Pedals

warren7

Hi, ive had my road bike nearly a year now and still have the pedals with the toe straps on it and wear trainers. I'm thinking of buying some clipless pedals and shoes but not sure if it will actually improve the energy transfer and all that, just not sure if it's worth the £100 odd to replace what i use already? How much do you guys value clipless pedals over the straps and trainers?

Thanks for your help!

geoff_ss

How do I value proper cycing shoes and clipless pedals? In a word 'hugely'. I wouldn't dream of doing a significant journey (>5miles) without them, if ever.

I tried to ride in trainers occasionally in my pre-clipless days (20 years ago?) and they were OK for short shopping trips, but they were so awkward to slide in and out of the clips I rarely got my foot positioned properly. It was OK with smooth soled cycling shoes or the Sidi touring shoes I used a a lot, but the trainer sole were too grippy to slide into place.

Geoff

topdude

Once you start using clipless shoes / pedals you will not want to ride without them.
The problem is deciding which shoe / pedal combination to go for.
Oh, and not falling off while still clipped in is something you learn quickly !!

Mettan

warren7 wrote:

Hi, ive had my road bike nearly a year now and still have the pedals with the toe straps on it and wear trainers. I'm thinking of buying some clipless pedals and shoes but not sure if it will actually improve the energy transfer and all that, just not sure if it's worth the £100 odd to replace what i use already? How much do you guys value clipless pedals over the straps and trainers?

Thanks for your help!

If you don't get on with them, they can always be sold on Ebay as in "As New" condition - you might only lose £5 - 8 on the pedals and £5 - 10 on the shoes (at a guess). So, given that, could be worth a try?

James1823

Energy transfer is much better with clipless pedals and cycling shoes. They are much stiffer in the sole, meaning you get a much more 'direct' effect when you pedal. When I have to use ordinary shoes I really notice the difference, so I'd say definitely worth it.

donaldinho

Hi,

you'll notice a great improvement in energy transfer straight away.
Highly recommend the switch!

thexvw

I switched to spd's recently after many years of toe clips. Much better in many ways. They do take a little time to get used to them, i.e. you will probably fall off a few times! I bought SHIMANO PD-M520 pedals and shimano mt31 shoes.

The pedals I bought from sjs shop on ebay. The reason I went for them was they were cheap and double sided so much easier to clip into than the single sided spd's pedals that came on the bike. The shoes are much more like trainers and are comfortable to walk in no problem. Shop around and you should be able to get both for around £60-£70.

I mainly cycle for commuting purposes and this setup is great for me.

Yellow Cliff

It is possible to get clipless pedals and shoes for less than £100, so if you aren't convinced, why not buy some cheaper ones? They will be much better than trainers with clip-and-strap pedals.

Basic SPD pedals start at around £15 (although designed for MTB, they are OK on the road and very easy to use if you haven't tried clipless before):
http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=P1005
Nicer road specific pedals are a little more (possibly cheaper elsewhere):
http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=M1111

Shoes can be had for £30-40 in lots of places - some decent ones on offer (depends on your size). I'm sure you could get reasonable shoes and pedals for £50-60 all in - well worth the investment.