Why use clip in clipless pedals to cycle | Beginner tips advice and suggestions
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- Опубліковано 6 сер 2024
- Clip in pedals for cycling simply explained - different types of pedal, cleat and shoe. Part of a series - Stuff cyclists don't tell you.
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I started with SPD about 30 years ago and never looked back. I have them on my road, gravel and MTB bike so can ride any shoe on any bike. They have plenty of float and I like being attached to- if I hit a bump my foot never slips off
Hi Simon - Ive been watching your videos for a few months now and would just like to say I really enjoy your plain speaking, ego-less style. Keep up the good work fella!!
Wow, thank you - much appreciated that you took the time to write David.
I used to run mountain bike twin hook toes straps. The trick is to set them just snug enough to whip your foot out if needed.
I'd like to try SPDs. I've got Brugtec flat pedals and they really grip well.
Hi lve just found your site
And for the first time you are the only person I have found to both present and explain what you are on about so elequently
Brilliant
Thank you Fred
Simon.... Thanks for the concise easy to understand video's. I'm a noob and have found all your content very informative. I'm in the US near San Francisco. Around here (maybe elsewhere in the US?), the Shimano SPD-SL clipless system seems more prevalent than the Look. Seems like six of one - half dozen of the other.
I would encourage you to create a video on How to Clip Out. Most youtubers that have done this are people that already know how showing someone like me how easy it is. I'd suggest taking someone that does NOT know how and documenting the learning process. I fell more than a few times learning - hurting myself pretty badly on one fall. I'm mostly over it now - but with so many new cyclists out there - I've got to believe there is an audience for such a video. And you are a great teacher. Thanks again!
Thanks for taking the time to write Skip. Interesting to hear the prevalence of SL out there. I'll think about what you suggested too because we've all come a cropper nmot unclipping in time.
Great video. Not a single word misplaced
Kind of you to say, even if you're being generous 😁
I also have the Power Grips long ago, to bad you don't see them anymore, they work great!
Love your channel, beautiful Scottish landscape! 👍👍👍
Thanks JP
Another great, interesting, and informative video.
Glad you enjoyed it Ed
Enjoyed the video , Rapha shorts, classy :-). I"m in Russia where there is a growing interest in cycling helped by a wonderful summer (so far) Always nice to see some British countryside , makes me somewhat homesick though. Oh, I use SPD's mountain and road
Apart from low mileage, gentle touring.where i use normal pedals and trainers just so i can get off for wandering around etc, i use SPDs all the time, once your used to them you wont go back, there may be one or two tumbles involved when you first start but once you are familiar with them thats it, its second nature and you clip in and out without a second thought. Got to admit ive never heard of some of the pedals you mentioned, like the Eggbeaters and so on. Good entertaining, informative video as usual. Look forward to the next one. Ride safe.
It's a great idea to have a versatile pedal set up Tony. One type I didn't mention has spd one side and flat on the other, which seem to be the best of both worlds. Even now though I have my moments when I have to stop quickly and only just unclip in time.
Great content, thank you!
Thank you Justin - I hope you find more interesting content on the Channel.
I'm fairly new to cycling, would love to try clipless pedals, but I have huge clown feet haha and can't seem to find shoes in my size, so may have to stick with flats
Hi Simon. I use half toe clips and find them very good for the touring style of cycling I do. They help position my feet and also help to bring the pedal up to a power position when setting off. Great videos by the way.
Thanks David - I've not tried half toe clips, but I can see how they'd be great for touring.
I’ve got mountain bike flat pedals on my road bike & gravel bike .. they grip my mountain bike shoes brilliant .. no slipping and are awesome off the bike as well .. I’m buzzing with them .. I’d never go to clipless never liked the idea .. good vid tho buddy cheers Chris & Sam
I'm increasingly drawn to the pedals with SPD one side, flat the other. Glad what you have works for you.
I found platform pedals, and now run them on both the offroad and the tourer... Mighty comfy for my size 12 feet and busted knee, also proper and fitting for winter riding, which is 7 months up here in Norway. :-)
Great channel you got going, glad I found it, stumbled over it looking for info on damper stems/seatposts.
