Road Cycling - Speed Difference w/ Clipless

Just curious what peoples thoughts were on the difference in the increase in speed when running clipless compared to flats. A guy that I ride with sometimes believes it is 3-4mph, although I would say it is closer to .5mph if that. Plus you need to relearn a bit of your pedalling.

I have been riding clipless for 10 years, so I do not remember what it is like.

My guess is it would be somewhere inbetween. Yes, you do have to relearn how to pedal, but I found, with strapped pedals (back in my Mtn Biking days, before I got clipless) it was difficult to do any kind of work on the up-stroke. For that reason, I think it has more of an effect than 0.5mph.. I'd guess, depending on the person, 2-3mph.. maybe up to 4 (after the learning curve).

-BlueDevil

Not sure if it was anymore then 1 mph or so but a much better way to pedal.Used less energy.

I think the difference is great when accelerating mainly, because you can push the pedal, as normally, and pull it after.I don't know if you'll go faster, but you will accelerate more, so that you get to your maximum speed more rapidly.

i just made the switch a week ago to clipless on my roadie (hey i'm new and it came with clips/flats installed). i haven't noticed any speed difference that i can attribute to the clipless pedals. i found that with clips, i could still get some upstroke action. so i don't see that as a major change. i do feel however that i now have more options in pedaling emphasis. i can keep more power going throughout the entire rotation. this is probably good in the long run, but don't expect a noticeable speed improvement upon switching. if you notice an improvement, it just means you've imagined it. :)

this is all based on the assumption that you mean clips and straps with your flats. if you've got no clips and straps, then yes you cannot in fact pull up with your legs. and thus there would be a major increase in power available to you.

the real test, which i might do in a few months, is to put the clip/strap/flat pedals back on my bike temporarily, and see how i do. since it's early in my riding performance 'curve', any improvements are likely due to me getting better at it, rather than equipment differences.

This is all crazy talk. Cliping in the pedals has been the one most important thing that has happened to me since getting my road bike. There is sooooo much of a difference. I try to pull my legs up to my chest on every upstroke. I can't even think of riding without clipping in. I think it is a 5-10 mph difference! YEAH!

Rippo is right, the advantage of clipless over toe-clips is not the same as the advantage of clipless of plain platform pedals. Id even go so far as saying that the gain from plain to toeclips exceeds the gain from toe-clips to clipless.

Clipless pedals are most advantageous over toe-clips when pedalling hard at a racing pace. If you are just pootling along at a cruise, then the difference is minor.
Much of the improvement is probably down to the shoes. Using leisure style cycling shoes is OK with toe clips, but its hard to use a very stiff racing shoe. Old style racers used stiff shoes with cleats and toe-clips, but thats not something anyone should try today.

I use toe clips but I allso use them with shoe plates attached to Shimano SPD shoes , when Im straped in I think its as good as clipless ,I found the use of cycling shoes with the stiff soles the biggest improvment. the biggest drawback is reaching down to release the strap at traffic lights ect, I thought I had this off pat till one day I was draughting a truck & he took the yellow light & left me with the red & cross traffic allready moving , max. braking required ,no third hand for the strap release :crash: :crash: Live & learn :(

Yeah, it might be between 3-4mph cause with clipless pedals, you can have a strong upstroke to keep the momentum going. Especially up hills. Take a look at another forum here.....

"Heels Down" (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33289)

It explains alot about pedaling in the there.

-Dan the Man-

Going from flat to mini toe-clips (without straps) was a big improvement. Going clipless seems (it's early days) to be slight. I'm still finding it odd pulling the pedal up with the sole rather than pushing with my toes.

I'm addicted to clipless.

The other day I went for a ride with friends on my cruiser (flat pedals no clipless) and I went to climb up the hills and nearly crashed. Foot went flying off the pedal and I bruised my thigh on the top tube.

Flats suck. IMO it would be darn hard to perfect your stroke with them.

Flats -> clipless = huge difference.

I couldn’t measure that difference in terms of (average) speed, and it wouldn’t probably be very instructive to do so. There are just too many other personal, variable factors involved.

Every now and then I cycle ‘unclipped’, wearing sneakers, instead of stiff-soled, cleated road shoes. The pedal platforms--Look PP357--are big enough to do so on shorter trips. (It is not unsafe, although doing speed bumps out of the saddle is a bit tricky.)

I miss the cleats most when accelerating, climbing and doing acrobatics. Far less so while spinning straightforwardly. So I guess my pedalling power could be improved by adding more ‘pull’, which what toeclipped/clipless is all about.

At the track racing world championship in Stuttgard yeasterday (on TV), I saw a lot of the riders using metal toe clips and straps rather than more modern setups. They had modern cycling shoes, presumably fitted with cleats. The riders were from advanced cycling nations like Netherlands, Spain, Australia, so it was a positive choice to use them, not a lack of money or technology.
Other track riders used clipless pedals , but with one or 2 toeclip straps for added security. In track racing, getting out of the pedals quickly is not an issue, but accidental release during an aggressive acceleration can lose you the race.

I'd have to say that like Bruco I didn't notice a great deal of difference on flat roads just spinning. I also sometimes cycly with sneakers on, it's a bit tricky with the spd pedals, they are rather small pedals for a soft sole shoe, but I manage. The only real difference I find is climbing, when rpm is low and also for control of the bike in general. At a constant pace on the flat, I don't think it makes that much difference, well for me I'm not using much power in the up stroke just spinning on the flat, cause I can have a high cadence.
I guess that using clipless would inprove stamina slightly as you can use other muscles in the pedaling cycle as well, therefore relieving a bit of spent energy from the quads on the down stroke. But it would be good to see a comparison of the differences.

When properly cinched a pair of clips with straps with stiff soled cleated shoes gives you the same performance as clipless. I think the original Q in this thread was of course comparing plain flat pedals to some form of fixed pedals, albeit clips/straps or LOOK, SPD etc.