Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - fixies without clipless

I'm seeing a lot of pics of fixies without clipless pedals. Is there a reason they aren't liked?

To-may-to. To-mah-to.

I'm seeing a lot of pics of fixies without clipless pedals. Is there a reason they aren't liked?

well, if we were that concerned with efficiency we'd be riding road bikes :)

the reason i run clips and straps (when i do) is so i can wear my regular shoes.

as far as platforms, i can't really explain it, but some people like em.

i haven't made the investment in clipless yet. clips and straps are fine by me, for now, for my purposes - commuting, riding around town; less ideal for longer, tougher rides.

some people are wary of accidental disengagement when legbraking, especially w/o handbrakes, especially in an emergency situation. hence clips and straps.

the debate rages. some people prefer one to the other, some people have both on different bikes.

I find that my pedaling efficiency is good enough with properly adjusted straps over clips, and don't really sweat it. I think what you ate as your last meal makes a bigger difference in how well you're going to ride and how good you'll feel vs. clips vs. clipless or titanium vs. alumimum vs. steel vs. carbon.

oh, i also like to wear regular old shoes.

Because they wanna show off their Onisuka's with their 300 dollar APC denim with a mini U lock in their back pocket.

i'd eventually like to make the jump to clipless, but it seems like a whole to-do: new shoes, new pedals, can't wear my regular sneakers, etc.

Because they wanna show off their Onisuka's with their 300 dollar APC denim with a mini U lock in their back pocket.

I get more compliments on my Specialized MTB Comps than I do on either my New Balances or Onitsukas. Plus for winter riding, tennis shoes and tights just looks...off.

Personally, I just don't get clips and straps with normal street shoes. What a big PITA. If I spent any amount of time trying trackstands, backwards circles, and stuff I can see the benefit of clips and straps, but I mostly just ride my bike like a normal person. A clipless pedal with a good stiff soled cycling shoe just makes the whole experience of riding a bike so much more awesome, and when I first switched to clipless it caused me to want to ride a whole lot more. More power, more comfort, more ease of entry...and I've never had any serious trouble with accidental unclips.

The same goes for girlie tight stretchy jeans, and other "hipster" type cycling apparel..why do people wear this stuff? Maybe I'm just gettin old, but cycling specific clothes, like padded tights and jerseys, just seem so much more comfortable in comparison. Man, I'd don't care how stupid I may look (but probably not as stupid as wearing girls jeans!), if it feels better on the bike, I'll wear it, even if it involves wearing it in places like stores and movie theaters.

Like I said before, what's the difference between wearing tight jeans and straight up tights? I mean, I'm rocking a Brooks saddle so the last thing I really need is butt pads. Hell, why don't all roadies rock the Brooks if they want real comfort?

To-may-to. To-mah-to.

+1

The same goes for girlie tight stretchy jeans, and other "hipster" type cycling apparel..why do people wear this stuff?

i don't know. funny thing, though, i don't think i've ever seen anybody wear "hipster" type cycling apparel.

seen lots of people talk about it though. hmm.

Like I said before, what's the difference between wearing tight jeans and straight up tights? I mean, I'm rocking a Brooks saddle so the last thing I really need is butt pads. Hell, why don't all roadies rock the Brooks if they want real comfort?

Because the Brookes is overrated and not particularly
well designed for serious riding.

Like I said before, what's the difference between wearing tight jeans and straight up tights?

HMM..moisture wicking, virtually unlimited flexibility, way stretchier, no torn out crotch, my non-cycling clothes stay clean and unsmelly, etc.

Because they wanna show off their Onisuka's with their 300 dollar APC denim with a mini U lock in their back pocket.

To be fair, APCs are under $150. :D

Like I said before, what's the difference between wearing tight jeans and straight up tights?
A huge double-stitched seam.

I wear clips and straps. I used to wear clipless.
Our downtown area has a lot of bricks and metal covers. In the rain, you tend to slip on this surface in clipless shoes.
I just stick to my sambas and straps. To each their own.

I don't wear girls plants.
I don't wear cycling pants.
I wear dickies.

