Bike Forums - Noob to clips/straps....and how about clipless?

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Quote:

Originally Posted by onetwentyeight (Post 10573918)

toe clips? as the cage is hanging down, roll your foot back on the tab on the back cage and pop your foot in...

clipless depends on the pedal, but its generally catch the front of the cleat on the front part of the pedal ( a bit of a forward sliding motion), and then push the back side of the cleat down to pop in. twist the heel towards the outside to disengage.

Oh, I ride SPD-SLs...no problem there...just never toe clips. :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by frpax (Post 10573913)

Keith, clips or clipless?

Clips, the oldfangled stuff :) I'm a child of technology....SPD-SL for me :)

Heh. Well, I have no video but its easy to visualize...

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2332/...12463dbf4c.jpg

see that tab on the back cage?? you just catch that underneath the ball of your foot and roll the pedal back and slide in to the clip. not hard, but clipless is easier imho. campy strada pedals always gave me hell, the track ones are better. I am a big fan of the current white industries pedals but they are $$$

Yeah, you use the cleat or toe of the shoe and catch that tab and flip the pedal around and slide your shoe in. All in one motion. It takes a little getting used to but once you get the hang of it, it's no big deal. It had been at least 23 or 24 years since I'd had that kind of pedal, and then about a year ago, I bought some for an old bike and getting into the pedal after all that time was no biggie. Like I'd always been doing it. Must be some distant muscle memory or something...

Al, I've found the only way to buy shoes is to wait for someone to have them on sale in a store. Ordering from Amazon or a similar place is a bit risky. Especially if you've never worn that style of shoe before. I typically only wear a 'driving' style shoe. I've worn Adidas and Pumas and both are very different, and even different within each brand. Pumas can be very narrow depending on model. The Adidas have a very narrow sole in the arch area and the arch is actually sewn into the side of the shoe. This works great for me as I have a fairly high arch. I'd recommend going to a store and trying some on. you know... the old ride the bike before you buy it bit.

I have a pair of these Nashbar pedals (made by Wellgo, I think) and like them a lot. They are functionally equivalent to the Shimano M324 but they cost a lot less. It might be possible to put toe clips on the non-cleat side, but the problem with that is that the toe clips would hang down and scrape the ground when using the cleat side. But it might be possible to use PowerGrips. PowerGrips are a nice invention. My only complaints about them are the cost and the fact that they're not adjustable without a screwdriver. But those are small complaints.

Nashbar pedal:
http://www.nashbar.com/images/nashba...NCL-ANGLE2.jpg

PowerGrips:
http://media.rei.com/media/ss/54162c...c04e477986.jpg

Ooh, $20 is a decent price for PowerGrips from Fort Tree Bikes. Other places are selling them for $35. I've never heard of Fort Tree.

Quote:

Originally Posted by noglider (Post 10575148)

Tom - it never occurred to me to use Power Grips on the platform side of a pedal like that. Extremely clever sir! I might try that.

Yeah, I've been meaning to try it, too. If they scrape along the ground, it shouldn't be a problem, right?

And wouldn't that be the ultimate setup? You could ride in ordinary shoes with the PowerGrips, and you could ride in cleated shoes. And if you wanted to use neither foot retention system, you might even be able to step on the PowerGrips, right?

On second thought, I don't think there's a place to bolt on the PowerGrip on the back edge of the uncleated side of the pedal. So you'd have to drill a hole or otherwise modify the pedal. But it could be worthwhile!

All great ideas!

And for Robbie, I think I know what you mean about Tri's being like *that*! Oh, boy, do I! Nudge, nudge, wink wink! Say no more, SAY NO MORE!

ps: anyone who knows what Robbie means, please PM me.

Al,

How long is your tri- event this summer?

For a short one, I'd say just use platform pedals with whatever running shoes you'll be running in. The amount of benefit you can get from foot retention will depend to a great degree on how well you develop your pedaling stroke, and I rather doubt you can make significant progress in a couple months.

I use toe clips, I use two different clipless systems, and I use platforms. The way I pedal, it really doesn't make much difference.

Robbie is a forum member who, if I recall correctly, does triathlons. If he weighs in, I suspect you will find his advice useful (most of us have).

