I've seen a lot of discussion where the consensus falls into the "clipless pedals are way superior to anything else performance-wise" category, yet 99.999% of what I've seen is based exclusively on the commentator's FEELING of what's better and what's not, and by what magnitude.

Because I'm debating using clipped/strapped pedals for randonneuring purposes, I'd like something much more numerical. I don't know where it was anymore, but I saw somewhere that the figure of a 15% improvement (of what exactly, I don't know) stood between clipless pedals (what kind? I don't know) and some undefined baseline. I can imagine a manufacturer trying hard to stack the deck in such a test, then facing little criticism because, hey, clipless HAS to be worth all the extra expense/bother/maintenance/clomping-around/etc. right?

I hear all kinds of things both ways when I look this issue up and I'd like some harder data if they exist.

In case you're wondering, right now I have a pair of Velo Orange's touring pedals with Christophe straps; if needs be I have some Shimano XP SPDs standing by and two pairs of shoes--an ancient but set of Nike shoes and a brand new (got 'em cheap) set of Time SPD hiking boots.

Any intelligent argument that doesn't involve subjective "feeling" one way or the other is hereby solicited.

Let me ask you this: when you put your foot into your toeclip, do you then roll out, reach down while coasting, and cinch the toestrap down? And are you using cleats that grip the pedal cage so you can pull back and up without yanking your foot out of the pedal?

In other words, do you use toeclips/straps as they were originally conceived to be used? Or do you just use them the way I see 99% of people use them... loose enough to easily insert and remove your foot.

Back when I used toeclips and straps on a road-racing bike, that is what I did: lock the cleat onto the pedal cage, and cinch the toestrap. Bingo, pulling power equal to clipless... but if you want to stop and put a foot down, you'll need to release the toestrap first. And if your cleat's not aligned at the angle that your knee likes, then it sucks to be your knee, because cleats did not have float.

Speaking for myself, I distinctly remember the one time I tried clips and straps on my commuter again after using Shimano double-sided SPDs. Just the delay in getting my foot engaged at a stoplight launch was all the reason I needed to declare SPDs the hands-down victor, and not having to coast & cinch/release the straps for proper pulling power was the next reason if I needed any others.


In the off-road scene, coasting to cinch a toestrap for full pulling power is kind of tricky when you've just started up a 15% grade after stalling on a switchback. Releasing the toestrap when falling over during your switchback stall is even harder. Clipless is a no-brainer home run, no statistical support is required to see why no one uses toeclips & straps for XC anymore.

Another important aspect is safety and ease of disengagement in case of emergency.

If you already have the pedals and shoes,
I say just go ahead and try them. If you
don't like them, go back to what you have now.
If you like clipless, then just keep them on the bike.

I like my SPD's with Nike shoes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FFyXxrqWbPA

I currently ride both clip in and traditional clip and strap pedals, and here's my breakdown.

For sport road riding, the clipless (ster-in) is noticeably better. Smooth power is transmitted from the pedal to the sole of the shoe which distributes it thoughout the shoe so there are no pressure points. I can also pull for climbing up without a pressure point at my arch. With my toe clips and cleated shoes, I had to manually cinch the strap for climbing, then relax them so my foot wouldn't get numb otherwise. The clipless also allows for some float which my cleats didn't.

In all honesty, comparing to cleated shoes, though, it isn't a day/night improvement, except for convenience.

I'm still using regular toe clip pedals for commuting, because I do errands on the way, and cycling shoes just don't cut it as walking shoes. With my regular, non cleated shoes, I tend to jam my toes against the front of the clip when climbing, and need to really tighten the strap if I want to pull up for hard climbs (I very rarely bother). Removing the foot is slightly easier in traffic because I leave the straps loose, otherwise the clipless system would be a faster, cleaner release.

So to answer the question whether clipless is radically superior, it depends on how you ride, and whether you're comparing to a cleated cycling shoe, or a generic shoe. However, I've yet to meet someone who went clipless and wasn't happy with the decision.