Gosh, never heard of platform pedals Jens. New to me.
@@alwaysanotheradventure Very comfy to ride with regular footwear, one probably looses some efficiency, but I ride for me, not for competing, so comfort and versatility is the order of the day. :-)
'Powergrips', brings back memories.
Really enjoying your videos you have a great style. Glad to hear you call toe clips "retro" . Almost makes me feel my 23 year old hard tail might be trendy! Thinking I might replace it with a Camino at some point though..
would you say a set of SPDs and proper shoes is a worthwhile upgrade on an old bike while I save up for a new one?
Hi David - oh hard tails are new new big thing! Not sure about toe clips though. Some people really enjoy riding with flat pedals and normal shoes so I'd have nothing against them, it's just I 'grew up' riding with SPDs. I'd save your money for the bike you want then work on upgrading it.
Thanks
I’ve just found your channel and have to say I love it!
I’ve personally just moved back to flats on my gravel bike as they allow me to switch between activities better, such as going to the driving range in golf shoes instead of carrying them. They are also so much simpler. You can wear whatever you choose albeit a firmer/grippier MTB shoe helps. I’ve also had to ride 20mile back with a missing spd cleat which was horrible (my fault for not tightening before I went out!). Badly fitted cleats can also, as you mentioned, cause knee injuries and I find most shoes too narrow for my wide feet which causes numbness after a while.
Pedalling efficiency is all good and well but as another poster mentioned, it’s generally tops out at around a 5% saving. I’m like many and slightly overweight. I could gain more at this point in dropping a few KGs. Once I’ve done that or start getting dropped, the marginal gains of clipless may be worth re-looking at. In the meantime comfort is king.
Keep up the great content!
Glad yo found the channel Neil. There's a story on road.cc this week about a study which found very little difference between clipless and flats. On our recent Moray rides, Sean used flats throughout. I suppose in this video I'm trying to explain why folk do, rather than should, use these pedals. The ones I'm currently using are flat one side, SPD the other.
@@alwaysanotheradventure how do you find those? I have an old pair and struggle with the SPD side as they were always butter side down if you get my meaning.
@@neilcampion5265 Nicely put - they don't favour either side and rotate fairly stiffly. That sounds odd, but it works, because you can look down, see which way up they are at the bottom of the stroke, and work out whether or not you need to flip them with your toe before it comes up.
@@alwaysanotheradventure hey. I think it was this video you mentioned you liked pedals with straps but can no longer get them. Did you know restrap do them? I’ve literally just stumbled across them!
@@neilcampion5265 I didn't know that - thank you Neil
The Shimano SPD system offers two different cleats. The standard SH 51 single release that comes with each set of pedals. You can only release in one direction which is out towards the side when you rotate your heel laterally. Then there is the SH 56 M cleat that offers multiple directions of release. If you combine the SH 56 M cleat with a lower tension setting you can release easily. I don’t think you mentioned this alternative cleat or the fact that the SPD system has adjustable spring tension.
This is part of a ‘bike basics’ series so I wouldn’t have gone into that but you’re right and I’m pleased you added it here for folks to read Thomas, thank you.
It's all very personal, of course, but I never had any knee problems until I went clipless. They were ok if I got the adjustment exactly right, but crippling otherwise. I still use them because I find it much easier to grind up hills on them, and I don't like skinning my shins with MTB flats. But on a touring bike, I like the old stile touring shoe (e.g. Quoc or Dromarti) along with a strapless half toe clip that keeps my foot on the pedal but not in an exact position.
That’s really interesting Eric and I’m sure you’re right. If the adjustment isn’t spot on then the freedom to move around your foot position can only be good. Thank you.
What Mountains are in the backdrop at 5:21? What a gorgeous scene.
It looked like two mountains Samuel but it's really just one with a lump on the approach to it. It's Sgurr Dhomhnuill (Sgurr Donald) in Ardgour and one of the hills near our house.
