Clipless pedals for newbies
 

Hey everyone, I've recently been getting into cycling more and it is now my main form of transportation. I'm interested in trying out clipless pedals but am not really keen on spending $200 right off the bat for shoes, cleats, and pedals. Would it be a good idea to try and find them used or do you think that would be too difficult to find the right fit and everything? Should I just go for it and buy new? Also, any helpful tips for buying and fitting would be awesome! I'd like to be able to do a bit of walking in them into work or the gym so I guess mountain bike shoes would be better. Thanks!

you can buy everything used. but as usual, with used stuff, you'll need to be patient to find what you are looking for. visit some stores & talk to some experts to gain some insight & see & touch in person the different options, to help you know what to search for in the used market

some examples

shoes ($25)
https://boston.craigslist.org/nwb/bo...670867376.html

pedals & cleats ($40)
https://boston.craigslist.org/nos/bo...662487530.html

shoes, cleats & pedals ($25)
https://providence.craigslist.org/bo...674413135.html

Shimano M520 pedals are $25. They come with cleats. .

Shimano M520 Clipless SPD MTB Pedals | Chain Reaction Cycles

Shoes are available which look and walk just like sneakers. They are always on sale. An example is below.

https://www.rei.com/product/892627/p...ike-shoes-mens


-Tim-

I bought shoes and pedals for $30 on Amazon. I liked the Wellgo pedals on my gravel bike.I rocked the cheap shoes on my MTB and they started to come unstitched but it was a good deal and told me I like clipless pedals. Since then I have a little better stuff but a cheap way to tell me what I needed to know.

Don't forget that some cleats are two-bolt and some three, so the shoe and cleat need to match. Shimano SPD, which is one of the commonest, are two bolt. I believe that road cleats are generally three-bolt and MTB cleats two, but don't take that as gospel. MTB cleats are better for all-round use as they don't protrude below the bottom of the shoe, making them much easier to walk in.

Ynot?
 

https://www.ynotmade.com/en/shop/?category=Pedal_Straps

No special shoes required. Fits a huge range of sizes. Faster to slip a foot out of because there's no ankle twist. IMO, feels way more secure than clipless.

You need the right pedals.

Oh and no mandatory tap dancing required at the gym or work or whatever... unless you like tap dancing.

I guess you could still use these with tap shoes, so that option's still on the table.

I used these for 6 months before I took the plunge and bought clipless.

https://www.cyclesurgery.com/p/zefal-strapless-toe-clip-R5514071.html?channable=e11508.MTc5MjY1XzEyNA&colour=124&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI0f2ax6uA3QIVrrvtCh2gjAlGE AQYCSABEgJT0PD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

then bought the m520 pedals, haven't looked back since!

I will suggest the latter. If you want to go clipless just go all in. Find great fitting shoes, find the pedal system you like and go for it.

I did it this way and never looked back. Make sure you use a door way or something and practice before real world riding too. Just go for it.

Yup, a nice and affordable way to get a taste tester. Just be careful. If you go with the plastic toe clips and put down any serious power, they can warp and pull off the screws that attach them to the pedals. It happened to me. Not fun.

Another way you could think about the Ynot straps: buy some really nice running or skater shoes and pretend you bought cycling- only clipless shoes. Only difference is you can wear your nice new kicks even if you're not cycling.

I'm not hating on clipless, I just see them optimized in the context of track cycling (no stopping allowed, steep banking corners so every inch of clearance matters, no random obstacles like rocks/roots/pedestrians, every ounce of power matters) and little else.

If we're talking about anything to do with urban = Ynot straps.
Track or racing = sure clipless.

My shoes were like $50 from Nashbar, and I haven't spent over $25 on a set of Shimano SPD pedals. Not cheap just to try out, but not exactly breaking the bank either.

Been bike-commuting with plastic toe clips for over 20 years. About $10 bucks a pair on amazon. Use any shoes you want. ($12 Wally World sneakers are fine).

BAH! Go flat spiked pedals and wear any shoes you want including Birkenstocks.

just got some FUNN Mambas! flat w/ studs on one side & SPD on the other side! Love having a big pedal to jump back on after stopping & uncleating for traffic or whatever

By all means do what you enjoy, but I switched from clipless back to flats because I was using my bike to actually ride places and carrying shoes and switching back and forth was way to much of a hassle. Five Ten flat bike shoes use a special kind of rubber that grips pedals with pins very well and eliminated any foot-sliding issues with flats, and I really enjoyed biking a lot more with that setup vs when I was using clipless.

Clipless's main advantage is in foot retention, ie keeping your foot physically connected to the pedal when pedalling wildly. It's not actually a performance benefit, they've done studies on pro racers in the lab and they get the same times whether wearing clipless or flat tennis shoes. Some people argue that they allow you to all out spring at a faster speed, or provide some small but important in racing in effeciency. I'm trying to avoid wading into the endless debate but whatever small gains you might get there you lose in the time it takes to change shoes, if you're biking for transportation.

are those soles flexible or rigid?

Lol, see my response to your question in the other thread:
https://www.bikeforums.net/20523483-post8.html

I rode with toeclips and straps for a while, but I find that it's much easier to get in and out of my SPD clipless. I got reversible pedals, platform on on side, SPD on the other for the days I just want to go somewhere quick in tennis shoes.

This.

$40 for a pair of Race Face Chester pedals and your shoes stick to them like glue, but your foot still easily comes off when you want to move it.

They are not too friendly on your shins though.....

This. Shimano M324 pedals and mountain bike shows. Pedals are flat on one side and take the clips on the other.I find the clips much easier to get in and out of than toeclips with straps but if you just want to ride a short distance turn the pedal over to the flat side.I think for longer distances being clipped in is more comfortable and makes me feel more connected to the bike.

How are those quality-wise? Looked at them a year back, didn't want to spend the money on a pedal no one had heard of though.

so far so good. they have a grease port for easy maintenance which I haven't tried yet. I posted pics in another clipless thread but don't remember which, sorry. but here are a cpl

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...71be3d8291.jpg

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...46d4a4989e.jpg

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2c5867c3b0.jpg


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...930e3bd88d.jpg

I got two types of shoes for 100 each my peds came with the bikes ..

I've used platforms, platforms with clips, SPD clipless, and SPD-SL clipless. My take:

Platforms are fine for kids and maybe for commuting. Once you've tried one of the other options you're unlikely to go back to a simple platform.

Platform with clips: Good for commuting and low-intensity riding.

SPD clipless (MTB or casual road): Good for low to medium intensity riding up to 25 miles, or high intensity up to 14 miles.

SPD-SL clipless (Full road pedals): Good for medium to high intensity riding up to whatever distance you've trained for.

There's some gray area between distances for SPD vs SPD-SL. I've ridden SPDs 100 miles. But I didn't realize that my foot discomfort was due to hot spots until I switched over to SPD-SL and witnessed what it is to ride without that form of fatigue. Road pedals really do provide a better platform. And while shoes are hugely important, I was riding really nice SIDIs on my SPD pedals, and mid-range Giras on my SPD-SLs. Even the nice SIDIs couldn't totally compensate for not having a true road pedal.

I have noticed one other thing: Once I grew accustomed to clipless, I feel LESS IN CONTROL when I ride platform pedals. It's as though part of my bike handling is based on that attachment point. Without it, it's harder to stay confident in demanding handling situations.

If you've got an REI close to you they are having their end of summer clearance on shoes and apparel. I just picked up some Shimano shoes and A520's for about $120. Nice thing about REI that I didn't know before I went there is they have a no questions asked 1 year return policy for members (1 time $20 fee), even if it's been used they'll take it back for store credit.