GravelMN

First off, I too am a "normal" middle age man and have absolutely no problem wearing spandex (usually on group or organized rides) and a helmet, and using SPD shoes and pedals. Nothing abnormal about it. It is a choice dependent on how your ride and your personal preferences.

I also have no problem riding in a t-shirt and cargo shorts with Keen sandals or sports shoes (that's why I have dual sided pedals). Still wear my helmet but again, that's a choice, I'm not going to preach about it.

While you can certainly ride flat pedals in "regular" shoes, there are some modest advantages to having a properly set up clipless shoe/pedal combination. The big misconception is that you are "attached" to the bike. I can't speak for all the clipless systems out there, but with an SPD multi-release cleat and a properly adjusted pedal (takes an allen wrench and 10 minutes to set them up) you can easily step off the pedal in any direction except straight forward (bad form anyway) or straight back. Mine are set up with just enough tension to prevent accidental clip outs while riding. The release at any angle except straight forward and back is so light that I don't have to consciously clip out. The retention is light enough that I can pull up slightly during normal pedaling but a moderate tug at the top of the pedal stroke releases the cleat. There is absolutely no way that I am "locked" to the bike in any fashion as I can clip out easily at any time and no way I would remain attached to the bike in an accident. I think the big problem is that people use the single release cleats that used to come with most shoes and pedals (thankfully, Shimano is now issuing multi-release cleats with just about everything) and didn't bother to set the pedal tension. The retention can be set higher for aggressive riders who can crank up the watts and pull up hard on the back half of the pedal stroke, or who ride rough terrain where vibration and jolts could result in accidental clip outs at inopportune moments. Like helmets, its a choice. Don't use them if you don't want to, but there is nothing dangerous or freaky about them.

Blues Frog

I like the SPD pedals of mountain bike fame. I like the shoes for riding. I get to work and put my duty boots on. Works for me.

DnvrFox

I wear a swimming suit for swimming, tennis outfit for tennis, suit and coat for funerals, casual wear for friends and dinner, and appropriate bicycling attire (spandex for comfort and flexibility) for bicycling.

I use cleats on my road bike (1), toe clips for road bike (2), and platforms for mountain bike.

I am in my 70's. Age makes no difference. Wear what fits the activity.

John_V 

I'll be 68 in a few months and ride a rode bike about 98% of the time. I have been riding on clipless pedals for almost 4 years (about the time I got back into cycling) and will not ride a road bike without them. On the flip side, my hybrid has platform pedals and they serve me well when I ride it.

I put on a lot of miles (9,000 last year) and ride with lots of different riders (11 charity rides last year and group rides in between) and can tell you that you don't need to be attached to your pedals to fall off a bike. I've seen worst injuries to right legs, on falls, from coming off the pedals and scraping across the chain than I have seen injuries with clipless pedals where the feet often do not leave the pedals until the rider is on the ground. Injuries to the hips and knees will occur on falls with or without clipless pedals.

Riding with clipless pedals is like driving a car. Pressing on the brake or depressing the clutch becomes second nature when slowing down or stopping. The same holds true for engaging and disengaging your cleats. BTW: I also wear spandex and a helmet on all my rides.

SwampDude

Ok, Greg, you win!

I'm enjoying the opinions expressed here and the civility of their presentation. Good thoughts, well presented, are what good threads are made of.

Frankfast

Same age as above poster. Rode 45 miles today at a 15mph average up and down hills of NY and Ct. I could not imagine doing it without being clipped in. Descending at 35 or 40mph and having your foot slip off is scary. You are attached to the bike and I wouldn't have it any other way. Yes I wear Lycra and a hemet. At my age I don't give a damn what others think.

I don't think that I would ride nude like those people in Portlandt though.

Doug64

I've been riding clipless pedals since they first came out, and thought they were a godsend compared to what I had been using for the prevous 20 years: cleated shoes, toeclips and straps. Clipless pedals provide consistency in release of the shoe from the pedal.

Quote:

Before the Look pedal, riders rode with metal toe clips which were secured to the pedal platform, and lashed their feet to the contraption using a leather strap, named the “toe clip strap”. (Apparently, the same guy who named the toe clip strap wasn’t available when Look was divining the name for the clipless pedal). Since the toe clips were screwed to the pedals, the rider was similarly screwed should they need to disengage from said pedal

The only serious accident caused by any kind of pedal restraint system was when I first used clipless pedals. I was so used to being really secure to the pedal with toes straps that I twisted my body to my left looking for traffic as I entered an intersection, and inadvertently unclipped my right foot and went over the bars. If I would have stopped for the stop sign it would not have been a problem Those new-fangled clipless pedal just didn't hold my foot securely enough; they were too easy to get out of.

These cleats were nailed to the sole of your cycling shoe. The slot fits over the rear cage of your pedal. The toe strap was cinched down, and you were really attached to the bike. The rider had to lean over to loosen the strap so the foot could be slipped out of the toe clip.

The bottom line is to use whatever you want.



Circa early 1970--cleats, toe clips and straps. Oh, and fancy Italian cycling shoes. Heck with the carbon soles, they had a steel plate.

aubiecat

But seriously, what is a "cleet?"

GravelMN

Check out Shimano's fairly new shoes with their Volume Tour Lasts and Performance Tour Lasts. I just got some with the Performance Tour lasts and they fit my EE+ feet, in the correct size (I had been buying shoes a size or more too large to get the width I needed) with plenty of room to wiggle my toes and even wear wool socks in the spring and fall. The Performance Tour Lasts are 15% larger in the toe box, 10% larger across the ball of the foot and 8% larger across the arch. Shimano's previous "wide" was just 5% larger in the toe box and forefoot than their regular "D" width. Kudos, Shimano, for figuring out that not everyone has ballerina feet. There are only a few models in their widest lasts, but I'm hoping they will expand the line.

