nayr497

I just took my first spin riding clipless on a fixed gear. Wow!

I ride clipless on my road bikes but use my fixed gears for commuting/fun, so have clips and straps on them. Well, it was such nice weather out today and I think spring has finally arrived so I decided to do a pedal swap.

Went out for an hour and wow, it was great. Hills that are typically pretty hard to climb were a breeze and it was just a lot more fun to feel the same pedal stroke power on my fixed gear as I do on my road bike. I could also climb the more modest hills in the saddle, as clipless allows you to pull on the upstroke much more.

Anyway, just wanted to share a pleasant losin' my cherry story.

My next upgrade will be clipless pedals for one of my fixed gears. I don't know what I've been waiting for...

andre nickatina

What pedal and shoe are you using?

I love Time ATACs to death. I wouldn't mind eventually trying out a road pedal but that's way too expensive and unnecessary to justify right now...

lns55

The Crank Brothers Eggbeaters work pretty well for me. I like how easy they are to clip into by having four entry points. I would'nt ride fixed without clipless pedals.

nick burns

Nashbar ATB clipless for $30. Decent quality, been using them for at least 5 years with no complaints.

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...pless%20Pedals

queerpunk

i love time ATACs for city riding. and yeah, i think getting clipless pedals are going to make people faster riders - more than any other purchase.

andre - at a decent swap meet you should be able to score older looks and some used shoes for not much money, if you wanna try it out. that's how i did it.

metaljim

i got some spd's last night, but i still need to find shoes for them. i'm juiced about trying them out.

nayr497

Andre - as I wrote, these are off my road bike. I waited a long time before I went clipless so when I did I said, "Well, I might as well get something nice." Shoes: Sidi Genius 6.6. Pedals: Leo Keo Sprints.

I have been very happy with them on my road bike and even though I have nice pedals/straps on the fixed bike there still isn't anything like riding clipless. Great on my road bike, but I am definitely going to upgrade soon on one of my fixed gears.

I thought it might be a bit hard clipping in to a one sided pedal, but I didn't have much of a problem. When I ride my road bike I usually clip one foot, push off and crank with one leg (not sure if this is the suggested style - I think most might coast and look down to search for the other pedal). I guess I've been reflexively trained by a fixed drive train

It was a fun ride and over 70 degrees F!

WhiteCarbonDude

+1 me likey ATAC's, I use them on my road bike as well.

pirate

are those phil bearings in a formula hub?

krusty

About 20 years ago, I rode exclusively with clips, and a really nice pair of Nike bike shoes that had a stiff, flat sole with a groove to engage the pedal. Then i got a set of Time Criterium pedals and a set of the race shoes. Time had brass cleats that were cheap and easily replaceable, so I didn't feel bad about walking on them. The difference from clips to clipless was a revelation to me, and I haven't looked back.

As far as shoes are concerned, the ones that fit your feet are the best. I am using Crank Bros. Quattros, because I use 2 different pairs of Sidis; a road pair and my favorite, the Dragon, which walks well being a MTB shoe. Once you get used to clipping/unclipping, clipless is easy to use. I have only fallen over while still clipped once - halfway up a too steep hill.

Having tried many different brands of shoes and pedals, I can honestly say that there is no best pedal system out there. They are, by and large, all pretty good, but the Crank Bros ones are easily rebuildable - major plus. The only thing I can't emphasize enough is shoe fit. They all fit very differently, and if you pick one just because it was on sale, you will suffer. They tend to be very unforgiving.

ryansexton

I hate the inconvenience of clipless pedals. I do go on long rides, but I also do commute, which involves me walking around.

I rocked them on my other bike for a while, but I really like to wear regular shoes.

