went back to clips - why?
 

I was debating my clipless riding shoes and decided to go back to toe clips - what the hell was I thinking!!?!? I have less power, back pedaling is now work, and while I have no difficulty getting into the pedal, it is still simply a pain in the @$$ to deal with it. New cycling shoes coming soon.
just a rant

I hear ya man, I only just got new shoes and am back on my Times, and adjusting my cleats lookin for that sweet spot....thank your diety of choice.

Clipless here...Shimano LOOK-a-likes.

never tried clipless yet.

I rode LOOKs one day this week after having switched to Speedplay Zeros several months ago. Big mistake, my knees were hurting almost immediately. The zeros took a bit of getting used to but nothing I have ridden can compare to them. I'd ride clips/straps if I were trying to master those cool skid tricks you kids are doing, but clipless owns for everything else.

skidding is fun...

It's easier to skid clipless, but would be harder to bail out of a one-leg-over-the-bars 360 skid if you were clipped in. Plus I think vans or sambas are required to score bonus points.

Skidding is, like, stopping right? no comment :p

i ride in vans and can skid foot over bars. i guess im on my way then...

in reality, i just wear cheap ass shoes. whatever i can pick up for under $30. i'm wearing PF Flyers right now because i found them for $15.

i'm almost finishing up my month long return to clips and straps. basically i've just been experimenting with different shoes, strap tension, and clips.

personally speaking, i'm more confident than ever that atacs work better for me and my style of riding. for me the efficiency and control aren't offset by the possibility of accidental unclipping (haven't had a problem when i practice emergency stops). i also don't seem to mind walking around in dominators as much as others.

however, i can see how they would work out better for a good deal of people. i've come to understand that the clipless vs clips debate is something that one should have with oneself, not something that should be argued ad nauseum on a message board.

Sambas are cheap and are great for clips and straps. I've gone through half a dozen pairs in the last couple of years (and other types of shoes as well).

Dude I have no idea why you went back to clips and straps. It was clearly a case of the wrong tool for the job. I like street shoes when I'm commuting and running errands and going out and stuff. But I have Look carbon Keos on my road bike, and I can't imagine riding clips and straps on it.

Pick the right tool for the job.

I don't enjoy chasing my pedals around, especially after a few beers. I have NO idea how you brakeless people manage this. I like having clips and straps on a bike I can coast on though.

Hey it's all about how one feels with one's own ride. Rock the flip flops from the beach if it works for ya.

i heart yous guys.

recently, after a long ride, my left foot was screaming! After some adjusting, I just could not get my clips dialed in, so out of frustration and moreover the desire to be able to walk more freely when not riding, I put my track pedals and clips back on.

as far as control, I have MUCH more control, feel much more connected, and as I mentioned above, when I push down on the pedal, I go, no mid-foot flex. I never had an issue walking around in my shoes when not on the bike, so back to clipless I go.

emergency unclips - I have not had too many problems getting out, except for once - after I was unclipped, I meant to pedal one more stroke as I was stopping, and meant to push mid foot or closer to my heel. All of a sudden, I realized I had clipped back in, was moving too slow, couldn’t unclip in time, and fell right in front of the grocery store security guard and his drug peddling friend - damn.

i hopped up the curb in front of work and forgot to take my feet out of the clips. slow tip over to laughter on the ground. everybody at the office thinks im crazy slash stupid slash ********.

only vans, you have to have some sort of obnoxious pattern printed on them too.

low cut slip ons?

cheap wellgo pedals, old ale steel clips and old kkt laminated straps

me likey

Man, I'm so excited to go clipless...Probably won't happen till spring though...

Clipless is the balls. true story.

I rode Spds when I got into road riding a long time ago. Those are crap, but got the job done and I never accidentely clipped out. My first track bike I ran the DA pd-7400 track pedals and used them with clips, straps, and the cleats. Talk about locked it. Those were great, and you could rip on those all day. Only problem was getting out of them, not really good for my pedals that I used for everything. Now I've been running SPD-SLs, very pleased, feel just as confident as I did riding the 7400s, but am able to clip out.

If you think that riding a fixed gear bike teaches you how to spin circles, wait till you get clipless, even better than straps.

I switched to clipless last week and I love it. I now go faster up and down hills. Skidding is easier. My mks pedals had really put some wear in the rubber on my shoes and my clips had worn holes in the top of my slip ons. And my shimano shoes breathe so much better than regular shoes, it's good news for my sweaty feet. da da dat dat dah i'm loving it.

I rode nothing but clipless for a long time. Earlier this year I did an experiment and started running clips and straps on the track bike to see if I could make amends with them - I felt like I had never given them a fair shot. After a few days, I really liked it, and I'm still riding them now. I put my Eggbeaters on the singlespeed I just built up and they're great for that, but I love the clips and straps for the fixed gear. Hard to explain, but I do.