Safety first!

It would be a lot safer if it had clipless pedals.

Regarding shoes, I purposefully chose spd shoes that look pretty much like normal hiking tennis shoes...so I can wear them a few places if I need to, and the spd recessed cleat allows me to walk normally.

...That said, when i go to work, I just pack other shoes into for work, because I don't want to wear out my cycling shoes, and the stiff sole makes it not comfortable to walk all day.

Using both clipless and platform pedal bikes I don't think they have much to do with safety and commuting. We could argue which is safer on a nasty MTB trail (I go with clipless), or which is more efficient (again clipless ) but on a commute? They are equal to me, at least once one has been cycling clipless for a while and use them naturally. I use platform pedals on my commuting and everyday bike usage because I don't have to cover long distances, and with clipless I'd be uncomfortable either using bike shoes for walking either carrying another pair of shoes. For a longer commute I'd consider clipless.

That's pretty much my thought process on it as well. I don't have a winter wheelset with grippy knobby tires, so sometimes i gotta put a foot or feet down to stay upright. As i have a limited financial means to repair damage from a crash, i'm not willing to risk a system i'm unfamiliar with. More than a few dozen times on my old cruiser putting a foot down quickly saved the day. Yes, i've had feet slip, i've had pedals push hard into my heel when the toe of my shoe hot the ground, but for me personally a small price to pay vs eating pavement in traffic.

And as for the implication of being a troll.... No... i'm not bored nor am i trolling, i'm simply asking a question looking for opinions... you can do that you know, have an opinion. I've stated mine.... just curiosity bout other riders' opinions and experiences

- Andy

That i had to do a lot on my old cruiser, as it had full flat rectangle nylon pedals & my shoes would slowly migrate fore or aft on rough pavement, stop & reposition. The other big big thing is i liked to position my feet a certain way for what kind of pedaling motion i wanted to do. For example if i really just needed to mash up a hill, i moved them so my lower legs were doing very little work & no foot extension, saving those muscles for the top of the hill, and other times i'd move them another position to have the pivot placed in such a way that i could get maximum extension and cruise along. The new bike has platforms but they are definitely not the crap i had on the cruiser.

I totally agree. I believe the original clip pedals were mainly utilized in racing especially velodrome & track (vs open road).

I can totally understand fixed gear having some kind of attachment mechanism, as its just seems to make sense since you need maximum control and confidence at all times, especially in mixed traffic on roads.

I personally don't have the money for bike specific shoes, and i am a size 14 wide (US), so sizing comfort & availability would probably be an issue. I can barely find regular shoes that fit properly, so i can't imagine having to shop (most likely sight unseen/no fitting) fr shoes i'd only want on my feet for the 20 minutes i'm riding. I'm also not prepared t carry 2 sets of shoes everywhere, plus in winter i'd have issues with keeping my feet warm as has been brought up in threads many times on this site. Cold feet are bad news, if your feet are cold, your whole body cools down much faster.

For me i giess its a mix of my own experience, practicality, cost, and simply sticking with what i know & what my reflexes are used to.

- Andy

The topic of clipless pedals for commuting has been rehashed and debated multiple times, and often has led to people's choices being insulted. You know... typical BF stuff.

That's why the word "troll" was being tossed around.

I like clipless pedals and use them but aside from riding my fixed gear I see no particular need for them on my commute and completely understand why lots of people wouldn't want to bother with them. Other folks feel like they make a night and day difference.

I kind of split the difference with campus pedals so I can decide on a per trip basis whether I want to ride clipless or not. Some people think campus pedals are the worst of both worlds.

I know its a goofy idea........but I have been intrigued by the idea of campus pedals used in conjunction with cleats that could be attached to any type of shoe or boot, something like a mini crampon.
The few times I would benefit from the extra efficiency of foot retention, are also the times when when carrying an extra pair of shoes would be the least desirable.

My bike has pedals. My feet have shoes. The pedals on the bike go round and round, round and round, round and round... DISCUSS!

[MENTION=369902]TransitBiker[/MENTION], I agree with what you said in post #56 . To combat the foot slippage problem and to accommodate your 14's, you might shop for some of the larger platform pedals that accept the screw in pins. I did not put any pins on the bottom of the pedals for the first ride and saw that was not going to work. I have been able to get by with what I consider a minimal number of pins on both the top and bottom. Just putting 2 on the bottom made a huge difference.

Clips are use now for track racing but they were standard equipment up until the mid90s on road and mountain bikes. And you can fall over in clips just as easily as you can in clipless.

There really is nothing special about fixed gear that needs clipless or toeclips as compared to a freewheeling bike. In fact, people used to say not to use clips or clipless on fixed for the same (wrong) reasons that they say not to use clips or clipless while commuting. I use clipless everywhere...road, off-road, winter and summer commuting, touring, recreational, etc. Getting used to them is very easy and relatively quick. If you are having trouble getting out of them after a day of riding, the pedal's release mechanism is probably too tight.


You are actually somewhat lucky when it comes to bicycling shoes. I see your size (European size 47 or 48) commonly on the sale rack. My size (44 to 45) is in the more average range and seldom makes it to the sales table.

