Do you use clipless pedals on your bike?

[Philatio]

I realize this is a preference issue, but I'm curious.

[barba]

Yes, on both the bikes I own.

[Machka]

Of course! I've got clipless pedals on all my bicycles.

[literocola]

Yes and no.
Road bike, and XC bikes Yes.
For my Downhill/ Freeride race bike, Trial bike, Dirtjumpin bikes.. No I dont.

[PaulH]

No.

Paul

[wahoonc]

I got one of each...:p Touring/Commuter just got clipless, town bike none, old beater road bike still has toe clips on it (not worth the $$ to upgrade)

Aaron:)

[tfahrner]

i used toe clips until 1996, when i changed to power grips. in 1998 i tried clipless, and found them no better than power grips and much less convenient. probably if i were racing i would reconsider.

[Lamplight]

Sometimes. I switch up depending on my mood. :D

[chimpunk]

No. I use WTB's Momentum pedal.

[Nermal]

No. Power Grips.

[Brad M]

Clipless kinda stinks if you have any destination in mind that requires walking. SPD shoes that try to be street shoes seem like a compromise. I have eggs on my hybrid, clips and straps on the fixie, and plats on the commuter tank and MTB. They all have their ups and downs.

[Seggybop]

I can't find clipless shoes in the right size, and anywhere I go I'll be spending as much or more time walking as I was riding anyway.

[attercoppe]

My pedals don't have clips - but they're just plain pedals. I have never liked the idea of attaching my feet to the pedals, no matter how quick and easy it's supposed to be to get out of. (I know, it's more efficient...)

[ORTOX]

I have the clips that dont attach to your shoes. So I can go clips or clipless. Mostly clipless though.

[Machka]

My pedals don't have clips - but they're just plain pedals. I have never liked the idea of attaching my feet to the pedals, no matter how quick and easy it's supposed to be to get out of. (I know, it's more efficient...)

I've tried to ride like that a couple times since I went clipless .... and I just can't!! Every time I "pull up" on the pedals (which is a natural part of my pedal stroke now) my feet come right off the pedals and then I practically fall off the bicycle trying to get them back on again. Plus, you know how you're supposed to ride with the balls of your foot on the pedal ... is that ever difficult to do with no clips!! My feet end up sliding all over the place!

I really don't know how you manage it!!

[xcapekey]

clipless on my Bike Friday and xtracycle .... i'm pulling loads all the time so every bit of efficency helps

[xcapekey]

clipless on my Bike Friday and xtracycle .... i'm pulling loads all the time so every bit of efficency helps

[xcapekey]

crap...sorry about the repeating posts...my computer is acting wonky

[genericbikedude]

i've been thinking of replacing my current sneakers with mountain bike shoes when the sneakers wear out. the only problem is that the soles seem WAY too stiff to walk around on for day-to-day stuff. I'm not going to lose balance and walk around with an annoying clicking noise just for the sake of the 30degrees of pedal stroke that I can't really use with clips and straps.

[humancongereel]

had clipless on a couple of road bikes that are in storage/sold. i have toe clips on the fix that's my main ride, but i'll be switching to clipless asap now that i've realized i'm not more prone to pulling out while stopping on a fixed gear with clipless than i am with clips and straps.

[tfahrner]

kent said it best here: http://kentsbike.blogspot.com/2005/11/power-grips.html

[jordanb]

I don't believe in wearing "special" clothing to bicycle. No way would I wear shoes that make walking more awkward. So I've used toe clips before, but even then, I typically wear either boots or sandals, and neither fit well into toe clips. Maybe those power-grip things could work for me but honestly, I often bike faster than spandex-clad cliped-in road bikers on my 3-speed schwinn racer on my commute, so I don't really see the point.

[CommuterRun]

Clipless on the road bike.

Toe clips on the hybrid and my son's MTB.

Platforms on my Townie and my wife's comfort bike.

