My 7 year old son ( soon to be 8 years old) has been riding over 500 miles a year for the 3 years straight on kiddy Mt. bikes. We will be buying him a new ROAD bike soon (either a TREK KDR-1000 or a SPECIALIZED Allez JR.). He wants clipless pedals. Do they make clipless pedal specifically for kids? If so, which ones? Any reccomendations on shoes? Something that he can walk with would be best...

(where do I find them?)

My son started using Look pedals (not Keo - the old, Delta standard) when he was 9. He fell down when stopping twice, after that, he had no problems. He's 11 now, and is still using his Looks.

We tried SPD pedals, and he couldn't get into them easily... they required too much downward pressure, even with the tension turned down. He is not very heavy - 70 lbs. My son also thought that the SPD pedals were "uncool" because the other roadies in our club weren't using them, so we abandoned the SPDs pretty quickly.

I just bought him some SIDI Genius shoes. He's real proud to have the same gear that most of the riders use in our club.

I really think the clipless pedals improve his technique too. He spins faster with them, and his form looks better when climbing out of the saddle.

Matthew,

Thanks for the info... My son is only 55lbs, do you think that would be a problem getting into the pedals? Were the pedals that you got your son standard (same as yours) or do they make a version for kids?

I think your son could clip into the old-style look pedals just fine. They seem to require about 40-lbs of pressure to engage with the tension turned down. I've heard that the Keo series requires more pressure to engage, but I haven't tried them and neither has my son. Likewise with Shimano SPD-SL.

My son was 65 lbs when he started off with the looks (they're model 5.1, but I don't think it matters). I turned the tension all the way down, and no problems. Just be sure to use the look-brand cleats, not the generic ones. My son had trouble clipping in with generic look cleats.

Look now makes a pedal that is supposed to have easy engagement - I think it's called the Keo Easy. I haven't tried it and I've never seen one.

Edit: Many will tell you that kids shouldn't be using clipless pedals. In my experience, they adapt just as quickly as adults. However, it's a good idea to start them out with platforms until they want to go clipless. This will minimize the amount of new things they have to get used to at once. I think it's a bad idea to start them out with a new bike AND new pedals at the same time.

+1 on the Look delta style. My brother used those when he was 80 lb. Try to get the pedals with adjustable tension and set them light. As for walking, just get him a pair of cleat covers.

The best place to get older, delta-style look pedals is e-bay. You'll probably end up spending around $25. I've got a set of Look Carbons that I could sell you for $20, shipped, if you're interested.

You can try the Women models -- Keo Elle, Time RXL.
Never tried them, but they're supposed to require less weight for clipping in, and less force for clipping out.

Of the current look models, I believe the keo classics require the least amount of force to get into and out of. If you're lucky, you can find someone who still has the old pp206s, they required even less force than the keo classics. Not sure about the new keo easys though, but the fact that you can't adjust the tension probably makes them less desirable. I would also expect your kid to have a few falls starting out.

Thanks - and yes I ave already explained to him that we will start out with the standard platform pedals until he becomes very comfortable with the new bike (riding position; sfifting, brakes, etc...)

I tried SPD pedals with my 9 year old (5' 160# size 9 1/2 shoe) and it didn't go so well. My bike shop guru thinks a platformed Eggbeater would work, as the toe down-step in motion doesn't need to be used. My boy is growing way too fast, literately off the chart, for to invest in bike shoes on my budget.

You could try Speedplay Frogs - no force at all to clip out (twist heel outwards), and I don't believe much force to clip in. Centering the cleat on the pedal isn't the easiest, though. Since it's mountain biking style, walking around is a piece of cake.

ive never seen any small clipless shoes...depending on how big his foot is...maybe a small womens shoe will work

Sizes below 39 European are not common, but they are available down to about 34 or so. My 9-year old son wears a size 40 european. His feet are a little large for his age, but he's well within the range for available shoe sizes.

Take a look at speedplay light action pedals. I have a pair, and they were significantly easier to clip in and out of than regular ones. They feel secure when hammering, and are more robust than other speedplay models. The light action cleats were designed for recreational riders. I love 'em.

My 14 year old and 12 year old are doing great on LOOK classic style pedals.

my 7 year old got a Felt F24 last Christmas and is getting some Nike shoes to clip into the SPD side of the pedals this Christmas. We searched and searched before we found any shoes small enough. The pedals were easy, finding shoes in smaller sizes was a pain in the butt.

Now, we'll find out how well he can get in and out of them later.......

I always sometimes lament that my parents didn't have me doing cool things like this when I was little.

Didn't bequeath me any additional languages either.

My dad was a swimmer, so I got my first speedo when I was four....oh wait....you said "cool". Nevermind.

If you want to try out the older Look style pedals without a major financial investment, I'll send you an old pair I have for the cost of shipping. They came off a used bike I bought and one of the finger adjusters is missing (you can still turn it, though). All you'd have to buy then is cleats. Let me know if you want them.

For what it's worth, I would suggest Power grips. Aside from the question finding shoes/ growing out of them and (above all) adding to the risk of a fall while he gets used to clipping in and out, there's the fact that kids (at least my kid) doesn't really like suiting up for a ride; he just jumps on and goes.

I used power grips myself until about two months ago and don't frankly find the SPDs that much more efficient; or at least I don't really notice much more efficiency. Except on the trainer, where they're great.

Power grips ? Are they just straps...

He Really wants clipless (he has been asking for them for years now)

besides, my kid LOVES to put on the entire get up. I can't get him to just jump on the bike and go without all the gear ( I usually wear street shorts and a T-shirt when I ride with him).

Power grips are straps designed for bike pedals. If the child wants them badly then I would say encourage him. My latest pedals are shimanos with platform on one side and spds on the other, and I like them a lot, even if they're obviously not quite what a hardcore roadie would use. But being able to ride with one leg clipped in and the other not seems a huge advantage, plus I can leap on my roadbike without having to switch shoes.

You might want to give Keywin CRM's a try.

I think your 9 yo could kick my butt.

We ended up getting my son a TREK KDR-1000 for X-mas. The bike come with pedals that have plaforms on one side and clipess on the other side. This should be fine to start out with, as the change from a kids MT bike to the ROAD bike will be significant alone. As soon as he is used to the road bike, I will pick him up new shoes and start out with the 'flip' side of the pedals before purchasing some type of clipless pedals. Can any reccomend shoes for kids? ... where to purchase?