Having ridden clipless for nearly 30 years I know it feels like they deliver more power, but studies have shown that regardless of pedal type, over 95% of the power comes on the down stroke so it really doesn’t make much difference unless you’re racing. GCN did a video on it a few years ago and came to the same conclusion, though their methodology was hardly scientific (they did a very cursory investigation). I now ride both. Last week I did a 48 mile ride on flats, this week I’ll be on clipless - it mostly just comes down to my mood.
You might find it fun, or at least interesting, to try a good set of flats with the appropriate shoes.
That's really interesting James. It also supports something we did recently - we did a 5-day ride with my clipped in and Sean in flats. He thought it was great. If you came across details of that study I'd like to see it.
@@alwaysanotheradventure This is the fourth time I am leaving this comment, the last three have been deleted for some reason. This time I will leave out the links and see it that makes a difference...
Articles:
- The Pedaling Technique of Elite Endurance Cyclists: Changes With Increasing Workload at Constant Cadence
- Physiological and biomechanical factors associated with elite endurance cycling performance
To be perfectly honest, I didn't read past the abstracts. I don't have the patience for scientific papers, so I'm sure I missed some important nuisance. And I'm not arguing against clipless, I think it's helpful to have a more objective perspective because it has been my experience that we cyclists are not always reliable witnesses when it comes to gear. We rode skinny 23mm tires for decades because they 'felt' faster (I had a friend in college who swore by 19s!) only to learn through scientific observation that fatter was faster.
I think clipless is especially good on fully rigid bikes when headed down rough trails.
I appreciate your content and look forward to your next video!
@@JamesFryerCreative thanks James. UA-cam really doesn’t like links in comments it seems!
I use a clipless and flat all in one. Perfect for me
Do you mean flat one side SPD the other? I might fancy a pair of those when my gravel pedals die.
@@alwaysanotheradventure Yes exactly that. My gravel bike is used for gravel adventures and cycling to the tennis club :-)
I use mine with normal shoes, and the recessed clips on the wide pedals work fine. Do you ever find yourself hunting for the right side of the pedal when you want to clip in?
I like the video I have got diabetes
A doctor at the local surgery
Advised me not to use clip
Pedals it could cause Permanent injuries to my ankles
Got any ideas what I could use
Hi Graham. I'm assuming the idea of falling and not being able to get your feet released which would cause the damage. In that case either use flat pedals with n clips at all - plenty of touring cyclists do - or look for the Power Grips I mentioned because while you're held securely when your foot points forward, you're not really fixed to the pedal so you coe out very quickly.
Can you provide a link to the wider pedals you use.
Thanks
Hi Russell - mine are SO old I can't work out where I got them. A quick look on PlanetX turned up these www.planetx.co.uk/i/q/PEEXPM825/exustar-e-pm825-combination-pedal and quite a few others. If I was starting fresh, I think I'd go for SPDs one side, and completely flat on the other, because sometimes I accidentally clip into the pedals when I don't want to. Hope that's useful.
@@alwaysanotheradventure thanks mate.
Last year I hit a pothole on a downhill and I did a flip over the handle bars. My frame was bent beyond repair but I was OK. Even though I'm 65 I didn't even have a scratch. I was very lucky. If I would have had Clipless instead of Toe clips I think the outcome might have been different. I didn't see the pothole coming and I would not have had the reflexes to kick out my heels in order to release. Aren't there any clipless pedals that work like a ski binding and release at a certain load even with your foot straight?
They’re meant to work like that! They were invented by Look, the ski binding company, but they have changed quite a bit. You can set the tension at which release happens.
I’m on a trip now and had a slow motion fall three days ago, couldn’t release and landed on my ribs - damn sore too!
@@alwaysanotheradventure So when you take a fast fall the pedals will release even if you don't kick out your heels? Is that sensitivity adjustable? On a slow motion fall they don't I get that. Do you just let yourself drop to the side when that happens? I can imagine if you tried to brace your self you could really get hurt, break a hand or a wrist... I don't need that. I'm too old LOL Is there any new stuff being developed, better clip less designs?