And you don't need two sets of shoes. Mountain bike shoes are easy to walk in for a very long time if necessary. Most of them don't look any different from other athletic shoes.

And, finally, on the cold feet, that's an equipment issue. I've used all kinds of methods for keeping my feet warm in winter. Some...like neoprene shoe covers...work and others...like rag wool shoe covers... don't. I invested in a set of bicycling boots a couple of years ago and, while they weren't cheap, they are a great improvement over even shoe covers. I expect them to last me 5 to 10 years which makes them a bargain. I look on all bicycling shoes that I own that way. Most of them last at least 5 years and my previous winter shoes (not nearly as good as my boots) lasted somewhere around 15. That works out to a few dollars per year and I wasted more than that on "fixes". As the saying goes, "only a rich man can afford cheap tools".

You can get decent MTB shoes (I prefer Shimano) that will last many, many years for less than $50. Shimano 520 pedals will run you less than $25 at Nashbar. So, the cost is not that high for the benefit. I leave my work shoes at work.

I switched to toe clips and then to clipless because of safety. I was at a stoplight in the rain, and when the light turned green, my feet slipped off and I stopped fast with a pickup behind me, forcing him to brake hard. This happened twice in one ride. I decided that keeping my feet on the pedals was an important safety concern.

The only times I use platforms is informal neighborhood noodling around, and in the winter I switch because my tires may slide sideways with no warning and I must be able to put my foot down instantly.

I have never had a fall due to clipless or toe clips. Maybe people have their pedal tension up too high?

I like my clipless pedals. I am more comfortable using them for longer rides. I think I fell over once from forgetting to clip out, and that's all it took. I use road pedals on all my bikes but 2 (one mountain bike and my beater mtb). If I have to take a trip while I work, I just ride on the top of the pedals. It's comfortable enough for a few miles. I don't tend stop for stuff on the way home, though I have been thinking of getting one of hte shimano platform/clipless combos anyway.
As for bringing shoes to work...I do that. I have an old pair I leave here in the case I forget to pack a pair, or am loaded with other stuff. I don't like wearing shoes I have been sweating in, so I would do it even if I didn't have to change out of my bike shoes.
Cages don't work for me. I recently sold a bike that had them. They scuffed up my shoes, and having size 13s meant my feet didn't always have enough space on the pedal.
My one bike I still have platforms on (beater mtb) gets ridden usually for trips under 5 miles. I find myself still going through the motion of unclipping subconsciously. I don't see much reason to put clipless pedals on that bike due to the short nature of the trips I use it for...but I do tend to feel less "in control."
As for stopping and such...it is only a twist of the ankle, and I come out of my pedal long before I have actually stopped. The only times I have had problems is mountain biking on an especially muddy day...the mud gunks things up. Just have to remember to bang my feet before I clip in. I had some issues with it being hard to get out quick, but a few squirts of GT85 later and all was good n easy again.

And spuds have very good taste because they tend to choose "real" and "experienced" cyclists like me.

(Hi ILTB!)

Except that now that I am used to them, riding a bike without clipless pedals is very, very dangerous. In fact, people often stare and/or laugh as my foot launches off the pedal and the bike wobbles spasmodically. This sucker is going down...someday.

The funny thing is that when I ride a bike with toe clips, when I pull my foot out, I also twist it, just because of my habit. Funny but benign.

My front wheel skipped yesterday. Hopefully, i barely had enough time to put my foot on the ground from my platform pedal. Happened extremely fast, it was all into reptilian reflex. I certainly wouldn't had time with clipless. Pretty sure I would have fallen. Though it was low speed on a small icy and unplowed street and I had made room with cars anticipating a possible fall but still. That's why i prefer platform pedals.

And that is the thing. It seems to me you have to be riding really slow for there to be any advantage to platforms. In a crash, your feet will release from clipless. And in most non crash situations, releasing from clipless is almost instantaneous, except for the rare situation where your cleats come loose, which is why checking the tightness of your cleats should be a part of your pre ride checklist.

True that! I recently got a bike that had toe clips on it and had a bugger of a time flipping the damned pedals up to get my feet in them. Once I got the pedals flipped, I couldn't squirm my feet into the straps. The things you forget when you don't do it all the time

Two things: Many, many, many people have said that their feet come out of the pedals in a crash without them even thinking about it. I've found myself 6 feet or more away from a bike on an off-road downhill without knowing when or how I came unclipped.

Second, I find that clipless keeps me upright and on the pedals in many situations where I would have bailed with platforms. I can hop the wheel or use body english to keep the bike upright.

Why are some people so easy to criticize?

Some people do have genuine questions or thoughts and want other people's opinions.

Now that I have been riding a couple of beater bikes for the winter, I've gotten used to flat pedals again. I prefer toe clips but I've been wearing hiking boots and I don't want to fit toe clips on those winter bikes. That split second fitting your foot into the clip may mean keep rolling momentum or stalling again.

There has been a few times when I wonder, while riding through the bumps and the troughs in the snow, if toe clips would have made me more stable as in keeping my foot on the pedal.

Benign unless you roll up to a stop, and realize too late that you had tightened down the straps.

That never happens with me. I rarely tighten my left strap, and I never tighten my right strap. My right foot is my in-and-out foot.