I'm now on clipless.

 

[Sharky]

Since I was 14 or so, have always ridden clipped in (old or modern methods) and are they faster?

Well if you can see my avatar picture, I am using clips, but on that day, I forgot my cycling shoes and am wearing ordinary shoes without any cleats. Ironically on that day I did a 1:3 dead for 25 miles. Only once ever bettered!

But I always think that had I been fully clipped in, I would have done at least a 1:2:59

 

[Darius_Jedburgh]

Since I was 14 or so, have always ridden clipped in (old or modern methods) and are they faster?

Well if you can see my avatar picture, I am using clips, but on that day, I forgot my cycling shoes and am wearing ordinary shoes without any cleats. Ironically on that day I did a 1:3 dead for 25 miles. Only once ever bettered!

But I always think that had I been fully clipped in, I would have done at least a 1:2:59

A 1.3? Don't think I ever went that slow, but then I never raced in toe clips. They frighten me with the inability to leave the bike in a hurry.

 

[Gunk]

I would just persevere with the regular SPD cleats, loosen the tension off so they're easy to release. I use hybrid pedals which are flat one side and SPD the other, for short trips I quite like riding in jeans and trainers.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

The learning curve for using clipless is often way, way overstated. It takes maybe 10-20 minutes practice propped against a wall at home developing a bit of muscle memory, then you head out, and you ride and practice a bit more. Congratulations, you're all done.

It's not compulsory to have a "clipless moment", most riders have avoided it. If clipless pedals were hard to use, they wouldn't be as ubiquitous on road bikes as they are.

 

[Exlaser2]

I have been reading this thread with real interest.
I grew up using toe clips and still have them on my hybrid , it like going back to an old friend .
Switched about 25 years ago to spd s with multi release cleats , worked great no problems getting in or out of them . But how ever I set the cleats they gave me knee pain .
So I had to switch to other systems with more ‘ float ‘ in them , first TIME pedals and and now Speedplay frogs. Both are great for my knees but I have real trouble un cleating . I seem to have stiff ankles and have trouble flicking out my heels to un cleat and it’s getting worse as I get older .
Does anyone have any ideas about anything else I could try because the way I am going I will be going back to toe clips on all my bikes by the end of 2021

 

[Colin Grigson]

I have been reading this thread with real interest.
I grew up using toe clips and still have them on my hybrid , it like going back to an old friend .
Switched about 25 years ago to spd s with multi release cleats , worked great no problems getting in or out of them . But how ever I set the cleats they gave me knee pain .
So I had to switch to other systems with more ‘ float ‘ in them , first TIME pedals and and now Speedplay frogs. Both are great for my knees but I have real trouble un cleating . I seem to have stiff ankles and have trouble flicking out my heels to un cleat and it’s getting worse as I get older .
Does anyone have any ideas about anything else I could try because the way I am going I will be going back to toe clips on all my bikes by the end of 2021

Shimano have different cleats for different float ranges ... maybe the ones you tried were fixed ? ... the red SPD-SL are. I use blue which have 2’ of float either side of straight and there are at least yellow offering 3’ and maybe more ....

 

[Jody]

If you're new to cycling then stick with flats until you build some confidence. You don't have to have your feet attached to the bike

 

[shnjmsn]

I use the Shimano single sided SPD pedals on all my bikes except one. So much easier. you can ride clipped in on one side or flat on the other. Team up with SPD shoes, job jobbed. I'll do 8,000 miles a year on those pedals and about 500 a year on SL's. I ride pretty much all the time clipped in and would miss not being clipped in, but on the odd occasion I need to ride with one or both feet on the flats it's easy to do as the SPD cleats are recessed.

I'm 52, I'm pretty sure I don't lose any power over not using SL's, I can ride 200K without any problems with my feet or shoes, I can plough along at 22mph when I need to, and I'm not a 50KG racing snake.......... Oh, and I can walk to get a coffee or around town in complete comfort !

(well, I could until today) !

 

[byegad]

I've used both systems and I'd say that you are more likely to have a problem with toeclips/straps than you are with clipless systems! It doesn't take long to get used to clipless, and after that you are unlikely to swap back. (I know one or two people who did revert, but the vast majority didn't!)

In the odd emergency situation I have had a fright trying to get my foot off a clipless pedal but I have actually toppled sideways with my feet still strapped in on the older system!

As a compromise... why not try half clips like THESE?

I used to use those, but toe clips with straps left loose are good too and as you gain confidence you can tighten the straps.
I got numb toes using SPDs and eventually used Crank Brothers Candy, and Mallet pedals both of which have an eggbeater in the middle of the platforms. The cleats are similar to SPDs and fit SPD shoes.

 

[antnee]

In the 1950's I rode with toe clips and thought they were the bees knees. Though on my return to cycling some 9 years ago attached some old toe clips but surprisingly couldn't get on with them so went for the SPD type and fitted them on both my hybrid flat bar bike and a road road too. Ok I had one incident where I started to topple but was able recover before the inevitable fall I must say that I was dubious about the SPD clip fitting type of peddle and shoe though its amazing just how quickly you get used to them But then its all a matter of personal choice what ever you feel comfortable with! Oh Great bike too