Thinking about going clipless.
#101
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I'm about as far from that as one can get, but I just put pinned pedals on my MTB Porteur and love them! For me and my riding style they offer all the advantages of clips or clipless without any of their shortcomings.
#102
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Seventy-two years old here. I've been riding clipless for over a year with a touch under 6000 miles since then. I fell over once the first day I tried clipless, none since then. My right hip angles out more than my left; the SPDs hold the shoe in the exact same place each time I ride. It took a bit of experimentation (and two fittings) but now each ride is fine. Unclipping in an emergency comes naturally.
Rich
Rich
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Hi! Original OP here!! You know, I hadn't any idea what pinned pedals were and just now looked them up. Perfect for the guy or gal sporting mohawk haircuts with countless body piercings and tattoos of gory scenes all over thier bodies. Not my style.
Anyway lots of food for thought here. thank you all. So educational!
Be sure to catch my next topic for discussion next week, "thinking about a bottle cage".
Later!
Corben.
Anyway lots of food for thought here. thank you all. So educational!
Be sure to catch my next topic for discussion next week, "thinking about a bottle cage".
Later!
Corben.
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My wife fell in her first week of using SPD's. She chipped her elbow. Not funny. I realize this is rare, and I'm not blaming anyone. She decided not to use cleats any more. Sometimes she uses toe clips.
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Fixed gear riding is a totaly different thing. Foot retention is necessary on a FG for safety reasons. I can justify the use of clipless on a fixie if someone doesn't like toe clips and straps, personally I prefer toe clips with straps because I can wear whatever shoes I want... It's also a lot easier to track stand on a fixie , so there is no need to take a foot of the pedals everytime I stop.
I agree that most cyclists don't learn how to do it but then most cyclists will tell you they can't remain upright at <3 mph too.
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Foot retention is necessary for FG riding because the pedals continue to turn as long as the bike is moving. If you resist the pedals, either intentionally or not, the pedals have a tendency to force your foot off, which can be disastrous at speed.
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Are you sure?
Personally I use BMX pedals, which are not intended for use with toe clips. Slippage has never been an issue, except for the desirable intentional kind, i.e., the ability to move my foot fore and aft on the pedal as appropriate when the road grade changes.
Personally I use BMX pedals, which are not intended for use with toe clips. Slippage has never been an issue, except for the desirable intentional kind, i.e., the ability to move my foot fore and aft on the pedal as appropriate when the road grade changes.
For all intents and purposes, "platform" now means a wide flat pedal that has a "platform" for your foot and can be used for toe clips but often isn't.
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You have 30+ years of experience in cycling and you don't see much difference between riding FG and freewheel ??...You definetly sound like someone who doesn't have a lot of experience riding FG in a fast and aggressive way. Foot retention makes it a lot easier to control a FG bike, it makes it easier to backpedal and stop. If your foot slips off while cruising at 20+ MPH or sprinting at 30+ MPH while the pedals are spinning then you're in big trouble.
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You have 30+ years of experience in cycling and you don't see much difference between riding FG and freewheel ??...You definetly sound like someone who doesn't have a lot of experience riding FG in a fast and aggressive way. Foot retention makes it a lot easier to control a FG bike, it makes it easier to backpedal and stop. If your foot slips off while cruising at 20+ MPH or sprinting at 30+ MPH while the pedals are spinning then you're in big trouble.
And, no there isn't that much difference between fixed gear and freewheel bikes. Backpedaling to stop may look cool but it's just a skid which is dumb no matter what kind of bike you ride. I also see lots and lots of fixie riders who aren't using toe clips around here. I don't think they are too bright but it can be done.
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#111
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The same argument could be made for a freewheeling bike. If your foot slips off at 20, 30 or 40 mph or while sprinting...usually done out of saddle..., you are probably in big trouble.
And, no there isn't that much difference between fixed gear and freewheel bikes. Backpedaling to stop may look cool but it's just a skid which is dumb no matter what kind of bike you ride. I also see lots and lots of fixie riders who aren't using toe clips around here. I don't think they are too bright but it can be done.
And, no there isn't that much difference between fixed gear and freewheel bikes. Backpedaling to stop may look cool but it's just a skid which is dumb no matter what kind of bike you ride. I also see lots and lots of fixie riders who aren't using toe clips around here. I don't think they are too bright but it can be done.