Incidently, and I think this applies here, I didn't learn effective ankling on the road bike. I didn't learn the benefits of ankling until I started towing a long, heavy trailer (canoe) behind the Townie3.:)

[svwagner]

yes and no.

fixie and 'cross bike, yes.
cruiser, xtracycle, and singlespeed, no.

[ignominious]

Love the cleats. I use SPDs and can't imagine going back now. I tried to get up a hill clipless a couple of months ago and once I got used to not being able to pull the loss of power really showed.

The shoes thing can be a problem but if I know I'll be doing some walking around during the day I completely buckwild and put some sneakers in my pannier. Crazy ain't it.

[GiantDave]

Speedplays on my LHT tour bike (I need the float for my bad knees)
Platforms on my beater bike and mnt. bike (easier to run errands)

[shokhead]

Yes,both

[Roody]

No. Riding is not a special activity for me. It is an integrated part of my daily life. I use platform pedals and usually wear all-terrrain running shoes.

If I ever hit the lottery (not likely since I never buy tickets) I will buy a dedicated road bike, which will be clipless.

[noisebeam]

Clipless kinda stinks if you have any destination in mind that requires walking. SPD shoes that try to be street shoes seem like a compromise.
This is the place for the plug for SPD compatible sandals. That is all I use. I've walked and hiked miles in them too. Good in the summer with no socks, good in the winter with two pairs of wool socks, good in the cold rain with one pair wool socks and waterproof oversocks.
Al

[genericbikedude]

This is the place for the plug for SPD compatible sandals. That is all I use. I've walked and hiked miles in them too. Good in the summer with no socks, good in the winter with two pairs of wool socks, good in the cold rain with one pair wool socks and waterproof oversocks.
Al

those seem cool--just never let the folks in the fg/ss forum know that you wear sandals with socks :D

[noisebeam]

those seem cool--just never let the folks in the fg/ss forum know that you wear sandals with socks :D
While riding my fg!
Al

[Roody]

This is the place for the plug for SPD compatible sandals. That is all I use. I've walked and hiked miles in them too. Good in the summer with no socks, good in the winter with two pairs of wool socks, good in the cold rain with one pair wool socks and waterproof oversocks.
Al
Just to be clear, you're talking Arizona winter, not Michigan winter.

[PurpleK]

Clipless on my tourer and road bike because I always wear the same pair of cycling shoes. Toe clips on my commuter because I wear various shoes at work.

[noisebeam]

Just to be clear, you're talking Arizona winter, not Michigan winter.
Sort-of. I've ridden in 20F (high for the day) temps with this dual sock set up and water proof sock to shed the snow in Flagstaff. Dry 28-30F lows occur in Phx. in the early AM mid-winter commute hours, but then I only wear one pair of socks.

Al

[LandLuger]

I would encourage many of the former posters to investigate clipless sandals.

[gwd]

No. Riding is not a special activity for me. It is an integrated part of my daily life. I use platform pedals and usually wear all-terrrain running shoes.

I'm like Roody, except I'm not sure what "platform pedals" are. When I rode recreationally I used toe clips so might try those power grips someday but today I have just plain metal pedals with no straps or devices. In the summer I run around the neighborhood in flip-flops. I'm not racing anyone so I don't see why I should try for that last percentage of efficiency just to pick up some veggies. On the other hand, if I were planning a cross country jaunt I'd start thinking differently.

[chipko]

I have clipless pedals on all my bikes. My clipless shoes are touring shoes and are comfortable to wear around like normal shoes. acually i use clipless all the time because i dont own any "normal" shoes that would be appropriate for riding. Its either work boots or clogs. I figure if i am going to have shoes i only wear for riding they might as well be clipless. I am intigued by the spd sandal thing though. i might have to try out a pair this summer, who knows.

[Patrick A]

I don't believe in wearing "special" clothing to bicycle. No way would I wear shoes that make walking more awkward.