I think FBinNY has said it. You simply don't find people who have become comfortable with clipless who go back to straps, unless it's for non-riding reasons like shopping,etc. There may be some pedaling efficiency gained with clipless but I don't think that is really the whole point. To me it's about eliminating a source of concern, or one less thing to deal with while riding. With clipless your feet are where they need to be, without having to think about it.

So it looks like most of the concerns expressed thus far are for city riding/commuting, which is NOT the intended purpose for this bike (randonneuring/touring). The use I have planned for this setup is something like, "ok...strap in....ride for 20 miles without stopping". My daily commuter has track pedals with half clips that really help orient the otherwise single-sided pedals so I can do fast and easy start-stops. Critiques about no-float capability for cleat shoes seem moot to me since these are no longer made, and stories about being locked into one's tightened down straps are reported (accurately, I can attest from personal experience) to be exaggerated. I've strapped down plenty of times, (which really WOULD suck for city riding), and never had a problem just popping my foot out the back. On the other hand, I distinctly remember falling over once or twice when I first got my SPDs.

Does anybody have any studies or numerical data on this issue?

You are over thinking it. Many thousands have switched to clipless (including me). I can't imagine why anyone would switch back to clips & straps. Not sure exactly how you would measure comfort. I suppose you could measure safety by the time it takes to clip in and out.
There are a few old-timers (even older than me) who think foot retention of any type is evil and will make you crippled.

Yes, everyone falls when we first start with clipless. The skill develops quickly, though, so it's not a continuing concern. However, if that bothers you and you are comfortable with straps, just continue with what you like. I've never seen any universally accepted study that says clipless are X times more "efficient" than straps. Too many variables there I imagine.

I don't think so.

I used toe clips (and straps) for a long time, then Power Grips for a shorter time, and I have now used mountain-style SPD pedals/shoes for a long time.

On my commuter bike, the pedals are SPD on one side and plain cage on the other. I seldom use the plain side. The other bikes have SPD on both sides of the pedals. Almost all my riding, which includes a suburban/urban commute, is done clipped-in to clipless pedals.

Not true. I'm not alone.

I doubt there's any reliable data, and it depends on what you're measuring. For example, are you comparing to cleated or non cleated shoes. It also depends on how and where you ride, and what benefits you want vs. what you'll give up.

I've long stopped caring about the supposed efficiency of hardware. Partly because I suspect the differences are exaggerated, but mostly because it would be pointless considering the age and condition of the engine. I set my bikes up according to what feels right, works well, is easy to maintain, and comfortable for long rides.

I'm still undecided about what's best for long multi-day tours but if I expected to spend lots of time off the bike, I'd probably stick with my old Barelli platform pedals with straps which are very comfortable using my loafers. OTOH, If I didn't own the nice platforms, I'd probably use my Look clipless over quill pedals, and carry a pair of walking shoes.

This is more like a Vanilla vs Chocolate ice cream decision, both are good, it just depends on your mood.

So to clarify, what you want to quantify is the real-world power efficiency of an uncleated cycling shoe with moderately-snug toestraps & toeclips, as it compares to a typical touring-compatible clipless setup like SPD with touring/mountain shoes? That won't be easy to find a study for, I don't think tourists care enough to install a PowerTap and start measuring that type of thing. Even Bicycle Quarterly's PBP report (PDF) doesn't bother touching on pedal type, despite delving into esoterica like what style of fenders people used.

If you can borrow a PowerTap-equipped wheel and a Garmin Edge 500, you could always do your own fact-finding on the subject. And that would probably be best, since some aspects of the subject would be rather individual... for example, I'm a high-torque, low-RPM type of guy, and at 280 watts on a hard climb, I would probably pull my feet out of your toeclip setup the way you run it.

