Whoops, my bad on the SPD mixup. Still trying to sort out the different styles!

And that is one conclusion I am coming to myself. IMO, it is a much better selling point, than the rather ubiquitous talking point I get about being able to pull up.

Yes. By far the main reason I use clipless is confidence and security.

Even when I'm pedaling hard out of the saddle, it's not the pulling that feels like the main benefit; it's the fact that I don't need to worry about what my foot is doing, especially if I do stuff like shift.

I think the "pull up" argument became so dominant because it's a punchy sales point, one of those things that's very easy to make extremely convincing. Kind of like how everything associates the feel of a lightweight lowish-trail bike with "frame stiffness."

I'll chime in here to say that switching to clipless pedals solved my knee problems which were aggravated by riding with platforms. Restricting my foot movement seemed to be the key to that.

It's possible, but I don't enjoy it. I'd rather swap pedals or just keep two bikes around, one with clipless, one with platforms.

I went on my first real ride with clipless and didn't fall even once. I was so excited when I got home I was planning to tell my wife about it. As I came to a stop I had a nagging feeling that there was something I was forgetting. I thought "Shut down Strava? Turn off the bike light? Open the garage door? Oh wait, the pedals!" as I toppled over into the garbage can.

But that was it. After that I remembered and didn't fall anymore. Quick study, I am.

And they never messed up my knees.

Do people really tell you what kind of pedals to use?

I find your username hilarious and satisfying(w/ the unlimited drinks included).

Back on track:
MKS makes removable pedals. You can have platforms in the morning, road clipless(Look) in the afternoon then mountain clipless at night:
MKS ESPRIT SUPERIOR PEDALS by 1nterceptor, on Flickr

I can't speak for Philbob, but once again, I get unsolicited advice from strangers on needing to switch from platforms regularly, the most recent of which was Friday afternoon, and while spending a week on bikes with two guys earlier this month who didn't even own bikes before the beginning of the year. FWIW, they also thought I was insane for not using Chamois Butter, because that is what real cyclists do, but that is a discussion for a different thread.

If I don't take this bike to a mass ride I am doing the first weekend of August , I am sure I'll get the comment multiple times there too. It is a very real thing.

Weird. I've never had people tell me what pedals to use. I can't imagine why anyone would care.

Oh, I fully agree. For some reason in the biking community, if someone isn't doing something the same as you, many take is as a personal affront and must teach you the light!

Actually to be fair, it is pretty much that way in all my hobbies. For some reason, particular "truths" become "known", and those that don't adhere to them must be "taught" the truth. I've spent the better part of two years shrugging this one off, now I only have to bother half the time!

Actually, I suppose now I only move on to shrugging off downtube over STI shifting. I suppose I can argue this bike is at least indexed...

So ... just published yesterday on Youtube, a GCN update on the subject which seems to indicate that, in real world conditions, clipless generate significantly more power in certain situations. I find myself in agreement with all their conclusions.

Huh, the most I ever get is people asking if I have knee problems when they mistake my platform/SPD combos for regular platforms.

People are clueless on a whole lot of things, I think is the safe assumption! Seems to be quite a bit of "knowledge" that gets out there, that folks take as the gospel truth once it has been heard.

Even in your situation, what sense would it make to ask if you have knee pain? The logical person would assume if you did, you would change the situation causing it, not just suffer through because you loved platforms so likely there was no issue.

Maybe I just ride with the sweetest, most generous and helpful members of the biking community. Or maybe you ride with some dicks.

I have Shimano Saint pedals on my Specialized road bike. Obviously, I didn't read the memo.

I think the assumption was (on the few occasions where people brought it up) was that I was running the 'platforms' because I had knee issues because it is a little odd looking I guess. It's not like they were being dicks, they just seemed genuinely curious about it. The reality is that I just like being able to ride to the supermarket or work on whatever bike I feel like without changing shoes. That and hopping up on park benches etc. is a little less sketchy when you're not clipped in.

Well, I've never done that, so I'll defer judgement to those more knowledgeable

I generally ride alone, or with the fiancee. The lady Friday just happened to be someone parked next to me. Not as if they are being dicks about it, more that they have been conditioned to KNOW that road bikes NEED clipless, and I must have not gotten the memo.

Here's the video for those too lazy to look for it:


@Kapusta, they also mentioned at the 11 minutes mark that ridding clipless is more... wait for it... efficient Don't want to bring back this whole discussion, it just gave me a chuckle went I heard it, that's all

I have flat pedals on my mountain bikes... the rest of my bikes have Speedplay Frogs on them. I still wonder why the hell I didn't use clipless when I first started riding a road bike. For the first year, I used the lame toe-clip, strap pedals that were standard on my Trek 1.1.

Thanks for bringing another Clipless vs Flats thread to my attention, I would certainly not want to miss another re-hash

I use frogs on my mountain bike. Love them. I used to use them all the time on my road bike, but I am actually starting to go with flats a lot of the time on that now.

I could easily use Frogs on my hardtail 29er... but most of my rides with that bike are leisurely rail trail rides with my wife. On those rides, we hop on and off our bikes quite a bit, so clipless would be a hassle. I love Speedplay Frogs on my Gravel Bike. I don't think there could be a more perfect pedal for a gravel bike than a Speedplay Frog.

Luckily, I have wide feet, and never got dragged into the option of toe clips and straps. Tried them once (also because they came on a used bike I bought), and immediately quit using them.

I still have my toe clip/strap pedals in storage. I've tried to give them away to several people and nobody would take them.

Even worse, mine came on those stupid MKS Quill pedals, I can't even use them without the clip for platforms because they dig into the bottom of my feet!

That whole pedal setup is in my goodwill bin, to giveaway freely if I ever encounter anyone that wants them.

You're welcome

For me, it is mtb riding that I REALLY want the clipless. Sort of the opposite of the conventional wisdom, I know. But in the case of Frogs, I find them so fast and easy to get in and out of, that flats don't really give me any extra flexibility or confidence. I can drop an inside foot on a botched corner and be clipped back in by the end of the next pedal stroke. I do ride flats a few times a year, mostly for the extra skills they keep sharp.

Truth be known, if I am going on a long challenging road ride ("road" for me is anything from pavement to gravel/dirt roads), I still tend towards the frogs over flats. I use flats on my workout rides and other shortish rides more out of convenience, since I am often shooting around town on the same bike, and flats are way more practical for that.