going clipless
 

Hello,
I noticed a lot of talk about clipless and toe clip pedals. I myself own toe clips that came with the bike. I haven't tried them and im not sure if i should. I mostly ride on paved surfaces. Should i first try the clips or go straight to clipless? If i should go to clipless does anyone know where i can get a good price for a decent set or clipless things :D. Also how would i know if my pedals are clipless compatible?


Thanks :)

clipless. Check pricepoint.com has fantastic deals on a pedal+shoe combo. I know they sell the Egg beaters (the best clipless pedal in my opinion with a shoe for $120) It is very evident if your pedals are clipless compatible, if therse just a platform they are not. I would not touch toe clips with a 10 foot poll

If you ride your bike everywhere and make multiple trips per day, clips & straps are great because you can wear street shoes with them. Top-quality clips/straps/pedals will run over $100. Same for clipless, but you'll need special shoes. If you're not sure what kind of pedals you have, post a pic.


I take this to mean that you haven't touched them, assuming you meant pole. So why are you offering advice on them?

i usually ride once a day for about 45min-1hr20min. Is it worth it to get clipless? If i buy eggbeaters and the special shoes do i always have to use the special shoes on them? Sometimes i have to go somewhere and use my regular shoes.

Thanks

p.s this is what i found so far on price point
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/139...ome-Pedals.htm

also how would i find out if these are the mtn bike style or roadie style?

Clipless systems are best for sport riding and essential for racing but are not ideal for everyday use. If you fit clipess pedals then you can only use clipless shoes. With toe clips you can use any shoe.
The people who hate toe clips are generally trying to use them in the style of old-time racers, for maximum efficiency. If you use them in commuter style they are much easier. This means:
Keep the straps lose. Use stiff (pref leather) straps
Avoid shoes with knobbles which catch.
You lose a bit of efficiency compared to a racing setup, but you gain a whole lot compared to a plain platform.

You can practice fitting one at a time and you can leave out the straps to start with.

Power Grips are another alternative to clipless, and great for everyday cycling. I love mine.

I like the idea of power grips. The easy slip in and slip out. I dont like having to bend over to get out of toe clips. The clipless looks really nice but the cheapest i found was
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/139...ome-Pedals.htm

.. well that is with egg beaters.

So it comes down to power grips and clipless pedals. For some reason i dont like toe clips.
I know im being picky but an investment like this is important.

Thanks

I decided on power grips. For the $$$. I dont have any for a good clipless set. Maybe in 3 months :D.


Thanks for all your responses
and thanks for the power grip idea primaryreality.

go for the clipless pedals. many setups have plastic inserts that clip into the pedal and turn them into platforms for quick short trips. Check out nashbar.com for the pedals and shoes. They are running a sale on eggbeater pedals and a decent shoe combo for a really good price. I'm not sure on the mountain version price, but the road version of the combo was $150 last time I looked.

If you go clipless practice getting in and out of the pedals by leaning against a wall and just do it a bunch of times, because as sure as the sun rises your going to fall if you don't practice first. BUT the old clip and strap design is a proven design, there are still records held in various cycling events that were done years ago on the clip design and still the records remain. Also in track racing thats all they use is clips and straps (actually double straps) because the clipless design is not strong enough to keep the racers feet on the pedals. So if your just changing pedals to try something new why not save the money and get better wheels because thats where you biggest performance gain will come from-if performance is an issue. I happen to prefer the old clip and strap system but thats the weirdo in me.

Lol, owned.

after i gather some moolah i am going to decide in between clipless and clips.
one question about the clips. Do i have to lean over to unclip them? If not will they still work well loose?
any more ideas :D

Thanks :)

I first got the Power Grips, I liked them but went to eggbeaters after a few months, mainly because I didn't like the hassle of concentrating too hard to get my foot into the strap. Waiting at a red light, the pedal would hang with the strap down, it was not too easy to rotate the pedal and get my foot in while accelerating in traffic. I learned to do it blind but it was still a hassle. The Eggbeaters are dead easy, almost too easy, causing a fall once when it clipped in when I didn't want it to.

With the clip style you don't have to lean over to unclip them, you just pull your foot upward then out. One thing about clip style, for the clips to work the way they were intended you have to buy special shoes that had a long grove or slot on the cleat that "clipped" onto the pedal cage; see: http://www.yellowjersey.org/cleats.html. If you buy the right shoe you don't have to cinch up the strap so tight that your feet fall asleep and turn blue! Now when I raced I did cinch them up snug, but I could still get my feet out if I wanted to by just bending over, as you mentioned, and hitting the lever.

when the clip is loose do you get the same advantage as if it were tight? ( kind of a stupid question )

Also i was considering getting eggbeaters off of ebay for about 30-40dollars. Do they have to be any special kind of eggbeaters to be compatible with my mtb shoes?are the shoes i listed below in the links compatible with my eggbeaters?

links to shoes im considering ( please add )
-adistar xc race-
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/139...Race-Shoes.htm

-expert mtb shoes-
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/117...-MTB-Shoes.htm


anywhere in here
http://www.nashbar.com/results.cfm?c...it=y&pagename=

preferably normal looking shoes under 100
( sorry for making you look but im on vacation in europe and i have no time to look



Thanks!!! :D

Not all the advantages, but most.

I've got bikes with regular block pedals, mini clips (small clips with no straps), full clips, and clipless, and I like them all. However, I don't think I'll ever get another bike without at least mini clips. The foot stability on the pedal, and the ability to have an effective forward stroke are worth their weight in gold, and you can get dandy mini clips for less than 10$.

I'm a fan of regular clips for most riding, since you can wear any shoe you want, and they are easy and cheap to work with.

I'm a fan of clipless for my 'riding for riding' sorts of rides, and when I'm doing offroad stuff, because I love the extra efficiency and control.

I suppose I sort of like them all... But I'd encourage anyone to try something beyond block pedals. Its a big step to go from blocks to mini clips, and then small steps up to regular clips and clipless.

peace,
sam

Clipless. Crankbrothers. Thats all you need to know. :)

If your speaking of the strap being loose vs being tight, then if it's too loose your foot could pull out even with the proper shoe; if it's too tight then you could suffer from toes going numb due to circulation being cut off.

i like the eggbeaters but dont like the look or shape of them. Could i ride them with normal shoes? for right now i am getting power grips, later im upgrading.

table of decisions
clipless....
pros-comfortable and efficient, hands free exit and entry
cons-$ and not being able to ride with normal shoes

clips...
pros-normal shoes and not too expensive
cons-no hands free ( well if i keep them tight )


feel free to add

what a hard decision. :o

I have Shimano 324 pedals on my beater bike. They are clipless on one side and have an ordinary platform on the other. That allows me to make short trips using whatever shoes I happen to have on or change shoes and clip in for more efficiency on longer trips. That sounds to me like the kind of usage you are describing too.

For whatever it's worth, I've not met anyone who, once they got acclimated to using clipless pedals, wanted to go back.

quick question
a lollipop for anyone who answers it

what is the difference of crank bros eggbeater chrome and crank bros candy?
besides the extra foot room what advantages do they have over each other?

thanks :)

i suspect you mean what is the difference between the crank bros egg beater and crank bros Candy. the Chrome or you might see it as "Egg beater C" only means what the internals are made from.

sorry for the misunderstanding.. what i meant was what is the difference between crank bros eggbeaters in general and crank bros candy?

See for yourself



Candy:
http://www.cyclesense.co.uk/smsimg/32/1442rea216.jpg

Egg beater:
http://www.bikesomewhere.com/images/big/eggS.jpg

read 2nd part