jroth

I just finished converting an old 10 speed into a fixie. It has platform pedals. What are the pros and cons of platforms vs clips vs clipless?

thanks.

joel

wangster

clips you can where whatever shoes you want, whereas clipless you need special shoes which can get annoying sometimes if you just want to go somewhere close or walk around. I'd stay with clips at first if you're not used to riding fixies or clipless, the combination can be weird to some people at times. But if your comfortable with both, then definately clipless, they feel much better and skippind and skidding is a lot easier.

isotopesope

platforms:
pros- make good paper weights.
cons- feet aren't attached to the pedals... except for gravity, silly.

clips:
pros- you can wear street shoes. you won't unclip unless you're a monster and break the strap.
cons- some find it hard to get in and out of them.

clipless:
pros- in my opinion, best feel and responsiveness. easy to get in and out of.
con- some hate having to wear cycling shoes when off the bike.

46x17

More pros for clips: -you can ride the backside of the pedal. Good for learning trackstands, riding in slippery conditions.
- you can make them as loose or tight as you wish.
- the security of your foot does not depend on angle. There are times when you need to pitch your bike sideways etc.

More cons and pros for clipless:
con: -you can pull out by accident and really hurt yourself. your cleats will wear and will make the setup less safe.
Pro: - less chance of pedal strike as clipless pedals are usually narrower.

IMO for riding brakeless you should only use clips and straps (laminated doubles are preferred).
if you ride with a brake clipless is fine. But then again I know brakeless clipless riders that have never clipped out by accident.

r-dub

If you're a fashion rider, clips and straps are the only way to go.
If fixie isn't just the latest style for you, go clipless.
If your shoes have anything sticking up (laces, leather pieces, etc) clips can be deathtraps in traffic, so practice getting in and out of them in the safety of a parking lot, backyard, etc. The nice thing about clipless is that the panic move (what your body does w/o conscious brain input) is the same as the release move. With clips, you have to slowly and calmly pull your foot straight back.

If you really can't decide, get some either/or pedals (I think shimano 324's?) SPD on one side, platform on the other. Try it out and see which side you use more.

hyperRevue

i am neither a fashion rider nor is fixie just the latest style for you and i ride clips.
i dont want to be forced to wear cycling shoes to class or the grocery store or wherever i ride.
to me, clipless makes more sense for racing than it does commuting or recreational riding.

mcatano

It's always nice to be told exactly where i sit in the grand continuum of things. And to think, all I had to do was look at me ol' dogs to know that I was just in it for the fashion. Whew! What a relief to finally have that one settled...

On a serious note: can someone lend me, like, a bunch of hundreds of dollars so I can properly outfit my feet and restore my hawd core credibility?

m.

jinx_removing

I don't think it has anything to do with fashion at all. What makes you think this?

I choose clips and straps because I can step off of my bike and walk into a bar,grocery store, school,etc. without silly shoes on my feet, it just so happens that clips and straps are a lot cheaper too. They adhere to the whole concept of what attracted me to fixed in the first place:

Cheap
Simple
Effective

Kinda like [165]'s free facepunches. You should ask for one r-dub, it sounds like you need some sense knocked into you.

46x17

Nonsense! Look at all the people that have been riding track bikes on the streets for years and count how many of them are clipless.

Well that is just scary! Unclipping as a panic move?!?!

I am just as fast in and out as you with clipless pedals. Practice with each for a week and you will not notice the difference in speed.

juvi-kyle

I just got those new Gucci clips and the Burberry plaid straps, very fashionable. But a little costly.

lala

I'd stay with clips at first if you're not used to riding fixies or clipless, the combination can be weird to some people at times

This should read: if you are used to clips, stay with them. If you are used to neither clips nor clipless, go platform. Once you are confident on the fixie, decide on form/function/convenience/safety/fashion.

noisebeam

As a new fixed rider I'll give my perspective...
On my other bikes I use clipless (Shimano SPD M520 doublesided pedals and SD60 Sandals)
- My first day on the fixed I had clip/straps. Not having used clips for so many years and the fixed nature of the bike I struggled to get my feet in and also getting the straps tight. Because of this skidding didn't work out to well as I never got them real tight.
- My second day I put the M520 clipless pedals on. It was so easy to clip in and I was skidding within minutes. The key was pulling up on the other pedal. I quickly earned that my old SPD cleats were a bit worn as I could pop the left out with a hard pull, I put new ones in and that was fixed. Gotta keep an eye on them. I spend the rest of the afternoon riding about 12 miles and skidding for every stop and more. Great fun.
- On the third day I could barely walk my leg was so sore.

