mdbiker

this is a multi part question so i thought i'd ask it in the main forum:

i've been riding for a year now and am thinking about getting the clipless pedals. as of right now i'm using the old school regular pedals with sneakers.

how much of a difference will the clipless make with my rides?

how much power, energy am i wasting by using regular pedals?

i'm confused regarding the different types of pedals out there...some have the nobs on the bottom and others don't...i'd like to get a kind of shoe/pedal setup that is easy to get in/out of since i have a bit of reservation with falling because i can't get my foot off the locked pedal.

thanks for any help.

mdbiker

i removed the straps because they were driving me nuts. thanks for your help. what about how some shoes have the nobs on the bottom...why is that?

Jay Gloab

Shoes with tread (which is what I assume you mean by "nobs") are generally intended for mountain biking, although many use them for road riding as well, because they're easier to walk in. Note that many road-specific pedals won't work with mountain shoes, though (Look and similar types for instance).

scattered73

I love my clipless shimano spd pedals. The are double sided and they are easy to clip in and clip out of just put your ball of your foot down on them and your in. Clipping out is easy just a light twist and it pops you out. Also I can put the arch of your shoe on them to keep from engaging and still pedal nice for tricky areas. I have also used the road/Look pedals and shoes which really make me feel more a part of the bike if that makes any sense, but I had trouble engaging them sometimes, one sided entry. I have seen other people use them without looking down, just not the case with me. I also found my $100 mtb shoes would give me foot pain after 40 miles not the case with my $220 stiff carbon soled mtb shoes. The $100 road shoes seem to be fine on even long distances. I have had 3 wrecks and my feet came magically unclipped on all, I. I have had one fail to unclip and fall over at a stop, felt really silly, but no biggie because I wasn't moving. I will not go back to toe cages, I really love ease of the clipless.

kirkcubs

Yeah... what Scattered 73 said.
You'll love clipless and spds are a good way to start out. I've been on spd's for a while now and am just making the switch to speedplays, but that's because I've just upgraded bikes and the old spd's are just toooooo heavy.
You can also usually find spd's at a pretty good price at Nashbar or Performance.
When you do make the switch, try clipping and unclipping in the grass a few times, that way when you fall it won't hurt you (or more importantly, the bike) much. Most spd pedals have a screw where you can adjust the tension so you can make it pretty loose while you're still getting used to them. Later on you can tighten.
It may not seem to be worth it at first, but trust me, once you get used to them (which doesn't take long) you'll wonder why you didn't make the switch a lot sooner.
Ride Safe-

xerocoma

spd's... been using them for two years and love them... I don't worry about the extra weight as I don't race and I'm not a big weight weenie... OH MY GOD! There's an extra paper clip in my bag!

aloysius

You're riding with a bag?!

bailcash09