Originally Posted by
Steely Dan
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.
Great post. The thing is I think the benefits of clipless pedals and toeclips are so over-hyped in
SOME CASES that it makes people sound like they would be idiots if they aren't using them. People should give them a try because obviously some people just love them. On the other hand people should feel like they have ue these pedals to get out and enjoy cycling to its fullest. I don't see clipless, toeclips or platform pedals as something that need to be argued which is better. It just depends. For me platform pedals are the best thing for me. Its been said before the OP should give clipless a try at least on some weekend rides or something to see what they think. IMHO this thread is giving great info on the subject especially pointing out alot of great options for a variety of pedals and shoes.