As You Like It

I'd maybe look into it if they weren't so cursedly expensive. I don't have $100 to spend on pedals and $150 to spend on shoes. And if the shoes hurt my feet (which is likely--I have terrible feet), then what? I'd be out $250 and have pedals I couldn't use and shoes I couldn't stand to wear.

javna_golina

I fully agree with some of the Rinvendell retro-grouchness on the following points

-more roadbikes should have clearance for fenders and wide tyres. Is it that big a deal to design a frame for standard reach road calipers as opposed to short reach? is it going to be that much less aerodynamic?
-wider handlebares are good. I'm on 44cm and I'd like some 46cm bars, though I am quite broad shouldered.

But no clipless pedals...and not even toeclips? and ride nothing but lugged steal? Alot of rinvendell is scare mongering...If you ride wet roads on anything less than 28mm tires you'll spin out of control and die!

patrick07

I agree wholeheartedly with this point. I had platforms on my MTB/commuter. I was wearing work shoes and stood up to pedal through an intersection. Well, my feet slipped off and I sat down very hard on my crotch, feet splayed out into the middle of traffic. I stayed upright, regained my pedals but not without that sick feeling in my stomach and a certain throbbing pain. I put clip/strap pedals on that bike straightaway!

TallRider

Yeah, I'm totally with them here. Just because lots of people buy a bike to "be like Lance" doesn't mean that such a bike should have all of the limitations that a pure racing bike has.
I also like steel, actually, because of the durability issue. I wouldn't trust a built-to-be-durable CF frame nearly as much as a built-to-be-durable steel frame. And lugged construction is better (albeit more expensive for multiple reasons), until air-hardening steel came along. But some still argue that lugs are better, even for air-hardening steel, and their arguments have some merit. Just not as much as before air-hardening steel.

javna_golina

I think someone with a lugged steal rivendell frame, down tube shifters, platform pedals a brooks saddle and drop handle bars up to his chin is a poseur, just a different kind of poseur from the guy riding the carbon everything STI shifting gel saddle road bike.

KrisPistofferson

I'm not certain where this misinformation that retro-grouches, and Grant P. in particular,hate toe-clips came from, as practically every retro-grouch swears by their toe clips, and just about every bike in the Rivendell gallery has them, and the fact that Rivendell sells so many nice models of toe-clippable pedals. My favorites are the MKS Sylvan Track, which I use every day. I agree with the Rivved-out guy being a poseur, but oh what a beautiful poseur!

jhota

i'd love to ride nothing but lugged steel. but i ain't that well-heeled.

conversely, clipless pedals (or toe clips) beat platforms all hollow. i'm planning on building a 'cross bike - it'll get spuds. i'm also looking for a beater/town bike - it'll get power grips. but i can't see riding a bike w/o some sort of foot/pedal retention feature. that's just silly, given the benefits.

TallRider

I'm sure you're right that some people do it for the look, but for all of the characteristics that you mention, there are very good reasons to use them. Substantive reasons, not reinforce-my-identity-and-make-me-feel-cool reasons. Of course, the reinforce-my-identity-and-make-me-feel-cool thing can apply to the Rivendell standard as well as to the racing standard.

It comes from Rivendell's most recent catalog. Read my post that started this thread. Riv certainly isn't against clipless or toeclips, but Grant makes the argument that some people should just go with step-down pedals instead of toeclips or clipless. My point in starting this thread was that I tried Grant's recommendation (having just platform pedals, no toeclips or clipless, on a good bike) and found that it was much less efficient for my apparently well-tuned pedal stroke. But Grant doesn't hate toeclips, by any stretch of the imagination.

merlinextraligh

That's the way they are designed to work. You only really get the full benefit of toe clips, with shoes with cleats, and the straps tight enough to pedal circles. That's why it's easier to get out of clipless than it is from a toeclip/strap/cleat setup.

nova

I can sort of see a benifit to standard non clip/clipless pedals in say collage where you might only ride a couple 100 feet on ocasion. A few good strong pedal strokes and your done.

As for toe clips you could always do like i did mine and make them toe cages. Use some aluminum flare bar stock and run through where the strap normaly goes. Then bend it for your foot shape so you get just snug enough and remain confortable. Add some foam to the bar to increase comfort. No more straps needed no more fussing with straps and you get a fairly secure set up thats easy to get in and out of.

nova

I use to do 1000s of miles a season with out any clip/clipless system. Im a odd type of person. I can put in tons and tons of miles with out tireing when im at my peak fitness. Doesnt matter what im useing for pedals. Would i ever go back to any thing else nope. Clipless improve my speed with out sacraficing endurance. I cant say that ive gained any endurance with clipless over my modded toe clips or "step down pedals" but i dont think i did. Just gained a few mph avarage with clipless.

Old style pedals dont let you push your self as hard as clipless or toe clip pedals You can have your feet slip off and loose any ability to pull up as well as push down.

dc70

Finally, someone else who sees the marketing hype....for what it really is...a lot of hype.

TallRider

I agree, in part. Lots of cycling products are hyped far beyond the areas where they offer major improvements, because the corporations who produce these products stand to make lots of money off them. Standard market dynamics. That said, clipless pedals with good shoes are useful to more people than just racers.
* They are safer than tightly secured toeclips/straps, because you can pop your foot out instantly without loosening anything.
* They tend to be lighter than "regular/everyday" shoes, as well as stiffer for good energy transfer. This is good for racing, of course, but it's also good for two-hour rides through country roads where you are just going out to ride, and are not planning to get off the bike and do other things.
* For touring where you plan to walk around and do more than bike, I think clipless pedals with special cycling shoes are less worthwhile. Same with commuting. Toeclips with "regular" shoes make more sense much of the time in these situations.

MichaelW

Thats how racing cyclists used to use toe clips. Tourists and commuters usually skip the cleats and use the straps lose. Its not as efficient but it is more convenient and safer.
It all depends whether you see cycling as a sport or a activity.

I did see a commuter cyclist slip off her pedals in very heavy traffic last week. It was a scarry moment and I thought she was going under the wheels of a bus. I use toe clips to keep my feet from accidentally slipping as well as to improve efficiency over plain platforms.

KrisPistofferson

Yeah, if I HAVE to use platforms, like on a job where I have to wear boots, I use BMX pedals with pins to keep my feet on the pedals in the wet.