Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Fixies and clipless pedals?

Hey everyone, I ride a fixed gear and right now I ride on some standard platforms with clips. However, I'm looking into buying some clipless pedals. My questions are, 1) are clipless pedals really worth the price as far as performance goes, and 2) is getting in and out of clipless pedals significantly harder on a fixie than it is on a road bike?

Any suggestion as to what to buy would be appreciated.
<130$ for the pedals

Thanks

I'm a fan of the performance aspect of clipless but absolutely can't stand clipping in and out. I also hate wearing goofy shoes.

clipless are well worth the money, they are easier to get in and out of the pedals, hold you in better, and the shoes generally have better power transfer,

That being said, I just switched over to Clips and straps because I got sick of the goofy shoes...Im not sure the trade off is worth it though...

I personally run clipless on my bike and use these http://dzrshoes.com/assets/images/products/gmt-8-medium.jpg as my everyday shoe for around campus they look great and dont click or grind like some of the other shoes I have tried.

i've been looking at these:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Time-iclic-Fiberflex-Pedals-and-Cleats-/260645348855?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cafac65f7

the mechanism is engaged every time you clip out and so just the slightest amount of pressure upon clipping in causes it to slam shut like a mouse trap....= very easy to clip in for we clipless noobs

I ride Shimano Ultegra pedals with some Sidi road shoes. I do hate the goofy shoes and not being able to run into a grocery store without busting my ass but I really like the power transfer. Maybe ill switch to some mountain type pedals and some shoes like Wicked posted.

clipless are well worth the money, they are easier to get in and out of the pedals, hold you in better, and the shoes generally have better power transfer,

That being said, I just switched over to Clips and straps because I got sick of the goofy shoes...Im not sure the trade off is worth it though...

I want to sell my GR-9+clip/strap setup. I want to change over to clipless, but I live in NJ. NOOO

Clipping in and out is no trouble, even less if you can trackstand. Too me, clipping in is significantly easier on a fixed gear

+1 on trackstanding. It's fun too!

Learning how to get in and out doesn't take too long. It's faster and easier than getting into clips and straps (if you're tightening the straps properly.) I think clipless is definitely worth it, it's a more solid connection to the drivetrain. I have clipless pedals on all my bikes except for the commuter I ride to school everyday because I'm too cheap to buy a pair of walkable clipless shoes.

The performance benefits are not quite so noticeable if you're only riding a couple miles at a time. I ride clipless to and from school with a change of shoes (or just walk around barefoot) and I only ride 4 or 5 miles to campus. But the main reason for this is because my cycling shoes dry out faster, I have clipless pedals on my bike most of the time anyways for the longer rides and it just saves effort from changing pedals every other day, and lastly I unfortunately run brakeless, and rode too many miles brakeless with clipless so that I no longer feel comfortable with just clips and doubles.

i was going to write a well thought-out and intelligent reply to this thread, but instead i'm going to hop on my fixed gear with my rondels and spds and bike in the rain.

I think there is a rule that you have to fall over at least once.... these are the peddles that I use
http://www.bicyclebuys.com/productimages/0402066.jpg

I used Eggbeaters for a year....hated the shoes but the power and control are beyond compare. I switched to platforms and straps at the begining of the summer....I have to work harder but I get to wear normal shoes

Speedplays, road shoes. Walking is for people without bikes.

Thanks to everyone who replied. I'll probably go over to the LBS tomorrow after school and go see what they have.

I think there is a rule that you have to fall over at least once.... these are the peddles that I use
http://www.bicyclebuys.com/productimages/0402066.jpg

I was actually looking in to getting those. How are they when you are just wearing regular shoes on the non-clip side?

I actually wear my DZR's everyday but they are nice to just jump on and go on that you dont have to mess with flipping the peddle until the your moving if you dont want to. In that sense there a lot like toe clips in that often start out of the clip and slide your toe in after your moving.

I never have to flip my egg beaters over to get into them.

I like the egg beaters I have though about switching but waiting seeing as how I just got these peddles

I ride double-sided SPD mountain bike pedals along with Shimano's cheapest mountain bike shoes.

http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-Mens-Mountain-Bike-Shoes/dp/B001HBT4LW

These shoes feel so comfortable walking that I sometimes forget I have bicycle shoes on my feet.

If a rider wants to maximize his spin, go clipless; and, if a rider wants relative efficiency and safety with every day shoes, go clips and straps.

I think I'm going to pick up a set of SHimano R540 SPD-SL pedals. They get good reviews and are less than $50 :)

My FG has Shimano 105 pedals, and I wear Specialized S-Works shoes. I like to have my FG set up as close as possible to my geared road bikes. As others have said, it's a PITA for running errands or other short trips, but you'll appreciate it on a ride of an hour or more.