Numerical data? Probably doesn't exist. Superior convenience, security and ease of entry and exit? Clipless hands down. Then there is the weight issue and modern clipless pedals and compatible road shoes are considerably lighter than quill pedals with toe clips and straps and their compatible shoes and, no, your "Time SPD hiking boots" aren't among the contenders for weight savings.

Finally, SPD-type (i.e. recessed cleats) shoes do allow relatively easy walking off the bike and are far better than the bolt-on or nailed on cleats used with toe clips and straps.

Here, I'll supply some numerical data. I just went into my basement, surveyed my 14 bikes, noticed that one is still equipped with the old fashioned toe clips and straps setup. I guess that means clipless is 92.86% better, or at least more common, around here.

I've used the classic tie-your-foot in strap & clip system and the clipless system. It could be argued that the a tightly cinched strap & clip is more efficient than a modern clipless system in transmitting power during the pull (up) stroke.

a) Strap and clip: the foot bears directly on the strap on the pull (up) stroke, and the strap transmits power directly to the pedal. I consider the strap relatively stiff (ie not much stretch). There is little stretch in this system.

b) Clipless: on the pull (up) stroke, the foot bears against the upper part of the shoe, and the power is transferred from the top of the shoe, then along the sides of the shoe to the soles of the shoe, then finally to the pedals. Seems like a lot of places for energy to be lost (as the straps, shoe material, shoe to sole interface all get stressed and stretch).

Having used both, clipless wins hands-down for me, with safety being the big plus. Maybe if I were a track rider (and many years younger), I might find straps & clips advantages.

To the OP, regarding an improvement over some unknown baseline - maybe the baseline was just flat, platform pedals.

If you wear running shoes or something else with a relatively thick sole in your clips, moving to clipless should eliminate a decent amount of distance to the spindle; less rocking torque coming out of your power delivery.

If you don't grok rocking torque, consider trying to ride with 6" blocks of wood between your feet and the pedals. It's a shame in-crank bearings/dropped pedals aren't practical.

Once you try clipless pedals you'll know why they're so popular. I've never heard of anyone going back. There are probably no numbers, but clipless pedals *lock* your foot in place, especially helpful on the upstroke. I don't even bother with clips and straps, I either use clipless pedals or plain flat pedals. Because if the straps are tight enough to do anything they put too much pressure on the top of my foot making it uncomfortable (lightweight sneakers.)

+1

I found that vid hard to watch, I kept feeling I was going to be taking a heel to the face. LOL


On topic, I feel lost on a bike without clipless.

I've seen numbers like 15% improvement before too much there's nothing to back it up. What you need to gain improvement is a way to keep your feet to the pedals and a stiff shoe that doesn't flex. Either toe clips or clipless pedals with do that. The advantage with clipless is they are much more comfortable and allow you feet to move some as well.

This is the BF, don't ask for empirical evidence...this is the 'I believe so it must be true' forum.

Thats not a straight forward answer. The shoe is probably more important than the pedal. Road and mtb bikes can both use clipless pedals, but mtb shoes tend to be less rigid than road shoes to permit walking so a platform is common on mtb pedals.
So actually a very stiff soled shoe makes for higher pedaling effeciency, and unfortunately isn't good for much else.

And then there are people like me who have 2 sets of cleats and pedals (spds and crank bros. candy c) in their closet and do all their riding on flat BMX pedals with pins.

It's whatever you like man -- whatever makes you more apt to ride is what I'd go for. I don't give a rat's ass about how much more or less efficient I am with pedals.

I think you will find plenty of stories about how one kind of pedal was much better than the other but no studies with numeric data. Whether a clipless, clipped or platform solution is best for you really depends on your riding style. Just remember that the relative amount of foot movement allowed by a specific pedal type can be both a benefit and a detriment. Most of us have tried platform or clipped. If you haven't tried clipped you should give it a try. Consider whether you will need to carry an extra pair of shoes fow walking around.