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What’s wrong with flat pedals on a road bike?

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    #92
    cletus
    Registered Users Posts: 7,884 ✭✭✭cletus


    Eamonnator wrote: »
    If you don't like those rules, here are the "Euro" rules.
    You can choose which set to ignore.
    https://eurocyclist.wordpress.com/about/

    Don't mind ignore. I've set out to see how many can I actively break...


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    #93
    CramCycle
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,511 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    Other than training by feel and the tan lines, I am happy to say I have broken every single rule there.


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    #94
    tomasrojo
    Registered Users Posts: 11,745 ✭✭✭✭tomasrojo


    I'm late to this thread, but I discovered years ago that rubber-soled footwear and platform pedals with pins worked well together (as others have said), and I've used that combination ever since. I don't have a road bike though. I do have a touring bike with dropped handlebars, but you'd never mistake it for something suitable for competition.

    If you want to wear much the same clothes when you got out on bike as you would walking or taking public transport, platforms with pins are pretty secure, and allow you to have pretty good foot security in the wet in normal shoes. If you're in a cycling club, I suppose you might want to do as the others.


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    #95
    fryup
    Registered Users Posts: 18,069 ✭✭✭✭fryup


    quenching wrote: »
    Thanks all for the varying opinions. I’ll keep an open mind on the potential benefits of clipless pedals but I’m going to give flats a try for a while. I’m struggling to get comfortable with clipless, happy enough that I won’t fall off (did that enough times many years ago), but also happy that I’m not going to slip off some good flats with decent soled shoes.

    Now where did I put those GAA shorts????

    :( i was on your side via vie the flat pedals but then you had to spoil it

    GAA shorts? ffs man!


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    #96
    quenching
    Registered Users Posts: 1,190 ✭✭✭quenching


    fryup wrote: »
    :( i was on your side via vie the flat pedals but then you had to spoil it

    GAA shorts? ffs man!

    :) Don’t worry, I’m happy enough in bibs. Some things I’m willing to accept are beneficial.

    Flats are working well so far too, I don’t seem to be any slower or more tired,


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    #97
    Wishbone Ash
    Registered Users Posts: 24,960 ✭✭✭✭Wishbone Ash


    quenching wrote: »
    ....Flats are working well so far too, I don’t seem to be any slower or more tired....
    In your opening post you implied that you had not tried anything other than flats. I'm not trying to be argumentative but how can you you claim that you aren't any slower or more tired if you haven't compared both?


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    #98
    MojoMaker
    Registered Users Posts: 4,570 ✭✭✭MojoMaker


    I'm not sure how it can't fail to make a difference - I mean part of proper pedal rotation mechanics in road cycling is pulling up on the pedal with the opposite leg, which road pedals are obviously designed to facilitate.

    You just can't execute this on pedals with no fixed connection between shoe and pedal.


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    #99
    tomasrojo
    Registered Users Posts: 11,745 ✭✭✭✭tomasrojo


    MojoMaker wrote: »
    I'm not sure how it can't fail to make a difference - I mean part of proper pedal rotation mechanics in road cycling is pulling up on the pedal with the opposite leg, which road pedals are obviously designed to facilitate.

    You just can't execute this on pedals with no fixed connection between shoe and pedal.

    I think this has been looked into though, and people apparently don't really pull up on the pedal. Or if they do, it doesn't help them.

    I don't know. I don't do competitive cycling and I can easily do 50-60km on flat pedals, and that's the max distance I'd typically have to do in a day, so I don't think about it much.

    There's something about it here, but I am not remotely qualified to judge it.
    https://www.bikejames.com/strength/does-this-video-really-prove-that-flats-are-more-efficient-than-clipless-pedals/


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    #100
    CramCycle
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,511 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    I'll dig out the papers later but, apparently, on the flat it really makes negligible difference, the only time it is known to make a difference is sprinting (foot slippage), hill climbing at race pace (same) and hill climbing a hill you can barely climb (you can pull up against the pedal).


