Exception here. When I occasionally ride in sneakers, the first habit I have to overcome is pulling my feet off the pedals because I'm trying to pedal in a 360° circle. The downstroke does create more driving force, but I do pull up and back.

I've got various ankle and knee problems from old climbing accidents and I find that toe clips and stiff soled shoes give me just enough room for slightly different foot positions for comfort through a ride. Can't be too compromised in efficiency as I completed a century with them..... on a fixed gear.......aged 60. I've just refined and refined my riding style over the years and gradually found the best positions to be in. And I only have one bike which I've had for about fifteen years now. I must be a marketing nightmare! If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I don't use a lot of pulling-up, so toe-clips do the job for me.

FWIW, I'm not a racer or racer wannabe. Just commuting, group rides, and rando-ing. :p

hahahah yea I can see that happening if you pull to hard, and if the shoes are not as tight as they should be

Thanks, today I really tried to focus on the pedalling, and I found at times I think I got this flow and I felt like I was distributing power across the fill 360 circle more than usual. And it felt good, fast, and I found I was using less effort this time. I think I might be getting it a little more now. Can wait to be pushing at top gear for most of my rides........And I think I need to change my tires too. I have 700x28c but there not slicks. I think slicks would make a difference and also smaller tires maybe 25c or 23c (i think those are the numbers, not sure).

I've been using toe clips for about 37 years now and see no need to go clip less. For me, toe clips work GREAT!!!!! :thumb:

Thinner tyres make a huge difference, and high pressures too will make your riding more efficient. ( I nearly said easier but that isn't necessarily what we want!). Keep experimenting, make notes, fine tune and you'll want to ride more and more.

Yeah, those thinner tires are great until you hit some chipseal or rough backcountry roads. Then you wish you were riding the bigger tires again.

I have been using toe clips every since 1996 as a commuter/recreational rider during my college days.

Since I have been only a recreational rider since mid-1999, I still use:

ATB cage pedals with toe clips/straps: [img]http://api.ning.com/files/3Uttyt1tDA...t/toeclips.jpg[/img]

low-profile hiking shoes: [img]http://assets.academy.com/mgen/30/10...jpg?is=500,500[/img]

with these inserts: [img]http://images.amazon.com/images/G/01...ages/cover.gif[/img]

It is much cheaper maintenance-wise than SPD/EggBeater-compatible touring shoes with clipless pedals.

i have a pair of used Dura-Ace 7800 pedals that I will sell you for $50. The pedals are in good condition I upgrade to light weight carbon pedals.