Clipless pedals

HealthyWay

I was cycling a lot earlier in the year in training for a triathlon however I injured my knee and am looking to get back in the saddle now. Are the clipless pedals worth getting? The bike came with toe-clips and these seem fine but I read about the clipless pedals on here and am wondering if they are worth the investment? Can anyone reccomend some good cheap ones?

thebouldwhacker

Clipless all the way, when I switched not only did I pick up in pace but also increased the length of my cycles and I was far more comfortable. Still use flats on my mtb though.......

blorg

They will make a big difference.

As for pedals I would go for entry-level Shimano SPDs, they work very well and you can still walk in the shoes- these ones are £20:

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=3759

I would only go for a road system if you are primarily planning on racing.

petethedrummer

I'm trying to convince a Tri-Newbie buddy of mine to make the switch. Seems very reluctant.

I haven't got clipless for my MTB, felt very odd on the MAD beginner spin using runners and flats.

Definitely get them.

Lumen

blorg wrote: »

I would only go for a road system if you are primarily planning on racing.

I would only go for an SPD system if you are primarily planning on wearing sandals.

Raam

Lumen wrote: »

I would only go for an SPD system if you are primarily planning on wearing sandals.

I would only go for sandals if you are primarily planing on sporting a beard.

doozerie

It's largely a matter of personal taste, but I certainly would recommend clipless pedals. They allow a better transfer of power, they give you greater control over the bike, and your foot won't slip off the pedal (barring accidentally unclipping, which is rare). Most people are initially nervous about clipless pedals because of the fear of being unable to unclip their foot, but if you are used to toe-clips and straps then you'll already know that releasing a foot from a tightened strap in an emergency can be difficult to say the least - by comparison, relasing your foot from a clipless pedal is quick and easy.

If you have a knee injury then you might want to consider clipless pedals that provide some float, either in the pedal itself or more typically in the cleat. Float allows your foot to move a little side-to-side, or rotationally, in the pedal so that your knee is not permanently fixed in one position while you are clipped in. It used to be the case that pedals with float were recommended for anyone with knee problems, though nowadays most pedals provide some degree of float as standard.

stopped_clock

I would only go for a road system if you are primarily planning on racing.

Minor thread hijack - I've got SPDs on my road bike and I wear MTB style shoes. Would it be worth my while switching to road style pedals etc? I'm undecided about racing, but I'm almost certainly going to join a club over the winter.

stopped_clock

OP, remember you'll have to budget for shoes too.

Captain Havoc

I have Look style on my road bike and SPDs on my mountain bike (commuter) and I prefer the Look ones. The only problem is the Look ones aren't made for walking in. As for the sandals, who would wear such things? :rolleyes:

corkandproud

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=5369

Great affordable set up to get you started, you should get shoes from a LBS for under €90, I got tri-shoes and their fine.

(Fully intend to upgrade shoes and pedals early next year, but that's the bug I guess)

blorg

stopped_clock wrote: »

Minor thread hijack - I've got SPDs on my road bike and I wear MTB style shoes. Would it be worth my while switching to road style pedals etc? I'm undecided about racing, but I'm almost certainly going to join a club over the winter.

If you want to race, yes, otherwise I would not bother. I started racing on SPDs but unclipped a couple of times in all out final sprints so switched to Time RXS. I only really use them for racing to be honest. There is a more solid feeling "connection" and you can't unclip out of them accidentally.

stopped_clock

Cheers blorg.

Only slight issue is that I do need to buy a set of pedals because I'm switching the SPDs across to the Langster, so now would be a good time to switch systems.

I think I'll take your advice and get a second pair for now. It'll also mean taking my own advice and not having to get new shoes too.:cool:

Trojan

I love clipless. I went with Egg Beaters as my system of choice, and can highly recommend them.

I have them on touring & mtb as well as the Bowery (now gone ) Having 3 sets of shoes that I can use clipped into 3 different bikes is great.