evangelinegale

i'm thinking of doing it and keeping my work shoes in my locker. i've got a six mile each way commute with a lot of hills and one stop light(boonies) so lately i've been thinking going clipless on my fixed gear. has anyone done this and what are your thoughts?

Squirrelli

Clipless and fixed and not looking back.

Get mountain set up if you're planning to walk a lot in those shoes.

carleton

The longer the ride, the more valuable clipless pedals become.

I think that 6 miles each way with hills is enough to warrant clipless pedals.

PluperfectArson

This.

I have a road setup, though, and I tend to walk around in my shoes a lot.
People look at you funny while you're clack-clack-clacking across their tile floors in stores.

bleedingapple

all my bikes have eggbeaters on them... some day i hope to have atacs on all of them...

Dcv

My commute is 13 miles each way, I have eggbeaters too. They're good for easy entry, but had problems with some of the newer sets being too loose. Actually replaced a set that was too loose, unclipped by accident a few times during hard start / stops.

indiglow

+1

vw addict

I commute on eggbeaters with my mtn shoes. I love the setup, and my mtn shoes are a little roomy for thicker socks in this god awful cold.

Kol.klink

Do it! and got with the MTB set up

Shimano or Time is the way to go with pedals, although quality of the new crank brothers stuff is supposed to be better but, i think it's still too early to tell.

Steev

Did that for years. You won't regret it. I used spd's.

Ken Cox

If you go SPD, go with double-sided pedals and try Shimano's cheapest moutain bike shoe.

With Shimano MB shoes, I sometimes forget I have bike shoes on my feet.

That said, I hear good things about all the clipless systems.

I keep a pair of work shoes at work (my work place specifies the shoes I have to wear at work), but, otherwise, I could comfortably spend the day in my MB shoes.

mroberts940

also you might wanna check out dzr shoes (https://dzrshoes.com/) for some nice, casual looking spd shoes. i don't personally use them but i've heard nothing but good things.

jfmckenna

I use SPD's that have a platform on the reverse side. That way I can still take the bike down town in my work shoes comfortably.

carleton

That's pretty much a lateral move. Eggbeaters and ATACs are the same style of pedal with ATAC being higher quality.

Try the Shimano R540 with some entry level Shimano road shoes on one of your bikes. They will make Eggbeaters and ATACs feel primitive. Really.

evangelinegale

well my plan was some sidi d5's and eggbeater 3's. i'm brakeless now but i'm thinking of running a front brake if i'm clipless.

carleton

Might I recommend road pedals, especially if you are commuting, not on and off the bike.

MTB pedal systems have different objectives than road systems.

Things that are of primary importance for MTB systems:
- Double sided for fast entry because in MTB and Cyclocross racing there is LOTS of on/off/on/off the bike
- Shedding mud (for obvious reasons)

They sacrifice the pedal platform, fit (can't adjust your foot angle), and float. Their float systems are primitive.

Things that are of primary importance for Road systems:
- Float. If you are going to ride for hours, your foot needs some room to wiggle. Road systems have a free float. MTB systems have a return-to-center "float" where there is always tension. Road systems you can adjust the angle of the cleat. MTB you cannot.
- Platform. Road systems feel like you have MUCH more of your foot on the pedal. MTB systems feel like you are pedaling on a golf ball.


Man, I've used every popular MTB and road pedal system out there. There is a BIG difference between the two types of systems. If you are going to commute a moderate distance and commit to switching shoes, the road pedals are definitely the way to go. You won't regret it.

vw addict

evangelinegale

[QUOTE=carleton;12145700]Might I recommend road pedals, especially if you are commuting, not on and off the bike.

MTB pedal systems have different objectives than road systems.

Things that are of primary importance for MTB systems:
- Double sided for fast entry because in MTB and Cyclocross racing there is LOTS of on/off/on/off the bike
- Shedding mud (for obvious reasons)

They sacrifice the pedal platform, fit (can't adjust your foot angle), and float. Their float systems are primitive.

Things that are of primary importance for Road systems:
- Float. If you are going to ride for hours, your foot needs some room to wiggle. Road systems have a free float. MTB systems have a return-to-center "float" where there is always tension. Road systems you can adjust the angle of the cleat. MTB you cannot.
- Platform. Road systems feel like you have MUCH more of your foot on the pedal. MTB systems feel like you are pedaling on a golf ball.


Man, I've used every popular MTB and road pedal system out there. There is a BIG difference between the two types of systems. If you are going to commute a moderate distance and commit to switching shoes, the road pedals are definitely the way to go. You won't regret it.[/QUOTE

good advice, but i live in Sandy, OR(rural) so the mud thing is a concern as on a rainy day my bike can get pretty caked. and i like the idea of mtb shoe where there are studs to hide the cleat when i'm walking seeing as how i ride everywhere and it would be nice not to have the clicking when i'm off my bike. and VW, it is against the law, but i live in a town where everyone drives a truck and cops wouldn't know the first thing about bike law so i'm not really worried. to be honest i've meant to install a front brake for a while, it just hasn't really been a problem so i keep putting it off.

carleton

Do you deal with any more road debris or mud than road riders/racers?

If you want to go MTB then do it. But, road pedals are better for longer riding/commuting IMHO.

AngryScientist 

definitely go clipless. i agree that if you can go road pedals, that's the ticket, but i can not, i stop and walk too much on a day to day basis with that bike.

also, you mention being brakeless, and wanting to use a brake now that you're going clipless, this seems backwards to me, if anything you should be more secure with clipless, not less. in any event, there is really NO good reason NOT to have a brake on a commuting bike IMHO.

bleedingapple

I want the higher quality and I like the adjustability of the atac xs line and being able to rebuild them more so than the eggbeaters.

I actually have the r540s for my track bike, got them a while back and some road shoes... so thats my only bike that is not eggbeatered

91MF

i love my atacs. please explain why they will feel primitive?

carleton

See my earlier post regarding float and platform size.

There is a reason why road, triathlon, and track riders ride road pedals and only MTB and Cyclocross riders use MTB pedals (generally speaking, of course).

You gotta ask yourself, "Is my riding closer to road or MTB?"

I've used them all in the past.

It's just like cars. A jeep is great in certain situations. So is an Accord. If you were renting a car, which would you prefer on a long trip across the state? Which would you prefer to take camping?

The OP is taking a long-ish trip.

tFUnK

If you only encounter one stop light in 6 miles, it's worthwhile going clipless. Having said that, I used to use spds for commuting but have since went back to cages/straps since I prefer the convenience of wearing regular shoes.

hairnet

This tells me road pedals, but if youŽre not really doing much intense riding then IŽd suggest mountain bike pedals for the bonus of easy walkability