Thinking of finally giving up on clipless pedals. :-(

[smuggers]

Hello, I'm after any advice regarding a good non-clipless pedal and shoe combination. I know we have threads here on the clipless V flats debate & if I felt I could use clipless pedals I would.. ( I have countless pairs of shoes & pedals to back this up ) The problem is I've got really poor biomechanics & worn kness. I'm fed up of all the fuss I've been through to try and find a clipless pedal & shoe that works for me.. Custom orthotics, cleat wedging, bike fits & every flaming pedal going & I'm finally ready to give up on clipless so I can start to enjoy my cycling again. I no longer race so no longer need the efficiency a clipless pedal & good stiff soled shoe brings.. Any kind of advice would be appreciated..I just want to draw a line under my use of clipless pedals.. Have thought about MTB style pedals, Restraps, Powergrips, cages & straps.. I have been looking at retro cycling shoes, which either seem very expensive or hard to come by.. Also been looking at walking type shoes with a stiffer sole & the Specialized Tahoe shoes.. Any members advice greatly appreciated..

Kind Regards..

Smuggers.

[MLJ]

I recently fitted MKS Prime Touring pedals coupled with MKS half mini clips and find these ideal for leisure use instead of the cleated ones used previously. Pedals from Halfords http://www.halfords.com/cycling/cycling-parts/pedals-pegs/mks-prime-sylvan-touring-bike-pedals and mini clips from my LBS, or http://www.evanscycles.com/products/mks/half-toe-clip-deep-section-with-leather-ec023226. You can use any shoes with these!

[cycleruk]

No reason why you can't use your existing clipless shoes without the cleats. Flat pedals with straps should be fine.
I used straps for years both for road and mountain biking. I just left the straps slack enough to allow ease of getting in and out but just tight enough to allow pulling up. This also allows the foot to rotate to find a natural position.

[pwa]

I use cleats myself, but other members of my family get on well with MKS pedals (various designs), which are well made in a traditional sort of way. Bike+ sell them. Combine these with the MKS half-clips (no straps) for easy entry / exit. The Exustar Stelvio shoes (£66) are well regarded and can be used without cleats.

[smuggers]

I recently fitted MKS Prime Touring pedals coupled with MKS half mini clips and find these ideal for leisure use instead of the cleated ones used previously. Pedals from Halfords http://www.halfords.com/cycling/cycling-parts/pedals-pegs/mks-prime-sylvan-touring-bike-pedals and mini clips from my LBS, or http://www.evanscycles.com/products/mks/half-toe-clip-deep-section-with-leather-ec023226. You can use any shoes with these!

Thanks for your reply MLJ.. I have a pair of Sylvian pedals & MKS half toe clips.. Going to try them out this coming week.. Comfort is what I'm after & I dont know why I persevered for so long with clipless...Thanks again..

[smuggers]

No reason why you can't use your existing clipless shoes without the cleats. Flat pedals with straps should be fine.
I used straps for years both for road and mountain biking. I just left the straps slack enough to allow ease of getting in and out but just tight enough to allow pulling up. This also allows the foot to rotate to find a natural position.

Thanks cycleruk.. Like yourself I used straps for years on my road & mtb's.. Having my foot in the correct position is what I'm after & unfortunately I cant seem to get this with clipless pedals..

[smuggers]

I use cleats myself, but other members of my family get on well with MKS pedals (various designs), which are well made in a traditional sort of way. Bike+ sell them. Combine these with the MKS half-clips (no straps) for easy entry / exit. The Exustar Stelvio shoes (£66) are well regarded and can be used without cleats.

Thank you, pwa.. Just looked at the Exustar Stelvio shoes & like the look of them..

[Kenn]

I also left clipless three years ago because of increasing knee problems. I then found that full clips didn't really give enough lateral and rotational movement to completely solve the problem (the ability to slide feet around during each pedal stroke seems to be key) Flat pedals just didn't give enough positive location on a long ride with smooth soled shoes (though they seem fine for shorter trips on folding bikes) . Finally settled on MKS urban platforms and nylon half clips which are excellent when used with smooth soled shoes which allow easy foot movement within the clip. The urban platform bearings are super smooth and half clips easy to flip in and out of when meeting traffic on the the very narrow single track roads where I mostly ride. Urban platforms are a bit narrow but the design makes pedal flipping really easy. Just discovered the new MKS steel wire cage clips and half clips that look really nice so will probably give them a try. I use a pair of Nike cycling-themed trainers which I bought very cheaply and which are surprisingly very good for real cycling. Don't know if they are still made. Indoor football shoes also look good since they have a flat sole.

Hope you find a good solution.

[mjr]

I no longer race so no longer need the efficiency a clipless pedal & good stiff soled shoe brings.. Any kind of advice would be appreciated..I just want to draw a line under my use of clipless pedals..

ITYM you no longer need the power-for-efficiency trade that clipless enables.

The best pedal may depend on your riding style and bike but people seem to like the MKS Lambdas for a wide range of applications. I like the Wellgo LU868s and the Vavert Commuter pedals I use, which both have good rubber grips that I wear trainers or MTB shoes (with blanking plates left on their SPD holes).

[Brucey]

a good, cheap solution is to use SPD type MTB shoes on pedals with clips and straps but

a) don't fit the SPD cleat, leave the plug in the sole (buy shoes with a plug, of course...)

b) think about trimming the side lugs off the MTB shoe sole, so that the shoe will slide in and out of a toestrap easily.

c) use double straps

There are some absolutely superb quill and flat type pedals out there; take a look at the top MKS ones with the NJS certification, e.g. the RX-1 model.

cheers

[mercalia]

http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=93150

[Elizabethsdad]

I very much like the big MTB platform pedals such as the Wellgo V8 copies that I got from CRC for 7.50 recently. The large area for my large feet feels more secure and the little stud pins dotted all over them provide very good non-slip in the wet. They are heavy and the ones I got needed the bearings reset as they had been done up too tight in the factory.

[timdownieuk]

I very much like the big MTB platform pedals such as the Wellgo V8 copies that I got from CRC for 7.50 recently. The large area for my large feet feels more secure and the little stud pins dotted all over them provide very good non-slip in the wet. They are heavy and the ones I got needed the bearings reset as they had been done up too tight in the factory.

Excellent shin graters though.

If you want room to move your feet around you could go for something like this. http://www.elliptigo.com

Tim

[gregoryoftours]

I very much like the big MTB platform pedals such as the Wellgo V8 copies that I got from CRC for 7.50 recently. The large area for my large feet feels more secure and the little stud pins dotted all over them provide very good non-slip in the wet. They are heavy and the ones I got needed the bearings reset as they had been done up too tight in the factory.

Yes these are by far my favourite type, they have a nice big platform, and are very grippy. I wear mtb flat shoes with them (5/10s) that are expensive but provide really good support and are unbelievably grippy also. They do look a bit hideous though. Grated shins is only an issue if you're riding off-road as your feet are extremely unlikely to slip on road. If you get this type of pedal make sure that the pins are steel and not just part of the alu casting - some of the really cheap ones are the latter and don't provide half as much grip.
I agree there is no point in staying with clipless if it's killing your knees.

[gregoryoftours]

If you want room to move your feet around you could go for something like this. http://www.elliptigo.com

By the way last autumn I was on a ride in the peaks and passed some guy who was doing a 100+ mile ride on one of these - bloody impressive in the Peak District!