I went clipless...
#1
I went clipless...
and I'm not looking back. Climbs just got a lot easier some reason and I don't know why. Its amazing what it does for my times, once you get used to the thought of clipping out. Who came up with the idea of clipless pedals anyways.
#2
Fourth Degree Legend
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 3,826
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From: American Gardens Building
Bikes: 2005 Kona Cinder Cone & 2010 Cannondale SuperSix
#3
Senior Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 549
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From: Minneapolis
Bikes: Moots Vamoots RCS, Serotta Ti, Felt F55, Surly Ogre
Its because you are getting about twice as much power per pedal stroke. Riding platform pedals you cannot really get much power on the upstroke since you are not connected to the pedal. Now that you are connected to the pedal you can get that wasted power going uphill and you can definitely tell a difference. I ride a bike with platform pedals to work and I hate climbing any sort of hill or trying to accelerate. (Its a half mile ride, not worth clipless)
#5
Still kicking.


Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 19,659
Likes: 47
From: Annandale, New Jersey
Bikes: Bike Count: Rising.
Last time I checked clipless pedals was to improve pedaling efficiency and improving control of one's bike amongst other things.
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Appreciate the old bikes more than the new.
Appreciate the old bikes more than the new.
#6
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2005
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From: Montréal, QC, Canada
Bikes: 2005 Kona Blast; 2005 Turner Flux, 2006 Felt F3C
#9
Hazardous biker
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 602
Likes: 0
From: Bogotá, Colombia
Bikes: 2005 Santa Cruz Blur Classic
I ride some cheap clipless Wellgos and they kick @$$ big time. I just love em. And because Im a cheap *******, I got a pair of Specialized Rockhopper shoes to go with them. All for $75 at my LBS. Nice...
Ricardo
Ricardo
#11
#12
Hello again. I took them riding tonight. They are deffinently hard to get used to. I fell 3 times. First time because my right foot wouldent come out and I just tipped over, second time because I was riding over a log and got stuck and I forgot I had them on and tipped over. And the third time I couldent get the right foot out again. I came home and adjusted the tension on it, but sometimes it just wont come out at all. It still helps a ton up hills and in control in rooty sections though. I sprained my wrist pretty bad though. It hurts even to type this. Oh well, I'll suck it up and try again tommorow. I hate complainers and Im starting to piss my self off.
#13
Still kicking.


Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 19,659
Likes: 47
From: Annandale, New Jersey
Bikes: Bike Count: Rising.
What's this falling thing due to clipless? Never got bucked off the fixie due to them, have yet to fall off of the mtb yet due to them. Guess I'm just lucky.
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Appreciate the old bikes more than the new.
Appreciate the old bikes more than the new.
#14
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 277
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From: Ohio
Bikes: Trek 7500 Trek EX8
Originally Posted by clichty "Its because you are getting about twice as much power per pedal stroke."
You do this allot, debunk someone's statement; never with an explanation. Care to?
While I'll agree you won't gain twice the power, you WILL increase efficiency/power. Clipped in, you're able to pull through the bottom of the pedal stroke (sweep), and on the up stroke. You can also better involve the opposing arm and back muscles for climbing.
You do this allot, debunk someone's statement; never with an explanation. Care to?
While I'll agree you won't gain twice the power, you WILL increase efficiency/power. Clipped in, you're able to pull through the bottom of the pedal stroke (sweep), and on the up stroke. You can also better involve the opposing arm and back muscles for climbing.
#15
Curses!....
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 52
Likes: 0
From: Bainbridge Island, WA
Bikes: 1999 Santa Cruz Heckler X
Nah, you probably are pretty lucky. When I got my first set of Clipless, Every fall and injury for the next week or so after was due to those annoying, "Pedal, then stop, not be able to clip out, then teeter and fall" kind of things that hurt more than they should, and look way more wimpy than they should.
#18
Ride bike or bike ride?

Joined: Oct 2003
Posts: 1,447
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From: Adelaide, Australia
Bikes: MongoosePro DH, Dart custom road bike, .243 Racing FR street bike
It is a strange feeling to me, I prefer my clipless pedals on my roadie and platforms on my DH bike. Now 4X and XC, that would be a different story, I would wear clipless on an XC ride and most 4X tracks.
#20
Senior Member

Joined: Aug 2003
Posts: 1,200
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From: colonial heights Va
Bikes: Devinci Guzzler, 04 Canadian version
a natural response when new to clipless is to pull up, like when you rode flats, then out and when the up part doesnt work the mind tends to hesitate. by the time you figure "oh yeah, I gotta twist" you have crashed.
practice twisting at the ball of the foot as often as posibble for any particualr reason and in less time than you realize your brain will be retrained to automatically twist out. it sucks the first few times you ride on flats again because when you get off the pedal you twist by instinct, the foot comes off the side, the crotch hits the bar, the rest of you hits the ground
practice twisting at the ball of the foot as often as posibble for any particualr reason and in less time than you realize your brain will be retrained to automatically twist out. it sucks the first few times you ride on flats again because when you get off the pedal you twist by instinct, the foot comes off the side, the crotch hits the bar, the rest of you hits the ground
#22
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2005
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These kinds of statements are only meaningful if you are talking about going straight from an ordinary pedal to a clipless pedal, not if going from toe clips to clipless. Toe clips serve the same purpose... they just aren't as convenient to use. More power going uphill is probably mostly psychological, but it's possible that you are pedaling harder with more confidence that you would have powering up a hill in just plain shoes and pedals without toe clips.
#23
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 277
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From: Ohio
Bikes: Trek 7500 Trek EX8






Made it much easier for you to look up, huh. 
