elunty

I am interested in getting some clipless pedals, so i would like to ask some question about them.

-Do you think they increase your speed? (by how much?)
-Do you feel that they reduce muscle strain (as both legs help pedal at once)

Thanks

spooner

Good questions - I'm also interested in clipless pedals.

My question would be - what is the pedal strategy when wearing them?

Do you pull up and allow momentum to carry you over the top? Do you push down and pull up working the leg the entire time?

groovestew

Clipless pedals will help you be a bit more efficient, but you won't gain a whole bunch of speed. With clipless pedals, you'll gain a bit of power at the bottom of the stroke as you pull your leg back (someone once described it to me as "scraping mud off the bottom of your shoe"), but there's very little pulling up on the pedals. I only find myself pulling up when climbing while standing, or taking off from a standstill (again, standing up).

elunty

so i guess youre sort of saying your average speed might increase, since you can start faster and climb a bit faster

groovestew

You can also gain a bit of speed on flats too, once your legs get used to spinning in circles rather than just pushing down (yes, obviously without clipless pedals, your feet move in circles, but I'm referring to muscle effort here). However, I really don't want to oversell the performance gains of clipless pedals. Obviously, people use them for a reason, but you won't suddenly find yourself going 10% faster just because you switch to clipless.

1nterceptor

Yes, to both. Since the clipless pedals allow me to use the muscles involved in the upstroke.
I know, I know clips and straps do the same thing; but for me being a commuter I have to
get in and out of the pedals a lot. This is why for me, it's clipless all the way(SPD).

mihlbach

The only significant disadvantage of clipless for commuting is having to wear special shoes. In every other way clipless pedals are superior to all other pedal-types. There is a small learning curve...at first its difficult to clip in and you may fall once, but it all becomes natural very quickly.

Clipless pedals increase your power when accelerating and climbing, keep your foot optimally placed over the pedal, prevent your foot from slipping off the pedal, and due to the stiffness are much more comfortable and efficient. They do reduce fatigue by holding your foot in position, so you can concentrate your muscular effort on pedaling circles and not having to hold your foot in position.

I don't know of anyone who has ever switched to clipless and then gone back. I remember when I first installed clipless pedals...the first thing I noticed was the significant power boost when standing and accelerating. But gradually, as I got used to them, the other benefits became increasingly apparent.

BianchiDave

I just switched over to clipless about 3 weeks ago on my commuter bike and my patrol bike and after 60+ miles so far I will never go back. At work I spend around 7 hours on my patrol bike and when I switched over my legs didn’t get as fatigued as usual. The ability to do the push pull method is awesome.
My speed did improve greatly, defiantly on hills. Again the push pull.

doorunrun

I think another advantage to clipless is being able to relieve pressure off the bottom of your foot. I think "hot spots" on your foot develop by constant downward pressure when pedaling in the conventional way. So when you begin to feel that pressure, you can shift over to the foot scraping or pull up method.

It's similar to having road style handlebars where you can adjust your grip to a variety of angles to relieve stress. For shorter commutes, it's not such a big deal.

For commuting SPD or mountain bike pedals seem to work the best. They're a lot easier to get in an out of. I'm not sold on the idea of the combo style with platform on one side and SPD on the other. It's much easier to just clip in and not have to worry which side is up.

BarracksSi

+whatever for "clipless is good."

I've got a short-hop bike that I use for the (also short) ride to work and to the shops, and even though it's my newest bike, I put plain MKS pedals on it, partly for style and partly for…well, mainly for style . After roughly a decade of toeclips then clipless, the first time I took this one a healthy distance made me remember why I prefer being clipped in.

Where it mattered the most was on climbs and after getting tired. Without being clipped in, I can only really push down despite my best efforts to also push over the top and through the bottom of the stroke. Clipped in, I get the chance to relieve the pushing muscles, even just for a bit.

I'll be swapping clipless pedals onto my city bike soon, probably the same time I convert it to drop bars (which I'm also doing for long distances).

cooker

You don't know me. I used clipless for 2-3 years then switched back to flat pedals. I have a 5 mile inner urban commute and have done it for 19 years. I used clipless from around 2005 to 2007. I enjoyed mastering a new skill and the zen-like feeling of connectedness. However when I put flat pedals back on one fall so I could ride in winter boots, i realized I didn't miss the clipless, and have never gone back.