For those who don't like the walkability or the look of most of the cycling shoes out there check out the CT 40 touring shoe, which comes in the roomiest of the lasts = Performance Touring. It is extremely walkable, not much different than the average walking shoe, and looks like any other walking/athletic shoe (so you won't get your ass kicked at the local watering hole ).


They aren't stiff enough for competition or more "serious" riders, but I've done up to 100 miles in them in an afternoon with no hot spots or pain. For anyone who wants to try clipless but doesn't want to immediately look like a cyclist, even when off their bike, I highly recommend these.

RonH

I can't ride a bike that doesn't have clipless pedals.

NVanHiker

Seeing middle-aged men wearing 'kit' makes me want to poke my eyes out with hot needles. But hey, to each his own.

downtube42

In a time crunch I've been known to show up at a group ride on my commuter wearing steel toed shoes on platform pedals, wearing my company logo button-down shirt and pleated slacks.

That feels abnormal. Admittedly fun to compete for the sprints and hullclimbs so adorned, terrifying when a foot flies off during a sprint, but definitely abnormal.

I've walked into a bar or two clad in Lycra, SPDs, and a layer of sweat and dead insects. Nobody has effed with me yet. Chafing OTOH, has definitely made an impression.

JanMM

Weren't no 'cleets' on the several pairs of Bata Bikers I wore out in a previous life. Worked great with toe clips.
Comfortable for walking? Meh.

DnvrFox

I live in an area with literally thousands of bicycle riders. Almost everyone wears Lycra, young and old. However, I have not seen many folks with eyes poked out with hot needles, but I will let you know if I find one. Perhaps you could exchange Braille or "talking" emails!!

Road Fan

Are you saying that toeclip platform touring pedals (such as Shimano 600-6207, the Lyotard 25, or the Campy C-record road pedal limit float? Not if you use them without slotted cleats. If anything they offer more float than clip-on pedals.

CbadRider

Yes, we do.

I wear street clothes for short distances on my hybrid bike and Lycra for longer distances on my road bike. I have platform/SPD pedals on the hybrid and clipless on the road bike. I use the tools that work best for the job I want to get done.

Doug64

What is your definition of "kit"?

Conversely, I just sort of smile and scratch my head when I see an old codger on a "go fast" road bike with platform pedals.

Zinger

All right.....Inspirational !

I was almost ready to throw down for speedplays and modern shoes but you and your strava just inspired me out of it

Zinger

Yeah I had some of those.



I used to love the Avocets with ridges in the soles. I had to grind the ridges a little wider for my toeout but I loved riding in those. I wore out three pairs and would have bought three or four more if I'd known they were going to stop making them.

Eventually I'll wear out my (no-longer-made) "Performance" shoes like that and will probably go to speedplays and clipless / clipons or whatever the heck you call them.

Trsnrtr

This whole thread, or at least the first page, makes me embarrassed to be over 50. Belongs in the 'get off my lawn' thread.

Seriously, all cycling clothes that so many want to pejoratively demean has a purpose developed since the dawn of cycling. If a person doesn't want to wear cycling attire, don't wear them but don't obsess over those that do.

As for cleets, well...

cplager

No, I'm saying pinned pedals (like shown below) have basically no float during the pedal stroke (yes, you can pick your foot off and re-angle it, but you can't do that while pedalling).



Toe clips range from half clips (which is personally the minimum I'd recommend) to full clips with straps.

Half-clips with a smooth pedal will have a lot of float. If you are riding full clips with straps, I'd be surprised if they have anywhere near the float you can get with some clipless pedals (e.g., speedplay, etc) and I personally found that I had more trouble getting my foot out of full clips with straps than clipless pedals.

Road Fan

Ok, I see, thanks for the clarification.

But I can't agree about float. I have ridden full toeclips with straps for decades, and I can assure you there is at least +/- 20 degrees available - you can turn your body nearly sideways in fact, if you balance and bike stability allow such stunts. There is nothing in the use of toeclips on the road that requires tight straps or slotted cleats. You should try it - straps that loosely touch your feet all around the foot, no cleats, stiff-soled smooth shoes. It works pretty well, and there is nearly zero chance that you can't get your feet out or stuck in a knee-stressing position.

With cleats or overly tight straps, I agree, your feet are pretty-well held. But my point is that this is not necessary or common.

cplager

Until my first folding bike, I only ever used toe clips. I find them much safer than bare pedals (and as I said, I personally think half-clips are the bare minimum from a safety point of view).

But after going to clipless pedals, I'm not going back to clips. I personally don't see the point. I get more control, I can pedal for more of the stroke, and, since I ride a recumbent, I don't have to hold my feet on the pedals.

All that said, for a DF bike, I wouldn't bother trying to convince anybody happily using clips to go clipless (I do think that most clip riders would be better off as clipless, and would encourage them to switch if they showed an interest). But 7 of one half-a-dozen of another, close enough...

OldsCOOL

Quite unlike the shorts they wear.

big john

Yes, but don't you use clipless pedals?

They're called "clipless" pedals and they've been around since the 1980s. I've ridden over 150,000 miles with them on everything from touring bikes, mountain bikes, and performance type road riding.
I'm a member of a road cycling club and it's very rare for me to see a rider not using clipless.

If people don't want to use them I don't care, but I don't understand the obvious fear some people here have. If you're a performance oriented rider, they're a good thing.

Toe clips and straps, however, suck and I was very happy to stop using those foot torture devices decades ago.