Pedals

[SpokeyDokey]

This cycling lark. I like it.

I used to go everywhere as a Yoof and never really gave it up but recently I have really started getting back into it. This is despite have heart issues. In my yoof I had a racer that had strappy toeclip things that were a right pain so I took them off.

So....

It has probably endlessly been debated on here but pedals.

I see the default / defacto position is that if you are serious, you should buy some silly shoes and some silly pedals that the silly shoes clip onto. I have several friends, yes I have, that are all "you should get some of these silly shoes and pedals as they make you put more power into the pedal and let you lift the other crank on the upstroke and give you more poweeeerrr, blah, blah, blah.".

I cannot see the point whatsoever of doing this, am I the only one? The silly shoes and pedals;

1, When walking make you look like you have poo'ed your pants.
2, That you will fall off.
3, When your bike breaks down and you have to push it, makes you look you have poo'ed your pants.
4, That you will fall off.
5, When you stop mid ride at the pub for a swift half, when walking into the pub the silly shoes will cause the other punters to stare at you as you are walking, you guessed it, like you have poo'ed your pants!
6, That you will fall off.
7, That you have to faff about every time after a stop clipping back in whereas without them I'm off without the faff and never fall off.
8, That you will fall off.
9, That during a ride I am no slower and seem to get my power down just as well.
10, That you will fall off.
11, That you cannot move your feet about once clipped in, that has got to be really irritating.
12, That you will fall off.
13, That without them you can wear what ever shoes you want.

The only positive I can think of is;

1, Should you wish to, you could do a bit of tap dancing but it would be funny as you would be dancing looking like you have poo'ed your pants.

What makes one pedal look silly and another not look silly?

 

[mjr]

I used to have nice grippy rows of little pins that made a nice straight line of holes in my leg when I misjudged what was happening.

I don't get clips for not racing but I also don't get having teeth on your pedals. Rubber pedals or insets give all the grip you'll need, plus are much nicer on the extremely rare occasions you do clonk yourself.

 

[young Ed]

2nd time I lost a bolt on SPD (2 bolt cleat) and couldn't unclip so I rolled onto a grass bank on purpose (so that doesn't really count).

couldn't you just unclip the other foot? or was it a really bad day and you lost a bolt from both feet?
my preferred solution in this situation is to simply track stand everywhere needed until i complete the 100 miler i am on and then sort it out properly at home, of course i can track stand and of course i am always riding 100 milers
Cheers Ed

 

[guitarpete247]

couldn't you just unclip the other foot? or was it a really bad day and you lost a bolt from both feet?
my preferred solution in this situation is to simply track stand everywhere needed until i complete the 100 miler i am on and then sort it out properly at home, of course i can track stand and of course i am always riding 100 milers
Cheers Ed

I could unclip the other foot but I was still clipped in one the other side. And as there was a grass bank at the side, I rolled onto it so I could remove shoe and work on removing it from the pedal ready to go home and put another bolt in the cleat .

 

[Cubist]

I don't get clips for not racing but I also don't get having teeth on your pedals. Rubber pedals or insets give all the grip you'll need, plus are much nicer on the extremely rare occasions you do clonk yourself.

Rubber pedals don't give you any grip at all off road. You need your foot to be virtually welded to the pedals in many situations. SPD gives you all sorts of options and confidence in nadgery stuff, and flat pedals with pins and grippy soles almost as much, as well as other options for stuff like jumping. Rubber pedals would be truly awful.

 

[moo]

I cycled/swam through a flooded road a few weeks ago where I lost sight of the front wheel. I doubt I'd have been able to keep pedalling without being clipped in. So if you're planning to cycle underwater they are very useful.

 

[raleighnut]

I cycled/swam through a flooded road a few weeks ago where I lost sight of the front wheel. I doubt I'd have been able to keep pedalling without being clipped in. So if you're planning to cycle underwater they are very useful.

 

[Drago]

Seriously, wear what you're comfortable riding in. There are benefits to clipless, but it all comes down to personal choice. One thing I've discovered since taking up cycling is the level of snobbery (sometimes with the 'S' silent) but I guess that's life, isn't it?

This GCN vid from just the other day is interesting too...

View: http://youtu.be/CNedIJBZpgM

"This is not a completely legitimate scientific experiment", says the commentator. No sheet Sherlock. Not only that, he then goes and cherrypicks only one of the four measured parameters to support his claim, and fails to acknowledge that even this could be used to support the opposite of his crude conclusion. 8 minutes of my life wasted.

Do what works for you and ignore wannabe scientists who were probably working on a gardening magazine this time last year.

 

[Soltydog]

I dont want to tempt fate, but in about 7 years of riding clipless I have never fallen off due to my pedals, ice & wet wood have caused me to fall, but that would have happened whatever pedal/shoe combination I had. & a top tip I got off here many years ago, if you have a mechanical & have to walk a considerable distance, remove your cleats from shoes before walking home, you can walk almost normally & you dont wear your cleats out, but there's not many mechanicals that would cause me to have to walk home

 

[S.Giles]

I was interested to discover (from the posted video) why it is harder to pedal on a sloping treadmill even though there is no gain in potential energy. Unfortunately, the 'explanation' given was so poor that I still don't know where the missing potential energy is!

BTW, the video seemed to confirm what I've always suspected about clipless pedals (speaking as someone who has never tried them and very probably never will).

Steve

 

[youngoldbloke]

If you don't like the look or idea of clipless pedals, don't use them. If you've tried them and don't like them, don't use them. They have been around for over 100 years in one form or another, though not in common use until the 1980s. Prior to that, of course, we (many of us, anyway) used clips and straps, and more 'serious' cyclists used dedicated smooth-soled cycling shoes, with cleats nailed to the sole. These were even more unforgiving in respect of foot removal than current clipless pedal systems. So it would seem that almost from the start of cycling's history a good many cyclists have found some way of attaching feet to pedals to be beneficial. Your choice!

 

[Berk on a Bike]

I was interested to discover (from the posted video) why it is harder to pedal on a sloping treadmill even though there is no gain in potential energy. Unfortunately, the 'explanation' given was so poor that I still don't know where the missing potential energy is!

Yep, Mr. Awkward Science Guy didn't really answer the question.

 

[S.Giles]

He tried. That's the main thing!

 

[Trevor_P]

The point of silly shoes and pedals is - so that when you have pooed yourself, you can walk around shamelessly blaming the silly shoes and pedals for how you are walking. Of course don't get too close to other people because the smell will give you away.

So next time you see someone walking in silly shoes looking like they pooed themselves, just give a nod and a wink, because you know the real reason why. Just don't sniff....

 

[mjr]

Rubber pedals don't give you any grip at all off road. You need your foot to be virtually welded to the pedals in many situations.

Ah well. I dislike gravel roads these days, let alone off road, so maybe clips or teeth have their place there... but on road, rubber is great.

Oh and rubber works underwater... I've pedalled through a flash flood, plunging my foot ankle deep each turn of the crank (not great but I'd no good choice at that point) and the feet stayed firmly fixed on the flats.