Do cycling shoes work?

[Arch]

Well, I use clipless on my trike - they are pretty important on a recumbent to prevent footsuck if your feet slip off downwards. On my summer bike (Giant FCR, flat barred) I have toecups - I use it for commuting and some longer leisure rides. On my winter bike, which tends to be commuting only, I have flat rubber LED illuminated pedals. Apart from the lights, they mean I can use my steel toecap workboots to ride in.

I'm not remotely interested in how much power I put through the pedals, and extremely wary of falling off, so clipless doesn't appeal to me. Also, I like to be able to walk. My SPD shoes are walkable, although I do sound like Fred Astaire in them, and when I ever replace them I'll see if I can get some even more recessed ones.

Oh, the work trikes have quite good grippy BMX pedals with little stubs that stick up into the shoe tread, and they work really well, with a bit of practice you can even use them to pull the pedal up a bit for starting off.

 

[Clx1]

Excellent now could you please supply your data that supports this assertion?

No, didn't realise I had to prove my opinion.

 

[snailracer]

No, didn't realise I had to prove my opinion.

OK, your assertions are wrong - in my opinion, of course.

 

[totallyfixed]

Clipless? load of rubbish, I mean no self respecting pro rider or club rider is going to wear anything but trainers are they

Definition of a death wish on a bike - pedalling fixed wheel with your foot not secured to pedal.

 

[youngoldbloke]

Clipless? load of rubbish, I mean no self respecting pro rider or club rider is going to wear anything but trainers are they

Definition of a death wish on a bike - pedalling fixed wheel with your foot not secured to pedal.

+1

 

[MacB]

No, didn't realise I had to prove my opinion.

you're the one that said it was the optimum system, not me...if it works for you, then great but you make the assumption that, for those it doesn't work for, then they must be doing something wrong. With such a strong assertion I thought it reasonable to query the evidence.

 

[MacB]

Clipless? load of rubbish, I mean no self respecting pro rider or club rider is going to wear anything but trainers are they

Definition of a death wish on a bike - pedalling fixed wheel with your foot not secured to pedal.

??? but we're not pro riders, we're not club riders(I'm not speaking for you here) and I don't think anyone would deny that, in the pro game at least, seconds and split seconds matter. I also don't think anyone would argue that the peformance gain given by equipment will diminish the further down the cycling pecking order you get. Nobody has suggested that anyone involved in serious racing should wear trainers and use flat pedals. But as you travel further down the pecking order the decision is nowhere near as clearcut as some proponents seem to think. Take myself as an example:-

could my performance improve? - undoubtedly but any gains that clipless pedals could offer would be dwarfed by the gains on offer from losing weight and improving general fitness - but, and this is important, so far I have had no cycling ambitions that I haven't been able to meet using flat pedals. They may be far lower ambitions than your own, but that's why they're mine...and I'm happy
do I have pedal/foot/knee issues? - not even remotely, don't suffer from any of the problems people seem to trot out about flat pedals
convenience? - I enjoy the freedom of being able to wear whatever footwear I like, I would rather not curtail that freedom
safety? - as I don't suffer from foot slippage then attachment to a pedal can only decrease my safety by bringing in the potential for a clipless moment
cost? - no comparison, my pedals all cost less than £20 and I don't need any special shoes or cleats

Oh, and there are people riding fixed with no pedal retention just fine.

 

[Cush]

Having read the pro's and con's about pedals in this forum and checked other forums etc and needing a new pair of pedals before long and the bike due for it's annual service in the next week I have decided not to go for clipless. Three main reasons are (1) Cost Pedals + shoes = around + £80 min (2) Too Technical i.e I dont fancy the learning curve. (3) The Walsh fell boots with the ripple sole I use for fast walking are also ideal for the bike.

 

[snailracer]

Clipless? load of rubbish, I mean no self respecting pro rider or club rider is going to wear anything but trainers are they

Definition of a death wish on a bike - pedalling fixed wheel with your foot not secured to pedal.

Pro riders use what their sponsors pay them to use. Club riders copycat pro riders. Trainers are for yoofs, I wear proper shoes with hard soles when I'm cycling.

Agree with using them on fixed, though.

 

[tyred]

I get along fine with toe-clips and straps on my fixed gear. Never had any issues and doesn't really restrict my footwear choices too much. I had toe clips on my geared Peugeot road bike but actually removed them again. The traditional road alloy pedals with serrated edges that I use are pretty grippy and I have never had my feet slip of them.

Bear in mind that all early bikes were fixed gear but clipless pedals didn't come along until about 90 years later. How on earth did they ride them?

I have a suspicion that many make the mistake of thinking all flat pedals are like the shite plastic things which come on many new bikes. Quality flat pedals are much better in every way.

I'm not trying to race anyone, so I couldn't care less if I'm a few seconds slower over ten miles than I might be if I used clipless pedals. I read a lot of "started using clipless and my knees hurt" or "started using clipless and I fell over at the front of a queue of angry cars" or "started using clipless and my feet hurt/are cold/wet/numb." I don't have these problems.

 

[youngoldbloke]

The bottom line is that I find using clipless pedals makes my cycling more enjoyable, as did clips and straps. Without being 'attached' to the pedals 'honking' - "en danseuse", is difficult, and the whole process of pedalling feels (IMHO) less efficient. Each to his/her own, but don't knock it if you havent tried it.

 

[youngoldbloke]

Bear in mind that all early bikes were fixed gear but clipless pedals didn't come along until about 90 years later. How on earth did they ride them?

pedal museum timeline refers to a primitive toeclip dating from 1868, and the first photograph is of the Sager Patented of 1896.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Pro riders use what their sponsors pay them to use. Club riders copycat pro riders. Trainers are for yoofs, I wear proper shoes with hard soles when I'm cycling.

Agree with using them on fixed, though.

Do you really believe that pros only weare clipless because they're paid to? I'll agree that they're paid to promote certain brands but if they were of little value I can't see why they wouldn't use something better and be paid to use that ....

 

[Smokin Joe]

Do you really believe that pros only weare clipless because they're paid to?

Course they do.

Merckx would have given his eye teeth to ride the TdF in flip-flops and rubber pedals if it wasn't for those pesky sponsors.