How much difference do clipless pedals make?
 

Hi,

Just wondering how much difference clipless pedals make compared to platform?

Will they make me quicker? more efficient?? will they turn me into the next Lance Armstrong?

Fastest guy I know through out some random number:
34 percent total pedal stroke efficiency with platforms. Something like 72 percent with toe clips. 100 percent with clipless (if you know how to pedal efficiently).

Clipless pedals can help you keep your feet in optimal positions for delivering power. There is some potential for applying power on the upstroke, but that is highly variable. They could help you go faster, if that is your goal.

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z284/JanMM/noped.jpg

Answering the original questions:

1. HUGE difference, unless you're just casually puttering around.
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. No

And . . . they will be the cause of you falling over, at least once.

It is pedals, not peddles. For most, there is a significant difference between clipless and platforms. I ride more comfortably and efficiently with clipless than without. As for trying to ride quicker, speed comes with time and endurance and all of it comes with efficiency.

For commuting I think there is slight improvement in efficiency. I do think they help you go a little faster especially sprinting to pass someone. Overall I didn't find it to be a huge difference. I'm surprised at the percentages quoted. What I used to see floating around in response to this question was a 15% increase in efficiency. I don't know any actual data either way.

They do keep your feet from slipping from the pedals which is the main reason I use them.

Do you have to stop and start frequently (e.g., a lot of stop signs or traffic lights)? If so, clipless pedals may not be the best choice. So, it depends if you are riding mostly in the city versus long stretches of road.

I'm pretty sure those numbers are completely fabricated. Maybe not by your friend, but by someone. Partially because they're absolute percentages, which would be a strange way of expressing the results of any kind of controlled study. Partially because there has been a real controlled study linked here in the past showing 1) that the difference isn't nearly that large, and 2) that the idea of "pulling up" on the pedals is mostly a myth; the muscles used for "pulling up" just aren't that strong.

It's a matter of preference. They will not magically make your commute awesome, nor will they make you incredibly faster. With that being said, if you're commuting, try them, and use them if you like them. They are not required to cycle well, fast, or efficiently.

Okay, that's enough retro-grouching.

The pulling up effect for me only happens if I'm out of the saddle pushing really hard - even then its minimal. I do feel like I get a slightly longer power stroke clipped in. Pedaling is a little more efficient, but equally important is the fact that you are connected to you pedals. The annoyance of having to clip in is offset by having your feet attached. Even though I rarely had problems with slipping before, there is a noticeably more secure feeling with the clipless pedals. I still ride on platforms from time to time, but the difference in feel is a fairly dramatic difference.

Virtually zero, according to the research I've seen. Foot retention was not, as far as I know, ever designed to increase efficiency. Your chain rings, you see, are round. You don't have to encourage them to go in a circle, and pulling up is very inefficient except for *maybe* that split second as you pass through the 'dead spot'.

All of these retention systems are designed simply to stop your feet from coming off the pedals under hard effort, because that can be quite a dangerous thing to have happen!

I went from platforms to M520's with multi-release clips and have yet come close to falling over. Having had my feet slide off my old platforms in the past was the initial motivation, and all I can tell you is that I'm glad I made the switch. I'm sure most that have taken the clipless plunge will agree.

Apparently not a lot of roadies on this forum.

1. "Pulling up" is no longer considered to be a real benefit of using clipless pedals. Most roadies have known that for several years.
2. Forward and rearward force are real with a clipless -- involving the quads and hamstrings more. This is impossible with a platform. This is where the benefit is -- IF you have good pedaling technique.
3. If your pedaling technique stinks -- in other words, if you only pedal up and down and not in circles -- you won't be efficient or fast with any pedal. The difference in pedal types won't matter to you.

I find that toe clips have 95% of the benefits of clipless with none of the drawbacks.

No offense, Scheherezade, but I feel exactly the opposite. I like the feeling of being clipped in.
BTW, nice name- I'm reading the Arabian Nights to my daughter now.

