Clipless Pedals Help

John Young

John Young

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I have been riding bikes since I was a kid and kept on riding them (used to do time trials etc) even when it was not trendy like it is today - I could tell you some absuse I used to get for wearing cycling shorts or a helmet etc but that's another story.

Anyway for years I used a pair of Diadora cycling shoes which had a firm sole (no flex) but no clipless (think that's the right word) fittings etc

Those shoes sadly recently died (sole came off) so I now use plain old trainers which to be fair have been OK but not they are getting thin where the pedal rubs against the sole.

I was looking for something like my old Diadora's but I cannot seem to find anything. The only thing that comes close is a chuncky trainer type cycling shoe that looks pretty ugly to be honest. So I have bought myself a cheap pair of cycling shoes the holes for the cleats to go on and I have seen some pedals on chain reactions which have easy springs or something for newbies like me (See them here) I was about to buy them but I came across a few videos on youtube of people falling off their bikes because they cant or don't get their feet off the pedals and I read this is normal when you start using clipless.

So I am now thinking is it worth going clipless at all or should I try and find some simple cycling shoes but without the clipless parts or should I go for the clipless pedals ????
 
Hi,

I have several bikes and I use Time clipless pedals on all of them. The ones in the link you posted are designed for road racing bikes. I think you will find mountain bike pedals easier. I use them on my road bikes too. Firstly you can clip in to both sides of the pedal and secondly the cleats recess in to the shoe so that you can walk in them normally. Shimano pedals call this SPD fitting. Shimano or Time are both good.

They do take a little bit of getting used to. To disconnect your foot from the pedal you move your heal away from the bike and they come free. This becomes second nature after a few days. Until then it is possible to forget and when you stop the bike you can fall over sideways because you have left it too late to get your foot off the pedal. I haven't done that for years.

Once you are used to them, riding without them feels weird. I don't feel properly connected to the bike. They keep your feet in the correct position on the pedal and even allow you to pull with one foot while pushing down with the other on steep climbs.
 
I switched to using shimano SPDs a few years ago and wouldn't look back. A little while to adjust and you'll have the knack. Tensions adjustable for easy release whilst learning.
 
Ah you'll have at least several falls while getting used to being clipped in. Happens to the best of us :)

For road work I always preferred clips and MTB flat pedals for those moments you need to get a foot on the deck quickly.

I run some Five Ten freeride shoes which have a stiffer sole for cycling. Although I guess these are the chunky trainer types you don't like?

Otherwise shimano and Mavic ( etc ) all do some what I'd call hiking trainer type shoes which have the cutout sections for spd cleats just leave those in.
 
Thanks everyone...... Hmm.. still not decided.

I wish my old Diadora shoes had not fallen to bits as they were great. I had them for about 20 years (no kidding)

They looked very similar to today's road racing shoes but were the clip thing goes there was a hardened part with groves in to fit in the pedal lovely. I think the equivalent that I can find today look like I am going hiking in them
 
you can buy some types of road shoes with a 2-hole AND a 3 hole fitting for the cleats - if you get the Road SPD pedals like these
and use cleats like these.

To be honest, the worries of any "comedy dismounts" are over-rated. If you can cope with riding on toe-clips and straps, and are used to flipping the q/r on the strap when you're coming to lights etc. frankly the convenience of just twisting your heel outward instead will be a complete treat! I can honestly say I never had a problem with clip-in pedals and cleats other than the one time when a chunk of gravel in the cleat jammed the mechanism so solid when I clipped in that I ended up having to take my foot out of the shoe, prop the bike against a wall, and wrench the shoe out of the pedal with both hands while pressing on the crank with my foot...

Over the years I've gone through lots of different types of pedals - from the early Shimano (Look licenced) ones, through to a couple of different Time versions, then back to Look, a short spell on Speedplays (which I couldn't get on with at all because the "float" just felt like I was standing on a block of soap) and I'm now on Shimano SPD-SL's (that's the big 3 hole plastic road-cleat one) - and, for the MTB and cross Bike, I've got the SPD's (the little 2-hole metal cleat ones like I linked above) They all work a little differently, and all have their pluses and minuses, but frankly, they all beat toeclips and straps hands down - my first 10 years of riding were on clips/straps and frankly I'd hate to go back now - in fact I doubt that I'd be able to do so, as without a little float for my dodgy right knee, I'd be on the binnacle list within a week!
 
Thanks Mark that is very helpful and I think I might give it a go........

At the moment I don't have the straps on my pedals just the plastic part to put my foot against to give my foot a little secure footing but you are right I still have to flick the pedal the right way.

