Do cycling shoes work?

[Dave Davenport]

Having looked at this and the op's other topics, I can't help thinking he's either taking the mick or is a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic.

 

[Nigel182]

Well said on all the Plus and the negative points.

I went clipless 3 yrs ago and to have not looked back.

Shimano SPD Mountainbike on my Day to Day / Tourer Bike..... with MTB Shoes.... Ok to walk in (but not too far).

Shimano Road SPD on my Sportive / Racebike..... Damn good but Bloody great Triangular Cleat and Defo not good to walk in (for any distance).

Still very much liking the idea that if you try and don't suit Clipless then sell on the "Bay" and maybe even make a Profit.......

Whatever you choose Good Luck.

 

[snailracer]

I'd like to see those deal with 85-90w on the upstroke alone.... that 2.1N force back & upwards at 70 rpm

2.1N is about half a pound of force. Does it make much difference?

 

[snailracer]

I've never had my foot slip in front of the pedal, only behind it.

I have toe cups on my hardtail mountain bike, they keep my foot on the pedal even when the bike is pogo-sticking down a rocky descent.

 

[snailracer]

...
power - climbs and sprints, yep I can see that - everything else...nah....you'll hear plenty claim that it's night and day but you won't see much in the way of - 10 miles takes me 40 minutes on flat pedals but only 20 minutes with clipless - in fact the differences, if any, are more likley to be measured in seconds than minutes. As for pulling up on the pedals, that only happens on limited occasions...

+1
When I see people "pulling up" whilst mashing at low cadence, I can't help thinking they should be riding in a lower gear.

 

[GrasB]

2.1N is about half a pound of force. Does it make much difference?

You're right I got my self mixed up it was 2.1Nm, thus 12N @ the pedal, which makes a much more sensible 15-15.5W. Which for me on a road bike on drops with flat level road is about 0.6-0.7mph. I'd gone 2.1N @ cranks, 12Nm ... 12Nm @ 70rpm = 85-90w.

If we look at me climbing out of the saddle for about 5 min I'll be producing about 330-340w or around 40Nm (~228.5N), the upstroke will be contributing about 5.5Nm (~31.5N) to that or 45w

 

[MacB]

Not sure, I've not seen that guy today to ask him... not that I would either. My upstroke utilisation is in a different cadence range & is a different profile, I just happened to have that data readily available.

I after cracking my SPD shoe open I went with flat pedals on my MTB with Wellgo B54s. On the smoother surfaces & down hill they were fine but on the rough & rutted surfaces & up hill I must have lost my footing at least 4 times a ride. From personal experience pins make a real mess of your shin & the sole of your shoe if you foot does slip... I ended up having to take antibiotics due to an infection in one of the gouges. So the injury thing swings both ways.

Sorry, GB, it was meant to be witty but, having re-read it, it just came across as snippy...apologies

 

[MacB]

Having looked at this and the op's other topics, I can't help thinking he's either taking the mick or is a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic.

Yep, could be someone just stirring the pot but, to be honest I don't really care, it's Friday and I was in the mood for a bit of 'pedal debate'

 

[GrasB]

MB no problems

I have toe cups on my hardtail mountain bike, they keep my foot on the pedal even when the bike is pogo-sticking down a rocky descent.

Descents were never the problem, low power output, it was the ascents, or driving out of high resistance terrain that I had the problems. I was losing proper contact with the pedal on the upstroke then when I transitioned to the down stroke I'd have my foot to far back on the pedal so it pivoted around the axle dumping my foot.

 

[lukesdad]

Of course you could always screw your shoes to the pedals

 

[Fab Foodie]

Yes of course cycling shoes work.
Maybe not everybodies cup of tea, but compared to sneakers/normal shoes and flat pedals or toe-clips and straps, modern clipless systems are as far as I'm concerned a notable improvement.

I'd never go back except on the pub-bike/hack (and even that has single-sided spds.
I would also add that the larger contact systems such as Look etc. are better than the original spd system on-bike (but a pain in the ar5e in the supermarket!).

 

[snailracer]

...Descents were never the problem, low power output, it was the ascents, or driving out of high resistance terrain that I had the problems. I was losing proper contact with the pedal on the upstroke then when I transitioned to the down stroke I'd have my foot to far back on the pedal so it pivoted around the axle dumping my foot.

Hmm your gearing and technique is adapted to make use of the pulling-up capability of clipless. When going up 'high resistance terrain' I get into granny gear and spin fast - too fast for my legs to actually pull on the upstroke. Different.

 

[snailracer]

You're right I got my self mixed up it was 2.1Nm, thus 12N @ the pedal, which makes a much more sensible 15-15.5W. Which for me on a road bike on drops with flat level road is about 0.6-0.7mph. I'd gone 2.1N @ cranks, 12Nm ... 12Nm @ 70rpm = 85-90w.

If we look at me climbing out of the saddle for about 5 min I'll be producing about 330-340w or around 40Nm (~228.5N), the upstroke will be contributing about 5.5Nm (~31.5N) to that or 45w

Your figures seem plausible, but, for aerobic climbing, conventional wisdom says the limiting factor is not your legs, but your cardio output, no?

 

[Cubist]

Been using clipless for just under a year now, never had a clipless 'moment'.

Just to derail (deraille?) the thread for a moment, but does anyone have any opinions on the different type of clipless systems out there? From the top of my memory I can think of:

1. Shimano SPD
2. Crank Bros 'eggbeaters'
3. Look pedals
4. Those ones with the circular pedal that I can't find but remember someone talking about them and how expensive they are.

I understand Look are more for serious road riding and aren't suitable for walking in, but what about SPDs vs the others? I went for Crank Bros on mine after being urged to try them as well as SPDs, and found them easier to clip in and out of from the off, so went for them over SPDs.

I've since got some jocular grief for not using SPDs and using those silly egg beater things, but haven't heard of any particular advantage SPDs have over them. Would anyone care to enlighten me?

I have, and still do, used both.

SteveAustin will be along soon to tell you how the Eggbeater pedals shear through the spindle and slice your leg open, but although this has been shown as a problem in the lightweight versions, I used the eggbeater C' s on my commuter and on my XC bike so far without bending or shearing any of them, and I'm a real Clydesdale on a MTB.

The eggbeaters are great because they are light, have a nice 6 degree float, only unclip sideways, so don't pull out when you're climbing or sprinting.
They can however get a bit sloppy as the brass cleats wear out, and if you're on an animated bit of technical stuff I found they sometimes unclipped sideways as I shifted around.

The design is two crossed sprung clips, in an X shape, so you can clip in on four sides. Fine to an extent, but I found if I was riding some really rocky stuff the bottom of the X could strike the rocks and spread open, releasing my foot just when I didn't want to have my feet free!

Also, and this might be because I am simply not very good, on some tricky bits I couldn't find the engage point quickly enough, and the design meant that where I would use the arch of my foot to put in a pedal stroke, the eggbeaters slipped and rolled to much, which left me cursing and swearing and desperately trying to find forward momentum if I ever stuttered or ground to a halt or got slowed to a stop by a rider in front of me

I have therefore relegated the eggbeaters to smooth trails or XC stuff only, and have a pair of shimano M545 for technical stuff where the weight isn't such an issue, but getting in another half-pedal stroke is.

 

[rugbyluke]

I don't have a problem with my feet slipping. I just see everyone with a road bike have them