I feel the same way. Love my clips :)

I'm the opposite. I don't like how toe clips aren't secure unless I really cinch the straps down, which makes them "slow-release" compared to clipless. I don't like how I have to flip the pedal around while trying to cross an intersection, and I don't like the clip dragging on the pavement while turning because I'd gotten impatient about flipping the pedal and just want to get out of the intersection.

To be fair, toeclips n' straps turned me on to the idea of using the whole pedal stroke for both power and giving various muscles a bit of a break; I wouldn't have jumped to clipless pedals & shoes straight away. But, once I got my first clipless setup, I was stoked.

I currently have metal half-clips (no straps) on my commuter. I had been using plain, but nice-looking, MKS platforms, and then wanted to see what the matching half-clips would do for me. I don't like them. The one thing they do is keep my foot in the right spot on the pedal. They don't have any retention, they're difficult to get into -- partly due to the pedals, partly due to some of the shoes I own -- and they're still long enough to drag on the pavement if I have to turn while un-half-clipped. All of the drawbacks, none of the benefits. I'm going to take these pedals off and put on some CB Mallets I have sitting around. At least they'll work well with any shoe and still give me a clipless option.

I guess it depends. I personally gave up on clipless pedals because I realized they just weren't my style and I don't think I would have ever really gotten used to them. On the other hand if you haven't ever tried them you should. I personally love some BMX type pedals and some sticky skater shoes. I like being able to just get on my bike and ride without worrying what shoes I have on or clipping in. Some people love clipless and it seems like second nature to them. Try it out and it might be great for you.

These are the pedals I mentioned -- work well with just about every shoe I own. The only ones that are sketchy are hard-soled dress shoes.
http://cdn0.vitalmtb.com/photos/prod...jpg?1290194678

These, which I have on my road bike, are serviceable with regular shoes, too -- kinda small, but they're flat, and they don't have springs or clips to poke into the shoe's sole (unlike Look and SPD-SL pedals):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v2...e/IMG_3958.jpg

In case anyone's forgotten, there are a lot of different shapes of clipless pedals:
http://mtobikes.com/wp-content/time-...ike-pedals.bmp
http://www.comparecyclegear.com/img2...ess-pedals.jpg
http://images.jensonusa.com/large/pe...k__916_crm.jpg
http://www.goclipless.com/images/cra..._interbike.jpg
https://www.danscomp.com/images/products/mid_468016.gif

I like clipless pedals. That said, for commuting they don't have much impact on my overall time to and from work. They can give a bit of a boost when you want it. When you're just cruising along they don't make a lot of difference.

The post above makes an excellent point. There are several types of clipless pedals, and an even larger selection of shoes.

can someone fix the misspelling of "peddles" in the thread subject? like fingernails on chalkboard...

After years of using toe clips I went clipless 1.5 years ago. I wouldn't go back. I now hate the feel of toe clips on my toes. I recommend multi-release SPD cleats for commuting. After falling over a few times with the regular cleats the multi-release cleats are much more confidence inspiring in traffic. I also like them much more than the platform pedals on my folding bike, especially after my foot slipped off the platforms while pedaling uphill. YMMV.

As a commuter, I feel that being clipless feels very natural, secure. Yes, fell off once at lights, years ago, but make the switch, you'll love them. :)

yeah you might fall over once when you first start but most people do. and for commuting in urban settings, you will have to clip-in/clip-out more often, but once you get the hang of it, you will be very efficient compared to most cyclists.

my advice would be to check craigslist/ebay, pick up some cheap used shoes & pedals to try them out. worse case you hate them and resell them without loosing much if any.

If in doubt - get dual purpose pedals. Platforms on one side and SPD on another. There is plenty of roadies riding in MTB shoes for one reason or another, mild identity crisis notwithstanding.

I like them for better control of the bike. I am ambidextrous and performing new/unfamiliar tasks with dominant hand/foot does not come natural to me, so I had to train myself to unclip with one foot and one foot only.

Good luck.

SF