+1 on all of this. If it ain't broke...

I've been told that clipless is such a big improvement. Well, I don't know. They might let me put more torque on the pedals. More torque means more acceleration, but I don't care if I can get up to speed faster. It won't make much difference unless I'm racing in a 50 meter sprint, which I ain't. I can tool along satisfactorily (17-19mph) on the flat with no headwind but I'm happy doing 15-16mph on longer rides. On hills I just gear down until I'm limited not by torque but by my aerobic capacity, which is what the long-term limit will be anyway if the hill is any longer than, say, a tenth of a mile. I can spin at 100rpm easily, and 110rpm when required, and I don't see how going clipless would make that easier.

Same goes for cycling shorts. Granted I don't train 10,000 miles a year, but I can spend 6hrs pedaling in 90deg weather without discomfort.

So tell me again what's broke that I need to fix it?

If you haven't tried them, you don't know they're not better. I'm not guaranteeing you'll feel an improvement, just that your reasoning doesn't mean that you won't. I'm talking about both cleats and shorts. Though I tend to agree on the shorts. I like my shorts and prefer them on long rides, but I could live without them.

Yay! Another toe clip vs clipless thread.

My thought: My feet are wide and long and I couldn't stand to walk around in those clipless shoes, even if just out to the garage. It is expensive to switch to clipless and I don't want to outfit all of my bikes for it. I'll stick with toe clips, so feel free to send me all the Cyclone, Superbe, and campy pedals that you want. I've given away the few clipless pedals that I have come across, so consider it a pay it forward. :D

On 3 of my bikes I run Shimano M 520 SPD pedals. They are considered a MTB pedal but, so far I have no issues riding with them on the road. I use either a mountain or a touring shoe. My other 2 bikes are platform pedals or toe straps (I can deal with them but they irritate me trying to get my big feet in).

I vote yes, unless it is a Norman or something like that....

I've got clipless pedals on my mountainbike (spd style), on my tandem (campus pedals=spd on one side, platforms on the other like noglider mentioned) and two road bikes with speedplay pedals. I've also got 3 bikes with toe clips and straps, although I rarely tighten the straps.

I find the speedplay pedals to be the best I've tried so far (of 3 types) and use them whenever I go on a planned long distance ride. I've fallen over twice, once I leaned the wrong way (leaned right after unclipping the left foot) and once trying to cross a median and got stuck in the sand.

I'm sure its all personal preference, but I'm a stronger rider (pushing and pulling on hills) when I'm clipped in to clipless pedals. It becomes second nature do get in and out of them after 3-4 rides. I just wish speedplay pedals were compatible with mtn shoes (they're not) because they are a pain to walk in. But then I don't put the shoes on to walk around, they're for riding.

Because of the ease of use of toe clips, I'm sure I'll always have a bike or two with them.

Look "delta" models of all kinds, or the Shimano versions that use the same cleat.
Cheap to buy used or new, cheap cleats, large footprint on the pedal, and in colors to match a bike.
Cleats are compatible with many other brands of pedal, too.

I've got red, yellow, purple, silver, grey, black, white, have had blue.
I saw some Ti ones but he wouldn't sell 'em.

Horrible to walk in, but if you have a lot of bikes, not a big deal to outfit 4-5 for $100 total.

Meh. I have both clipless (Look) and toe clips/slotted cleats on my bikes, and honestly I find myself riding my fixed gear bike with toeclips & slotted cleat shoes more often than any other bike. Maybe because the shoes (30+ year old Rivats) are by far the most comfortable bike shoes I've tried, but also because I don't see a really compelling reason to prefer clipless over toeclips/slotted cleats.

I agree. I use Shimano SPD pedals on bikes that I take for longer rides when I may want to get off and walk around, and use Look road pedals on the "racing" bikes that I take out for nonstop rides. I prefer the Look pedals by a little bit, until I have to walk in them.

Three notes:

1) If the bike came with older pedals, clips, and straps, I label them and tuck them away so I can put 'em back on if I sell the bike.

2) Wiggle in the UK (http://www.wiggle.co.uk/) has by far the best price on Shimano PD-M520 SPD pedals, and they deliver free to the states on orders totaling at least 50 pounds sterling. They may also be cheaper on other pedals as well, but I haven't checked.

