Riding clipless pedals with normal shoes?
 

will this really damage my pedals? Look says to always use shoes with cleats.

Thanks

I've been riding since June on clipless pedals without the shoes (I'm way too cheap - but I'm getting some this week....Finally!!!!!). There is NO damage to the pedals (stock on bike) but then again I'm a spinner and only 120 lbs....

wow....

i ride without them on my commuter often. i have one pair of shoes and two different sets of pedals, so i dont swap the cleats often and cruise around in tennis shoes.

********? YES!!! But hey, as a newbie I was hesitant to be "clipped" in onto a bike. The pedals came with the purchase so I just used my tennis shoes - I got used to it quickly though. I can't wait to try the shoes though!!!!! The stiff sole (instead of a floppy tennis shoe), the even distribution of force on the whole foot (instead of feeling two metal ridges - not even a flat surface, to pedal on), the ability to pedal without slipping, and losing the entangled mess that shoe laces give when they get stuck with the chain or crank...

Thinking about it, I don't even know how I managed a 20 mph average on my 21.3 mile ride today!!!!!! Best time so far!!!! :D:D:D

BTW in my post above ^^^ I meant that the concept of me riding without clipless shoes was ********, NOT Edonis13 - reading my post above could be conceived the other way I guess.... :(

I do it every single day on my single speed when I ride to school. Adidas Sambas on Look pedals; works fine. The clipless interface side of the pedal provides a bit of grip; it's not all that bad.

I never really think much of it, but then again, my commute's very short (1 mile each way). I wear clipless shoes when going for rides longer than 3-4 miles; normal shoes on clipless pedals gets a bit uncomfortable after a while.

As for damage to the pedals? Yeah, right.

Yeah, I can see pedaling on Looks. My pedals are tiny and are a pain (I slip quite OFTEN), the shoes will be the BEST investment I will make for the bike...

The trick I used to use (I ride with SPDs nows :eek:) is to take an old cleat, unconnected to a shoe, and place it in the pedal. That way, you increase the pedal's platform. Just remember to extract the cleat by pulling the jaw back, not by twisting the cleat.

^^^ Yep, me too on the SPDs.... Don't have any cleats though... :(

For SPDs, if you plan on doing both plain-shoes riding and clipless riding, I can't recommend the Shimano M324s enough. They beat the Nashbar "Campus" pedals in the way that they hang weighted with the clipless attachment facing towards you for easy clipping in. Sturdy and super-practical.

Don't buy em for full price, though; if you look around you can score a set used for a lot less.

Here's the ghetto SPD/Crank Bros platform adapter:

Screw in the cleat on a small piece of thin plywood or hard plastic, attach to pedals. Voila! Platforms.

That's neat. Another idea is to use the black plastic "demo" platforms that bike shops use for test rides; they essentially transform any SPD pedal into a platform. I hear they're a good temporary solution (nothing you'd want to leave in forever; better to get a pair of dedicated platform/clipless pedals like the M324s I mentioned above)..

I just found these things:

Dimension Instep

Pedals with straps that clip into your clipless pedals so you can ride with "normal" shoes without swapping out pedals. I haven't tried then, but it's a great idea.


for Look:
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...-_-null-_-null

for SPD:
http://www.performancebike.com/shop/...-_-null-_-null

Universal:
http://www.jensonusa.com/store/produ...r.aspx?sc=FRGL

Ooh, now that is cool.

Just be aware that the stack height is ENORMOUS with those Dimension Insteps. For the price you pay for them you could get platforms + clips and straps.

Of course then you lose the quick changeability factor. Anyways this is OT. The answer to the OP's question is no. Unless you're wearing studded soccer shoes or something.

Converting an expensive clipless pedal to use a canvas toe cage so you can use regular shoes is gheytarded. I'm sorry, but it is.

No, you won't hurt the pedals using regular shoes, but you also won't pedal "properly" without being up to push/pull. I don't know if that is a concern for you.

False. See post #14.

Doubt you'll hurt the pedals but slipping off the pedal with your street shoes would hurt- a lot. The smaller surface area and the less grippy interface of a clipless pedal can never equal a real platform for security on street shoes so think about that. 99% of the time the difference won't matter but it's that 1% that might earn you a darwin award.

thanks everyone, i just thought it might screw up the clipping mechanism ontop of the pedal

It's harmless on the mechanism, if anything it'll be scewing up your foot.

You'll be fine. I do it all the time with my Ultegra pedals. A nice grippy rubber sole like the aforementioned Sambas works great. I wouldn't do it with leather soles, though.

Are we really having a 23 post discussion on this topic? Sweet baby Jesus. :fight:

Yeah, I'm pretty sure the reason Look tells you to wear clips is because your foot can slip off pretty easily, and rock your crotch, or worse (if there is worse than that). I don't think it's even an issue of hurting the pedals.

You can do it, but why? If you want to ride without special shoes, buy a $10 pair of plastic platforms.