I ride platforms now, but used SPDs for over a decade before I went to platforms. In that entire time I never fell over, and never knew anyone who did. But people always told me I would lol! Like the scene from American Flyers (the movie). But I never even got close.

Yes.

I use clipless most of the time, though when I go out for lunch I push on the clipless pedals with sneakers or dress shoes which is less than ideal. In the winter when it gets really snowy I switch to platforms for two reasons - sometimes when slogging uphill on a very crowned road and heavy snow cover, when I push the pedal sometimes my rear tire will slide a foot sideways without warning, and also I can get a tire caught in an icy rut and get thrown sideways with no warning. In those situations, I need to be able to put a foot down INSTANTLY. The other reason is that when it's VERY cold (about -10F/-20C or below), I wear big high top hunting boots.

Honestly, I used to run toe clips, and for me they're not significantly different than clipless. I ran clipless first because everyone said they were so much better than toe clips. They really aren't, for me. I had resolved to just toss them once either the cleats or the pedals wore out, but my new road bike came with a new pair of pedals and cleats, so I'll probably keep using them for a few more years.

SPD on my "real" commuter (fenders, rack, dynamo) and flats on my single speed minimal commuter

Toe Clips for me, too.

Someone should mention -- so I will -- that the vast majority of people who ride bikes use plain old pedals with no foot retention, and it's fine for them. The high fraction of us who use cleats or toe clips reflects the fact that this is a bike forum, full of people who are all about bikes and getting the most out of them.

My main summer and winter commuters both run platforms. My "fun" commuter has platforms with MKS mini clips.

I have three bikes I regularly commute on. One has platforms, one has SPD mountain bike clipless pedals, and one has dual purpose - SPD on one side and platform (quill type) on the other side. I have no preference on commutes up to 10 miles. The longer my commute, the more I lean to clipless. Mostly it depends on what shoes I need to be wearing when I get where I am going OR what bike is the easiest to grab when in a rush.

Chocolate or Vanilla ice cream. Sign me up for either! Ride what makes you feel the most comfortable. If money is an issue, stick with platforms and use almost any shoes you currently own.

I ride clipless only, all the time. SPD/mtn. My wife has clipless only on her road bike, and dual-sided on her mtb. I tried her pedals out, and was constantly frustrated getting the pedals flipped over to the correct side.

For me, if I ride platforms, I'm forever shifting my feet around trying to figure out what's the "right" place to put them. Like the old man with the long beard, when somebody asked him whether he slept with his beard under or over his blanket and he never got a good night's sleep again trying to figure out which way felt "right"!

My spd shoes are traily/hikey enough looking/feeling that I don't mind wearing them around. They are perfectly fine inside stores on carpet or linoleum, our outside on dirt or grass. The only annoyance is outside, the cleat scraping on asphalt. Once in a great while, I'll ride a short distance on the spd pedals in just tennis shoes. If I really need different shoes at my destination, I can throw them in my bucket and ride clipped in.

platform pedals make my feet hurt so for me clipless is a necessity. after trying multiple mechanisms i decided i love spuds. i even got rid of the spd-ls on my road bikes and replaced them with 280 g A600 road bike spds:

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=409447
i love the fact that i now have the same clipless mech on my 37 lb shopping bike and my 17 lb race bike.

i often wear half plate spd shoes when i need to walk around and don't want to carry extra shoes. for me the lack of a full plate make them just as comfortable as normal shoes. i particularly like the ct-80s:


http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=409446

for commuting and sport i prefer giro carbide (or m077s). i tend to buy multiple pairs since i almost always crack the plate after ~2 years of use. (i hate ratchet shoes because i always break the clasp.)

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=409453

spare_wheel, that ct40 is a pretty nice looking shoe, and it looks pretty comfy as well. That is now the top contender for when I need to replace my current shoes.

But googling, I for the first time heard of "SHIMANO CLICK'R". I can't tell what that is exactly, how is it different from regular SPD?

the click'r is a platform/spd combo designed for new users but the ct-80s and the ct-40s work fine with normal spds. everyone is different but i can walk comfortable for many miles in those shoes.

I have some older Wellgo platforms that came on a bike I got off craigslist, and they are quite light and made for cages, so I use those with cages/straps. I ride in my sneakers - specifically aasics onitsuka tigers.

That makes sense. I was starting to feel like the odd person out because I have clips on my "play" bike, and plain pedals on my "working" bikes.

That's the way I do it, I have platforms on my commuter, and everything else has clipless.

