switched back to clips and straps
 

i still prefer clipless, but i've realized that popping out of spd's sucks and can be dangerous, so until i can/will lay down money for a better setup, i'm in clips and straps

which is why today at one drop i sat there trying to twist my heel out of the clips while falling slowly over in front of some businessmen.

I switched back too after more than a year on some cheapo SPDs. I really like wearing normal kicks to the office instead having to drag along a change of shoes.

Clips and Straps For life.....

clipless is for long rides and tap dancers...

i loooooove clipless, but the other day i had to do some quick thinking and maneuvering with only one foot clipped in...which also clipped out just as i got the other clipped back in. nothing big, but the situation was sketchy enough to convince me. not a fashion thing, not a comfort thing, not a control thing...i prefer clipless over all, but goddamn...not always the safest thing to do.

anyway, my main point in this thread is that i still try to twist my foot out about half the time, and that doesn't really work.

*holy war*

(Time ATACs are nice)

off the top of my head for mountain clipless there's ATAC, Eggbeater, Frog, SPD, SPD clones (wellgo, ritchey, nashbar...). Now I can understand the argument against clipless and brakeless for all of the above, except ATAC. The reason being, is that ATAC's have positive feedback at the end of the float, whereas Eggbeaters and Frogs don't. Based on heresay, SPD's are notorious for releasing at inopportune times.

I recently gave clips and straps another shot recently - setup was MKS Sylvans, MKS Aluminum clips, and nylon straps. Even with the straps tight, I found that the middle of my foot felt like it was bending over the rear cage, there was uncomfortable pressure on my toes, and that I lost the feeling of control that I had with clipless from 9 to 3 'o clock - essentially the motion of pulling back on the pedal. I'll probably give it another go with a different pair of sneakers, but I have doubts that something like a MKS Royal Nuevo with double straps, and steel clips would afford me the same control, comfort, and efficency that I get with my Sidi Dominators and Time ATAC XS carbons. That said, I honestly don't know if unclipping accidentally, due to a cleat wearing down or whatever would be more likely than breaking a strap (that tends to rub against the crank arm).

If anyone wants to lend me a nice clip & strap setup for a week so I can give it a fair evaluation feel free to pm me. :D

you know, i'll probably switch back to clipless after i get some time atacs. those are the only clipless setup for brakeless fixed that i've heard only good things about. spd's are definitely the bottom rung, for sure

i get a little bit of the same feeling of lost control with clips and straps, but i'm getting used to it pretty well. i will say it's more comfortable, though. kinda feels like riding on air.

just put double straps (or ghetto rig some doubles) with some laminated leather straps or something on those sylvans and it will be good

I had a baaaad spill a couple weeks ago when my right foot popped out of SPDs. I was out of the saddle and starting the sprint like heck (drunk), when my right foot came out at the start of its backstroke, and sent me over the left side :(
I've had to build my confidence back up to where I can really hammer on it from a stop, and the cleats have always been a little clicky and loose, which really wigs me out. So I've been thinking about going to clips and straps.
Someone told me that you can get clips in different sizes/lengths to adjust for toe overlap. Is that true? That would be nifty.

it would have to be ghetto rigged nylon. soy vegano.

welcome back

Dude, tighten down the release tension and make sure you replace your cleats often enough and you'll reduce the chances of pulling out ten-fold.

oh, it's true...but you can't be sure it won't happen. spd's are made so you can pull straight out, tightening the tension and replacing cleats will just make it harder to do...but not impossible.

i'm gonna hold out for, i dunno...looks, or time atacs or something.

medfurd...yeah, you can get clips in a variety of sizes.

About a month ago I started an experiment with clips and straps, feeling I had never really given them a fair shot and had always just assumed based on incomplete evidence that I liked clipless better. I mean, clipless is great. I've been getting along very well with my setup, and last night I figured I'd switch back to clipless to see how it felt. So back on the bike went the Eggbeaters and out of the closet came the Sidis. I went around the block twice, came home, and put the clips and straps back on. Clipless feels weird now, as in wrong weird....more so than clips and straps ever felt. I'm not saying I'll never ride clipless again - far from it. When I can afford to have my second bike complete again, I'll have one bike clipless and the other clips and straps. In the mean time, though, I must admit that I am a convert. I was surprised, but I can't deny that I'm really liking clips and straps, especially with the doubled strap setup and toe clip leathers that I've got going on. Yeah, my pedals still suck, but I'm finagling some Custom Nuevos, so that's only temporary.