Shoes for toe-clip pedals are still made (Reynolds in England and Marresi in Italy come to mind), but they are a niche market and priced accordingly. Fortunately, old stock shoes of this type turn up regularly on eBay and can sometimes be gotten at fire-sale prices at your LBS if they've been around long enough to have stock gathering dust in the back room. It helps if your feet are outside the popular range (43-47) as the popular sizes are less likely to be available and vendors are less likely to sell them cheaply.

I'm only registered for a 'SuperSprint' Tri ( 375m/10K/3.5K) late in the summer, but may do another one or two before or after, depending on how training goes. Bike & running I could do tomorrow, swimming will take some work. The bike portion is so short I could do it in moccasins (slowly), but I will be riding much longer distances this summer for fun, maybe a metric century or beyond. As cycling is all new to me I am just looking to try different things and see what I like.

Great suggestions here. I'm picking up those Forte platform/SPD reversible pedals from CL this afternoon!

also too: I am pretty well acquainted, online at least, with Mr Tunes, just couldn't resist the temptation to joke a little. ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jT3_UCm1A5I

I'm a big fan of power grips. I have them on four bikes. I paid $18 for mine, but I guess they've gone up like everything else but the value of real estate.

I think that clips and straps are often another one of those C&V tradeoffs where true enhancement of riding performance and ergonomics are abandoned for the sake of aesthetics, resistance to change, and period correctness. Depending on your purpose and lifestyle needs, I can see someone being interested in having a bike with toe clips for reasons, including but not limited to:

- commuting short distances, and/or in a fashion that requires many stops, like a messenger or missionary does
- on your track bike
- especially lackadaisical riding at very low output for short distances

However, I feel I can honestly say that a clipless system will be more comfortable and fun for longer distances and harder efforts than the average eight year old girl does. :)

OP, what size shoe do you wear? I might have some new SPD cycling shoes that will fit you. PM me if you would like.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chicago Al (Post 10571097)

Rather than hijack the 'do you ride clipless?' thread I thought I would start a new one, because what I read there was useful (like so much on this forum) but I had other questions. As a new rider (starting last summer) the whole question of what kind of pedals is new to me and I am trying to figure out what will work best for me: mostly recreational/fitness riding, but trying to build up some strength and be semi-serious about it. So far I have only tried the original pedals/clips/straps on my two vintage rides.

Actually only the Centurion came fully equipped that way, the Miyata had its original quill pedals, and I put plastic clips but no straps on. I like those and easily got the knack of flipping them up to insert my toes. Obviously they help a lot with the pedal stroke and are a breeze to pull out from.

The Turbo's original clips & straps I have more trouble with. The bike must have been stored for years, and the straps had apparently spent a lot of time folded in so they are now stiff (though almost unworn) and bent inward, making it very tough to get the toes in while pedalling slowly. Also these don't seem so easy to flip up as the 'top' of the pedal is much heavier. Is there a trick I am missing? Once my toes are in it's not bad---I have only had one really embarrassing dismount so far. I gather there's also a trick to pulling them tight/loose while riding, but I'm not to that point yet.

And I also can tell that fully strapped in, pedal stroke is considerably stronger, but my running shoes are the weak element, as they flex a lot. Are old style road shoes still made? Any recommendations there? Not too garish or expensive? Able to be walked in? (Part of the charm of these C&V bikes for me is how much of a bargain they are.)

And any strong suggestions on an inexpensive way to experiment with clipless? Sounds like SPD with mtn bike shoes might be the most easy/versatile way to go and still allow for reasonable walking.

I will be doing a sprint triathlon this summer, maybe more than one, and had been thinking I will bike in my running shoes so as to avoid changing during the transition. But I dunno...

Also...I always bear in my Mark Twain's injunction to beware of enterprises requiring new clothes.

Any suggestions or advice welcome. I suppose the road forum might be a good place to ask about this but my scanning of it suggests I will get a more helpful and friendly response, and one that doesn't require a mortgage on the house, here.

