Do clip in shoes really give that much of an advantage?

[TonyEnjoyD]

I personally would say that they would give you some advantages...
Firstly clip less shoes have minimal sole flex so maximum transfer of power to the pedal, as well as that improved pedalling technique (heel drop, pulling on the upstroke etc) will help a rider toward 360 degree pedalling.
Added to this is the confidence that fast climbing, over rough surfaces etc that your Pete will stay fixed to the pedal so more chance of you not easing off the pressure in case of an slip.

Again, this is my personal thought based on my experiences and that of my cycling buddies and not necessarily those of the other forum members.

Tony

 

[HLaB]

ah this is refreshing... I've heard a fair bit of bull regarding clips over the years, including "50% more pedal power!"

Clipless IMO do give some advantage but whoever said that is talking Bull indeed.

 

[Holdsworth]

I do think that clipless pedals do give an advantage if you know how to use them correctly and exploit their potential. Me, well I simply prefer the feeling of being clipped in over being on a flat pedal. I do tend to pull up slightly more but I have still not got the hang of 360 degree pedalling even after nearly a year of using SPD pedals and shoes. Maybe I should learn how to but I do not know how it will benefit my riding in general.

 

[Speedywheelsjeans]

I would say certainly that they do.
To start off with consider where throughout the 360 degrees of pedal rotation on 'normal' pedals can you put power, from the top of the stroke to the bottom, so for 1 leg your getting 180 degrees of drive through the crank. Add clipless to the mix and your can follow that drive through the upstroke too, its not the equivalent power of the down stroke as you don't have gravity, bodyweight and your strongest muscles there, but its definitely significant. I would be interested to see the power ratio of upstroke and down stroke.

Secondly clipless pedals require special shoes, these shoes have rigid soles, the lack of flex in the rigid soles means that you dont lose as much power through the flex as in an ordinary trainer.

Tired legs will utilize a clipless pedal really well, if your quads start lagging you will find that your trying harder on the upstroke to compensate for this (or at least I do), it can be bad practice, but when your riding 80 miles it can be comforting to know that you can always use the upstrokes to get you up those final hills when your quads refuse to work any more.

I wouldnt consider riding a road bike without clipless ever again. the first time I went out with a cycling club i was without clipless, they lost me so quick they hadnt even realised the dropped me. i went back the following week with clipless and although difficult, i managed to hold their tail.

You must realise though that if you invest in clipless, you need to spend time learning to use them properly.

 

[HLaB]

Their biggest advantage to me isn't a mechanical efficiency one; its feet not slipping off the pedals and having a nice bruise in mu shin.

 

[slowmotion]

I went clipless 5000 miles ago and I'm still rubbish. Maybe I'd be even more rubbish without them. Dunno.

 

[Speedywheelsjeans]

I would say there is a big difference in high end clipless and low end clipless pedals too though. I have 2 sets of pedals, one set is campagnolo pro fit and the other is the most basic shimano. My Campag cleats are bust and ive been riding with my shimanos for a while, and the difference is staggering, too much side to side float in cheap pedals, also some up and down movement on the pedal which would reduce the amount of upwards torque on the crank, the bearings in them are a bit cheaper and stiffer too. Only benefit is the cheap pedals clip in and out easier so are great for newbies to clipless.... I know it wasnt the question, but thought i would chuck it in anyways. I feel more sturdy and more comfortable running the pro fits, especially for out of the saddle uphill work.

 

[guitarpete247]

I went out a couple of days ago. On some of the up hill sections I found myself slowing and made a concious effort to pull up as well as push down. I found myself speeding up and the pedalling getting easier. I always did with toe clips and straps years ago. So yes at an advantage .

 

[Speedywheelsjeans]

I have the basic SPD M520 on my MTB and the older SPD M505 on my tourer, they're fine for stop start riding and pootling, you can walk in the shoes properly too. I have the SPD SL5650 on my road bike, single sided with the wider platform.They are more efficient, better bearings, the Specialized BG road shoes are also very stiff compared to the lace-up touring shoes I have, but you can't walk in them very easily. So it's horses for courses really. I never got on with toe straps, made the change to SPD in 1997 when I started commuting to Heathrow Airport, still remember the day I had my first clipless moment on the Heathrow Perimeter Road.

Gotta love your first clipless moment...

thought process goes like this...

'oh dear need to put foot on solid ground'
*panic*
'lift leg off pedal?'
*panic some more*
'foot wont come loose.. pull harder'
* you and bike are now 45 degrees closer to the floor*
'how the hell do I get my foot out now'
*45 degrees later you hit the deck and your foot comes loose*
'im freee '
'Oh yea.. twist'

 

[BrumJim]

I'd say that there are two advantages.
The first is that moment muscling your way up a small incline or very short hill, when the strength of two legs beats that of one.
Secondly, with flat pedals, you are always having to put some force (if only a little) into keeping the upward moving foot on the pedal. With clipless, you don't have to waste any force resisting your own efforts.

But it is still fitness that makes the biggest difference - either general or how you are feeling on the day.

 

[Psyclist]

Took my first new road bike (alllez elite specialized) out for its first ride today with a friend of mine that is a few years younger and fitter than me.

We both have very similar bikes yet I was unexpectantly so much faster than him. Over 25 miles I must have stopped 6 times to wait for him to catch up.

Could the advantage be down to me having clip in shoes/pedals and him not?

Didn't read through the posts but clipless pedals make a big difference as foot retention over clips and straps and even more over flat pedals.

They increase power transfer by a big amount, so yes clipless pedals help a lot.

 

[Norm]

My first ride with clipless was around 2 minutes faster on a 45 minute mixed off-road / road route than the previous ride without clipless pedals. How much was down to just wearing new shoes / pedals, how much was down to enthusiasm and how much was down to being clipped to the bike, I have no idea.

 

[rollinstok]

When I first tried clipless on my touring bike they helped a great deal towards increasing the distance covered on a daily basis. They are definitely faster on hill climbs, I also believe that when you are spinning correctly they will cover more ground than if you were using the same set up without clipless. On long rides i even used to rest a leg at a time while letting the other one do most of the work. I,ve no idea of the statistics but I would be very surprised if ANY of the TDF riders dont use clipless and there is a good reason for that.

 

[screenman]

Dr Auriel Forrester of Scientific Coaching: “Pulling up on the pedals decreases power output as it interferes with the all-important downstroke on the other side – specifically, you can’t pull up against gravity at the same rate or same force as you can push down with gravity!”

I use SPD on all my bikes but there is some interesting reading about pulling up etc.

 

[GrasB]

To put some figures on it.

After many 1000s of miles of riding on clipless in a flat cruise on my nominal power output about 1% of my power is produced on the upstroke. However I'm exerting up to .14N of downwards force on the pedal during the upstroke, that's not enough force to actually keep my foot placed properly on the pedal, even with 'spikes' in the pedal, when on an ergo trainer let alone out on the road where there are bumps. From there I utilize more & more upstroke as the power increases until in a flat out sprint about 20-25% of my power when sprinting is made on the upstroke. Put this in perspective, a typical cyclist who hasn't used clipless or tight toe-clips for a reasonable period is typically reducing their nominal power by 5% +/-2% on the upstroke.