I just got some Nashbar clipless MTB pedals with a Lake MX101 MTB shoes. It took a few minutes for me to firgure out how to get in and out of the pedals but after I did I went outside. I couldn't believe how much faster/effieicent I was. I could pull one leg while the other leg was pushing. It's like having a better clutch, more power to the wheels.

Also, I can now bunny hop! Man, I should have gone clipless years ago! With platform pedals everytime you hit a bump your foot slips off the pedal. Any of you had the same experience as this?

Well, toe clips are a good alternate option at $5. Commuting with plain pedals is very dangerous, IMHO; I've had my feet slip off accellerating away from intersections in the rain a few times, and the toe clips sort that right out.
I'll go clipless, probably next year. Have to save for winter clothes and tires now.

Heh yea when I first tried clipless I felt the same way. Then when I put them on my commuter, curb hopping and going over potholes was so much easier. The best part was just feeling like I'm an extension of the bike.

I currently use clipless (eggbeaters) on my geared bikes and really like the control. I was thinking of getting "power grips" for my new-to-me single speed (rather than clips&straps). Anyone used them day in&out for commuting/transportational cycling?

I've got Look and Speedplay pedals on my road bike (I swap pedals when the mood strikes :) ). I've been riding with Lake MX100 shoes and two-sided SPDs on my commuter since 2001. Glad you finally discovered how great clipless can be. :beer:

So funbun, did you fall yet? :)

Almost, lol :D There are a lot of woods around my apartment complex. I saw a cat hunting a little hedgehog. It looked like something I've seen on the Discovery Channel. I hit the brakes hard. No forward momentum is had news. I managed to get on fot out and on the ground before I fell. From then on I practiced getting in and out before stoping:)

I only use clipless pedals. When I first started using them though I was kind of wary of the level of safety. In the first couple months I fell about 3 times at a stop-light becasue I couldn't clip out fast enough

the first day i got clipless, I put them on my commuter, rode around the parking lot at my apartment to practice getting and out. I thought I had it.

The very next day, my first clipless commute, I was turning into work and the car in front of me slammed on it's brakes. I stopped just short of the guy's bumper, but couldn't get my foot out and went over both feet clipped in. changed back to clips and straps that day at lunch and havn't put the clipless back on yet. I put them on my MTB and I'm a little more used to them now, maybe I'll put them back on the commuter.

These shoes are hurting my feet. I got a 48. They are just too narrow. I looke on the box and a 48 is equivelent to a 13.5 US shoe. Yes it is as long as a 13.5 but it ain't anywhere near as wide as a 13.5. I may send them back to get a wide size.

Give shimano spd sandals a try. I've found them very comfortable, and durable. For commuting I leave an old pair of regular shoes at work, and change into them.

I bought Power Grips two months ago, for my road bike. (My only, and thus, commuting bike.) I'm pretty unhappy with them, and have had to go back to ordinary clips. Theoretically they're a really cool alternative to plastic clips, and perhaps other people have had more success.

First, I found that the straps were already wearing out, fraying at the edges, and so on, under moderate use. It's interesting to note that the company warns you that the straps are not indestructible and will wear out, and that they'll gladly send you a new set for $20, only $5 less than the cost of the whole set, with brackets included. This means you'll probably be spending $20 a year on Power Grips (at best) whereas plastic clips are $5 a throw, and a clipless set, while more expensive, is probably a better value.

But this isn't why I switched back. I was trying to adjust the straps one day and the adjusting screw became crossthreaded and got stuck. Trying to force the screw in either direction stripped the threads, and eventually the screw snapped in half, leaving my Power Grips useless. Now half of a screw is stuck in the hole. I'm going to send the part back to Power Grips, hoping they can replace it.

For now, I'm back to ordinary toe clips.

Hey, thanks for the info andreunin1936.

Winter approacheth.

I like the clipless for my commute and used them on tour but the trick is getting the right shoes. the shoes are mostly for racers and only a few styles are out there for actualy walking in much less hiking. Bike companies need to stop letting racing drive (pun-intended) :rolleyes: their design.

I was just talking to a Guy In a Bikeshop yesterday about clipless, as I am thinking of going that way (adjusting the toe clips every time I stop to get a tight fit is really annoying with all the traffic lights around.) Anyway I asked about the harder shoe vs. walking thing and he said that the main intention is to have better power transfer and to avoid 'heat' on the sole of your feet where the cleats are on the shoe that apparently arises when using a more flexible shoe. Now I'm no time-trialling racer type (yet:) but going nice and fast is certainly half the fun and a stiff shoe sounds like it would help woth the hills. So..... how does that expectation compare with the reality? What do commuters think the trade off should be - I can certainly see that not being able to walk far would be a pain, especially if you just want to ride to the shops or something.

I commute using Speedplays and the cleats for those are pretty big. I don't walk too far in them thats for sure. Basically park my bike when I get to work and head straight the showers. They are somewhat akward to walk in but I got used to it pretty easy so to me its no big deal.

The benefits of increased pedal power, smoother cadence and faster speed makes them worthwhile regardless of any kind of funny walking.

Yeah, my cadence has gotten a lot smother since I went clipless. I can spin much faster in a lower gear also.

I ordered these last night. Hopefully they will be more comfortable.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...ype=&estoreid=

Sweet, those look like salomon hiking sneakers.