46x17

Clipless is definitely NOT the way to go on a hand-brakeless fixed gear bicycle. They unclip suddendly which causes major pain. I have seen it happen many times. Decent laminated toe straps and cages are the way to go. Everyone I know and (many more that I don't know) that rides in SF with no hand brakes rides with clips and straps. There is a good reason for that - there are some mighty big hills here.

honduraz10

i contest that statement. i ride eggbeaters and skid all the time, as i have no brake and live in a hilly place, and i have never come accidentally unclipped. maybe some pedals do it but from my experience atacs and eggbeaters dont. and clipless definitely makes a huge difference in the power of your skid

46x17

I tried eggbeaters for a week - it was scary (I unlipped). I guess it depends on riding style. Went back to clips and straps.

Not quite sure what you mean with the power of the skid. Skidding and skipping is mostly technique. If done right a skid should not require much power. It is easily possible to skid using only one non-clipped-in foot, meaning using the underside of a clip and strap pedal or simply unclipping.

If you mean power transfer when pedalling then of course clipless will outperform clips and straps when combined with converse chuck taylors. If you however use old fashioned proper cleated hard soled bicycle shoes in combination with clips and straps the performance will be equal or even greater because you are fully locked in from the bottom and top. Just look how many track racers still use clips and straps.

jayrooney

yes you are fully locked, and they are still great for the track, but most of the posts in this thread are talking about emergency stops, going down a hill into traffic. clipless on the street is no match for clips/straps when it comes to power/ease of release, unless you can reach down and loosen your straps as fast as you can unclip from clipless.

junioroverlord

I've only unclipped once with my eggbeaters accidently and that was because I was wearing worn cleats.

To each his own. Clipless is not less safe than clips and straps, they're different. Heck if you don't cinch down your clips enough your foot can slide and you die. Lets be real, riding brakeless has its risks but then again so does riding with brakes.

46x17

Thanks for redirecting . For road use I skip the cleated shoes of course.
But, it is still it safer to ride with clips and straps even with chuck taylors than it is riding clipless when not having a handbrake. Clips and straps don't suddendly unclip. When a strap snaps it is a product FAILURE (or your own fault for not maintaining them). Unclipping out of clipless is a product FEATURE.

For example pitching your bike sideways is useful in emergency situations because it shortens the stopping distance (think hockey stop). However, the nature of such a move will most likely cause your foot to twist a little and maybe even enough to unlip if you ride clipless.

If you ride a roadbike or single speed or whatever else I think clipless are great, because of the ease of use and power transfer issue. I just think that they are a bad idea for fixed gear riders with no handbrakes. I also think that most long term handbrakeless fixers will agree on this.

junioroverlord

I'm not so sure. Unclipping accidentally is really hard, for me at least. Thats why I think we're so divided on the subject. Heck, sometimes when I want to unclip I don't. I guess if you have a really sloppy pedal stroke then yeah, clipless would be insane. I'm just saying I've had plenty of close calls, and sudden stops and never unclipped during any of them. I'm thinking if clipless was unsafe as you are saying either myself or someone else would have had an instance where this was the case, but I'm not so sure that's the case.

dustinlikewhat

maybe you're degree of disengagement wasn't adjusted properly.

46x17

Eggbeaters have only two adjustments. Depending on which pedal you put left or right it is more or less easy to unclip

I am not the only one that ever unclipped out of clipless by accident. I have witnessed it 3 times with different people so far. Everyone of them was lucky and got away with an OMG experience. I have never seen anyone accidentally unclip from a clip and strap pedal.

I am not saying it happens every day. My objection was to the statement that clipless is the way to go when riding with no handbrakes.