I ride on platforms also, but I use New Balance shoes so I'm cooler than you nyah nyah nyah -- jk! I actually use a pair of Asics and a pair of NB. I wear them because I like to walk aerobically in addition to cycling - so I put on the NBs, ride my bike a few miles to where I want to walk (usually a park), lock the bike and do 30 to 45 minutes of powerwalking - then ride home. Magically, there are no shoe changes necessary! :)

my 2¢ worth. I'm old school, toe-clips for me. In the winter I sometimes switch to power grips to accommodate my NEOS's when things go way, way south.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=410018

Platform only. I need to be able to move my feet.

- Andy

Platform, to me its not worth the hassle messing with bringing extra shoes. Plus my regular New Balance tennis shoes are much more comfortable than my clipless shoes. From my experience (I have commuted clipless before) any difference in speed is negligible at my commuting effort.

In a situation where time spent preparing is not counted, clipless provides a small advantage.

In a situation like commuting, I find that any performance gains I might be receiving are offset by the time spend changing shoes at the beginning and end, the extra hassle of trying to carry shoes with me, etc.

There's a lot of arguments on either side - perhaps you simply enjoy riding clipless more. Or less. Perhaps you are doing more "setup time is not counted" rides elsewhere, so you want to reinforce the motions and muscle patterns you will need when riding clipless is of small benefit. Perhaps you want to look like a biker - I would not enjoy riding a pink bike with tassles into work each day, others prefer to go with the clipless look for the same reason that sports fans wears jerseys. It certainly doesn't hurt anything. While I find it more troublesome to find shoes, cleat angles, etc with clipless, it seems easier to get an accurate fitting when my foot doesn't move around on the pedal during the fit.

Winter is nigh and we don't get enough cold weather in Georgia to justify SPD boots. We can just wait until tomorrow. The snow will melt and it will warm up.

I wear flip-flops around the house. When I leave to go anywhere, on a bike or in Cheryl's ride to the doctor's office, I have to change shoes. No big deal just choose the shoes for the task ahead.

I tried out the ol' Merrell Hiking boots with the platform side of the A530s the other day. I really wish the snow and cold temps would linger longer so I wouldn't feel bad purchasing boots that I don't need. I just don't have to be anywhere bad enough that is so far away that I can't put on the boots and walk if I REALLY need to get there. That sucks, because riding with platforms sucks worse than walking does.

No roadie, efficiency, muscle building, fitness, Fredness, simplicity or anything else thing to me. I just don't like to ride unless I am clipped in. I've felt that way since the second time I fell over learning how to ride clipless. More secure, no cleat angle crap, no one around here rides a bike so I look strange anyway, no float crap, no nothing about cool--there is no one to impress, no nothing.

I like SPD pedals and I think other forms of clipless pedals, that I have tried, along with platform pedals suck eggs.

The roadie has those A520, or, something road SPDs on it until I get weight weeniesh and decide to buy some A600s because they are grey and weigh 50 grams less. That I can justify!!

I love great, big BMX platforms with removable pegs. Some Easterns you can even run straps on. Now they make them in plastic composite type stuff, even better!:thumb:

Platform. I wear New Balance running shoes every day because I also walk about 4 miles during the lunch hour to keep my back in shape. NB has 4E shoes that fit my weird feet very well. I've never found a pair of cycling shoes that were comfortable. I like VO Touring pedals - light and very grippy. My feet never slip.

Large Wellgo BMX w adjustable screws on my everyday bike (I am car-free).

Shimano 540s & SPD shoes/sandals on my more sporting Synapse.

Joe

Am I reading this correctly, that you are asserting that some riders use clipless pedals for aesthetic reasons or as markers of a social group?

Yes. Have you actually ridden in group rides with roadies? There's a number of people who get their tights in a bunch if you aren't wearing the "right" gear. What's the latest - even having a saddlebag is not unfashionable or something? I've seen them get obnoxious about not wearing spandex and wearing mtn biking shorts, having a rack on the bike, or using any shoes that aren't road shoes.

I suppose wearing SPD's is somewhat part of my identity, i.e. who am as well as what I do. But I think it's harmless, as it doesn't lead me to do anything bad. I don't sneer at people who use plain pedals, which is my preferred word over platform pedals, as that term has a previous meaning.

It's true that some cyclists use clothing for aesthetic reasons and as markers of social group. I've seen groups of roadies on training rides, not a race but a training ride, maybe about 10-12 guys all together, and every single one of them was dressed in exactly the same kit. Same jerseys, same shorts, same colour shoes and socks and gloves, same helmets, I mean every of them exactly the same from head to toe. I didn't notice what brand of pedals they had , but I bet they were all the same too. I definitely wouldn't get along with that group.:lol:

Absolutely.