Originally Posted by
pepperbelly
I have RockBros flat pedals with studs on them. I wear New Balance 610 training shoes since they have a fairly stiff sole. I have a pair of PD515 pedals I bought years ago and used very little. They are basically new.
I want to try riding with cleats. If I don’t like it I will go back to flat pedals.
Chances are that, at first, you'll find using 'cleats' on clipless to be strange and 'uncomfortable', for some weeks of using them.
aside from the very first part of learning to ride a bike - the 'balance' part - going 'clipless' is the most difficult thing a rider will face.
Because it require so much attention in the initial 'getting into' and 'awareness' during riding and then 'stopping'...
There are a few who gravitate to it quickly, almost automatically. There are those who develop that skill over some time period. And there are those who never quite 'get it', and never find comfort...
I know a quite strong rider who uses only 'flats' on a group ride I did often - a very fast group ride. He did fine on the flats - couldn;t really get involved with the 'sprints', but otherwise 'pulled' or 'sat in' quite well, like the rest of us. He was happy...
If you're gonna use 2 hole SPD, get shoes which have cleat surrounding 'soles' - much safer.
Stiff soles are great - they distribute the pressure from the cleat attachment, throughout the forefoot much better than any normal 'walking shoe', yet thery are quite 'walkable', I did over 1 miles in them, once (too long a story to get into...) with no issues, shoes and I did fine.
And they do allow more efficient power transmission than any flexible 'walking' shoe.
Really make differnce when you're working to increase the cadence of your pedaling.... Cadence is important in the production of Power
If you decide to 'try' clipless, do so with the plan to 'make it work'... if you're just 'trying', the urge to not persevere will be great - one which many succumb to...
as Yoda said "Don't Try - Do!"
Ride On
Yuri
Mike- the guy I mention above, is a 'One of a Kind'. Only guy I know who rides solely clipless, and seems unaffected by the effort, regardless of 'intensity'.
There are many really strong mtb riders who ride with us, and ride flats on mtb - but all use clipless on hard rides... There prolly are others who are strong riders who ride flats exclusively on every bike/ride - Mike is the only one I know...