Originally Posted by
SBRDude
The advantage to having your feet attached to the pedal (clip less bindings or toe clips) is that it allows you to "pedal in circles," meaning that you can apply force to the cranks throughout the pedal stroke and not just on the down stroke as you would do with regular pedals.
It turns out this is incorrect. When using clips, you do NOT apply any force on the upstroke.
Researchers are now using power meters built into the actual pedal to analyze the pedal stroke. An excerpt of some info is available here:
http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/...yclists_137556
I still prefer using clipless pedals, as I prefer the ride feel. At the moment though I am not quite convinced that clipping in provides nearly as big a benefit as is presumed.
When touring with lots of weight on a bike, clipless pedals make climbing easier (I have found that you can climb in one gear higher vs regular pedals).... Overall, just improves pedalling efficiency as already stated.
Not really; slapping a pair of cleats on your feet doesn't magically improve your pedal stroke. You'd probably still need to engage in a variety of drills and practices to smooth things out.