Old 02-22-11 | 09:12 AM
  #50  
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Steely Dan
born again cyclist
 
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,412
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From: Chicago

Bikes: I have five of brikes

Originally Posted by bragi
if you're commuting, the small performance advantage probably isn't worth the inconvenience.
but that's assuming that the only reason anyone would ever ride with clipless pedals is for the 5-10% efficiency gain. as i said before, i ride with clipless not for any specific speed or efficiency gain, i ride them because i absolutely LOVE the feeling of being locked onto the bike. it's all about the man-machine meld that occurs when you have a solid, permanent connection between foot and pedal. i feel more stable, secure, and in control of the bike knowing that i have a hard-point connection to it at my feet.

and the fact that i lock in and out of my pedals dozens of times everyday along my commute means that i can do it in my sleep. it is a completely second nature, "don't even have to think about it", action for me to lock in and out of my pedals, so there's really no inconvenince to riding clipless pedals now that i'm completely accustomed to them. all of my bikes are now equipped with clipless pedals because there's just no other way to ride in my opinion.

others will of course have a different opinion, which is fine, but clipless pedals are not exclusively about speed and efficiency gains.
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