Performance gains of road pedals

[nickyboy]

also a rigid shoe means less energy being absorbed by flexing and more being transferred to the pedals.

Hmmm...I might take issue with this from a physics principle of conservation of energy. Flexing doesn't lose energy. The energy not transferred to the pedals is stored in the flexed material. When this unflexes the energy is released to the pedals.

I would agree though that stiffer shoes allow the energy to be transferred to the pedals more quickly and consistently

 

[jay clock]

He is very clear in asking the benefit of moving from SPD (mtb/commuter style) to full on roadie style (e.g. SPD SL or Look Keo style)

My answer is "not much". I do Ironman distance triathlon and would happily use my Specialized MTB sport shoes with SPD cleats as much as my Shimano road shoes with Look Keo. Both very comfy for me, and no pain with either. The MTB shoes have a very stiff sole with no flex. I have done loads of 100+mile rides in both types and I would be astonished if I had more than a few seconds gain by using the "road" versions.

Some of the touring style SPD (mtb) shoes do have more flex but even my Specilaized Taho shoes are comfy and efficient. And I have done UK to Gibraltar in SPD sandals with several 90+ mile days with no problems. For longer rides comfort is more important than some scientific assessment of efficiency anyway. Because if not comfy you will slow down anyway

 

[Cyclist33]

I think the OP is about the difference between "road" clipless pedals and SPD clipless pedals. Not clipless v flat. Or have I missed the point?

They asked about both in the OP. What is it like going from the basic rubbish pedals to clip-in ones, and also from SPDs to road pedals...

 

[Cyclist33]

also a rigid shoe means less energy being absorbed by flexing and more being transferred to the pedals.



Thanks for all the feedback from everyone. I thought my post was clear enough but, to avoid any misunderstanding, I would like people's thoughts on performances gains (if any) between flats and road pedals AND between SPDs and road pedals.

PS - from my own experience switching from flats to roads has given a significant performance gain (the computer doesn't lie), consistently around 1.2 MPH ave speed increase over all the 40-50 mile rides I've done since switching.

Yes, I (if no one) else grasped that premise, I think your OP was abundantly clear!

 

[confusedcyclist]

I rode without my clipless pedals for the first time in ages today as I took my MTB in as I needed to break in my new winter studded tyres on clear roads...

The first thing I noticed was not being able to pull up pedals and make a quick getaway when the lights changed suddenly. Instead I was faffing trying to get the pedal in the right position for the off on an up hill segment.

The second thing I noticed was slipping and bashing my shin on the pedal at the same start at the lights. Some serious wobbling and cursing insued, I was all over the road and red in the face. Dressed head to toe in lycra on a MTB. Must have looked like a right tit!

Ordered a set of SPD SL pedals for my winter bike as soon as I arrived in at the office! The downsides of SPDs are minimal, and are all down to getting used to them, complaints about one sided pedals aside, once your used to them, they are like putting on socks.

 

[Beebo]

The first thing I noticed was not being able to pull up pedals and make a quick getaway when the lights changed suddenly. Instead I was faffing trying to get the pedal in the right position for the off on an up hill segment.

That's what annoys me the most when I swap between bikes. The flats on my Hybrid are very grippy, DMR V8's, so no danger of slipping off these, and any performance gains are minimal. But stopping at a roundabout, and having to faff around getting the pedal back to the top is a pain.

 

[Racing roadkill]

also a rigid shoe means less energy being absorbed by flexing and more being transferred to the pedals.



Thanks for all the feedback from everyone. I thought my post was clear enough but, to avoid any misunderstanding, I would like people's thoughts on performances gains (if any) between flats and road pedals AND between SPDs and road pedals.

PS - from my own experience switching from flats to roads has given a significant performance gain (the computer doesn't lie), consistently around 1.2 MPH ave speed increase over all the 40-50 mile rides I've done since switching.

Like you say, the proof of the pudding is very much in the eating

 

[Globalti]

Back in my mountain biking days when I only knew SPD, I tried a pair of those SPD/platform combined pedals. I know now that they must have been very heavy indeed but at the time I was really impressed; I found them very comfortable indeed with my soft SPD shoes.

 

[mustang1]

They add nothing

-1
For me they add what op found. However road pedals are a pita for daily mucking around on the bike. I love MTB pedals instead.

 

[KneesUp]

Hmmm...I might take issue with this from a physics principle of conservation of energy. Flexing doesn't lose energy. The energy not transferred to the pedals is stored in the flexed material. When this unflexes the energy is released to the pedals.

But all that flexing is going to raise the temperature of your shoe by, perhaps, oh maybe 0.05degrees Centigrade. That's wasted energy right there. And don't get me started on your shoes being squeaky when they flex

(I ride with toe clips on all my bikes - probably because that's what I grew up with, but also because it means I can wear any old shoes, which is convenient)

 

[400bhp]

SPDs are just as good as road pedals for this but the shoe and pedal setup is approximately twice the weight of a road shoe setup and road shoes and pedals give you a flatter stiffer platform on climbs.

How many times do I hear this trotted out.

You can have spd shoes as light as road and can have the same stiffness too. Pedals can be as light. Actually I think mine are lighter than similarly priced road equivalent.

 

[MacB]

That's what annoys me the most when I swap between bikes. The flats on my Hybrid are very grippy, DMR V8's, so no danger of slipping off these, and any performance gains are minimal. But stopping at a roundabout, and having to faff around getting the pedal back to the top is a pain.

strangely the only time I've ever noticed this was when a fellow rider commented on what a pain it must be. All my cycling life I've coped with this without a thought - well I suppose I must have thought about it when I first learned to ride but it couldn't have been a biggy because I don't remember it.

I'd be willing to bet that if you only rode flats it would cease to be a pain rather quickly and before long you'd struggle to remember what the fuss was all about

 

[Peteaud]

How many times do I hear this trotted out.

You can have spd shoes as light as road and can have the same stiffness too. Pedals can be as light. Actually I think mine are lighter than similarly priced road equivalent.

I use A600 pedals that are within 15gms of dura ace SPD SL pedals if i remember right

The Bontrager Touring shoe i use is their road shoe upper, with a very stiff SPD "Touring" sole.

I would say they are as light as most road shoes in the same price range.

 

[vickster]

A600 are always around the wrong way though when setting off from a stop!

 

[oliglynn]

Hmmm...I might take issue with this from a physics principle of conservation of energy. Flexing doesn't lose energy. The energy not transferred to the pedals is stored in the flexed material. When this unflexes the energy is released to the pedals.

I would agree though that stiffer shoes allow the energy to be transferred to the pedals more quickly and consistently

No system is 100% efficient at energy transfer. If you could get a much energy out of a system as you put in, the world's energy crisis would be averted. Losses will occur as energy will be converted to non-useful forms such as sound, heat etc during the Flexing /unfeeling process.

In terms of the net effect, It's not just your shoe you're working against, it's your foot too. Flexing your foot uses calf muscle energy, which will fatigue your legs faster.

If the unflexing happens to occur around a point on the pedal stroke where it is going to have much less of an effect in power transfer ( I.e. Bottom dead centre is I suspect most likely as the power stroke comes to an end and you stop pushing down) then the loss is increased dramatically.