Steely Dan

i don't ride on the platform sides of my combo pedals often, but when i do i always reflexively heel click when i try to take my foot of the pedal. it doesn't cause any harm, but it is funny how ingrained that motion becomes after riding clipless pedals everyday for years.

droy45

I have used them for 3-4 years with no trouble unclipping its just to get the perfect aim and alignment to clip back in. MTB shoes are harder to align as the cleat is recessed in the sole and it has to line up just perfect or it won't clip. I would like to get to a point where I can just feel around and get it without looking down, but it hasn't happened yet.

Steely Dan

yeah, i ride SPD pedals with a MTB shoe with a recessed cleat. i guess it was a little tricky at first, but after 6 years, it's become automatic and second nature to clip-in.

i would have for sure thought that after 3-4 years anyone else would be there too, but maybe different people just have different levels of foot dexterity or something? i dunno.

CenturionIM

A lot of people have said MTB shoes are better for walking around. I want to add that yes, they are BETTER, but nowhere near good. To me, even MTB shoes are terribly stiff. Good for riding, horrendous for walking. Knee killer is what it is. Do I use them? Yes, riding is so much smoother with them. Would I walk half a mile in these shoes? Hell no

OneGoodLeg

OP where are you? One other thing about clipless shoes to think about. If you're some place that gets cold or wet, windy and cooler, you will freeze your feet off. There are alot of products to help prevent that from happening. I have yet to encounter the perfect solution. I've frozen my feet on a 40 degree day just due to the wind chilling my pedals and the base of the shoe acting like a heat sink. With platform pedals, you could always go with nice warm foot wear and a strap.

I've ridden year round on clipless and after this last winter, I'm done with riding clipless in less than ideal temps. I thought I was going to lose some toes this year.


I think you mean counter-balanced pedals. I have an old pair of Christophes that aren't counterbalanced so the toe cage flips to the bottom alot, those toe cages have taken some abuse.

I have a SPD single sided pedal on my fixed gear and it doesn't always flip or tilt to the correct side. It took awhile to get the feel of clipping in while pedaling at the same time.

Steely Dan

then i guess it depends on the MTB shoe (or perhaps the person). i've probably walked over 1,000 miles in my MTB shoes over the years. in fact, when i did a 900 mile LEJOG tour across britain 2 years ago, we packed super-light for the tour, the only shoes i brought were my MTB shoes. whenever we got to a new town i didn't have other shoes to change into, so when we were off the bikes exploring were to grab some grub and a pint, my MTB shoes were what i used. they're not as comfortable as a proper pair of hiking shoes, but i can certainly walk a couple of miles in them without issue.

droy45

I paid more attention to it tonight and can clip in fine as long as I take a quick peek down to make sure my foot is lined up properly. I guess its kind of second nature for me too but the part I still don't like is taking off at a green light and accelerating hard with one shoe not engaged properly. So once I'm up to speed and moved over to the right side of the lane, I stop pedaling for a second and have to fumble around a little to clip in. I would do that as soon as I take off but most intersections around here are very fast moving and I have to sh*t and git or get honked at by some impatient driver.

CenturionIM

What shoe do you have? I would gladly try on something I can actually walk in.

I have the Shimano M087: www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=10803973

My thoughts goes like this: stiff sole on biking shoes makes for efficient transfer. Also if the sole flex too much then the recessed plate would touch the ground, which defeats the purpose.

Steely Dan

i have a pair of 6 year old shimano MTB shoes, i don't remember the model number and i don't know if they even make them anymore. they look kinda similar to the Shimano SH-MT22.

they have a classic lace-up casual look that i like because when i'm off the bike walking around town i don't look like a complete bike dork (just a regular dork ). i wouldn't go on a 15 mile hike with them, but for causal around town walking, they're more than fine.

agent pombero

Superior pedaling; power; efficiency; no slippage; no knee pain

asmac

Agreed on the riding style point. I'm not an aggressive rider and normally don't have a problem unclipping but unexpected things happen on the road and I really want to NEVER be trapped when I need to get out of the way of a car.

spare_wheel

when i converted to clipless i installed the pedals and road to work without a second of practice. a decade later i have yet to come close to falling over. how did i do this? i was an accomplished track stander before i switched. take an afternoon and learn how to track stand. its just a simple trick -- not some great balancing feat.

more spd wisdom:

most users eventually switch to two sided spds.
shoe laces get caught in your drive train.
velcro and bindings are more secure and efficient.
cheap fiberglass plates wear out far quicker than carbon fiber plates.
if you are an aggressive rider mufti-directional cleats can be dangerous.

terrapin44

I am always slamming on the brakes or the floor when I get in a car with an automatic transmission.

HvPnyrs

^^^^, Welcome to Club Tombay from a fellow member in good standing.

Have been riding clipless for years. Replaced worn SPD cleats on shoes with a Brand New Lemony Fresh pair of cleats. Unfortunately neglected to adjust the release tension for the virgin cleats (DOH!!).

Took off Eastward from Downtown. Coming Up on a Left turn in *4th St. Gang* part of the *Hood* waited too late to unlock shoe, and did a classic zero speed tip over in front of a "Low Rider" full of *clean head* "Vato Locos". Everybody busted up laughing, Got the Hydraulics going on the Low Rider and sounded the custom "La Cucaracha" melody horn.
This Most Humbled Neon Ninja in Spandex, brushed myself off, grinning sheepishly, big "What Can I Say" shrug of shoulders, and took a deep bow with flourish. Which earned even more laughter and honorary "loco vato" status.

Mr. Hairy Legs

Everybody falls at least once. :-) Fortunately my only clipless wipeout (so far) was in a spot where nobody saw me.

I don't like riding without my SPD's because my feet always end up sliding forward on the pedals.

I wear the Keen Austin commuter shoes, as mentioned in an earlier post, and man those things are indestructible. I've had mine for nearly a year, rode through mud and snow all winter, and aside from being a bit scratched up from raspberry bushes, they are still like new. And they don't even stink! They are warm enough (with wool socks) for winter riding in the PNW. I highly recommend them. Thinking about those sandals for the summer...

I switched recently from multi-release to single-release cleats, and I like them better. The multis would sometimes pop off when I hit a big enough bump, but I never actually wanted to intentionally release that way, so there wasn't really any point.

On a slightly less relevant note, I also moved my cleats inward on the shoes (towards the bike) as far as they will go, and I'm finding clipping in to be much faster now.

joshuatrio

Go with SPD pedals - can't go wrong. They are as cheap as $25 online with cleats.

Shoes - find last years model online. I ended up with Pearl Izumi All Road's - normally $90 - got them on clearance at REI for $39.

Go with a mountain style shoe, or hybrid(ish) like the All Road's. Make sure it has a pretty stiff sole, and velcro, not laces. Not only is velcro kid friendly, but riding a bike makes you feel like a kid... just makes sense.

Don't do the straps - your feet still slide around a bit, and after 6-12 months, you'll wish you'd gone clipless.

neil

Another vote for one-sided SPD, one sided platform pedals (around my social circle, these are called "flippy-clippys"). The recessed spd cleat is relatively practical, allowing some walking in cycling shoes. However, I don't find that they offer enough mobility to not change shoes when I arrive at my destination, so I only use cycling shoes for rec rides and touring...never when I'm actually going somewhere around town. This makes the platform side the one I use the most, but it's still handy to have a clipless option readily available.

I will also confess that my left foot seems incapable of releasing the cleat, so I've had a few falls in that direction. I've learned to weight the bike's load towards to the right to avoid this problem when I'm going to be using my bike shoes.