Considering Clipless Pedals? A review...
 

I know there have been countless posts on the pros and cons of clipless pedals in the last couple of months but since I just got a set about 3 weeks ago, I thought my experiences as a newbie might be helpful.

First of all, I've used power grips and toe clips in the past. I'm used to some sort of foot retention and that likely influences my opinion.

I did not get clipless pedals for commuting. I compete on a casual level and I got them for that. However, I spend much more time commuting than competing so I wanted to get something that would work well for my commutes too. That meant:

1. Getting Shoes I could comfortably walk in
2. Getting a shoe that didn't look like a cycling shoe
3. Something easy to clip in and out of
4. Ideally something that would work with non-clipless shoes too
5. Shoes that didn't make a lot of noise

Given these requirements I chose Shimano's A530s which have platforms on one side and a clipless mechanism on the other. They look nice and are relatively light. For shoes I picked Pearl Izumi's X-Alp Lows. The whole X-Alp line looks like a running shoe and are very comfortable.

X-Alp Low Review
As I said the shoes are very comfortable. They aren't as stiff as many cycling shoes but are stiffer than a regular shoe. I can wear them all day. I was disappointed to find that they do click on some concrete surfaces. There's no clicking on hardwood or ceramic floors. Even concrete indoors or very smooth concrete outdoors seems to be fine. They look exactly like a running shoe. Since that's what I wear a lot of the time anyway, they're a good fit for me.

A530 Review
I was a bit conflicted over whether or not to get a combination clipless/platform pedal. I was worried that the metal cleat on a clipless shoe would not jive well with the platform side of the pedal if the wrong side of the pedal was up. It turns out that a cleated shoe works just fine on either side of the pedal.

However, I have to say that the jury is still out on whether or not this was a smart choice. My bike is all of 15 feet from where I keep my shoes so it would never be a big deal to put the cycling shoes on if I wanted to go for a ride. There's only been a couple of times so far that I've used regular shoes. Having the option is nice though. The downside is that when I start out from an intersection I don't know which side of the pedal I'm going to step on until I actually get going. Usually it's the same side that was up when I quit pedaling but not always. This causes a moment of hesitation. Either side works and switching is easy, but like I said, it causes a hesitation. That may go away after I get more used to the pedals.

Increased Performance/Efficiency?
People have been all over the map on how much clipless pedals/shoes help, if at all. There have been studies showing that even pro riders only "unweight" their feet on the back/up stroke, etc. My experience has been somewhat mixed. I don't think there's much benefit from clipless in terms of performance when you're cruising along a flat route at a comfortable pace. I think the study is accurate in that case. However, I can really feel the difference when I push hard, especially if I'm out of the saddle. I can not put an mph figure to the performance increase. From a commuting standpoint on a flat route, going at a comfortable pace, for a moderate distance, there probably isn't much difference. It helps on hills and when I really want to crank it up. It also helps if I'm tired. I can use different muscles by pulling on the pedals more.

Falling Over
So far I've only toppled over in my own driveway. I had just finished practicing for an hour. When I pulled up to the gate I forgot my foot was clipped. I panicked and fell over. Otherwise, it hasn't been a problem. I found it very difficult to clip in while practicing by holding myself up on the bike against a wall. Fortunately clipping in while actually riding turned out to be a lot easier.

Conclusion
For me I don't know if the benefits are worth the expense from a commuting standpoint, - depending on your commute and funds available of course. If you had to choose between a really nice of lights or clipless shoes, the lights might be more sensible if you spend much time riding at night. Having said that, I'm very much getting used to clipless pedals and soon given the choice I'm sure it will be my strong preference to ride on clipless as compared to platforms.

For the benefit of anyone searching, I'll just chime in with my own experiences briefly.

I also went from Power Grips to clipless. I liked the Power Grips a lot, but had the occasional problem with "unclipping" from them, as shoes with any tread would sometimes catch on the pedal as I was trying to get out of the straps. This meant that I had to wear a particular pair of shoes when I rode, at which point why not go to clipless? I do like clipless more than Power Grips for commuting--I know there's more parts but it's not as fiddly.

I had similar experiences with power grips. They worked pretty well with the right pedals, the right shoes, and if they were adjusted correctly.

If I wanted to use them with any other shoe than the ones they worked best with I had to loosen them, - which requires a tool and usually not worth the bother. Power Grips would be a ton better if they had a way to adjust them without a tool.