If you wanted to, I guess you could. But what if you wanted to ride wearing swim flippers? Better ditch those toe clips.

flippers...........LOL maybe on a new type of Hybrids, kind of sea and land model ;-))

Another alternative to going clipless, without the added expense of new pedals and shoes, is PowerGrips. Not that there's anything wrong with going clipless (or using toe clips, for that matter). As a new rider, however, you should be aware that there are alternatives.

Welcome to the Forums! There is a Devinci dealer here in town and I've always admired their bikes.

Origin 8 Pro Grip Straps

Wow this system cannot be simplier , and I like simple thing, its another option thanks for sharing guys

Or, you can read this article at Rivendell for another opinion....(as I grab my flame-resistant coveralls and run like mad...).

https://www.rivbike.com/article/clothing/the_shoes_ruse

Wow, thats enough to start a long and animated debate ;-) Dont worry I am following you with an extinghuiser !!

I am just a newbie in this sports, however I am a really down to earth individual and I beleive that this article is spot on for recreational riders, even for the very experienced riders.

Some cant do without all the gadgets, some can. I'm a motocyclist and its no different, if you follow all the advice that you read on the net you wont have fun on your motorcycle, or you wont be protected etc etc.

The shoes and clips are important for some and I respect that, do they add more pleasure to the sports ??? I dont know I've never tried, and I dont think that I am ready to invest money in that, however I may install toeclip, first because I had some on my bike when I was a young adult to prevent my feet from falling off the pedal.

because of my poor techique maybe I never could pull and push on my pedals for any long period of time. I always have my doubt about the needs for this equipement, this article reinforced my tought.I am maybe wrong put I look at the crank like at a crankshaft in a car. One piston is slammed down by the ignition, and the others are just robbing some HP because of their drag, looks similar to me on a bike.

Thanks for sharing this article with us, its always good to consult both side of a story

Most people who try clipless pedals do feel that their cycling experience is enhanced. I quit using them for a while because of Plantar Fasciitis. My job involves a lot of short rides with short walks in between the rides. The problem was walking in bike shoes, so I switched from SPD to running shoes and flat platform pedals which was nice and I could wear boots in the cold rain and snow.

Well the foot got better and bikeforums hybrid riders pushed me to get clipped in again. Now all my bikes have clipless pedals. I usually ride in Nashbar SPD sandals. If you're into comfort, you might like.

From that article:

Any thoughts on this from the clipless riders? I've never tried clipless, but the idea of having your foot stuck in one place (at least where fore-aft is concerned), doesn't strike me as appealing at all. What's it like if you're in the saddle for, say 5 hours?

I see people complaining about hot spots and cleat position, and clipless just strikes me as a potential cause of discomfort rather than an aid to cycling, particularly when the benefits appear to be marginal to casual riders?

Anyone?

When my ankle was bothering me I thought pedaling with the arch of my foot would put less strain on the sore ankle. But switching to clipless seemed to alleviate, not worsen the condition. I don't think the clipless pedals are the reason my ankle got better, but they didn't prevent healing. I assume you use toe cups to keep the ball of your foot over the pedal spindle. I don't think the ability to vary the fore/aft position of your feet while cycling is necessary or important, but I could be wrong.

I use toe cups because I'd read about foot retention and the potential benefits (particularly for climbing). I really didn't like the idea of being strapped in completely, and toe cups seemed like a gentle introduction. As it happened, I really liked them, not so much for pulling up (which apparently is a bit of a myth anyway), but because they give me the idea that whatever forward force I apply to the pedal, actually gets transferred to the drivetrain. I suspect most of this is in my mind though.

The real reason I stuck with them is that they help in keeping your foot on the pedal. Not that I have a problem in that area, but they make me feel more secure bombing down hills. If you hit a bump at 30 mph, it's nice to know that your foot will stay on the pedal.

I put toe cups on my wife's bike as well, and she really likes them as well (pretty much for the same reasons).

I'm still kind of interested in potential benefits of other types of foot retention, but I'm still weary of being strapped in completely.

Yeah, you cant pull up on toe cups. I've used them, mostly to keep my feet well positioned on the pedals.

People who fear clipless seem to think there's some complicated, failure-prone mechanism involved. There isn't. In fact, the only time I ever fell because of a foot restraint, the culprit was one of those half-clips or toe cups. The top of my shoe snagged on the clip and down I went. Give me a nice, reliable steel cleat any time.

