youngbeginner

I currently use clips on my new 2014 giant defy 2, and eventually I may invest in clipless pedals. Do they make a large impact? I have a friend who keeps trying to convince me to buy them in early winter so I can get a good deal, but I don't know whether to trust him or not because he works at the shop I go to. What is/are the general opinion(s) on clipless pedals here on the forum?

Long Tom

Yes

ill.clyde

This.

Do it.

fietsbob

But.. the shoes may not be as comfortable as what you are used to..

(try them on in person, not web-size- guessing)

and unless you get Recessed cleat SPD type shoes , which are the favorite of touring and Mountain bike riders

you cannot walk on the above the sole cleat, long, before damaging it.

Seattle Forrest

When I got my first pare of clipless pedals and shoes, the guy at the bike shop said "You'll wish you'd done this years ago." He was right.

I use SPD (aka mountain bike) pedals. I've got very stiff shoes, which are as comfortable as any road-pedal shoes. They cost $80 and weigh 300 grams; road pedals can weigh 100 grams if you're willing to shell out $400 (for the pedals, shoes are separate). I got these because they're easier to walk in.

They don't make you go any faster except during sprints and intense uphill efforts. But they give you a zen-like connection to the bike. They prevent your feet from slipping off the pedals, for example, which is pretty rare but I've heard of spectacular crashes that were caused this way. They also keep your foot on the right part of the pedal; I started developing pain in my left knee, and it went away as soon as I adopted clipless pedals.

bianchi10

Yes they do make a huge difference. Not only are you getting better power on the down stroke but you can also get power by pulling up on the up stroke. Screw waiting for a good deal at your LBS. find the ones you want and check out Craigslist, ebay or forum classifieds. Look on Slowtwitch.com, they always have pedals for sale.

Leinster

All of this. See if your mate at the LBS will pricematch some of the deals online.

But if you don't already have the shoes, don't get them online, get them from a shop (and see if your mate will get you a deal if you go through his shop, some shops might do a "shoes and pedals" deal) and make sure they fit comfortably.

coasting 

of all the stuff i have bought over the years, clipless pedals have been the one purchase with the single most spectacular improvement to my riding.

timvan_78

To the OP: do it.

Really? I have regular old cleated road shoes and haven’t babied them at all. Ex: Last week I did the triple crown...3 local mountains. You can’t *cycle up Grouse, so on a whim I included the Grouse Grind hike, 2800ft elevation gain. It was kind of stupid (slippery on the rocks and woodwork) but fine in the dirt. At the end I knocked the dirt out and everything was fine--carry on.



*you can cycle up the maintenance road like these Rapha guys but us regular folk can’t take bikes on the gondola down. https://vimeo.com/31815630

coasting 

shimano spd sl.

fietsbob

We have bike tourist clomping in on Look cleats, its all relative ..

erief0g

I'm also jumping onto clipless pedals. I NEED to find a better shoe for cycling which has been my 1 year old skechers that I maybe paid $20 for. I found a set of LAKE shoes in my wide 46 that were actually in stock so I ordered. I looked over all the countless pedal choices and pricepoints (I'm ..ahem.. frugal ) and decided after all my reviewing to just jump. The consensus I came up with from these boards or what they "spoke" to me was that YES they are worth it and YOU must decide which ones fit your style.

I found a deal on some TIME Xpresso 4 pedals and made the leap.

Question: Being utterly new to clipless of any make or model, would cleat covers benefit me? I'm 5'11 and 230lb's so I'm sure I'll be putting some stress on them not to mention never wore them before. I saw These CleatSkins and wondered if they would pay for themselves in cleat replacement costs. Any help would be appreciated.

rgwinn

+1 Do it.

I just picked up a pair of Shimano Touring shoes, will give them a try on Thursday. Comfortable, stiff, and have some rubber bumpers to allow walking.

Shimano 2013 Men's Road Cycling Shoes - SH-RT82

Homebrew01

Cleat covers couldn't hurt.
However, I have never used them. I never walk more than a foot or 2 on pavement.

kleng

Don't waste your time with SPD-SL, just get Time Xpresso 2's to start with.

https://www.wiggle.com/time-xpresso-2-pedals/

kleng

The problem with cleat covers is the hassle of putting them on all the time, the ones for xpresso cleats are hard to get on, and also you have to carry then around with you and they are bulky, the cleats last a long time if your not walking marathons in them , what gouges them up and wears them, is when then you put the foot down in a quick stop.
You don't need to replace them until the pontoons are worn away, sometimes I file them back into shape so that the front lip on the cleat is smoother

erief0g

Thank you very much kleng!

KBentley57

Another +1. I had a set of the Shimano SPD SL pedals Nd they worked great. They run about 35 online,+ another 20 or so for the cleats. I've also used the Nashbar look delta clones, and they seem to work fine too.

The most significant improvement I noticed was spinning up climbs. Without being locked in, you can only pull your foot up so quickly before it leaves the pedal. Locked in, you can pull your lug up quickly to turn the crank over.

BaseGuy

Yes!

I made the jump less than a year ago. It's just great, just feels so good to snap in, and feels so nice being locked into the bike.

For the record, I've had zero tip-overs. I literally snapped in, rode off, and haven't looked back. If you're riding with clips, you already know to un-do one foot as you roll to a stop. Same thing with clipless: you snap one foot out.

FWIW, a good shop recommended Look Keo Plus as a great pedal for someone new to clipless. Yes, I got these, and I love them. As I said above, they just work, and I've never had a problem. Like them so much I bought a pair for my old, semi-vintage, 1987 back-up bike. Now I love that bike even more.

And regarding shoes: you gotta ride in something, right? My clips and straps were tearing up my old sneakers. I did not want to keep feeding sneakers to my bike (an expense). So getting proper shoes is no different than getting more sneakers, except my bike shoes are lasting very well, and should outlast my sneaks three or four times over. So I'm saving money here, really.

I got some low/mid level Shimano shoes. They were about $90. They're fab. Yes, find a place where you can try them on!

Gjc985

Wait till you fall over and everyone laughs at you. Dont worry we all did it once

Lanovran

Another vote here for "go for it!" You'll not regret it, and you'll wonder why you hesitated so much once you really get the feel for them. I second the other poster who mentioned that if you already use clips, then you'll have an easier time transitioning to clipless. I did that myself, and I've never fallen over due to not unclipping, nor had any difficulties with them whatsoever.

LesterOfPuppets

I just got SPDs this year. I don't think they made a huge difference from clips-n-straps personally but they're nice.

TrojanHorse

As for cleats, they are consumables for the most part. They do wear out and you do need to replace them from time to time.

But yeah, clipess pedals are a gem.

petermk

I got into cycling around a year ago and switched to clipless pedals about two months later. Once you've tried them, you'll never want to go back. A friend of mine who swore he would never go clipless is riding clipless now too.

dissident

I use SPD.. clip without looking at the pedals, walk around in them with ease, no problems here. Use whatever fits your personality and riding style.