These Pedals Rock!
 

Ok, i just installed them and only went 1 block down my street. I'll update this later.
But first impressions? OMG they grip like mad! :eek:
They have little metal studs that screw into the platforms, kinda like cleats under a soccer shoe.
This isn't my pic. Here they almost look like spikes, but they're not. Mine look like little itty bitty flat hex bolts.

Anyway, I was only wearing my birkenstock sandals which are pretty hard, smooth and slick underneath with almost no tread and they were NOT budging on the pedals. My feet were going to come out of the sandals way before the sandals were going to shift on the pedals. It was like they were glued on, yet I wasn't clipped in.

They're pricey at $115, but now I can put away my shimano campus pedals and shimano clipless sandals and REI mountain bike shoes and wear whatever I damn well please! Yet still have tons of pedal grip! Woohoo! :thumb:

Oh yeah, you also get twice as many studs as you need so lotsa spares!

Tiogo Surefoot 8 Pedals available at http://www.rivbike.com/products/list...n#product=none

http://www.1jyo.com/image/parts/peda..._surefoot8.jpg

These are what I've been running for 2 weeks:

http://www.nashbar.com/nashbar_photo...-NCL-ANGLE.jpg

They weigh a ton but for $25 on sale, who can complain? I rode a century on them. I'm with Grant Peterson on this, clip/less pedals just aren't necessary for non-racers.

Dang it! I better start racing to justify my pedal choices.

You can ride whatever feels good for you, but the point remains, being clipped in isn't going to magically improve your riding (PROVEN BY SCIENCE)

Meh! Study shmudy. I know what works for me. Conversely, what works for me might not work for you. Anyhow, I have one bike without clipless pedals and I think those may do for a replacement pedal eventually.

pedals, petals and tootsies
 

I'm loving my Crank Bros. 50/50 pedals for the same reason. The only other pedal that comes close(grip wise) is my inexpensive Redline cage pedals that I use on my single speed. I hung up my SPD MTB shoes along with my Lake SPD sandals. I now use my trusty Teva Hurricanes but am looking at getting some new skater shoes. the cat tinkled in my old pair. Dang cats.

Yeah, those nashbar pedals look like a great value.
The Tiogas are lighter but they're also nice and narrow which is good for my narrow feet and the fact that my Rivendell has a lower bottom bracket so these will clear the ground in the corners.


I am soooo looking forward to wearing my Teva sandals on my next ride.
And in the fall I will definitely be picking up some new Vans.
Great minds, eh? :thumb:

DMR V8's are a good pedal, when properly serviced.

Riding in Tevas is probably why I'm on platforms too. I'm using some real trash right now while pedal shopping, but the funny thing is that I feel pretty good on them. There's enough possibility of improvement to still want something (exactly!) like the OP posted, but if I concentrate on my form the difference btwn this and my (toe clips) old hybrid commuter and my old (LOOK cleats) touring bike is pretty small. I've ridden at least clips my whole life, so I'm really excited to give it up and wear whatever shoes I have on. It's like riding naked! :love:

Those Tiaogas look like just the ticket...

Welcome to the BMX and downhill mountain bike world of pedals.... :D

And yeah, they grip like clipless until you lift the weight off your feet. I won't use anything but for trail riding but I still enjoy my clipless for road riding.

The issue being that if you place your foot down and it's not quite right you need to unload it quite a bit to shift it. But with the clipless you clip in and you KNOW your foot is back in the sweet spot automatically.

Having said that I just did my big Euro holiday using a set like the ones in the second post instead of my clipless so I could use my walking shoes for riding. Can't say I really missed the clipless all THAT much.

On one hand this is true, but on the other hand it's not ALWAYS true.
It's kind of a double edged sword because (for me anyway) that "sweet spot" is not always in the same place! I used to love the float that I had in my Speedplay pedals. Some people described it as being on ice but I never understood what the heck they were talking about... it just felt natural to me. Other pedals like SPD's have less float and you are pretty much married to that one position and all the weight is put on that one part of your foot all the time with no way to change it. Kinda like not being able to change hand positions. Not nearly as bad as that would be of course, but still kinda similar.

But of course I'm putting the cart in front of the horse since I'm mainly talking theory here, not having given these new puppies a good riding yet.

True, happens to me. But if you are not racing, whats the big deal? You lose a few seconds. Oh noes.