To each their own.
I think the cycling tights and stuff are just as hipster as girl pants, just a different scene.

im super skinny so I wear cycling tights under my girl pants when im working, and when half your job is walking around i really do prefer clips and straps to clipless

I ride regular plastic clips and straps cus they are cheap and I can wear almost any shoe...

and I don't wear girl jeans (favorite jeans are Gap loose fit bootleg, totally the opposite of girls)

or any other piece of hipster wear..

my clipless pedals came with the bike (it was used). so I went bought some $40 shoes. so now I've got one bike with each.

I'll say what i've said in all the other "why ride fixed with/without clipplesss threads"

My fixed bike happens to be my simple/aroundtown/grocery getter/ bar hopping bike. having to put special shoes on would really defeat the purpose. I have three other bikes with clipless, i need at least one that i can just hop on...

Yawn. Why do people care so much about what other people have on their bikes or what other people wear?

the reason i run clips and straps (when i do) is so i can wear my regular shoes.

my reason exactly too. and for not having to pay for new pedals and expensive shoes

Because my 6 year old shoes told me that if I got clipless, they would kick my in the balls 300 times a day.

walking around with clipless shoes arent bad, until you are in a grocery store and your carrying a case of water and your feet slide out from under you....

MTB shoes anyone? I'm wearing my bike shoes right now. I wear them to school when I ride to campus. It's all about the recessed cleat. Adidas, Lake, Time, SixSixOne, Scott all make great lace up shoes with recessed cleats.

My normal shoes are steel toed (anything less falls apart eventually), so my raleigh commuter is set up with plastic toe clips and straps because the plastic ones hug the steel toe better. And also the steel keeps the toe clips from pinching my toes like with my normal tennis shoes. That said, clipless just feels more solid to me. And yea, MTB shoes are walkable, so there's really not much to complain about.

I ride and love both. Nay-sayers of either system can blow it out their rear-facing orifice.

what's the deal with brakeless bikes with platforms and nothing holding your feet in

I ride and love both. Nay-sayers of either system can blow it out their rear-facing orifice.

+1, seriously....

My "road" fixed gear bike (Soma Rush frame with all road parts) has clipless pedals. No coasting or brakes on this bike and I like being snug with the pedals for slowing down.

My old mountain bike that I retired to single-speed has regular BMX pedals and a freewheel. I converted the cassette hub to just a single speed with spacers, and I use the bike for general cruising and leisure riding because it allows me to coast. It's also good for lending out to people, and it has brakes on both front and back.

Just my preference. I'll let the track nerds set me straight.

who wants to bring around two pairs of shoes

what's the deal with brakeless bikes with platforms and nothing holding your feet in
i dont understand the kids that do this. its not practical to skid stop every time you need to slow down, and you can only slow down so fast unless you have some sort of clip to pull up on.

of course, there are always Jamacian skids.

Because the Brookes is overrated and not particularly
well designed for serious riding.

I'm really surprised no one attacked you for saying Brooks is overrated.

Like I said before, what's the difference between wearing tight jeans and straight up tights? I mean, I'm rocking a Brooks saddle so the last thing I really need is butt pads. Hell, why don't all roadies rock the Brooks if they want real comfort?

Paging Dr. Dutret, paging Dr. Dutret.

Paging Dr. Dutret, paging Dr. Dutret.

more like baiting...

i don't know. funny thing, though, i don't think i've ever seen anybody wear "hipster" type cycling apparel.

seen lots of people talk about it though. hmm.

Just wait till that Ashlee Simpson bike messenger movie comes out. I can't wait for companies to offer kneepads for cycling. :eek:

I figured that was too absurd of a post to be real even here. Noone is that ****ing stupid.

who wants to bring around two pairs of shoes

Goodie two-shoes.

Clipless mtb shoes are great for riding and do fine walking.


OP: For real, clips and straps aren't that bad. Not everyone likes spending $$$$ on something they don't feel they need. Others live in flat areas and efficiency isn't top priority.

Clips and straps here. Metal in the summer, plastic in the winter. I've never actually rode clipless, but don't really have any reason to dump the money into a shoe/pedal setup other than that I would be able to wear neoprene booties over my shoes.

