pedels and clips

[rmurphy195]

On my MTB I had half-clips, with no straps. Lift your foot off the pedal and its as if you didn't have the clips, but they do give a bit of extra security pedalling and positioning your foot. https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/toe-clips-straps/large-x-large-zefal-strapless-toe-clips/

PS I've used these on an MTB wearing walking boots! (You can get different sizes of clip) If you live near Wythall PM me and I'll see if I still have a pair you can have for free, if they haven't been thrown away in my recent house move! (Still unpacking)

[pwa]

On my MTB I had half-clips, with no straps. Lift your foot off the pedal and its as if you didn't have the clips, but they do give a bit of extra security pedalling and positioning your foot. https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/toe-clips-straps/large-x-large-zefal-strapless-toe-clips/

PS I've used these on an MTB wearing walking boots! (You can get different sizes of clip) If you live near Wythall PM me and I'll see if I still have a pair you can have for free, if they haven't been thrown away in my recent house move! (Still unpacking)

My daughter has those on her bike and they work well, but for the OP I would have thought the extra complication of getting the pedal flipped the right way up, and settling the foot into position, might not be welcome at this point. What they need right now is a simple flat pedal that isn't slippery underfoot with whatever shoes they are wearing at the moment. The half-clips might be something to move to later on when cycling seems a more natural experience and the worries have disappeared.

[rmurphy195]

On my MTB I had half-clips, with no straps. Lift your foot off the pedal and its as if you didn't have the clips, but they do give a bit of extra security pedalling and positioning your foot. https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/toe-clips-straps/large-x-large-zefal-strapless-toe-clips/

PS I've used these on an MTB wearing walking boots! (You can get different sizes of clip) If you live near Wythall PM me and I'll see if I still have a pair you can have for free, if they haven't been thrown away in my recent house move! (Still unpacking)

My daughter has those on her bike and they work well, but for the OP I would have thought the extra complication of getting the pedal flipped the right way up, and settling the foot into position, might not be welcome at this point. What they need right now is a simple flat pedal that isn't slippery underfoot with whatever shoes they are wearing at the moment. The half-clips might be something to move to later on when cycling seems a more natural experience and the worries have disappeared.

Naah! As I said I had these on my MTB - setting off I would, if the pedal didn't "come round" naturally, justuse on the back ofv the pedal then scoop the pedal round when convenient. it's only one of your feet - the other one goes on the pedal before you set off!

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
If you go to this web site you will find a myriad of pedals, might give you some ideas too.
Some bmx type go up to 115 x 100, though exactly what the refers to is a bit vague (overall platform?).
https://en.wellgopedal.com/products_list_1.htm
I am not sure clips first off will be good for your large feet.
Even when you add clips you will probably have to space them to get your feet on the pedals.
Typically you are looking at 125 maybe 130 from centre of pedal to far inner of clip, large pedals and large clips.
You need boxy shape to clip also.
I need 106 mm for a size 10 shoe!

[BoldRover]

I'm an experienced cyclist, in my sixties. (Early!) I've never embraced, and know nothing about, clip-in and clipless pedals and shoes. But I think I've been persuaded that they would be advantageous to me, especially for climbing. I'm a clumsy fellow and worry that I might be beyond learning such a new trick; comments from you on here would be most welcome. Please spell it out to me in non-expert language!

[NUKe]

I'm an experienced cyclist, in my sixties. (Early!) I've never embraced, and know nothing about, clip-in and clipless pedals and shoes. But I think I've been persuaded that they would be advantageous to me, especially for climbing. I'm a clumsy fellow and worry that I might be beyond learning such a new trick; comments from you on here would be most welcome. Please spell it out to me in non-expert language!

Youre not saying what type of cycling you like to do Not sure who is trying to convince you, but firstly it should be what you feel comfortable with. The Climbing bit is a complete red hearing and has basically been debunked. Over all yes there is some advantage but nowhere near as much as people seem to think. All the figures that are about are about race conditions and do not really apply to your average cyclists. The myths tell you you can pull but it doesn’t work in reality.
If you really think you must try them, you could try multi release cleats that so long as you move your feet off the main line in any direction they release. I think the main advantage is providing you get them set up right they give the optimal position of feet on the pedals for power, however if they are not they can lead to foot and leg pain.
I should stress I have them fitted to my recumbent to keep my feet on the pedals. I will put them on the other bikes for long distance use, Bit the mountain bike I prefer to have just large platform pedals

[mjr]

I'm an experienced cyclist, in my sixties. (Early!) I've never embraced, and know nothing about, clip-in and clipless pedals and shoes. But I think I've been persuaded that they would be advantageous to me, especially for climbing. I'm a clumsy fellow and worry that I might be beyond learning such a new trick; comments from you on here would be most welcome. Please spell it out to me in non-expert language!

Unless you're racing, it ain't worth it IMO. I used to ride with clips but never bothered to fit them when I got a new bike (I may have removed them from the old bike first but I can't say for sure). There's a lot of nonsense written about how great it is to pull up with the foot you're not pushing down on: while it can be done, it's not simple, efficient or particularly worthwhile. I feel it's better to change down and spin and if you run out of gears, walk.

And then you have the danger of so-called 0mph crashes where you fail to unclip the foot you need to touch down with. I've seen far too many of those over the years. It's sickening: usually all you can do is watch and it just looks so awful that they're clearly trying to react but being prevented by the bike, then they end up with bruised legs and scratched bikes (and that's if they're lucky).

[Brucey]

it is presently trendy in some circles to claim that there is 'no advantage' to being clipped in. Well, as usual, it ain't that simple.