I more or less have a similar philosophy. I look like a Dutch national when riding to work every morning. With that said, I think I will probably invest in a set of Power Grips sometime in the near future.

[bikerbear]

yes and no

Clipless on my new Trek su100 -- power grips on Trek 7200
Have mtb shoes with recessed cleats --- can walk quite a bit in these.
Usually have panniers for work clothes, etc so packing work shoes is no biggie.

discovered the power grips here on BF glad I did -- once I saved up enough for my new bike went clipless and it's great I have found my commutes are much quicker. When running errands I don't 'challenge myself" as I do in the mornings on the way too work. Mornings are so nice -- less traffic and quiet in some parts of my commute.

[gonzohill]

Clipless on my road bikes in the summer. Powergrips in the winter and usually platforms on the tandem. I have a pair of touring shoes from Lake that have an SPD knockout, they look kind of like tennis shoes. I find them comfortable to walk in.

[wsexson]

Yes. Look knock-off pedals with road shoes on the road bike and "campus" pedals with lace up MTB shoes on the commuter.

[AlanK]

No. Riding is not a special activity for me. It is an integrated part of my daily life. I use platform pedals and usually wear all-terrrain running shoes.

That's pretty much how I feel now. I have a pair of Wellgo SPD pedals I used for years, but then switched to standard pedals with toe-clips so I could wear pretty much any kind of shoe. I originally started this so I could bike to a hiking destination without needing to carry an extra set of shoes. In terms of efficiency I found little difference between the cleated approach and standard pedals w/clips, though I do miss the 'locked in' feeling I get with cleats.

Even though I was using mountain bike shoes, which are more comfortable than the road shoes with huge cleats, I found that if I had to walk for more than 5 minutes, they got uncomfortable. Now I just like the convenience of wearing standard tennis/running shoes when I bike.

[pdxtex]

in town bike = toe clips and samba classics. fun road bike = shimano road shoes and speedplays.

[michaelnel]

I keep going back and forth. I have MKS Touring pedals with Powergrips on my SOMA Doublecross all-rounder. I really don't like the Powergrips, they are too hard to get into because the loop won't stay open.

I have gone back and forth between MKS Sylvan Track pedals with clips & straps and my pair of Speedplay Frogs several times on my fixed gear bike. I do prefer the feel of the Frogs, but sometimes the whole thing about having to put on special shoes (of which I have three pair) gets to be a PITA and I put the MKS pedals back on. I love being able to just jump on the fixie with whatever shoes I have on, but prefer the clipless for longer rides.

[noisebeam]

I love being able to just jump on the fixie with whatever shoes I have on, but prefer the clipless for longer rides.
Above I touted the advantages of SPD clipless sandals (comfort, easy walking, casual)

However, I also sometimes jump on the fixie with regular sandals for 2-3mi RT rides to a cafe, bar, etc.

The Shimano M520 pedals don't have much of a platform, but enough so in dry weather I can safely and confidently pedal away with any kind of shoe for short distances. (I also have a front brake so I don't need to rely pedal connection to stop fast)

Al

[Sammyboy]

Clips and straps or platforms for me. It's more a cost issue than anything else - the very cheapest set of clipless shoes would cost more than any of my bikes. If I look at the cost of a set of pedals, and a pair of shoes, well, I could probably put two or three bikes on the road for that, and build a trailer to boot. I like to pull up, but the clips and straps do that for me just fine, thanks!

[recursive]

No. Riding is not a special activity for me. It is an integrated part of my daily life. I use platform pedals and usually wear all-terrrain running shoes.

If I ever hit the lottery (not likely since I never buy tickets) I will buy a dedicated road bike, which will be clipless.

It's integrated into my life too. It's just that I wear footwear with cleats.

http://www.lickbike.com/productpage.aspx?PART_NUM_SUB='2966-02'

These are more comfortable and walkable then most of the "normal" shoes I have.