Flat Pedals vs Clipless

For discussions about bikes and equipment.
DevonDamo
Posts: 1036
Joined: 24 May 2011, 1:42am

Re: Flat Pedals vs Clipless

Post by DevonDamo »

Paulatic wrote: 7 Jul 2021, 12:34pmWellies all day long,
Heretic! Burn him!
Darkman
Posts: 242
Joined: 30 Aug 2019, 8:46pm

Re: Flat Pedals vs Clipless

Post by Darkman »

Decided I'm binning my Look Keo pedals. After another impossible, failed hill start today I'm quickly falling out of love with the whole cycling thing. For me, they are simply impossible to clip into quickly. Said road was a steep, narrow country lane, not wide enough to ride across, nor was there anything to hold onto to get clipped in.

Toying with trying double sided SPDs, or I may just go back to flats after all. I never fell off my bike once with flats, vs three times now with the Look pedals. I am not enjoying it any more.
PH
Posts: 13106
Joined: 21 Jan 2007, 12:31am
Location: Derby
Contact:

Re: Flat Pedals vs Clipless

Post by PH »

Paulatic wrote: 7 Jul 2021, 8:51am I’ve never bashed a shin since a child either. I assume those who keep trotting it out as a 'thing' do actually do it and it’s not an urban myth.
It's certainly a thing! maybe it only happens to those who also wreck their shoes with the pins and not to those who manage to float above them. Seriously, people do have different experiences with the pedal grip, I've just read a review of my grippiest shoes that says the lack of grip lets them down... so maybe it's also a combination of the shoe and pedal. I had a pair of shoes I liked on one pedal and some pedals I liked with some other shoes, but not when I swapped them round, my feet slipped off in the wet several times, luckily without pain. The worst for me were the Shimano SPD/flat pedals (A530), I was never happy with the flat grip with any shoes.
jb
Posts: 1782
Joined: 6 Jan 2007, 12:17pm
Location: Clitheroe

Re: Flat Pedals vs Clipless

Post by jb »

bazzo wrote: 4 Jul 2021, 11:46am Just to throw water on to the burning chip pan which is flats v clipless.

https://keyassets.timeincuk.net/inspire ... .27.15.png
Everyone knows if you fasten your feet to the pedal you can get more power from it. The question is weather people use that extra power that's available to them.
Personally I like being clipped in because it keeps my feet in the right place on the pedal, I probably use the extra power only slightly. However for off-road stuff I like the freedom of flat pedals but I'm getting slightly annoyed at the ever present scabs on the backs of my legs.
Cheers
J Bro
Marcus Aurelius
Posts: 1903
Joined: 1 Feb 2018, 10:20am

Re: Flat Pedals vs Clipless

Post by Marcus Aurelius »

I’ve recently bought a replacement bike for one which was stolen a couple of weeks ago. The new bike came with flat pedals. After so many years riding with clipless, it felt really odd, so I binned them and stuck some clipless SPDs on.
jb
Posts: 1782
Joined: 6 Jan 2007, 12:17pm
Location: Clitheroe

Re: Flat Pedals vs Clipless

Post by jb »

DevonDamo wrote: 7 Jul 2021, 2:44pm
Paulatic wrote: 7 Jul 2021, 12:34pmWellies all day long,
Heretic! Burn him!
Amazingly, nobody on the whole of the internet seems to have attempted to put SPD's onto them.

Fame and fortune awaits someone.
Cheers
J Bro
Jamesh
Posts: 2963
Joined: 2 Jan 2017, 5:56pm

Re: Flat Pedals vs Clipless

Post by Jamesh »

Darkman wrote: 8 Jul 2021, 7:35pm Decided I'm binning my Look Keo pedals. After another impossible, failed hill start today I'm quickly falling out of love with the whole cycling thing. For me, they are simply impossible to clip into quickly. Said road was a steep, narrow country lane, not wide enough to ride across, nor was there anything to hold onto to get clipped in.

Toying with trying double sided SPDs, or I may just go back to flats after all. I never fell off my bike once with flats, vs three times now with the Look pedals. I am not enjoying it any more.
Try spd pedals. Bitd I had look pedals and remember falling over. But since getting back into cycling over the past decade I've never had a problem with spd. In fact in one of my bikes they are so loose I would find it hard to have an off.

Cheers James
Darkman
Posts: 242
Joined: 30 Aug 2019, 8:46pm

Re: Flat Pedals vs Clipless

Post by Darkman »

Yeah I've considered SPD, but a higher authority (the missus) says I have to sell my road shoes and Look pedals first!

