I have SPD's on the road bike and clips on the cross. the clippless are great for racing and feeling locked in. The clips still get you across the country in fine shape however. Just depends on what you want to do. Some days I like looking like a normal person, wearing normal shoes and shirts, when I ride and not like a tropical fish. Other days it is good to go fast and flashy. And yes, we all fall, even with clips. To ride is to chance a fall. I second, wear the helmet. I saw a helmet save a woman's life on RAGBRAI last year. After I showed her the crack in her helmet, she agreed.
Clipless bike pedals... worth it?
- Thread starter Cycl1
- Start date
they are worth it, there are a lot of different kinds, I am an SPD guy because I go on RAGBRAI where you tend to walk a lot. I think the racing shoe systems are probably better in terms of power transfer, but I like the comfort of spd. I have friends that love the speedplay system and it is a recessed system like SPD.
Make sure you get you cleat on tight and adjust tension on the pedals so you can get them out.
Make sure you get you cleat on tight and adjust tension on the pedals so you can get them out.
Thanks for the advice everyone. I got clipless yesterday, and although i haven't done any longer rides with them yet, they seem to work pretty well. Pretty easy to get up to speed and go fast. Clipping in is kinda difficult, but i bet i will get used to it. Havent fallen yet, but im sure my time will come.
I actually just got clipless pedals for my bike. I felt like superman because I didn't fall but did come pretty close when I was almost home.
I could feel the difference instantly.
I could feel the difference instantly.
Congrats and now you are ready to roll efficiently! Don't wait till the last minute and plan ahead by practicing un-clipping both feet as you come up to any slow and possible stopping situations. This will make unclipping second nature eventually and you won't have to think about it. Remember, if you think you might need to stop, plan for it...i.e. Unclip as you can always pedal without being clipped in as you move through the slow area. This is safer for you and the riders that are near you.
Z
Try adjusting to clipless on a mountain bike on your first trip out to Colorado. There were plenty of falls.... almost tears. My inner calf was beaten black and blue but it definitely stepped up my climbing ability.
I imagine mountain biking with clipless is a whole different beast than road biking.
That's just a bad idea. Even when you're used to clipless, Colorado can hurt you.