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    #101
    CramCycle
    Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 24,511 Mod ✭✭✭✭CramCycle


    Now there are flaws with the studies:
    1. No efficiency gains found, flawed in that it is quite low power, and the non significant sway in favour of clipless I imagine could be greater at higher power or certain situations. It also has the great issue of every sports science paper ever written, its not got enough people involved. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19424280.2016.1140817?subid1=20210421-0605-2813-a70f-82a238165702

    2. This one implies that there is less work done with clipless, can't get into the full article though to see all the details. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11441642/

    3. This one says, once its submaximal, there is little difference, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18418807/ Once over maximal though, it appears you can get more out while being less efficient, I have to read it more thoroughly though.

    4. Again cycling efficiency doesn't change but small numbers and sub maximal https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02640410701332507

    The one thing that does come up quite consistently though is that clipless do seem to suffer less stress at the joints and consequently (a presumption) less injuries.


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    #102
    monkeysnapper
    Registered Users Posts: 2,575 ✭✭✭monkeysnapper


    I have often changed peddles on bike to suit what I'm doing ..

    I'd sometimes cycle off into the hills and hide bike and go off road/hill running and jump back on bike .... flat peddles give you loads of options . I've also put on panier rack on bike to carry extra supplies.

    I


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    #103
    quenching
    Registered Users Posts: 1,190 ✭✭✭quenching


    Wishbone Ash wrote: »
    In your opening post you implied that you had not tried anything other than flats. I'm not trying to be argumentative but how can you you claim that you aren't any slower or more tired if you haven't compared both?

    I’m not sure how you came to that conclusion, but how one person writes something and how another reads it often differs. Either way, I recently had clipless pedals on a new road bike for a few weeks before changing to flats. Before that it was flats on a flat bar hybrid (essentially a flat bar road bike), before that clipless on a road bike, before that flats and clipless on a mountain bike.

    I’ve even had cages on a spin bike but the least said about that the better :D


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    #104
    Birka
    Registered Users Posts: 250 ✭✭Birka


    I'd be very happy to support the view that you should do what works for you.

    The only decent argument in support of clipless that I can think of for non-racing users is that it gives you a consistent foot position. That can ease the strain on the knees (and hips to a certain extent) as it relates to saddle height. Ease of walking can be addressed by use of SPD (vs SPD-SL) pedals/shoes if you want the best of both worlds.


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    #105
    Wishbone Ash
    Registered Users Posts: 24,960 ✭✭✭✭Wishbone Ash


    quenching wrote: »
    I’m not sure how you came to that conclusion, but how one person writes something and how another reads it often differs. Either way, I recently had clipless pedals on a new road bike for a few weeks before changing to flats. Before that it was flats on a flat bar hybrid (essentially a flat bar road bike), before that clipless on a road bike, before that flats and clipless on a mountain bike....
    Apologies - it wasn't clear from your OP that you had actually had them.
    Birka wrote: »
    ... Ease of walking can be addressed by use of SPD-SL pedals/shoes if you want the best of both worlds.
    Presumably you mean SPD? SPD SL are standard road cleats which protrude.


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    #106
    Birka
    Registered Users Posts: 250 ✭✭Birka


    Wishbone Ash wrote: »

    Presumably you mean SPD? SPD SL are standard road cleats which protrude.

    Yes - you're right. I edited the original & posted as you were typing


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    #107
    Macy0161
    Registered Users Posts: 9,290 ✭✭✭Macy0161


    If you've recessed shoes for the spd's. I had spd's on road shoes for a few weeks and they were more of a pain to clip in and out of (and walk in) than SPD-SL.


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    #108
    quenching
    Registered Users Posts: 1,190 ✭✭✭quenching


    Wishbone Ash wrote: »
    Apologies - it wasn't clear from your OP that you had actually had them.

    No need for apologies at all, very little of what I write is ever as clear as I think it is :)


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