Clips and straps here. Metal in the summer, plastic in the winter. I've never actually rode clipless, but don't really have any reason to dump the money into a shoe/pedal setup other than that I would be able to wear neoprene booties over my shoes.

Try it some time. You have no idea what you're missing.

Try it some time. You have no idea what you're missing.

I would rather dump the $$$ into my climbing gear addiction, my bike works fine, if I were going for efficiency I wouldn't be riding a Schwinn World (my winter bike) that I picked up for $3 and converted. Plus having to bring extra shoes with me would be a pain in the butt.

In general, I think people put too much emphasis on the latest/greatest fancy gear. Training and a (semi) healthy diet will make much more difference than a $2000 bike, latest technical fabrics, etc...

who wants to bring around two pairs of shoes

Not me. Which is why I wear my touring-style clipless shoes everywhere

Also, you can get a good clipless setup for like $100. Shimano 540 pedals, and one of the basic MTB/touring shoes from them or another maker. 661 makes one that looks like a skate shoe and costs about $50. Eggbeaters are also pretty cheap.

I would rather dump the $$$ into my climbing gear addiction, my bike works fine, if I were going for efficiency I wouldn't be riding a Schwinn World (my winter bike) that I picked up for $3 and converted. Plus having to bring extra shoes with me would be a pain in the butt.

In general, I think people put too much emphasis on the latest/greatest fancy gear. Training and a (semi) healthy diet will make much more difference than a $2000 bike, latest technical fabrics, etc...

Who said anything about $2000 bikes and technical fabrics? Were talkin about pedals. Of course anything is fine for just tooling around town on your fixie or commuting short distances. If thats all you do with your bike, then use whatever you got. But, if you place any kind of priority on performance, then going clipless is an obvious step and will be well worth it. No one is even remotely debating the benefits of clipless over straps in the roadie or MTB forums where performance is actually valued.

In general, I think people put too much emphasis on the latest/greatest fancy gear. Training and a (semi) healthy diet will make much more difference than a $2000 bike, latest technical fabrics, etc...

well in that case the "latest fancy gear" is pretty old and probably the biggest efficiency/usability improvement in biking since the parallelogram derailer.

I would rather dump the $$$ into my climbing gear addiction, my bike works fine, if I were going for efficiency I wouldn't be riding a Schwinn World (my winter bike) that I picked up for $3 and converted. Plus having to bring extra shoes with me would be a pain in the butt.

In general, I think people put too much emphasis on the latest/greatest fancy gear. Training and a (semi) healthy diet will make much more difference than a $2000 bike, latest technical fabrics, etc...

You really, really, really have no idea what you're missing.

I am sure I am missing something, but in my case, it isn't worth it. I do a fair amount of riding (~6500 miles a year) and like my platforms with clips and straps, the performance benefits of clipless for me wouldn't make up for the cost. I already carry 25lbs of stuff for a 25 mile commute and don't need to add another pair of shoes to the pile.

The $2000 bike comment was a generalization aimed towards those that worry about the aerodynamic properties of their seatpost bolt, but only get out and ride a couple hundred miles a year... I get a lot of people like that telling me that I "need" this or that because it is lighter/faster/blingier, but am happy with what I have, I don't mean to start a flame war, just throwing my opinion out there. (Although, I wouldn't mind having the latest and greatest gear, I just don't put that much value in it to warrant the investment).

Well actually, people who worry about things like the aerodynamic properties of their seatpost bolt will spend a lot more than $2000 on a bike....perhaps more like $2000 on a pair of wheels.

I understand your perspective if your not wanting to make the investment. However, for someone wanting to invest in at least one improvement to their bike, going clipless would be one of the best improvements you could make for the cost. Again, I will point out that no one is even remotely having this debate in roadie, MTB or other performance oriented cycling circles...the overwhealming preference for clipless runs way deeper than a simple desire to follow trends.

Kinda back to the topic...

How well do clipless pedals work in the salt/snow/sand/ice of winter?

Kinda back to the topic...

How well do clipless pedals work in the salt/snow/sand/ice of winter?

Eggbeaters work as good if not better than platforms/straps.