thomamueller

I took up riding this summer and have been making good progress. Last week I started to get sore knees. I ride 25 mile loops two to three times a week. So my research lead to too slow cadence. So I ordered a pair of A530 and RT51 for this weekend. Went out for my two loops and no sore knees. I found that that I could increase the cadence dramatically since I could keep the feet attached to the pedals.

Final benefit, I increased my average MPH from 12.4 to 13.9 today. Goal is 15.0 before the summer is out.

PS: I ride a Menona Hybrid for now. Maybe a road bike is in the winds for next spring. And yes I will admit to one fall. Got too cocky the first time out. Now I unclip at each cross street.

Yen

That's great progress for only one season that hasn't even ended yet! The thing I like most about clipless is the way they relieve stress on the knees and improve overall performance. It's very noticeable.

speedlever

I have those same shoes on A520 pedals and love the combo. I had some hot foot issues on longer rides that were solved by using inserts with arch support.

Pat

I never noticed that much of a difference between using toe clips and clipless pedals. But I had learned how to run a good cadence long before I switched. I think clipless pedals make running a decent cadence much easier.

JanMM

You unclip at each intersection? Are there stop signs? Only unclip to stop.

thomamueller

My bike path will cross some roads where you can't see traffic until you are at the intersection. That is how I got into trouble the one time. Did not unclip one foot, got there and traffic was comming in both directions. Hit the breaks and did the oh @#$@ and tip over.

Longfemur

I don't see that clipless, toe clips or no restraint influences cadence. Must be psychological, or you weren't positioned right before - unless before clipless you were using slippery pedals and shoes with slippery soles.

Road Fan

I've not tried clipless yet, but I have a set of hard-cleated shoes (same Diadoras as in a recent C&V thread), and the extra security makes faster cadences feel smoother on my toeclip pedals. I could see how someone would ride faster over short distances, I did that myself. It didn't increase my long (40 mile) speed that I could measure. my positionoing with the cleats is the same as with my slotted touring shoes. I did feel smoother the whole time, though!

Road Fan

stapfam

What I have found is that if I do not use the clipless pedals- such as a strange bike with platforms- Then My cadence will go down. I have found that by using clipless- I am pedalling for a larger part of the circumference of the crank revolution. In other words with clipless- I am using part of the pedal sroke in an upward movement on the pedals. This is natural for me and my cadence is about 85 to 95 as a norm. If I try this with platforms-Then I keep lifting my foot off the pedals. By lowering cadence to around 80 and a higher gear- Then the feet will remain on the pedals.

Clipless- or platforms- will not have an effect on cadence- But clipless have enabled me to pedal more efficiently, raise my cadence and pedalling power. So much so that Platforms do not work for me.



And sore knees can be influenced by foot position on the pedal. If you pedal with your knees out- it can put too much strain on the joint. Set your foot on the pedals-Platform or clipless- with the toes pointing in and the kees will have a better position- hence less pain.