My issue with the Look Keo Classic 3s, is that they not only hang down, but the front of the pedal points to one o'clock (imagine you're looking at the left pedal from the side). To me that just seems like the least optimal angle and 9/10 times the pedal is upside down when I try to clip in, once you've factored in the fact that when you go to clip in it's generally swinging about a bit. I utterly hate it. Does the toe of a SPD-SL pedal point to 12 o'clock, or do they naturally hang at this jaunty angle too?

I put my resin flats back on today - much more enjoyable ride but I was very aware of my feet shuffling around on the pedals and the "not attached" feeling was a bit unsettling.

I'm keeping an eye out for some used SPD shoes/pedals - would seem to be the cheapest way to find out how I might get along with the system.
Richard of York
Posts: 69
Joined: 21 Mar 2021, 6:41pm

Re: Flat Pedals vs Clipless

Post by Richard of York »

I like these Shimano double sided. Easy to clip in and wide enough to get a decent push on a hill start before clipping in.
Screenshot_20210710-203634.png
cycle tramp
Posts: 3531
Joined: 5 Aug 2009, 7:22pm

Re: Flat Pedals vs Clipless

Post by cycle tramp »

Just heard of an incident on the somerset levels - cyclist riding a road bike with SPDs along a narrow lane, with ditches either side attempted to squeeze past an oncoming tractor* sadly lost momentum, failed to release his pedals and fell into the ditch (possibly the best of a worst outcome if he had fallen the other way, he might have fallen under the wheels). He was helped from the ditch by a fellow road user, although he was reported as being covered in duck weed -noone said if the bike went in as well.

(* you may well ask, why didn't the tractor pull into the verge to give way to the cyclist. Its because the verges around here are made of soft peat - and whilst they may support the weight of a person or even a cow or horse, they've been known to give way under tractors, and other heavy vehicles, thus it is a matter of practicality that when faced with an oncoming vehicle heavier than yourself, you are expected to give way. It stops the risk of the verge from giving way, which in turn means that the road is then not shut for weeks afterwards while repairs are made).
Motorhead: god was never on your sidehttps://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=m ... +your+side
cycle tramp
Posts: 3531
Joined: 5 Aug 2009, 7:22pm

Re: Flat Pedals vs Clipless

Post by cycle tramp »

Marcus Aurelius wrote: 9 Jul 2021, 11:50am I’ve recently bought a replacement bike for one which was stolen a couple of weeks ago. The new bike came with flat pedals. After so many years riding with clipless, it felt really odd, so I binned them.
:o - surely you mean passed them onto a cycling friend, recycle a bike charity, or sold on ebay? So that they could otherwise be re-used
Motorhead: god was never on your sidehttps://www.google.com/search?ie=UTF-8&client=m ... +your+side
bjlabuk
Posts: 63
Joined: 9 Jul 2021, 1:44pm

Re: Flat Pedals vs Clipless

Post by bjlabuk »

cycle tramp wrote: 11 Jul 2021, 1:18pm (* you may well ask, why didn't the tractor pull into the verge to give way to the cyclist....).

Yesterday I was in exactly the same situation, although I used a bit of common sense and road courtesy. I saw the tractor some distance away and saw that there were no passing place's for either of us to pull into, so I slowed down, unclipped and stopped to allow the Tractor to pass. My view is that when cycling in the country a farmer going about his business in his Tractor deserves to be given a bit of respect and courtesy. In response, I got an acknowledging wave from the tractor driver. It takes two to use the road sensibly and courteously.
Marcus Aurelius
Posts: 1903
Joined: 1 Feb 2018, 10:20am

Re: Flat Pedals vs Clipless

Post by Marcus Aurelius »

cycle tramp wrote: 11 Jul 2021, 1:24pm
Marcus Aurelius wrote: 9 Jul 2021, 11:50am I’ve recently bought a replacement bike for one which was stolen a couple of weeks ago. The new bike came with flat pedals. After so many years riding with clipless, it felt really odd, so I binned them.
:o - surely you mean passed them onto a cycling friend, recycle a bike charity, or sold on ebay? So that they could otherwise be re-used
Of course
Marcus Aurelius
Posts: 1903
Joined: 1 Feb 2018, 10:20am

Re: Flat Pedals vs Clipless

Post by Marcus Aurelius »

Richard of York wrote: 10 Jul 2021, 8:38pm I like these Shimano double sided. Easy to clip in and wide enough to get a decent push on a hill start before clipping in.Screenshot_20210710-203634.png
I’ve got the Decathlon versions of those pedals, they work really well.
resus1uk
Posts: 294
Joined: 12 Mar 2007, 9:28am

Re: Flat Pedals vs Clipless

Post by resus1uk »

Double sided SPD/flats to clip into on my upright trikes, no problem of falling over when stationary with a trike. Option to ride in ordinary shoes.
Plain flats on my standard bikes as I didn't get on with SPDs & couldn't unclip safely quick enough.
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