So I'd say if you are used to clips/straps, go for them. If you already use clipless, stick with it. If you want to quickly get the hang of skidding being securely attached to pedals really helps, it made all this difference for me.

Al

shants

people seem to look down on them a lot, but i very much love powergrips. when properly adjusted they hold my feet in as well as any clips/straps i've used but are easier to get out of.

to each their own, but i think that going with powergrips on a halfways decent pedal (i wouldn't recommend the powergrips pedals -- at least buy some metal wellgos [or mks] and buy the add-on powergrips straps) is the way to go. it usually ends up being a lot cheaper, too. i skid and skip quite a lot, ride in adverse weather conditions, and ride hard pretty often, and my powergrip straps are holding up quite well after 7 months of hard riding. i know some kids who've had theirs on for ~2 years

just another option.

stevo

A glimpse into my past pedals:

20 years ago....clips and straps because I was serious, and all serious riders needed clips.
10 years ago....started racing and was convinced I needed clipless. Gotta admit, they were the Cat's meow. Swore by 'em. Loved em. Had different pedals for different riding.
5 years ago; grew tired of racing....found I preferred to get my exercise/use my bike for transportation/recreation over racing. Kept the clippless 'cause they rock!
4 years ago; grew tired of clippity/clopping around in stores/restareaunts/homes, went back to my 'original' clipless, which are duel-sided spd/platforms. That way when tooling around, I can wear street shoes. When on long/serious rides, can wear clipless.
Today; probably havent used the spd-side of the pedal in a year. Thinking of gettng rid of my clipless shoes to make room in the closet.

it all depends on what you want out of your riding.

noisebeam

Lucky me, my street shoes are SPD sandals. I wear 'em even if I won't be near a bike all day.

Al

travsi

the main thing i'm interseted in is, how on earth does one kick the platform/brakeless combo? i don't see how you can do an emergency stop...

hyperRevue

i rode for about a year on platforms and was able to stop/skid no problem.

travsi

how? you can't apply reverse pressure on the front pedal. what kind of ratio were you working?

hyperRevue

riding a 48-16 and a 45-15.
you can skid by only locking up the back pedal and leaving the front pedal alone and you can stop normally by just resisting the up-pedal.
i mean, for normal stopping, you can stop much faster with clips, but as far as skidding is concerned, there is no difference.

travsi

i guess i just find way more risky with out some type of connection to the pedals, be it clip or clipless.

hyperRevue

i dunno.
i can see riding with clips and doing skids more dangerous if the rider isnt comfortable with them or if the rider is inexperienced.
like i said, i rode for about a year without clips because i wanted to get comfortable on the bike, doing track stands and skids without the concern of being locked into my pedals
that said, i definitely love clips now over clipless for the reasons i stated previously.

travsi

yes, i too am down with clips. and although i've only tried clipless on a geared bike, i can imagine that i would most likely accidentaly unclip when tweeking my feet around by track standing.

hyperRevue

i never really even considered that part of it.
i just didnt want to have to wear cycling shoes around town.
like i said, i think they make more sense for racing than they do for commuting and recreational riding.

Ken Cox

I ride clipless.
I have unintentionally clipped out once, and could not reclip until I used my front brake to slow down to where I could get my foot back on the pedal.

I wear some kind of Shimano mountain bike shoe.
Inside the tongue the label says M-038.
Anyway, they feel comfortable even on hard floors.
I see lots of walking clipless shoes at my lbs now.

My son has some clip adapters that go on his clipless pedals.
He uses them when he rides to school so that he can wear street shoes during the day.
When I ride with him, it seems to me he has a lot of special skills for getting in and out of the clips; but then, he really cinches them tight.

I plan on getting spd sandals this summer because I have heard so many people speak well of them as walk around, wear all day shoes.

16x54

I ride platforms during the winter.
Time mtn pedals in the summer.
Dont care about style or gramer or spelling just want to ride my bicycle.