bakes1

I'm sorry. I missed your response to the final conclusion of the study that you were trying to dispute?
The conclusion that clearly stated they found no real benefit to clipless.

PepeM

No real benefit to clipless during submaximal exercise, the part you conveniently choose to ignore. Choosing to present only the part of a study which supports your view while ignoring the others is not very honest.

Ignoring the conditions and assumptions is how proper scientific studies always get misused by people with poor comprehension and/or an agenda.

Also, where did I try to dispute the study? Quote where I did or stop lying.

PepeM

Now, to be fair, if you find someone who claims that clipless improves their mechanical efficiency, pedalling mechanics or muscular activity while riding at a steady cadence in zone 2, you now have a study that shows strong evidence against them.

Inpd

Damn you beat me too it.

ColaJacket

Agreed.

If not clipping in was just as efficient as clipping in as maximal efforts, I'm sure there would be pros riding without clipping in. Because then they could go with lighter shoes.

For me, clipless allows me to spin more efficiently and without having to worry about my feet slipping off the pedals.

GH

dksix

Did you realize that the post you quoted started with IMO (in my opinion)? I have dual sided pedals on my bike (one side SPD and the other platform), I've ridden the same bikes with my street shoes and riding shoes. I like the sure footed feeling of being clipped in, having slipped pedals before the clipless give me confidence. I like that the riding shoes are stiff and don't flex around the pedals like my street shoes does.

I ride clipless because I've tried it and like it better, not because of what I've read or because of what someone tells me or videos I watch on YouTube. I didn't say clipless made you faster, was more efficient or safer, just that in my opinion getting used to them was worth it. If you disagree, disagree but implying I was trying to push some agenda with the Kool-Aid comment was poorly placed and apparently due to you not understanding the acronym or some personal crusade to dispel the myths using clipless pedals.

Why were you compelled to use what others have said or have learned in studies, no thoughts of your own? 100% of the studies I've participated in concluded I like them better. If you don't like them or aren't comfortable riding clipless, don't ride clipless but IMO it would be best that you come to your own conclusion and stop letting others think for you.

rmfnla

Amen!

OnyxTiger, when I got my first set of clipless (also about 30 years ago) I leaned up against a wall and clipped in and out 100 times each side to develop muscle memory (like any kind of practice).

I've been riding clipless ever since and wouldn't be without them...

StanSeven

or triatlons. The time savings from keeping running shoes on through the bike leg are huge. But no one does

PaulRivers

Ok, both of those are dubious.

A platform pedal is much wider and requires much more material than a clipless pedal. I don't have the time at the moment to look it up, but I believe the lightest platform pedals are heavier than than the lightest clipless pedals. Your shoe may also need more on it to interface with the platform effectively as well. So a platform may well weigh more than clipless.

Also pro's at the moment don't care as much about weight because the UCI minimum bike weight spec means they're already making bikes lighter than are allowed into races.

For triathlons I believe you swim, then get on the bike don't you? So you wouldn't have your shoes with you. Running shoes would likely not be the same as good bike-specific shoes even with a flat bottom.

Finally, there is an advantage in keeping your feet attached to the pedals at high cadence with clipless, and that's something that racers gain. For commuting to work pedals with pins + grippy shoes are great for me, but I'm not racing up and down mountains at high cadence. There could be 0 advantage to clipless for speed or efficiency, and racers would still wear them, because of the "foot attachment" advantage.

BoSoxYacht

What advantage would that be?

StanSeven

You missed the point. In a triathlon you swim and then bike and run. If platforms were so good, triathletes would skip bike shoes/clipless pedals and bike and run with running shoes. That means no transition switching shoes.

Athens80

^^ Does the UCI really have a minimum weight for cycling shoes?

dcsix

The first time I fell my biggest concern as I was going down was not screwing up my new bike. I had screamed at the car ahead of me-we were exiting a hotel parking lot-to gooooo since there was no oncoming traffic. They heard me and looked in their rear view at me, further delaying the right foot touching the accelerator...I fell, and the next image they saw in the rear view was me on my back, still strapped in, with my bike safely aloft over me, not a scratch-on the bike at least.

The next time it happened..well you get the idea.

PaulRivers

Oh, we're on page 3, I've seen we've entered the "pretend to ask rediculous questions like they're genuine questions" phase.

NormanF

I have platform pedals. I don't want to deal with the hassle of clipping in and clipping out all the time.

And I like the large support area for my feet.

More to the point, I don't need to wear special shoes to ride.

a1penguin

I didn't do this with a clipless fail, but had a 2 mph tip over on a tight turn on a wooden overpass. It's was 180º turn with wooden planks. It was late night and I was tired. If speed is too high, you can't complete the turn. If speed is too low, the 23c tire gets stuck between the planks and over you go. I had a broken shoulder (top of the lesser humerus broken) and it took 10 months to completely heal and get enough range of motion to ride again. No surgery required. Just shame.

BoSoxYacht

That started on page 2 when bakes1 began posting, and you've been kind enough to pick up where he left off.

bakes1

Well said and fair enough but I believe the "pretend to ask ridiculous questions" part of the thread started with the last line of the OP's original post:

"AM I ON MY WAY TO BECOMING A ROADIE NOW?!?"

All bets were off after that imo

ButchA

Exactly... If you have clipless pedals, that's fine. Enjoy.
If you have platform/toeclip pedals, that too is fine. Just as long as you're out there riding.

IMO, clipless pedals would look rather odd (or what is that fancy word... anachronistic?) in today's day and age, on a 70's or 80's C&V road bike.

StanSeven

That's true. Toe clips are a nice choice for bring authentic. But there aren't really any rules with C&V. Lots of older frames have 10/11 speed cassettes, brifters, and even CF forks.

BoSoxYacht

Clipless pedals came out in the mid-80s, so anything goes for bikes from around that time.

PaulRivers

I went back and read it. The other poster write an accurate and accurately nuanced post. The only controversial thing was that last sentence where they reference "drinking the kool aid".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drinking_the_Kool-Aid
"Drinking the Kool-Aid" is a figure of speech commonly used in North America that refers to a person or group holding an unquestioned belief, argument, or philosophy without critical examination...The phrase oftentimes carries a negative connotation when applied to an individual or group. It can also be used ironically or humorously to refer to accepting an idea or changing a preference due to popularity, peer pressure, or persuasion.

Since after that you called any shop with an opinion different than yours "stupid" repeatedly, was your goal to demonstrate what "drinking the kool aid" means? From there it devolved into sniping, yeah, but it looks to me like you started it off.

At absolute, total best, you're the pot calling the kettle black.

cafzali

Depends on which benefit you care about. I'm not sure they make you that much more efficient on the bike because, in all likelihood, most people don't pull up with the "upstroke" leg. What I noticed right away was the numbness in my foot that would develop after medium/longer rides using toe clips went away immediately with clipless. While that may not make someone a faster rider, it is a quantifiable benefit, IMO.

BoSoxYacht

thanks for only quoting part of that post. When you only quote one word, the context is lost.

Vicegrip

Puttering along flat pedals might be just fine. How many people just putter along only? All studies and numbers aside I stand and crank, spin and other changes in cadence even on by 2X daily rides to and from work. I have a couple of bikes that have flats and I find that I have to push down with both legs to keep my feet snug to the pedals. when clipped in you can go from light float to pull up and not have a foot slip off. Even for commuting Clipped in feels better, stops foot slips and barked shins, makes hopping potholes and road debris a simple and more effective maneuver.
As soon as I drope the hamer and start to dial in anything close to 400 watts clipless is king. Flats have their place, on the coffee shop bike.