Problem with clipless is once you do it, its hard to go back. I constantly find putting on those god damn shoes when Im always wearing flip flops a pita...

But I get on the bike and the great connection is just priceless.
NateRod recently made the switch and I believe Vixtor did too, on SPD.

I love it, probably wont go back unless I get another, more aggressively oriented bike that I can take out when I feel the urge and I can swap my current ride into a more comfort oriented ride.

I don't want to hijack the thread, but does anyone have input on comparing the fattie straps like Holdfast and Pryme to clips and clipless? I'm still pondering whether it's worth the 50-80 dollar shoes and special pedals versus 20-40 dollar straps.

Wickedone: what are those shoes?

I have both Shimano M520 SPD and Wellgo WPD-823, I prefer the Wellgo more.
I agree with what have been said so far, going clipless has been one of my favourite upgrades.

For those of you who are planning to commute in clipless, I'd recommend getting a mountain pedal set up. It is much easier to walk in mountain bike shoes than road shoes, and you don't have to worry about grinding out your cleats on pavement. Clipping in and out will become second nature, if you're still worried, clip out before a stop light.

I'm happy to say that I haven't join the Tombay club (0-mph fall) yet.

I switched to clipless on my fixed gear a couple months ago. Clipping in and out is not that bad, it took like an hour or so of just clipping in and out on my trainer to get the muscle memory down and that's about it. I like everything about them except the shoes. I have some used Icon SPD's and an old pair of Mavic cyclocross shoes that i got from a friend, they aren't as bad as road shoes but they are still pretty goofy looking and hard to walk around in. If I'm going on a quick ride I usually just ride on of my bikes without clipless pedals, but I'm looking at getting some shoes like the Rondels and getting clipless for my Motobecane.

The day Nike makes a clip-less shoe, will be the day I convert. I want to very much, I just can't see myself ANY of the compatible footwear.

Thanks for all the great input guys. I got a pair of Shimano 105's and love them

I use cheap platforms and clips/straps for around town but switch to clipless pedals for longer rides. I just use one of the sets of candies from my cross or mountain bike. If your rides are less than 10 miles or so I wouldn't bother with the clipless unless it's exceptionally hilly.

Hey everyone, I ride a fixed gear and right now I ride on some standard platforms with clips. However, I'm looking into buying some clipless pedals. My questions are, 1) are clipless pedals really worth the price as far as performance goes, and 2) is getting in and out of clipless pedals significantly harder on a fixie than it is on a road bike?

Any suggestion as to what to buy would be appreciated.
<130$ for the pedals

Thanks
The difference you will experience clipping into a pedal on a fixed gear bike is that you will only get one chance per pedal revolution to get it right. With a little practice I find I can hit it right the first time about 9 times out of ten.

Why are you looking at clipless? Is it the performance improvement? If so, you can get the same improvement using slotted cleats with regular track pedals and toeclips. You don't need to buy new pedals -- when you want the performance you wear your cleated shoes, when you don't you can wear regular shoes. I don't find engaging slotted cleats on a fixed gear to be significantly more difficult than engaging clipless on a fixed gear -- again, 9 times out of ten I get it right on the first try. When the pedal comes up on the next revolution, you just reach down and snug the strap.

The day Nike makes a clip-less shoe, will be the day I convert. I want to very much, I just can't see myself ANY of the compatible footwear.

Better start shopping for clipless pedals.
http://cycling-review.com/clothing/bicycle-shoes/nike-road-cycling-shoe/

I don't want to hijack the thread, but does anyone have input on comparing the fattie straps like Holdfast and Pryme to clips and clipless? I'm still pondering whether it's worth the 50-80 dollar shoes and special pedals versus 20-40 dollar straps.

Wickedone: what are those shoes?

They are these (http://dzrshoes.com/product/gmt-8/)

I prefer cages and ride MKS9s

on my commute of 16 miles one-way I like to have the good power transfer.

I don't want to hijack the thread, but does anyone have input on comparing the fattie straps like Holdfast and Pryme to clips and clipless? I'm still pondering whether it's worth the 50-80 dollar shoes and special pedals versus 20-40 dollar straps.

I spent a year with Eggbeaters and Specialized shoes.....amazing control, lots of power but as I said hated the shoes....Switched to a set of Animal Hamilton PC Pedals with Pryme straps....less control, more comfort, easier to get into not as easy to get out of (but marginally), Climbing isn't as easy, skidding is more fun