Well, I've been reading up bit, and I must say that clipless looks little more than a marketing gimmick for everyone but the most accomplished riders. From what I can tell, there's little to no gain in efficiency, apart from perhaps in sprints and climbing. I don't sprint, and I run a 22-38-48 triple with a mega range cassette. If I can't get my bike up a mountain with that, I'll walk

Riding clipless may feel better, but I'm not sure if that justifies the financial outlay (for me) and the fact that you're restricted to cycling specific shoes. I'm certainly not going to spend over $100 just to try.

I'm sticking with my $5 toecups. I couldn't get my steel capped Doc Martens to snag on them if I wanted to. And I like the idea of being able to vary my foot position. That's got to be good for the knees.

Most people who try clipless love them. I encourage you to try. Only the 'most accomplished riders' should be solely concerned with 'gain in efficiency'. If it feels good, do it!

You can get Crank Brothers pedals for $40. You wear shoes when you ride, so I don't think the expense of bike shoes should be considered. If you're riding in bike shoes, the shoes you used to ride in will last longer. A pedal with SPD on one side and platform on the other will allow you to wear any footware.

Toecups do not allow you to vary your foot position. They are designed to prevent that and they do very little else but keep your feet in the proper position.

If it's little more than a marketing gimmick, then everyone in the cycling industry has done a really good job of pulling the wool over my eyes. I've used platforms, clips & straps, and clipless. I refuse to put clips on my bike ever. Platforms are a fine choice for many, and I like them for specific tasks. For commuting and fitness, I'm riding clipless for feel, efficiency, and ease of use.

They are really no more effiicient than any other pedal setup. The purpose of clipless pedals, or clips and straps for that matter, is merely to keep your feet on the pedals. They are efficient in doing that I guess. But it is a gross misconception to believe they make one a faster or more efficient cyclist. They just don't. They were developed for the racing environment and excel in that arena for several reasons. They are even more beneficial for intermediate to hardcore MTB riders. There is nothing wrong with using them or preferring them to anything else. But in the end it is simplyl a matter of personal preference. To insist that they are innately superior is a fallacy.

I don't believe that I argued that they are innately superior. I merely refuted that the benefits of clipless are a mere marketing gimmick. By conceding that there are benefits to clipless, you are reinforcing my argument. What's your beef then? What fallacy am I committing?

I will argue that under certain conditions they are more efficient. Climbing a hill, for example. Even the vintage-loving, all-old-stuff-is-good-and-new-stuff-is-inferior Rivendell guy agrees with that. Let's also take for example my commuting. I have a fixie and a 2x10. On my fixie, if I am focused on keeping my feet on the pedals, I am less efficient. Why? Because I can't focus on pushing the pedals. If I get to a high enough RPM, my focus shifts more to staying on the pedals than it does to keeping a round stroke, because slipping off the pedals while descending at a high RPM could mean disaster. Messing around with flipping over clipped pedals vs. stepping straight down into my double sided clipless pedals, which one is more efficient?

Relax, I wasn't really debating what you had written. If you like 'em and they improve your riding that's great. I use them occasionally also although I have seen no real benefit to my own riding when I do. I would just as soon use toe clips. Anyway, I was more or less just making ad hoc points about the value of clipless pedals.

Seeing I coined the phrase marketing gimmick, perhaps I should qualify.

In reading up on the advantages of clipless, I learned that outside sprinting and (perhaps) climbing the efficiency gains are minimal at best (and probably confined to very good riders), since no-one actually pulls on the upstroke (and if they do, they tire very quickly). Yet, I see many bike shops recommending clipless because they allow you to use the upstroke and are therefore more efficient. That, I think is a marketing gimmick, and it appears to be swallowed by many people citing performance gains of anywhere between 10 and 30%.

If you think they feel better, then by all means do what works for you. Personally, my feeling is that if the benefits in terms of efficiency are so minimal, I'm not going to spend $100 to $150 just to try them. I also have misgivings about strapping in completely when you see so many posts here and on other forums where people complain about hot spots and other types of discomfort related to being strapped in. Once again, if they feel good for you, good, but I'm a little surprised that for many people an expensive and potentially injury inducing pedal setup appears to be the norm. I will repeat that I've never ridden clipless, but in light of the above, and the fact that I can be in the saddle for upto 5 or 6 hours in one day, I much prefer the flexibility that my toe cups allow. I never get sore or numb feet, and I can use whatever foot wear I like. Works for me...

You can spend less than $100. I'm using clipless pedals that cost me $19.95 (on sale).

I spent $40 on my pedals, but the shoes were only $29 in a clearance bin, so the whole setup cost less than a decent pair of sneakers.