Originally Posted by
acidfast7
evidence?
Originally Posted by
spare_wheel
clipless pedals allow one to optimize the contact patch between foot and pedal. they eliminate unnecessary movement and can decrease foot and knee pain for many riders. they also encourage the development of cadence and track standing skills. many cyclists in denmark and the netherlands would be better cyclists if they road clipless. it's kind of sad that two of the bikiest nations in the world are largely stuck in the victorian era when it comes to cycling technology. heck, i'm surprised that the dutch don't still use clogs when riding their beloved oma/opafiets.
I was going to respond to acidfast, but you beat me to it.
What I was going to say, as he was asking for evidence to back up my statement that clipless are superior 'in feel and function'.
Well, feel is subjective, and users of clipless pedals generally agree, which can be seen above in this thread, and in many others across the inter-mation super-webway. Only the people who do not use clipless claim they do not feel better.
As for function, we have to define what we want pedals to do. And for most people, we want pedals that feet do not slip off of and that we can comfortably ride on. Clipless pedals are demonstrably better at this because they hold your foot with less degrees of freedom than any other type of pedal, and in the case of modern clipless, allow movement where movement is wanted, without sacrificing the security and stability of the foot on the pedal when riding.