You ARE ready for clipless pedals.
Mar 23 '00 (Updated Oct 19 '00)
Can you imagine snow skiing wearing sandals? Playing tennis wearing only socks? Hiking a technical trail wearing slippers? So what are you wearing when you cycle?
Oh sure, you learned to ride a bike that was supplied with "rat trap" or platform pedals. It may have had training wheels too. You even made it through grade school and maybe even college on your platform pedal equipped "mountain bike". But now you choose to ride rather than have to ride. Leave the old days behind because now is the time to spin.
You are ready for clipless pedals because you are beyond the simple bike trips around the neighborhood. Your bike rides to school and back are behind you. You want more than ice cream rides, you want real rides. Not only are you ready for clipless pedals, you need clipless pedals. But before we delve deeper into the technical aspects, let's define what clipless pedals are and how they work.
First of all, the term "clipless" is confusing especially when a novice cyclist hears the advanced rider declare: "I clipped into my clipless pedals." What's that all about? The "clip" refers to the ancient days of cycling (back in the '70s) when serious riders wore stiff leather shoes under which was attached a cleat that was merely a plastic disk into which a groove was cut. The pedals were similar to the platform or "quill" style but they included a thin, raised metal plate that ran laterally across the pedal. Riders placed their cleat so that the plate fit into the groove. A clip at the front of the pedal helped guide the foot into the proper position and kept the shoe from over-shooting the cleat/plate mating. The clip also supported a strap which the rider tightened once underway. Together, the clip and strap formed the "toe cage" or simply "cage." The strap kept everything in place and bound the shoe positively to the pedal.
This whole affair was not as difficult to use as one might imagine once the rider became accustomed to the procedure. Pedals were even lighter than those used today and adjustments and maintenance were minimal. Still many riders were uncomfortable with the process. A downhill ski binding company saw an opportunity and created the first production clipless pedal. The result is and continues to be a standard for modern pedals. Using its binding philosophy and mechanical know how, Look created a simple pedal and cleat combination that required no more than stepping in and twisting out. The Look pedals eliminated the need for the clip and the subsequent tightening and loosening of a strap during rides. Soon after, the Time company began producing a similar pedal/cleat combination. Professional road racers to casual riders adopted the new systems readily without looking back.
Mountain bikers were slower to adopt the system as the Look and Time systems tended to have disadvantages off-road. The large cleat made shoe design awkward. The big cleat precluded effective treads which hampered riders who might need to portage their bikes over unridable portions of the trail. Additionally, the cleats and pedals were susceptible to failure from dirt, mud, snow and trail debris. Finally, many riders felt they could not "bail out" of the tenacious bindings in the event of a crash. Many off-roaders continued to use platform, clip and straps.
Shimano and others developed a new standard which addressed some of these issues. The Shimano Pedaling Dynamics, SPD, binding system used a smaller cleat and pedal than those of its predecessors. More importantly, the cleat could be recessed into the shoe sole so that it interfered less with the tread design. This also allowed the shoe to be used for normal walking without the cleat protruding below the level of the shoe tread. Some of the variants are "self-clearing" or "mud resistant". The smaller cleats and pedals allowed for a lighter combination as well. A road version was introduced as well and has become popular for its low profile and lightweight design.
Another pedal maker is Speedplay which has an interesting looking design available for off-road and road cyclists. These lollipop shaped units have a dedicated following and are available at different price points depending on the material used.
Your local bike shop is the best source for information on these pedals. They can properly fit your shoe, adjust and install your cleats, and provide you with the necessary maintenance information to keep these in top performing shape. They can also advise you of special features. A significant one is the availability of rotational "float". Some riders need a slight amount of movement between their feet and the pedal. A design that does not allow this may result in knee problems. In some models float can be adjusted if necessary or locked out entirely.
If you are not using modern clipless pedals you are:
1. simply wasting a lot of energy
2. not having as much fun
3. and risking nasty falls.
This applies to all bikes from road racers to mountain downhillers. (We won't discuss BMX and freestyle because we just won't.) Most if not all cyclists will not only reap the benefits of clipless pedals but they'll also wonder why they weren't using them sooner. Let's look at some reasoning.
An unbound foot on a pedal wastes energy because a cyclist's energy is not optimally used. Conversely, a cyclist can convert much more power into the drive train when the cyclist is connected using modern clipless pedals. This allows the cyclist to "pedal in circles" rather than simply mashing down on only a portion of the pedaling cycle.
When a cyclist finally learns to "spin" he or she gets greater yield from the energy he or she expends. An efficient spin is simply not possible without a binding between the shoe and pedal. An efficient spin allows faster, farther, and longer rides at enjoyable intensity. Once the cyclist has arrived at this stage, riding becomes all the more enjoyable.
A rider who has ever crashed after losing contact with the pedal and slipping a foot to the ground during a ride does not have to read about the benefits of a secure binding with the pedal. This especially applies to mountain bikers who can literally get bounced off the pedals by a challenging downhill washboard trail. Not many things are more frightening and painful than a steep and rocky descent with a death grip on the handlebars and the saddle threatening to impale you because you are too scared to commit your weight to your feet.
While I have used Look pedals exclusively on my single bikes, I prefer SPD type for mountain biking because my mountain shoes have recessed mounting for the cleats which allows walking excursions off the bike and for the too many times I have to walk a bike uphill. This philosophy is shared on my tandem as well. Not only do the SPD-cleated shoes allow me to explore sites along my bike route on foot, the heavily treaded shoes provides me a stable platform when holding the bike when my stoker (rear seated rider) is mounting and dismounting.
Getting used to clipless pedals takes a few minutes and can be mastered easily in a local parking lot. Practice in a place where traffic is minimal and where your concentration is not entirely used up in avoiding hitting something. Start by clipping into the side of your stronger leg. Push off with your other leg and let the inertia carry you. Deliberately move your free foot into the pedal. Once clicked in, practice twisting out. Don't actually stop until you are comfortable you can step in and twist out with your weaker leg. Try it several times. Before coming to a stop be sure you are twisted out and that you will actually use that foot to rest on when you have stopped. Your strong side should remain clipped in as that will eventually be the side that provides the initial thrust to get you underway again. Typically acclimation time is about ten minutes.
Ride lots.
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