Clipless riders vs platform riders is, seriously, the Ford vs Chevy of cycling. I can't find anything else to compare it to, as really, neither side wants to give up. I'd say the clipless side is the most vehement, but I'm on the platform side so I'm really not a good person to compare :).

Anyway, thanks OP, I'll have to check those out. I'm a huge fan of the "BMX style" (like the Nashbar ones posted), I have those type on my bikes and love them. One bike has cheap Wellgos that have probably got 2-3,000 miles on them, are kind of clunky but smooth, and I rode a metric century on without a problem at all. The others, I'm not sure on, they're a different brand that is much lighter but have taller pins. The pins hold great, but my favorite riding shoes (North Face "trail runners) don't have the hardest soles, so I think they give me hot spots. Don't know for sure yet, as they haven't had a really long ride on them.

Also, my main hugest biggest reason for not going clipless is that I'm a klutz. I went two weeks with toe clips and "fell over" three times too many. I fear that on clipless pedals, well, I'd die.

Plus seriously, I don't need to go any faster. All the skinnies are already pissed off that the chubby super biker is passing them, no reason to feed the fire.

Mainly that clipless pedals are the only pedals my splayed right foot is comfortable using. Besides.... it is all about comfort. What is the big deal if you are not racing? Plus you gain a few seconds. More like minutes over my lovely commute.

The exception is my mountain bike for riding in the snow and ice. I appreciate having that split second of time savings to put my foot down when my bike starts to go out from under me.

That's what I use in the winter; I commute using winter boots. I think they're BMX pedals.

I'd be interested in seeing your source.

Yeah I have the Diamondback version of those pedals on my Wal-Mart back up bike. And yes they are great. I was quite disappointed when I couldn't get them on my old Schwinn. :(

I've got FUNN Soljam Viper platforms on my commuter and Eggbeaters on my road bike.

Commuting, I want to be able to get my foot down, stuck, and pedaling as quickly and confidently as possible. Wherever it comes down on the Vipers, it sticks, period. I can adjust the sweet spot later, after I'm safely out of the intersection. With the Eggbeaters, if I'm having a bad pedal day, I can be halfway through the intersection before I get clipped in.

I also want to be able to get my feet OFF the pedals as quickly as possible in traffic. Say what you want about being able to clipout in a crisis--with platforms, there's no question.

Gross cycling efficiency is not altered with and without toe-clips

Authors: Laura M. Ostler a; James A. Betts a; Christopher J. Gore bc
Affiliations: a Sport and Exercise Science, University of Bath, Bath, UK
b Department of Physiology, Australian Institute of Sport, Bruce, ACT, Australia
c Exercise Physiology Laboratory, School of Education, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia

Abstract
The aim of this study was to examine the claim that reductions of 8 - 18% in submaximal oxygen consumption (O2) could be due to changing components on a Monark ergometer, from standard pedals without toe-clips or straps (flat pedals) to racing pedals of that era, which included toe-clips and straps (toe-clip pedals). This previously untested assertion was evaluated using 11 males (mean age 22.3 years, s = 1.2; height 1.82 m, s = 0.07; body mass 82.6 kg, s = 8.8) who completed four trials in a randomized, counterbalanced order at 60 rev · min-1 on a Monark cycle ergometer. Two trials were completed on flat pedals and two trials on toe-clip pedals. The Douglas bag method was used to assess O2 and gross efficiency during successive 5-min workloads of 60, 120, 180, and 240 W. The mean O2 was 2.1% higher for toe-clip pedals than flat pedals and there was a 99% probability that toe-clip pedals would not result in an 8% lower O2. These results indicate that toe-clip pedals do not reduce O2


http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/con...l~jumptype=rss


PROVEN BY SCIENCE.

Hey look, more science on respiratory efficiency:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...gdbfrom=pubmed

I'm going out for platform pedals and a full suspension mtn bike. Science says so.

(references on biomechanical efficiency rather than respiratory efficiency here; amazingly, the conclusions are not identical:

http://www.podiatrytoday.com/article/6435

)



ps-> I don't really care about indiv pedal/frame choices, just what I want for particular interests of mine...

On my 12 mile commute, my time never changes in regards to what pedals I'm using. I always get to work in the same amount of time within a minute or two. And that minute or two variance occurs no matter what pedals I'm using. Just two days ago I was riding and had one foot unclipped at an intersection as usual. When I started through i missed the clip side of my campus pedals and ended up on the platform side. I was miles away coming up to my next stop before I even realized I forgot to flip the pedal and clip back in. There was zero loss of efficiency.