Is the difference really that noticeable? I assumed clips and clipless were virtually the same; better than platforms.

krusty

Yes, it is, especially on a fixed gear. To properly use clips, they must be slightly loose to be able to get your foot in. You must then reach down and reef hard on the straps, without cutting off circulation. You need to lock the rear of the pedal into the groove that is in the sole of a proper pair of cycling shoes that are intended for clips. Without doing so, you create a lot of slop in the system. My Sidi/Quattro combination is rock solid, and as others have attested to, allows climbing seated on hills I would probably have to stand for with clips and softer-soled shoes. Also, when used on a fixed gear bike, you don't need to do anything other than step and go - no reaching to tighten straps on a pedal that is moving. A MTB shoe easily allows unclipping at slow speeds and just using the pedal like a regular platform as you prepare to dismount.

so-so

maybe someone can help address my concern about clipless.

I've been having to ride clipless for the last week or so due to doctors orders (broken foot that still isn't fully healed), and it's true that I do enjoy the more available power on upstroke etc, but I'm always worried about my foot popping out at a really bad time. I don't do long skids, but sometimes I swing the tail out a bit on short speed regulation skids/skips/whatever, and it freaks me out to think that my foot might pop out and I'd take a nasty fall.

Is this a legitimate worry? or should i just forget about it. No problems so far though.

chrism32205

spd M520's on my 2 fixed gears..

oceanfx

+1, I also want to know if anyone around here rides clipless and also is a frequent skidder.

krusty

The only time I have ever popped out on clipless was when I grounded a regular set of Eggbeaters. Grounding them in a corner opens the pedal briefly because of its design. I don't know anyone who has popped out of clipless accidentally. If you have an odd pedal stroke, with lots of back and forth wandering of your heel, perhaps you would do well to avoid Speedplay Frogs. They are, however, a really good MTB pedal that takes some getting used to.

If you have serious concerns, a more solid feeling pedal such as Look or Time road pedals would make you feel more secure. In general, road pedals have that more secure feeling compared to MTB oriented pedals. Eggbeaters and Time Atac being the exceptions that I have tried.

GeraldChan

1992 Time Equipe Ti/Mag peals with the matching white Time Equipe racing shoe. Feet never come out of the shoe and 10 degrees of lateral float and holds you feet onto your pedals better than any clips and straps, including double straps.

krusty

Luckeee!! I should never have sold mine.

5-HT

pedal strike on clipless? the must have been quite a lean.

edit: in response to krusty's post a few up

krusty

I should have explained that one a bit better. It was offroad on some rough ground on my MTB, and I was cornering and grounded it on an off-camber section. I actually have Crank Bros Candy SL on that bike now. With the exception of my Corima Puma, which had Look Keo Carbons on it, all my pedals and shoes are compatible. The Puma has just been repainted, and it is getting Quattros when I get around to finishing it, maybe by next weekend.

seely

I actually started out with clipless and went to toe clips for convenience reasons. I have to say, I really notice little if any power difference with toe clips. I do have an exceptionally stiff pair of shoes I used, but really no issues that I didn't have with clipless.

dmg

Unclipping has only happened to me on spds that have low float cleats, and has never caused an accident (although I run a brake). The problem isn't that the pedal gives or the cleat pulls out due to the force, it's that you are unconsciously turning your foot when skidding or whatever enough to unclip. If you get/are using the black cleats which have more float, or adjust the tightness up a lot, you should be fine. I've never unclipped on my ATACs FWIW.

muzzymuz

I got some R540 SPD-SL off ebay for like $15 that I never ended up using. If you have some ATAC's you're willing to part with let me know. I've been meaning to post them in the trade thread.

seely

The only time I've come unclipped unintentionally is when the cleats wear out, which they do fairl fast on Time and Crank Bros. pedals. The new Look MTB pedals are looking really nice... I'd be curious to try them out on a fixie.

pentagraham

Anybody remember Lance a few years ago accidentally coming unclipped on a TDF stage? I think his foot popped out as he was climbing with his usual fast cadence while out of the saddle. He saved it, sat down, clipped back in, and probably won the stage. I just remember him almost falling. Anybody know what clipless system they use?