3) When Look merged with (or bought, I don't know which) Keo and became "Look/Keo," they changed their pedals and cleats. The change was small and I can't tell the difference just by looking, but it was enough to make the older Look cleats incompatible with the newer Look/Keo pedals. I discovered this the hard way after stocking up on 3 pairs of Look/Keo pedals and then wondering why my Look cleats wouldn't go in. I've since standardized on the older Look pedals---I can buy them used in great shape in assorted pretty colors for much less than I'd spend on a new pair of the Look/Keo pedals, and the cleats are still available new. Go with new if you want to, but be aware of the differences so you don't make the mistake I did.

I just can't stand the thought of shoes that I can only use for riding a bike.

Even my snowboarding boots can pull double-duty for shoveling the driveway.


...also its something my roadie buddies can point and snicker at

I have clips and straps on my old bike, and Nashbar look clones on my modern bike.

I've been riding on these clipless pedals for about 3 years now, and I find the clipless pedals to be gentler on my knees (because of the float, I guess), so for that reason, I prefer them for longer (say, over 30 miles) or hillier rides.

But in panic situations, I fail to unclip from the clipless pedals a couple times a year. My arm still aches from the last time, which was a couple months ago. I ended up lying on the road that time; luckily, a car wasn't coming at that moment. Clips and straps are more automatic for me, after 30+ years of riding with them. I only ever fell once with clips and straps, on the very first day I rode with them, when I was 15.

As for shoes, I've always worn cycling shoes. I've never used cleats with toe clips. I have the same pair of Avocet rubber-soled (with am internal stiffener--metal, I think) cycling shoes I've had forever (25-30 years). (I'm looking for something to replace these with, by the way.) For clipless, I have a very stiff, comfortable pair of Cannondale-branded shoes I got on sale on Nashbar or Performance. If I think I'm going to be walking a lot on my ride, I'll bring along some lightweight walking shoes.

Except for the big one: you still need special shoes.

Personally, I'm a platforms guy. Right now I only have one bike and it has to double as a car, so wide, grippy platforms are the obvious choice (to me). When my Ironman was in my possession I rode it with platforms too, but I would certainly consider foot retention. Thinking about power grips, so I can still wear sandals while I ride (I don't think I've worn socks once since I moved to Hawaii). When I ride fixed, I obviously use foot retention, but clips and straps seemed fine and still allow me to ride whenever I want.

I've ridden with toe clips, SPD cleats, Look cleats, and platforms.

From a strictly performance viewpoint, I find foot attachment overrated with a few exceptions: Cleats are essential on my recumbent (because gravity doesn't keep my feet on the pedals), very helpful on my tandem (where the stoker is liable to make the pedals move unpredictably) and somewhat helpful on other bikes (they're good for bunny hops, for example). I don't ride fixed, for which I understand foot retention is essential.

With those exceptions, I find all foot attachment to be quite unnecessary. I know you can get a more efficient pedal stroke, but I don't believe (m)any of us really do. Similarly, I know you can pull up on the pedal and get an amazing burst of power, but it's a short burst of power because it deploys a muscle group that doesn't otherwise get used very much and very few of us are actually interested in developing it. The few times I've done long group rides using platforms, and found that every time we stopped, I was ready to go as soon as the light changed, but then I had to wait --sometimes surprisingly long-- for everyone else to clip in.

Bottom line, I let my C&V sensibilities dictate. Give the bike the pedals appropriate to its vintage; if it has Campy NR, then use clips.

+1
I seriously doubt that they're "1/2" French thread".

+1

When I bought my first lightweight road bike almost 40 years ago transportation was its main function. I had to be "normal" when I got to were I was going. I still think this way. I ain't sayin' that clipless has no advantage at all, but there is no reason compelling enough to make me act differently.

If I could fit my big feet into clips easily with tennis shoes I might be for the "go out and hop on" rationale. But I can't. I absolutely hated getting my shoes into clips/straps. So I needed 'special' cycling shoes anyway. I tried SPD-SLs when they first came out (still kinda late) and never looked back. I do have a set of nice walkable SPD sandals/pedals for the IGH bike, and I use them on vacation as well so I can ride and walk around destinations with my daughter.