If I was racing crits where every millisecond counts, I'd have clipless. And I'd be on my road bike where weight savings and really thin tires count as well.

But this is all besides the point. This thread was not meant to be a slam on clipless or an argument against them, especially since I pretty much always ride clipless or with straps. Well, until now. My point here was that if there is anyone who wants the convenience of platforms and about 99% of the benefits of clipless for the typical commute (not racing), these pedals rock. Just don't ride barefoot! :D

Or smack your shin with them. Ouch.

I'll shop that way at some point.

Your last point reminds me of my biggest disappointment of my 1st geared bike (w/ metal pedals and jagged teeth all the way around).

Well, yeah.

But they're the attractive, macho kind of puncture wounds.

GREAT blog! I think it's awesome the amount of progress you've made!
To anyone who hasn't seen this guys blog or thought cycling may not be worth it, check his blog out!
Chris

Sorry, buddy, as a scientist I can tell you that one experiment performed by a couple of people doesn't make something "proven by science", no matter how many capital letters you use. It only demonstrates that, given the specific assumptions they make and their experimental setup, a certain result might be expected.

Among the issues with their research methodology: I'm guessing it was done under dry conditions? Short trials? On a trainer? No incline? They performed the test under conditions that would be maximally beneficial for using platforms.

To be fair, one should consider other scenarios. One problem with platforms is that, in general, none of them are perfect at giving good traction between foot and pedal, and the more they try to ensure good traction, the more it hurts when they fail. I'm betting those studs don't feel good against calf or shin.

Additionally, as I read the abstract it did show a 2% advantage in output, which is a decent amount. Look at it this way, that's almost certainly more than the difference between Sora and Dura-ace components, or similar arguments for other componentry (wheels, frames, etc). Put yet another way, if you're going to go to the trouble of buying a bike for more than $600, you should get clipless pedals too or you're wasting your money.

All I have to say is be careful of the wet. When I ran metal platforms in the rain the surface (no matter how many spikes were on there) got slippy. And if your foot slides off behind the pedal you run the risk of having those spikes slammed into your shin. I still have scars it is not fun.

I don't need perfect traction, I just need enough to keep my feet. Which, so far, these pedals have not failed me in once, even in the rain. This includes the occasional burst of high-cadence spinning when I need to go fast. For my style of riding, they are good enough.

And I could inflate my tires to 160 psi and put my seat 6" above my aerobars, and if I don't do this I'm just wasting my money, cause there is no reason to buy a bike over $600 unless its to go faster :rolleyes:

By the abstract, toe clips are 2.1% worse. The test was done with 5 minute runs on an ergometer. The study doesn't exactly prove there are not significant advantages to using clipless pedals for bicycling.

(Ride what you like.)

If 2% is a true figure (I can agree with that), lets put it into everyday commuting application.
For my 50 minute commute of 11.25 miles, clipless will get me there 1 minute sooner. 1 minute.

Now what follows is just my personal opinion on the subject...

As I said earlier, in a race this would make a big difference. If you commute every day like you are in a race, that's your prerogative but that's not my style. One minute isn't even noticeable to me. Plus, I have 20 stop signs and 20 lights to navigate through as well as school buses, city buses, motorists, pedestrians, crossing guards, and I'm sure other stuff that all have an effect on my commute time. That small of a difference wouldn't even register.

Let me put it another way. This is the commuting forum, not the roadie forum. If a newb was to come to me and ask if clipless would get them to work faster than good platforms (especially ones with good grip like I posted), I'd flat out tell them "no". The difference (if any) is sooo minute, it's not even worth mentioning. The only thing I would mention is that being clipped in will help you in climbing hills because they will help you turn the pedals over the top portion of your stroke and they will help keep your feet glued to the pedals when spinning ferociously down hill... and I would sure recommend then on a fixie for that same reason. But that's it.

Now regarding getting a boo-boo on your shins... are you ladies kidding me? :rolleyes: (no offense to the real ladies, who typically have a higher pain threshold than guys anyway)
I guess If I'm walking the bike and happen to kick the pedal, that would hurt. Heck, some crank brothers or pretty much any other medal or even hard plastic is gonna smart. If I fall off the bike, hitting my shin on the pedal is the least of my worries. Being careful when the pedals are wet? Good advice for any platform, especially if they are plastic/rubber. Metal studs, not so much but still something to keep in mind.