Hill Climbing

[Hip Priest]

You're still not selling them to me - no real advantage to non-racers, a lot of inconvenience *and* it means you can't ride a normal bike properly. Plus it costs money.

They look cool though.

 

[Hacienda71]

Strangely I have never slipped of the pedal and cut my shins when clipped in.

 

[0bsirus]

Ok three benefits to clipless

1- smashing down some rough single track, bouncing over root and rocks, you hit the drop and scream over it , around the berm and littlerally thrashing the bike across the last bit of flat ad finish exhausted but buzzing from the rush. At no point do you need to reset your feet on the pedals or even worry about them slipping off because your clipped in. So u can concentrate on the ride and enjoying it.

2- it's wet , very wet. U get up out the saddle for a short uphil burst, no worry about ur feet slipping of the wet and muddy pedals because your clipped in !!! So u can concentrate on not loosing momentum and getting to the to with your shins in tact and without loosing a red bodily fluid.

3- your cruising up a long technical hill stamping over roots, rocks are moving underneath you, your clipped in so no need to worry about slipping off ( but we covered that in reason 1) then u see it! The rock step!! It always beats you, u never quite have the power to lift over it, as you aproach you force down on one pedal and tear up on your other , lifting the from wheel up and over then as your rear wheel hits the ledge you launch your body up and forward lifting you rear wheel up the ledge whilst still keeping momentum for the loose rocks daring you to try them!!! No fear !! Your clipped in!!


And these arnt to mention the extra torque u get pulling off from lights and storming up
Steep hills, and if you don't get this while clipped in your doing it wrong.


Sorry for the essay, clipped in for 15 years now and love it!

 

[RhythMick]

[QUOTE 3143557, member: 45"]Because real cyclists clip in.[/QUOTE]
I'm not a real cyclist - I use neither clips nor clipless. Plain flats.

 

[zizou]

When climbing out of the saddle i pull on the upstroke a bit - its not anything like the same power as on the downstroke but its a bit more than just unweighting too. When i ride flats i'll feel myself lifting my feet off the pedal slightly so need to change technique a bit.

 

[themosquitoking]

I'm not a real cyclist - I use neither clips nor clipless. Plain flats.

Heretic.

 

[DWiggy]

I push and pull with the other leg, takes a bit of getting used to but it does work especially on steep climbs.

 

[Shut Up Legs]

Do you work in sales?

All I see is lots of inconveniences and no real advantages to someone who isn't racing. Perhaps a third of cyclists I see are actually racing, who knows?

There are advantages. I rode a bike using platform pedals for several years and for about 15,000km per year, and found that it started to affect my Achilles tendons, because my ankles were doing too much work keeping my feet on the pedals. Once I switched to using SPD pedals, the tendon pain vanished very quickly. Can I suggest you read some web pages about the pros and cons of SPD pedals, so you may better understand why people use them?

 

[0bsirus]

Cons of clip less .

Wheelying down the high street, realising you gonna go of the back and try and jump off - FAIL

Stop at a field gate in a huge muddle puddle , find out ur cleats are jammed - FAIL

Anyone who has rode clip less will now be laughing !!!

 

[Cubist]

Clipless off road doesn't result in shin rippage..... courtesy of losing a pedal landing a drop-off:

 

[martint235]

To the OP, I tend to stay seated and then use both up and down stroke. My cycling style isn't the most efficient probably as I tend to use the pull up stroke when I'm accelerating either on a hill or on flat. It allows for extra power that wasn't there before.

 

[Profpointy]

As a user of toe-clips, can I ask all you SPD-types why you go to the expense of special pedals and shoes - not to mention the inconvenience of walking like a cowboy - if you're *not* pulling on the upstroke (stop sniggering, Jenkinson)? I thought that was the whole point of clip-in pedals; that you can pedal in circles properly. I pull on the upstroke a bit and I'm using plastic toe-clips with rusty clips on the straps so they're not even properly tight. What the heck are you guys doing? If the clips are just to stop your feet flying off the pedals, why not get a pair of £5 toe clips instead?

given you're already using toe clips, then you're presumably already convinced by the general principle.

So, Spd are significantly easier to clip into and don't have the reach-down-to-adjust strap thing. Once you have the hang of them then they are also much easier to clip out of too. In use, the have all the benefits of toeclips but slightly better.

They do have one disadvantage - namely the "special shoes" curse - which, like yourself, put me off for years. If you go for mtb ones they are perfectly fine to walk in - and I'd happily walk round all day in mine - but the "road" style ones do indeed lool tricky to walk in - albeit claimed better for actual cycling.(not tried the latter)

I was originally put off by the special shoes thing - but have give in as they really are heaps better even for my short commute (7 miles).

I did get some clip on flat plates which allowed you to turn them into flat pedals, albeit without toe-clips - but I've never bothered

 

[swansonj]

Ok three benefits to clipless

1- smashing down some rough single track, bouncing over root and rocks, you hit the drop and scream over it , around the berm and littlerally thrashing the bike across the last bit of flat ad finish exhausted but buzzing from the rush. At no point do you need to reset your feet on the pedals or even worry about them slipping off because your clipped in. So u can concentrate on the ride and enjoying it.

2- it's wet , very wet. U get up out the saddle for a short uphil burst, no worry about ur feet slipping of the wet and muddy pedals because your clipped in !!! So u can concentrate on not loosing momentum and getting to the to with your shins in tact and without loosing a red bodily fluid.

3- your cruising up a long technical hill stamping over roots, rocks are moving underneath you, your clipped in so no need to worry about slipping off ( but we covered that in reason 1) then u see it! The rock step!! It always beats you, u never quite have the power to lift over it, as you aproach you force down on one pedal and tear up on your other , lifting the from wheel up and over then as your rear wheel hits the ledge you launch your body up and forward lifting you rear wheel up the ledge whilst still keeping momentum for the loose rocks daring you to try them!!! No fear !! Your clipped in!!


And these arnt to mention the extra torque u get pulling off from lights and storming up
Steep hills, and if you don't get this while clipped in your doing it wrong.


Sorry for the essay, clipped in for 15 years now and love it!

I am prepared to believe that if my style of cycling merited the language you describe yours in, I would benefit from clipless. However, I am profoundly glad that my style of cycling rarely involves smashing, bouncing, tearing, stamping, storming, or, my favourite, literally thrashing. I do, however, share one adjective with you: enjoying.

 

[HLaB]

I just pedal, I've no idea what I do when climbing ;-)

 

[ianrauk]

I make a concious effort to pull up as well as push down.
It works for me.