RubeRad

I've ridden clipless for a number of years now, and I enjoy and prefer it, BUT my shoes (Performance/Forte Traverse, no longer sold) are wearing out and since I have really hard-to-fit feet (EEE), I cannot order shoes online with any confidence, and I really am not up for the hassle of driving to stores all over San Diego trying on shoes, and then going back after they order different sizes, etc.

My wife has already switched to platforms+5tens on her mtb; plus I've been reading about platforms, and I have a friend (who is a much better rider than me, road and trail), who is explaining why he rides only platforms now (promotes better form).

So I'm thinking about ditching my clipless for platforms. I'm going to buy some cheap pedals from fleabay to experiment with (thoughts on these vs these vs these?) I really like the idea of never again having to worry about shoes just for the bike (maybe my current pedals and shoes and pedals will last forever if I use them only once/twice/year). I almost never wear any other bike-specific clothes (jersey/padded shorts), so it will fit better with my bicycle dressing philosophy to just wear tennis shoes.

Anybody else switch from clipless to platforms (for reasons other than falling-over problems/concerns?)

Kindaslow

I switched back to platforms and clipped pedals due to significant issues with my knees. I am happy with my decision. I use the White Industries pedals.

Darth Lefty 

I have platforms with studs on my MTB. I fall over often enough without the help, but they do gash me from time to time. On my road bike I could be happy either way, but I just found some awesome red platform pedals that match the MTB-styled-roadie aesthetic and I think that will put me on platforms there too.

ThermionicScott 

Go for it!

(Zappos has a really good return policy and quick shipping, but they don't have a big selection of wide SPD shoes. Sidi Dominators and Lake somethingorothers are supposed to be good SPD shoes for wide feet.)

Hub Spanner

Obligatory Rivendell shoes link:

https://www.rivbike.com/kb_results.asp?ID=45

kickstart

I use platforms, clips, and clipless on different bikes for different conditions. If I were limited to one choice, it would be pinned platforms as they provide most of the virtues of foot retention with greater versatility.
Personally, the main advantages of no foot retention is one can wear any type of footwear with the ability to effortlessly get on and go. The main disadvantages of no foot retention is the extra effort to position a pedal for starting off, and some loss of efficiency under certain conditions.

The only way to know whats best for you is to try.

RubeRad

I do fall once in while on the MTB (just fell today actually, trying to restart uphill), but I like knowing I can't get bounced off the pedals. (on the road, I like not having to think about foot position)

You got a link for the pedals you found?

RubeRad

Whoa, $200! I'd be willing to spend up to the low $100s for the perfect shoes for me, but those look terrible for walking, as well as, well, they just look terrible. Leather, mesh, and rubber, that is all for me. I think I'd really love Keen Commuter iii or iv, but online reviews say they run narrow, so I'd have to get like size 13 probably for my 10.5eee feet.

Cyclosaurus

My Bullitt cargo bike has Wellgo studded pedals. They are terrific and if you're going clipless-free, then something like that will give you the best grip. I liked them so much that I decided to get a SPD/studded platform pedal for my CX bike (Wellgo WAM-D10, $40). I ride the bike on the platform side around town and on the SPD side for workouts and longer commutes and it works great both ways. You could go that route and it would leave your options open if you later decide to go back and/or find shoes that work.

RubeRad

? Seems trivially easy to just kick the pedal back to where you need it. And I agree, the loss of efficiency is only in some conditions, and I don't think I'm ever in those conditions. I don't race. Actually, two years in a row I participated in the Devil Dog Duathlon at camp pendleton, but my 1:08:37 time on the 30K ride would I'm sure be no different if I wore platforms & running shoes -- and my transition times would have been faster from no changing.

Darth Lefty 

Wellgo R146, but they're only available in red via Taiwan, the ones for sale in the States are white and black.



For this bike:

Untitled by Darth Lefty, on Flickr

sam_cyclist

Shimano makes several models of road shoes with wide models. Even their regular shoes are wider than the average cycling shoe. Their mtb shoes tend to run wide also. Prices are very reasonable.

I cannot recommend street shoes for cycling, at least for longer rides. The dropoff in efficiency is unacceptable.

RubeRad

That'll look hawt! (Don't forget to hook up the front brake...)

RubeRad

Yeah, something studded/pinned is what I'm looking for. I had seen the wam-d10 on here recently, but I don't want the annoyance of flipping to the right side to clip in. I'd rather just change pedals before the ride.

tjspiel

+1

There are 3 bikes I'm using right now though one is technically my wife's. One has platforms, one has campus pedals (clipless on one side, platform on the other), and the road bike has straight clipless.