They’re meant to come out in a faster fall - this has happened to me. Trouble is if set too sensitive then they pop out when you have a sight ‘pull’ on the pedals going uphill. Slow motion falls can be worse (my ribs are sore!) because they don’t exert the force through the pedals needed to release. No idea what’s being developed, but you can get pedals that are flat one side, clipped the other, so you choose whether or not to connect, for example, on technical ground.
@@gimmeagig Let me add a little more detail to this. SPD pedals which most people use work like this, BUT ONLY WHEN YOU USE MULTI-RELEASE CLEATS. This from Road.CC explains more: road.cc/content/feature/clipless-pedals-how-multi-release-cleats-make-them-easy-182513
Why do all cycling channels have quiet peaceful roads to ride .. as a nervous rider I’m envious! - useful thanks
Hi Robin - I shot this one during the first lockdown, so that partly explains the quiet roads. Most of the year they're normally fairly quiet here in the Scottish Highlands, but with so many tourists staying at home, they're busy now.
As an actual user of powergrips, I can say, as i got older, it became exhausting to have to use leg muscles to constantly add pressure to keep the grips snug. No way i’d return to them after mechanical style clipless with float.
Hadn’t thought of that Brian, thank you
I don't understand what's wrong with good old fashioned double sided pedals. I got caught up in the pedal stuff and bought some MSK one sided pedals and just ordered some half clips and wondering why I did this. I needed new pedals and the ones I got looked cool and work fine after I make sure my foot is on the correct side. My feet do slid around a little so thought half clips would help but I have never used them before, it will be different for a while.
I always use double-sided pedals on my gravel bike John, either flats or ones I can clip into either side. That said, I have been thinking about a pair that are flat one side and SPD the other for when I really don't want to be attached to the bike. Liz does the same with her road bike, but I like the single sided Keo type of pedal because it gives me better contact and less of a 'hot spot'. It also means I can use the Garmin power meter pedals.
@@alwaysanotheradventure This kind of stuff is basically for those who race not tour aren't they? I have gone on 20+ mile adventure type bike rides just to do it. Last week I must have put in 25-30 miles, I made myself a little sick over that excursion, legs hurt for 3 days. My girl just does short comfort rides.
@@johnnycee5179 clip-in pedals can help reduce leg pain by holding your foot in the optimal position, so certainly not just for racing. You can get touring shoes with recessed cleats and flexible soles so walking around is easy off the bike. Keep at it and your legs won't hurt so much as your body gets used to it. 😁
Simon I have to disagree, I use flat peddles with great efficiency. I'm finding unless racing more and more gravel and bike packing riders are using flat peddles.
That's great Roger. I use reversible ones. This is in the series for new and returning cyclists to explain why many (not all) people use clipless and what they are.
The only one of your videos I disagree with - kind of. Been cycling for over 50 years - both for leisure and to commute - and in that time have only ever used clipless pedals for a brief period and could never find a benefit. Indeed, only negatives, both in cost and that with the shoes they attach to - even mount bike-specific ones. These especially are a pain off-road or those times when I want to do a bit of hiking with my bike in some places.
Flat peddles have come a long way over the years, both in design and even weight. Yes, the placeholder ones you get as default with a new bike are a bit poor but they were never designed to be anything else. My favourite flats for some time have been rather oversized DMR V11s - other makes are available :)
Optimal foot position is important, but you can/will learn this as you cycle and I find it can vary slightly depending on the terrain. I think i have seen more people set up their cleat position badly than I have ever seen anyone position their feet "badly" on a peddle.
Anyway, still a good video - as always. Have this, previously unwatched, series of videos from yourself on autoplay on a wet, cold, Saturday afternoon and enjoying - as always.
I do agree with you, and there is some new research showing there's no power loss with flat pedals. My goal with this video was to show new cyclists why most riders clip in. Glad you're enjoying the channel Slaine
clipless, that you clip, in and clip out of
Mad, isn't it? 😁