That said, I do ride fixed on occasion using regular shoes and I'm just more careful. I don't consider it ideal and would be more nervous about it on a wet day or at night when an unseen obstacle can jolt the bike enough to cause a foot to slip. I do have front and rear hand brakes.
Last edited by tjspiel; 10-13-14 at 12:06 PM.
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And, no there isn't that much difference between fixed gear and freewheel bikes. Backpedaling to stop may look cool but it's just a skid which is dumb no matter what kind of bike you ride. I also see lots and lots of fixie riders who aren't using toe clips around here. I don't think they are too bright but it can be done.
Last edited by wolfchild; 10-13-14 at 12:07 PM.
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I don't skid but I do backpedal. Backpedaling is a misnomer, you don't actually reverse the pedals, instead you are actively resisting them as they move forward.
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The only difference is that on a FG the cranks are spinning non-stop, moving your legs and pushing you up, which means you're much more likely to have your shoe slip off, loose control and/or get thrown off the bike if you don't have foot retention. Especially when standing out of the saddle or riding aggressively.
Backpedaling doesn't mean you have to lock the rear wheel and skid. You can stop by gradually applying backpressure and slow to a stop without skidding, just like using brakes. I don't skid when I use brakes and I don't skid stop when riding fixed, I like to get as much mileage out of my tires as I can. Stopping through backpedaling is very difficult unless you have some type of foot retention, even the kids and teens I see on brakeless fixies use power grips with their BMX pedals.
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#115
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Lol, it's not a fashion statement, they're designed to give you maximum grip on the pedal with no slippage, even in the rain. They make pretty normal looking ones -
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On a freewheel bike if your foot comes off, you can just stop the cranks and put the foot back on the pedal. On a FG, the pedals keep going around. If this happens during a sprint, I think most riders will simply crash. No wait, I take that back. First they'll be flung hard forward, their reproductive bits onto the top tube and their teeth on to the handlebars, and then they'll crash.
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And if your feet lose contact with the pedals and if you manage to get them out of the way of the fast-spinning cranks, there's not much chance you can get them back on the pedals to use your feet to resist, so you've effectively lost your rear brake.
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My son uses BMX pedals on his fixed gear and so do lots of his friends. He's definitely a fair weather rider though and isn't making many mountain descents on his. He also insisted on removing his rear brake so like many teenagers safety isn't his first priority.
Again, I don't consider foot retention an absolute necessity on a fixed gear but I do consider it safer than regular platforms, - along with having other advantages.
To put it simply: Safety isn't a reason I'd choose clipless pedals on a geared bike, but it is a reason for choosing clipless (or other method of foot retention) on a fixed gear.
Last edited by tjspiel; 10-13-14 at 02:31 PM.
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I suppose it all depends on your style of riding...
I don't know if I ever exceed 20mph while commuting, and if I do, it's downhill while coasting. Platforms work. I don't see a need for foot retention on my commute.
For longer rides, I do like SPDs. That's more comfort than anything.
I don't know if I ever exceed 20mph while commuting, and if I do, it's downhill while coasting. Platforms work. I don't see a need for foot retention on my commute.
For longer rides, I do like SPDs. That's more comfort than anything.
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Was there anything particularly different about your situation, like it was raining? Or was it a regular ride?
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I don't like the drawbacks of any foot retention system, and have never noticed any of the problems they supposedly solve. (If I rode fixed gear, I'd probably adopt a retention system.)
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Not all pedals are created equal, some pinned pedals are more grippy then others, I never had a problem when using them for mountain biking, you need shoes with grippy soles, many types of trail running shoes or hiking shoes work very well with pinned pedals. There are some shoes which just don't work well for cycling no matter how grippy those pinned pedals are.
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On a freewheel bike if your foot comes off, you can just stop the cranks and put the foot back on the pedal. On a FG, the pedals keep going around. If this happens during a sprint, I think most riders will simply crash. No wait, I take that back. First they'll be flung hard forward, their reproductive bits onto the top tube and their teeth on to the handlebars, and then they'll crash.
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
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I'll head back to my bike ...