I had to clip in and out several times on each commute when I stopped at a stoplight, so I could put one foot on the ground or curb, which was annoying, and it was a nuisance to have to change shoes an extra 3 or 4 times a day. Even with mountain bike shoes, the tread around the cleat wears down quickly and clacks on the floor, plus I wear business clothes and shoes at work.

I also like to move my foot to different spots on the pedal. Right now I have a calf injury from running, but I find it doesn't hurt pedalling uphill if I put the pedal under the arch of my foot. Couldn't do that with clipless.

The benefits of clipless are mainly seen in long or fast uninterrupted rides, or racing. If you are used to clipless, it feels like your feet are going to float off the pedals when you go back to flat pedals, but it just takes a day or two for that feeling to go away, as you learn to pedal again in circles rather than letting the cleat drag your foot around.

Bottom line, give it a try if you wish, but don't accept it as gospel that they are so much better.

cooker

If you're a cop, is there ever an expectation that you might have to hop off the bike and confront or chase a suspect on foot? Those cleats would be a huge safety concern in that case.

memphisj

I'm a newbie here, but I've just started cycling again after about a 10-year plus hiatus. My former roadbike had toe clips and I did have cycling shoes w/cleats and I think you'd be amazed at the improved efficiency of a clipless (I'm using Look.) I'm only into about 2 weeks of training on the new bike and it seems much easier and more intuitive to develop a "round" pedaling style, no doubt in my mind.

Loose Chain

There are shoes for SPD cleats where the entire cleat is recessed and does not contact the ground. My Shimano MTB shoes are of that type. The more concern to me is running in stiff bike shoes but mine are fine for walking.

Your efficiency will increase, your power output will go up, yes, you will go faster as a result.

BarracksSi

More like, relearning to keep pressure on the pedals all the way around and not getting the chance to use the entire stroke.

dscheidt

People say that, but I've never seen any actual data to support it. (I've looked, too.) The few reasonable studies show an improvement at maximal effort, but not at normal effort. (And those studies show *reduced* efficiency for the increase in power.)

bhop

I never really noticed any speed increase, just a little easier take-offs and hill climbs.

jdom

I switched from clipless back to platform pedals and I will never look back.
I think if there is any speed advantage with clipless pedals it is negated by haveing to change your shoes every time you ride.
I found that the only advantage to clipless pedals is that you can stand and climb easier.
These are just my thoughts and I know others like clipless pedals alot,but I don't.

KruiserIV

I put my clipless pedals on today and noticed a difference, mostly in muscles used, but also in cadence control and overall performance (speed, less fatigue, more focus).

EKW in DC

I would think that would defiantly be the case...

apricissimus 

??

I think you're doing it wrong.

rhm

When I first got toe clips, about 25 years ago, I thought it was a big improvement.

When I first got clipless pedals, about ten years ago, I thought it was a big improvement.

And then I got rid of them, about five years ago, I thought that was a big improvement.

Now I use clips on a couple bikes, clipless on a couple, and regular old platforms on a couple others. It really doesn't make any difference, except on the tandem. On the tandem, where the stoker is apt to make the pedals move unpredictably, it really helps to be clipped in.

canyoneagle

I'm a guy who likes options. I like the option to use clipless pedals and cycling shoes for my commute or for exercise, but I also like to just throw on sandals and pedal on over to the coffee house or grocery store. These do the trick for me: https://www.crankbrothers.com/pedals_acid1.php

I agree with what has already been said about efficiency, and can also add that I like the security of being clipped in, particularly when out of the saddle. But, I've been a clipless guy since about 1987, and I replaced toe clips and leather straps

yoder

No real speed difference. It may make a negative difference for foot strain or even knee strain especially if you don't have it dialed in correctly.

ratell

For me, the advantage of not using clipless is anytime someone with clipless passes me I can tell myself that if I had clipless I'd be faster. Likewise if I pass them clearly I'm amazing or something. Don't have an answer for someone wearing flip flops on a cruiser bike passing me...