But road rides at home/centuries away - SPD-SL all the way. Geared rides, fixed gear, old bikes, new bikes.
[But I do keep the original pedals for C&V authenticity]

I have really big feet and always felt uncomfortable with clips. I started using clipless with SPDs and really liked them but I had some problems accidentally pulling out during hard acceleration so I switch to eggbeaters. A couple of weeks ago I started using Look Keos knockoffs ($49 at Nashbar) and really like the stability and platform that wasn't there with the eggbeaters. There are two things I don't like about Look style pedals: poor walkability is one. The other is that I am accustom to unclipping when I don't like the road surface (like when you suddenly encounter gravel) and standing on the pedals with my arches so that I can still pedal but can get off fast if I lose the front wheel. I also do this if I am almost at a stop but want to roll forward an extra 20 feet but might at any time need to put a foot down. That works fine with a mountain shoe but I slip right off with the road shoes so this will require an entirely different technique.

I'll ride the Look-style pedals for a while but keep some eggbeaters on the winter bike and see how I feel at the end of next year.

I liked to pedal pretty hard. I discovered this year that I could prevent knee pain if I don't push down so much. Instead, I push forward with one foot and pull back with my other foot, at the middle of the pedal stroke. I can only do this with cleats.

It does pay to become adept at putting your feet in. I have done so.

I think my next pair of shoes will have SPD cleats on them. I saw some sneakers that look like hiking sneakers at the bike shop, but they have a recess and cleat bolts. And they're only $80. The big question is whether they fit me. Most shoes don't fit me, in any size, because I have very odd-shaped feet. I really hope I can slowly convert most of my shoes to SPD, and I'll wear them even when I'm not cycling. I've just about worn out my Nashbar SPD sandals from daily use. My next sandals will be Shimano, because they're well reviewed.

I have lots of bikes, so I have lots of options. I do sometimes go without any foot retention. Sometimes I use toe clips. And sometimes I use SPD. I even occasionally change my pedals. I'm pretty fast at that.

My knees are a big fan of low Q-factors, thus I use clipless on all my bikes, including the vintage steel and even put SPD's on the 90 Schwinn hybrid I ride with the wife. platform pedals and my knees are no longer friends.

I adore my egg-beaters. Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em. I wear cheapie Shimano shoes that look and walk like a regular shoe.

Did I mention I like egg-beaters?

I played around for a short time with SPDs before trying SPD-SL and for a bike I considered a road bike and that I was taking out on club rides or fast solo stuff I'd always use the SPD-SLs. IMHO they just work great. That said on my touring bike I have bare platforms and I'm coming to appreciate them too for other reasons. I am considering SPDs again for the touring bike just to be able to clip in with somewhat walkable shoes. That's the only issue with SPD-SLs, walking sucks.

Ok, since this question has come up...

I'm planning on trying clips for the first time with the Fuji America I'm building up. I have a few issues:

1) I wear 12s and have better than a 4E width. Am I going to be able to find deep enough clips such that I can get into a reasonable position on the pedals?
2) I'm using MKS Touring pedals on my touring bike now and in sneakers I overhang the pedal on the outside bad. Does that pose an issue?
3) What are some good shoes (either brand/model or general type) to use with clips (but not slotted cleats)?

Opinions welcome. Thanks.

^
I'm in a similar situation. I want to try clips but I wear 11.5s and have wide feet. Here's what I'm going to try: SR SP-155 pedals (I don't have a pic handy but I'll try and update this post with one) with VO Deep Half Clips. I'll let you know how it goes. I'm also considering modifying a pair of MKS Lambdas to accept half clips.

Hey Keith...The MKS LL toe clips are pretty darn big. I'm only an 11 with normal width but I was swimming in them. With shoes...tie shoes or single velcro strap up top work best. The lower velcro strap on my Specialized often get caught up when trying to enter the clip/strap. Of course I solved this by returning to SPD on the 3 "roadbikes". Still have clips on the Super Course, beartraps on the cruisers, and MKS touring on the 3-speed.

You might also consider Powerstraps...I run these along with beartraps on my old Iron Horse.

Keith, your size is like mine
1. You're OK, buy Large ones
2. This is part of my issue with clips/straps. The right side of my shoe is constantly 'grabbing' the strap on the right, often making it a pain to slip in.
3. Probably needed a good set of these to counter #2. I haven't ridden them, but have read several recs on these. (and on sale now!) Edit: But not in our size :(