The winter bike has pinned platforms to provide reasonable grip while still letting me put my foot down in a hurry. The fixed gear has campus pedals so I can enjoy the benefits of clipless when circumstances allow or wear regular shoes if clipless shoes would be a problem (they aren't for commuting).

The road bike has road pedals because they provide more support than SPDs and I have fewer problems with my feet going numb on long hard rides.

RubeRad

Well if I find that I can detect a dropoff in efficiency, and that it's enough to bother me, I'll look into shimano mtb shoes (I'm all spd), but that's why I'll be trying out some platforms, to see how it goes.

tjspiel

I find that to get much efficiency advantage from clipless under normal conditions, I have to be thinking about how I pedal, though it seems natural to use that attachment while climbing, accelerating, or sprinting. Mostly I just like the feeling I get from being more firmly connected to the bike, - sort of like ski-bindings. Feels like I have more precise control and that the bike is more of an extension of me.

However, if on any particular day clipless shoes would be a problem or a hassle, I wear regular shoes and choose my winter bike or the fixed gear and it's not a big deal. Life would go on for me just fine without clipless. It's just a minor preference.

sam_cyclist

Eh, not a fan of spd's at all. Shimano MTB shoes aren't bad at all for road riding. They aren't as stiff or as light as road cycling shoes, that's for sure.

I've tried shimano mtb shoes with clipless on a road bike, and the stiffness and efficiency were not what I had hoped for.

Street shoes and platforms will be even worse.

bobbyl1966

what is the benefits of clipless pedals? Never i have use them. is easy to learn use clipless pedals?

tjspiel

If they are like by A530s, after breaking in, they will hang a certain way and knowing that it becomes easy to clip in. The A530s don't hang with the clipless side down. They hang more vertically with the clipless side toward the rear. To clip in, push the front (top) of the pedal down with your shoes and you're in.

To use the platform side, push the top of the pedal backwards.

Sounds harder than it is. Once in awhile you end up on the wrong side so you just flip when it's convenient. It's not like they'll drag on the street like toe clips can.

tjspiel

Does that translate into a performance or comfort difference that would be important on a commute?

tjspiel

As somebody who likes and uses clipless pedals, unless you have a particularly long or gnarly commute, it's probably not worth the hassle and expense. I started using them when I was competing and kind of got hooked. Some people claim that they are significantly faster with them. I find the speed improvement to be situational.

They are nice for some other reasons. I have not been doing many long distance rides as I have in years past. A week ago I did a 55 mile ride and by the end, climbs that normally wouldn't bother me were getting to be a challenge. Having clipless pedals allowed me to use a different set of muscles to help power up those hills.

My commute is only about 6 miles and there's no particular need for them on that, though I still use them frequently just out of preference. I would have never got them just for commuting though.

It's not that hard to learn to use them. Many people have the experience of forgetting to unclip while coming to a stop on one of their first rides. The result is often a slow motion, inelegant trip to the pavement. Other than that, learning is pretty uneventful.

sam_cyclist

I find street shoes to be far less comfortable for any type of riding. The soles flex excessively, thereby placing excess pressure on the balls of my feet. With the stiffer soles of cycling shoes, pressure is distributed more evenly across the entire foot, relieving pressure on any particular point.

My commutes are typically under 3 miles, however. So, I almost always use street shoes of some kind. Cycling shoes would be more efficient, but I don't feel like carrying around 2 pairs of shoes, and the commute is easy enough.

RubeRad

I believe what rivendell says, that with a wide platform, the pressure is already distributed far enough to not cause pressure points -- plus you have the opportunity to shift your feet around. I'll see when I try them out, but it sounds like you're the kind of guy that probably cares about a lot of things that don't bother me, or maybe I couldn't even sense.

RubeRad

For me, I like clipless on rough trails because I know my feet will never get bounced off the pedals. And on the road, I don't have to decide where to put my feet, they just are where they are. For high-end riders/racers, they can apparently make your pedal stroke more efficient. And cycling shoes also have stiff soles, which can distribute pressure so you don't get localized "hotspots" (numbness), but there are stiff-soled non-clip shoes that do that as well (5ten, Chrome, probably more). And most clipless shoes also give you the ability to make sure, when you're walking, that everybody knows your a cyclist, because your shoes are super noisy and ugly and they make you walk funny.

How hard are they to learn to use? Not hard. The only hard part is remembering to unclip before stopping. Early on everybody forgets at least once, and falls over sideways because they can't put their foot on the ground. Rite of passage. But before long it's second nature, like stepping on the clutch when you have to brake a manual shift car.