I did want to ask when I set off from traffic lights etc I usually pedal on either side to get going then flick the pedal to the right side. Can this be done on clipless pedals.... not pedal for long just 20 feet or something to get going or do you have to be the right side up from the start. I do realize of course I would not be clipped in
 
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I have a mate using SPD's on his mountain bike. Its hilarious he's always falling off
 
I remember back to when I first started using toe clips like your are, John, and having moments at traffic lights when I couldn't get my foot out. :p So when I graduated to clipless on mountain bikes there was a sense of deja vu. :(

But it didn't last long at all!

SPD is the shimano system, and they are good, but not ideal for everyone. My *personal* preference is for the Time ATAC system. Reasons are that I found I had better clip in and release than many of the others I rode with using SPDs (especially in muddy conditions) and also that they allow more float (i.e. small side to side movements of the cleat in the clip) than with the SPD system. What I have found is that they are very secure when I need them to be, while never having a problem with remaining locked in and unable to escape in a crash situation. They also last well, and one set of pedals have been going since 2001.

I'd recommend ATACs.
 
John Young said:
I did want to ask when I set off from traffic lights etc I usually pedal on either side to get going then flick the pedal to the right side. Can this be done on clipless pedals.... not pedal for long just 20 feet or something to get going or do you have to be the right side up from the start. I do realize of course I would not be clipped in
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If you buy the MTB type of SPD pedals, they are double sided - so you can clip into either side - the ones I linked (the road SPD's) are single sided iirc.

The other type - the PROPER road pedals (SPD-SL in shimano parlance) are most emphatically single sided, but they sort of "hang" in the correct orientation to just "push forward" into them and click in - and, certainly for the kind of riding I do (2-8 hours at a time) are more comfortable, spreading the "pedal contact point" over a much wider area and avoiding "hot spots" under your foot.
 
You can still get cycling shoes like you old ones. They will be MTB style shoes and usually have a cover over the area where the cleat would go and you can just leave the cover in place. Not all shoes have the cover so you will need to check.

If you need to ber able to walk in the shoes you cycle in then road shoes with road cleats will be useless for you, but they are the most efficient for cycling. I would say that for the majority of people who are doing shorter rides or commuting, then MTB pedals with shoes that have recessed cleats are far mor practical.

Something like these: http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/diadora-globe-mtb-shoes-2013/rp-prod55922
 
strumstrum said:
Agree with @TheBigYin if you have ever used toe clips and qr straps then clipless will be a doddle.

I too used to have Diadora cycling shoes in the late 80s early 90s, red and grey iirc
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Mine were blue and white and they were great....

Thank you for the help everyone :) after talking on here and to my brother I am going to give THESE a go as they have good reviews and have a light action for clipless newbies like me along with my muddy fox road shoes I bought from sports direct (£24)
 
Those should be fine, but make sure that you align the cleat on the sole of your shoe to match your natural pedalling position, or your joints will be twisting slightly when pedalling to compensate.
 
I use those on my road bike too.. When I pop to the shops I can just use normal shoes, but when I go out for a ride I use my cycling shoes.
I too worried about going clipless, but it's really not an issue after a day or two. You probably will fall off, but you soon learn.


John Young said:
That is clever, I never saw them.... Oh well mine are ordered now and the light mechanism might be good for me
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TCR4x4 said:
I use those on my road bike too.. When I pop to the shops I can just use normal shoes, but when I go out for a ride I use my cycling shoes.
I too worried about going clipless, but it's really not an issue after a day or two. You probably will fall off, but you soon learn.
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No I have decided I am not going to fall off...... :woot: :wacky:
 
You won't fall off.

I've had a couple of 'clipless moments' but they were due to other things, such as having to stop suddenly on a canal towpath blind bridge and not having time to unclip, but I was already stationary and it didn't hurt much.

I was fine during the 'getting used to' phase
 
SickAsAParrot said:
You won't fall off.

I've had a couple of 'clipless moments' but they were due to other things, such as having to stop suddenly on a canal towpath blind bridge and not having time to unclip, but I was already stationary and it didn't hurt much.

I was fine during the 'getting used to' phase
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Thank you.... nice to hear

I also ride my mountain bike but I wont be putting clipless pedals on it just on the road bike
 
No I can imagine having to stop suddenly because of an unexpected tree root or something would cause a few fallings off.

I've only got clipless on my summer bike, which I only use in good conditions. If there's a possibility of slippery or icy conditions the need to get my feet off the pedals instantly overrides any need for slightly more efficiency.
 
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