If all you want to do is pedal in a steady state, in a simple way, there is very little difference in what you are able to do whether you are clipped in or not. This accounts for the bulk of anyone's riding, more or less. But outside of that, it can and does make a difference. Which is exactly what you might expect, given that racers are invariably clipped in....

Basically you have a better choice of how you pedal if you are clipped in. Whether actually you use that is up to you, and varies a lot from one rider to another. Greg Lemond famously said that his pedalling style was 'like scraping dog dirt off your shoes' and you just can't do that as well if you are not clipped in. On long climbs I often consciously change the way I turn the pedals round and if you are clipped in, you just have more choices, and this is to the benefit of reducing local muscle fatigue. If you were to ask me how often I take advantage of being clipped in, I can state with confidence it is 'every time I ride with clips'.

I do ride bikes without clips and I have to adjust my pedalling style to suit. On one bike, I have pedals which are clipped one side and flat the other; with the right shoes on I don't feel a big difference when tapping along, so I might forget if I have not clipped in one side. The usual result is that if I have not clipped one side in, I pull my foot off the pedal, usually within a minute of starting off again.

So there are benefits to be had when clipped in. Given that you have been riding for years without clips, you probably don't need these, and indeed unless you vary your pedalling style at times, there may be no benefit realised. Also note that learning to use clips almost invariably involves toppling off the bike at least once, which can be very dangerous if it happens in traffic. A further point is that most riders use some 'float' i.e. they twist their foot a little as they pedal. If this 'float' is not accommodated in the pedal system, or it is badly adjusted, you can suffer knee pain or worse. Obviously if you have a cleat on the shoe this will make walking worse; however this is hardly an issue with cleats that use a recessed two-bolt mounting, eg SPDs.

So IMHO there are real benefits (and very few downsides if you use SPDs BTW) but it ain't for everyone and it isn't 100% risk-free.

cheers

[durhambiker]

to be honest I'm scared stiff of falling as I have a new hip and two new knees,

I'll probably get flamed for this, but surely it's not worth the risk of clips then?

FWIW, I still ride lots (often and sometimes 100ish miles in a day) but I stopped using clips years ago.

I second that.....having tried clips,various shoes,,,etc,,,scrapped them..Only matter of time before you fall,,,clipped in.And off the bike,,,you need to walk in the ridiculous shoes.

[Mick F]

I'm entirely the opposite.

I fell often when wearing straps and clips as you need to undo the straps BEFORE you can release your feet.
With clipless, it's a quick flick of the ankle, and you're out. Instant, quick, simple, foolproof.

With the right shoes and pedals, walking is a doddle as the cleats are recessed in the soles.

[BoldRover]

Thanks for the replies, folks. I think I'll just continue with my amateurish flat pedals and trainers.

[Brucey]

training shoes usually have slightly squashy soles; this means that a little bit of your effort is wasted when pedalling. Slightly firmer soles are better for pedalling, but can also be less good for walking, obviously. It is all a compromise.

cheers

[mjr]

I'm entirely the opposite.

I fell often when wearing straps and clips as you need to undo the straps BEFORE you can release your feet.
With clipless, it's a quick flick of the ankle, and you're out. Instant, quick, simple, foolproof.

Clearly not, from all the people falling at 0mph!

If you use straps, they shouldn't normally be set so tight that you have to undo to move your foot back.

But I think the previous poster was also arguing against any clips, not in favour of straps.

With the right shoes and pedals, walking is a doddle as the cleats are recessed in the soles.

Still a limited choice of shoes (not good for those with wide feet) and some of them suffer from hydraulic action forcing water up the bolt holes.

training shoes usually have slightly squashy soles; this means that a little bit of your effort is wasted when pedalling.

A very little bit, as the sole will return part of the energy used to squash it when it rebounds as you remove the pressure. Yet again, unless you're into marginal gains or strange pedalling actions like scraping dog muck off your shoe, then that game ain't worth the candle. Much nicer to have your feet nestled in lovely cushions all day long.

[NATURAL ANKLING]

Hi,
Yes, trainers give little support for the foot and you will feel the pedal through the soles, you arch tends to collapse.
Stiff soled walking shoes is better.

The trick with clips and straps is to not do the strap up too tight , if at all, you only need to do the strap up on track bikes?
I use a mtb pedal with metal rat traps and shoes with lateral ridges, there is no slip on off road but enough slack that when you are not weighted on the pedal the foot easily comes away from the pedal, with very slight upward pressure, very slight.
If you have the straps too loose you foot may fall...creep off the pedal slightly depending on the fit of the shoe on the pedal.
All in all using straps is less bother that clippless for a new to cycling person.
When I last cycled with someone they said you will have to wait for me pulling out of junctions while I clip in.
I not sure that the time for an experienced cyclist is very long at all with clipless.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bike-Cycle-B ... Sw2s1Uv80V
These are what I use and various makers sell them, they are robust and keep shape, toe does not wonder side to side, like conventional clips.

looks interesting.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/New-Clipless ... HZXp21Q9uw

[Brucey]

training shoes usually have slightly squashy soles; this means that a little bit of your effort is wasted when pedalling.

A very little bit, as the sole will return part of the energy used to squash it when it rebounds as you remove the pressure. Yet again, unless you're into marginal gains or strange pedalling actions like scraping dog muck off your shoe, then that game ain't worth the candle. Much nicer to have your feet nestled in lovely cushions all day long.

IME you can pedal all day both comfortably and efficiently in decent cycling shoes, but not in training shoes. I'd describe the sensation as a bit like riding around with your tyres half-flat, or a belt drive rather than a chain. The foam in training shoe soles is very hysteretic and is designed to absorb lots of energy; 'Lovely' is certainly not the word that springs to mind.

cheers