I'm staying with clips and straps for the time being. First, I like to be able to walk in shoes when I get off the bike. Second, I don't believe the touted "efficiency" claims with clipless. Nobody has produced any data that shows in simple physical terms how much better clipless are and why. Third, in the absence of a compelling good reason to change, I don't. I know the "stories," but there's no data to support them.

I have noticed that without good cycling shoes teh ridges in quill pedals can dig into my feet on a long ride, so having solid soles is a good thing. Old-fashioned hard racing cleats are if anything harder to walk in than modern clipless shoes, so I may be making a change in a few years. But I can also take another step backwards to the Lyotard Berthet pedal which provides a flat surface for the foot.

Dismounting the foot works if you just don't tighten those straps too tight. Another reason not to over tighten is blood flow in the foot. it can really hurt on a long ride. Loosening my straps (and laces) helps relieve my foot.

"First, I like to be able to walk in shoes when I get off the bike"

Thats what mountain or trekking shoes are for. Ive spent full days at the shop I work at in my cycling shoes when forgetting my regular ones. It was fine.

"Second, I don't believe the touted "efficiency" claims with clipless"

Know anyone with a powertap or SRM crank? switch pedals and check your wattage. You will notice substantial differences. If I have time in the next week or so I could probably give you some solid data on attacking a hill with either pedal system and noticing the difference but would you believe me?

Quote:

Originally Posted by onetwentyeight (Post 10573940)

Which are based on the old Lyotard "Marcel Berthet" design from the 1930s:
http://www.os2.dhs.org/~john/berthet-pedal.jpg

These were in production until the mid-1980s and still turn up on eBay pretty regularly. They've gotten more popular lately so the price has gone up, but they're still cheaper than the White Industries Urban Pedal.

The Club Fuji I'm working on right now has Suntour Cyclone pedals on it (which shine like the sun after a round with Mothers, the drill, and the buffing wheel :)). I need new straps but I guess I'l have to give it a go. I agree with the poster who said there's just something about toe clips on classic bikes...

I have a somewhat dumb and somewhat unrelated questions about clipless pedals as I'm new to them...

I have Sidi mountain shoes and have Time Atac pedals on my mountain bike. I have a new pair of Sidis in the mail (Dragon 2) and one of my bikes came with Shimano M324 pedals (similar to the ones Noglider posted above)...are these pedals compatible with my Sidi mountain shoes? Can I just grab a set of "SPD compatible" cleats from ebay? Are the generic ones fine or should I suck it up and get Shimano brand cleats?

Sorry for my ignorance but I did some searching and I think it is such a dumb question that nobody lists which pedals and shoes are compatible online...either that or I suck at the internet.

As for pedals, I have a pair of this

http://www.nashbar.com/images/nashba...NCL-ANGLE2.jpg

But If I have to do it over again, I would get this http://www.amazon.com/Shimano-PD-A53...574650&sr=8-23

It doesn't look out of place on the road bike and still dual sided.

Well despite all the good advice I did not really follow up until just recently. I did buy a pair of Forte SPD/platform pedals, but no shoes to put the cleats on. And I just struggled with running shoes in the toe clips of my Centurion; they always seemed to snag on a seam, or the waffly sole would catch the pedal at a bad angle. Never had a big problem but I sure felt awkward in my first 50 feet from a stop, and dismounts could be a bit comic.

A couple of weeks ago I saw these shoes on eBay, and even my frugal-to-a-fault self couldn't pass them up. Scored them for $10 + $5 shipping.

Attachment 159700

They turned out to be Specialized 'Sonoma' shoes, which they still make albeit in a velcro closure. Smooth rubber sole, stiff shank, flat seams on top: they slip into and out of the toe straps easily, and the difference in power transfer is very noticeable. As a bonus I found that a disc on the sole can be removed to reveal space for the SPD cleats, so I can try that as well. So far though I am pretty happy with riding old school. I do get a bit of numbness in my right foot, but that was happening before. At 50+ I don't expect to be comfortable all the time. :rolleyes:

BTW seller said these were 43EU/9US, but the label said 43EU/10US. I usually wear a 9 or 9 1/2 and these are none too big...I was lucky on the sizing.

Very lucky. Excellent find.

I'm envious of those who can buy shoes sight-unseen. My feet are an odd shape, and most shoes don't fit me at all.