I'm debating between clips or eggbeaters for my new Bike. I don't want to miss all that sweet clipless connectivity action, but you can get that feeling with a good cage. I just think Mountain bike style clipless will be the best of both worlds. We'll see.

Any eggbeater evangelists out there?

Clips:

Bien:

* You can wear pretty shoes and not clicky-clack around

* Track pedals with double straps are blingy

Mal:

* Toeclips dragging on the ground when walking bike or riding on the backside of the pedals (i have big feet and big-azz clips, *scrape* *scrape* even with high BB)

* Crappy hard to engage mechanism that's on the opposite side from your foot when you need it

* Inferior power transfer unless you tighten straps to the point of being hard to release from, or to the point of having to loosen them before you slide out (and you only get close to clipless power with cycling shoes, which negates Bien #1 - hard soles are the jiznam)

* Like to wear nice shoes when you ride to the bar? You can! ..and they will be destroyed!


Clipless:

Bien:

* Easy engagement

* Simultaneous locked-in-ness and free float (with eggbeaters, frogs, ATACs, etc), better for my knees

* No pedal strike (or clip scrape)

* Super mecha power leg piston MAGIC- climb hills better. You feel like a robot. This is a good thing. Your pedals are now embedded in your feet. Bonus!

* Easier skids, bunnyhops, skips

Mal:

* Geeky shoes (Shimano MA-80s are decently fly though)

* Possibility of unwarranted unclip (but never have with 'beaters)

* Cleat replacement cost (minor)

* Hockey stops and other technical unclippy maneuvers more problematic unless you're handy with staying on your pedals unclipped (or have platforms around the clipless mechanism)

---

I rock clipless most of the time, although my bar bike has GR-9s/Powergrips for ease's sake when going out. They're aight and don't tear up my shoes too bad. (important sh8t, that!)

Great list redcurry.

I ride clipless and love it. I've got a pair of mid-range Shimano MTB shoes that work perfect for me. I keep street shoes at work and switch when I get there. Otherwise, the MTB shoes work great for running errands and the like.

For months I was riding cheapo pedals with cheapo plastic cages, after upgrading to MKS RX-1s, I could never go back... a WORLD of difference, however I've noticed some big issues that have convinced me to try clipless (eggbeaters with MTB shoes). The RX-1s ares nice track pedals and are definately designed to be used with a hard soled shoe (vans classics won't cut it); anything less than a hard soled shoe and you'll feel the flex where your foot hangs off the back of the pedal. I have some thick soled Adidas' that I've been wearing with these pedals and have noticed a huge improvement. With the MKS toe clips tightened down pretty tight you get a lot of power on the upside of the pedal too. I'll have to report back after trying the eggbeaters.

I went back to clips and straps on my (geared) commuter/rain bike because I am too lazy to change shoes and I was getting hot spot problems. They are crappy, ugly nylon clips and straps. Totally gross, but I'm going to ride them until they break.

I had ****ty plastic/nylon clips and straps and the broke on me as I got on the bike once. I fell right over. It was awful. Now I have nice MKSs and they ruuuuuuule so hard. I love them, they are so versatile and all that jazz. I can ride to a bar without looking silly. A girl has to wear cute shoes!

...

re:eggbeaters

i like mine, if i wanted to wear mtb shoes everywhere i go (sometimes regular shoes are nice) i'd probably ride them exclusively. i'm no evangelist, and i'd never try and talk you out of a good clip n strap setup, just one dude's experience. i'm no olympic racer but i ride em pretty hard and i've never popped out at the wrong time. i have heard "guy who knows a guy" stories of this happening, so take that for what it's worth.

I love my ATACs, but I've popped out of them twice, with impressive results. THen again, skidding to stop is ********, and I learned my lesson.

Back in the days when I rode geared bikes I used clips and straps, and my 18 year-old son prefers them on his geared bike.
But then, with a geared bike, one can coast while he or she tightens the straps, and the same when one wants out of them.
I assume, then (perhaps wrongly) that fixed riders tighten their straps just enough so that they can insert their feet or pull them out without tightening or loosening the straps.
Do I have that right?

yeah, that's what i and most of my friends do. finding a balance between snug fit and easy dismounts seems to be the holy grail of strap fitting.

That's OK, I did the same thing a year ago, only while wearing SPD shoes w/pedals. Saddest part is, I had been using those pedals for several years.