Fifty Plus (50+) - Sliding back over to the darkside

The past few weeks I have been riding Rails to Trails type paths pretty heavily to get ready for my Pittsburgh to DC trip in July. I have been doing 50 miles at a time, which is still quite a bit less than I have to average per day to get to DC in time for a conference I have to be at. I am not worried about the distance part, I can do the daily miles when I have to.

Anyway, a lot of the riding was done on my hybrid which has always had just platform pedals on it. Last week I rode a couple of the rails to trails things PA and discovered that I actually felt better after 50 miles of pedaling on the platforms than I did on my clipless on my other bike. It's not the bikes, because twice this weekend I did a little over 50 miles on the Kal-Haven Trail that is nearby, and rode it with my Cannondale Touring bike. It has the 324's which is plain on one side so I rode with just a pair of running shoes like I used to.

I found for me, being able to move my feet around on the pedals for 3-4 hours was far more comfortable than locked on. Not as efficient maybe, but for me, far more comfortable.

Am I doing something wrong with the clipless? The bike shoes are good ones (Nikes), and comfortable. I just like moving my feet around on the pedals quite a bit.

I guess I am more of a Gomer Pyle on the bike than I am a Lance Armstrong.

The main thing is to be comfortable and enjoy the riding. Sounds like you've found what works best for you. Good for you!

I have to admit that if you are comfortable- then use the platforms.

From my own point of view though- I cannot ride a bike without Clipless. I lose out on so much power as I pull on the upstroke aswell as the down. Perhaps this is why I am so uncomfortable on platforms as my feet move around too much on them.

"darkside"???

Platforms are the lightside! It's where all of the lighthearted recreational riders live. All of the cruisers and beach bikes and Townies and hybrid owners hang out there.

And we can get off and take very comfortable walks or hike up a trail. I like to ride the rail trail that passes my neighborhood to a couple of small towns and shop around.

The only pair of clipless pedals I own hang out in my parts box.

I found for me, being able to move my feet around on the pedals for 3-4 hours was far more comfortable than locked on. Not as efficient maybe, but for me, far more comfortable.

Am I doing something wrong with the clipless? The bike shoes are good ones (Nikes), and comfortable. I just like moving my feet around on the pedals quite a bit.


Me too. That's why I like toe clips. I've noticed that when I ride, my feet are never straight on the pedals. But the toe clips prevent them from getting too far forwards on the pedal.

The main thing is to be comfortable and enjoy the riding. Sounds like you've found what works best for you. Good for you!

+1 I'll choose comfort anytime:)

I would suggest a set of Shimano 324 pedals. Platform on one side, SPD socket on the other. You get the best of both worlds. If your feet start bothering you, unclip, flip the pedal and ride the platforms for a while.

Shimano sandals...you can move your feet around and be clipped in too.

I also ride a Cannondale touring bike with the 2-sided pedals. I usually do my day rides clipless but switch to running shoes whenever my achilles hurt, which is a chronic problem. I always use running shoes when touring, mostly to save the weight of carrying both cycling and street shoes.

If you go over to the Road Bike Forum I'm sure everyone will let you know what is stylish and de rigeur.

I've never seen so much groupthink in a nonpolitical internet forum in my life.

Crap, they argue whether or not it's OK to be wearing bike clothes when you go into a Starbucks.

What a bunch of retreads (thus fueling animosity between the 50+'ers and the young Turks at the roadie forum).

Foot discomfort with clipped in shoes can be the result of many different things. Cleat placement, the stiffness of the sole (some people find that too stiff is just as bad as too soft), the amount of float, how tightly one pulls the velcro straps, the shape of the footbed on the particular shoe you're wearing, etc. I too like to move my foot around a bit. So, I'm quite happy with my Speedplay pedals and Specialized Carbon shones. I've also learned that on long rides I'll reach down and loosen the shoes a bit so I can wiggle my feet around within the shoe itself. Personally, I'd never go back to non-clipped shoes for rides of 50+ miles. But, if your system works for you, more power to ya!

I've just never felt right with platforms since I first tried clipless, but my wife still likes platforms more on rides with lots of stop and go, so her pedals are platform on one side and clipless on the other, too.

Clipless pedals with lots of float (like my Bebops) help, and when I'm doing a recovery ride, I tend to latch the velcro straps on my sandals more loosely, which is very comfortable, and lets your feet move around, too (rut roh.......... here comes the sandal bashing again).

Strange how the terms by which we define our cycling change. As a kid, I used to ride all over town all summer on my balloon tire with steel and rubber pedals-- often barefoot. So did everyone else. My mother used to work all week for less than what a cheap pair of cleated cycling shoes cost today. No desire to return, but I had as much fun then as now and probably raised more hell then on my Schwinn than I do now on my Romulus.

Strange how the terms by which we define our cycling change. As a kid, I used to ride all over town all summer on my balloon tire with steel and rubber pedals-- often barefoot. So did everyone else. My mother used to work all week for less than what a cheap pair of cleated cycling shoes cost today. No desire to return, but I had as much fun then as now and probably raised more hell then on my Schwinn than I do now on my Romulus.

In the summer my regular cycling outfit was my swimsuit. Don't think I would want to attempt that today:eek: