Clipless...or stay with the safe option...

mountaincookie

Im currently commuting with a pair of wellgo DMR v12 copys and although wonderfully grippy...they look ridiculus and are too big for the lower BB my commuting bike has......so I've been thinking a long time about going clipless....

Would people advise it or not? I'm nervous because of the storys of people crashing in clipless and getting in and out of them

Any advice would be appreciated!

Oh, and I'm thinking of this pedal http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=52885

Cheers

Keith1983

I'll be going with a pair of these http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Mode ... elID=67249 when I've got a few spare penny's. They look much nicer and also allow for flat shoes if you wish. I love my 105 spd-sl pedals though. Being clipped in does make a massive difference.

meanredspider

Go for it.

esspeebee

A lot depends on the nature of your commute. When I was doing 10 miles each way from a small village to the edge of Cambridge, all on minor roads until the last half mile, I used SPDs on the nice road bike. Now I'm doing about a mile each way on roads in town, and it's not worth the hassle any more. How far is your commute, what sort of roads is it on, and how often do you have to stop for junctions or traffic lights?

k1875

I was very worried about switching to clipless pedals, but (touches wood) I haven't had any mishaps or come a cropper yet.

That said, I only started cycling again a few months ago so I still tend to concentrate pretty hard on everything I'm doing when on the bike, including making sure I'm unclipped in plenty of time. I would imagine if you've been riding the same commute for years on flats it might be easier for the mind to drift off, making a "moment" more likely.

As said above though, if you only commute a couple of miles the benefits probably don't outweigh the potential for mishap.

esspeebee

It's not so much the potential for mishap that puts me off; it's more the hassle of needing an extra pair of shoes kept at work. While I don't mind wearing SPD shoes around the shops, I'd rather have my trainers on for an entire work day. It's not a problem, just a minor annoyance, hence doing it for longer commutes but not short ones.

mountaincookie

thanks for you comments!

My commute (at the moment) is only a couple of miles, on cycle paths usually. Track standing is an option....but I'm slowly (very) getting the nack of it....:( however....I do use the bike for everything else ( moneys tight at uni ) so I use it at weekends ect for longer rides as well

the bike is a kona dew plus with a longer stem (120mm)

nation

When you first try them out you will have a moment or two where you forget that you're using them and topple to one side as you suddenly remember and frantically try to unclip.

Having said that, once you're used to them they are absolutely second nature. You'll wonder what you were worrying about.

Personally, I wouldn't go for a single-sided pedal. I've never used them myself but it seems to me that having to worry about whether the pedal was the right way up would mean you'd be more likely to end in mishap, not less.

mountaincookie

Thanks nation, thats a good point

When you people have bought your clipless pedals have they come with amber reflectors (however pathetic an exuse)?

mountaincookie

Thanks nation, thats a good point

When you people have bought your clipless pedals have they come with amber reflectors (however pathetic an exuse)?

godders1

mountaincookie wrote:

Thanks nation, thats a good point

When you people have bought your clipless pedals have they come with amber reflectors (however pathetic an exuse)?

Very few clipless pedals have reflectors.

The shimano M520 come with detachable platforms that have built in reflectors:



I have shimano M324 on one of my bikes (single sided SPD), they don't come with reflectors but look like they could accommodate them:

nation

I didn't get detachable platforms with my M520s.

godders1

nation wrote:

I didn't get detachable platforms with my M520s.

Ah right, they came with mine so I assumed they came with all of them.

SickAsAParrot

I use clipless on my summer commuter, I won't use them in winter I want to be able to get my feet on the ground quickly if I start to slide.

I haven't fallen off yet because of forgetting i'm clipped in, but I did have an off when a dog jumped under the wheels a couple of months ago. I didn't hit the ground very quickly but one of the pedals didn't release and I ended up with a twisted foot and not being able to walk for a couple of days. I can see that happening a lot more often riding clipless an ice.

memsley89

mountaincookie wrote:

Thanks nation, thats a good point

When you people have bought your clipless pedals have they come with amber reflectors (however pathetic an exuse)?

I seem to remember my Ultegra 6700's having a usage note that they weren't for road use due to lack of reflectors, or something silly like that... I'll dig out the paperwork later.

memsley89

nation wrote:

Personally, I wouldn't go for a single-sided pedal.

Aslong as you use a decent quality set, they pretty much hang vertical... so it's nearly impossible attempt to clip in upside down!!

Koncordski

Go for it, personally I find the single sided type (SPD-SL) more comfortable than the 2 sided SPD's but it's personal preference.

As for unclipping it really isn't an issue. You concentrate on it for a few days then it quickly becomes routine. You can tell the newbies (which isn't a criticism btw) because as they roll upto the lights they unclip about 100 yards from the stop line.

If you drive a car as well the easiest way to explain it is like changing gears. When you are learning you think really hard about what gear to be in and when to change. After a while your brain just takes care of it for you and you concentrate on the road. Unclipping becomes instinctive very quickly.

shouldbeinbed

nation wrote:

Personally, I wouldn't go for a single-sided pedal. I've never used them myself but it seems to me that having to worry about whether the pedal was the right way up would mean you'd be more likely to end in mishap, not less.

With respect this is nonsense. I do use single sided on my jeep bike so I can do a 5 minute shop or pub hop in normal shoes or an all dayer clipped in. They take no longer to get used to than double sided, the spd lump invariably rolls to the underside so you simply toe flip as you push off and bobs your uncle. Even if you do try to clip onto the flat side A) its blindingly obvious and simple to toe flip & not a problem anyway as your foot will not suddenly fly off the pedal

mountaincookie

Thanks Godders1, helpful photos

Well.....I pretty convinced it's the way to go now. I think one thing thats attracting me is being able to cycle in rain, not slip off the pedals and change into dry shoes at the other end.

I'll probably email wiggle and CRC about the reflector platforms - I've seen some similar to the ones you photo'd Godders1, but as has been said they don't all come with them (to be honest the reflector quality is a bit annoying - my flats have holes for reflectors....used them....and one reflector fell out! oh well)

I've got to pick a pedal under £40 now, liked the wellgos due to the pins, shame they seem to be the only ones.

nation

shouldbeinbed wrote:

nation wrote:

Personally, I wouldn't go for a single-sided pedal. I've never used them myself but it seems to me that having to worry about whether the pedal was the right way up would mean you'd be more likely to end in mishap, not less.

With respect this is nonsense. I do use single sided on my jeep bike so I can do a 5 minute shop or pub hop in normal shoes or an all dayer clipped in. They take no longer to get used to than double sided, the spd lump invariably rolls to the underside so you simply toe flip as you push off and bobs your uncle. Even if you do try to clip onto the flat side A) its blindingly obvious and simple to toe flip & not a problem anyway as your foot will not suddenly fly off the pedal

Fair enough, like I say I've never used them. I was basing it on my use of a pair of cheap wellgo flat pedals that, while not strictly single-sided, had a "right way up" and a "wrong way up". They were intended to be used with toe clips, that I removed, so one side is flat and the other isn't quite, the axle protrudes above the pedal cage slightly.

I've got rid of them because of several sketchy moments where I'd go to pull away at a junction or a roundabout, only to find out two pedal strokes in (and therefore broadside on to the traffic) that I can't accelerate properly because my left pedal is upside down.

baronsouthside

I got dettachable platforms with my spd 520s when i bought a brand new bike. You may only get them on a brand new bike as the shop will have make sure that if the bike is leaving/being ridden out the shop then the pedals have to be road legal(ie refectors). Once its out the shop you can do what you want. I think you can buy the platforms as a seperate set tho.

Ive had a few slow speed tips with my clipless but i do find that they instantly tell you how much work each leg is doing. i needed to use my right leg a lot more and with out the clipless i wouldnt have felt this and i would still be grinding away on flats. I only go 3.5miles so its a bit overkill but i like a few longer rides at weekends so they come in to there own then.

shdaxner

Hiya mountaincookie

I was kind of in the same boat as you wondering about whether to go clipless or not and i was mainly swayed by the claims of much better efficeincy. so last friday i stumbled across the on one / planet x winter bargain sales and noticed the Shimano M520 spds are only £19.99 so i bought some. they arrived yesterday now this weekend im going to try some shoes on (size 12 you see, i darent buy any online) and take the plunge and see how i get on.

So basically im trying to say the M520's are only £20 at the on one/planet x sales, from what i can gather these pedals are dubbed as being pretty good started pedals.

Also another bonus, the ones i bought came with clip on platforms so i can only assume the rest from these websites will.

Stefan

daxplusplus

Same boat - bought a 2nd hand road bike couple of months ago that came with old school toe clips. These where better than nothing (esp in the wet) and got me used to the idea that I had to think about getting my feet into/out of something on the pedals.

Today used some 520 SPDs (£23 including SH51 cleats from HighOnBikes ebay shop) and aldi shoes (£19) for the first time ever and they are a revelation. My commute is mostly country lanes so I can put my foot down and go for it if I want .. the accelaration is awesome :-)

Getting the cleats just right is a faff but reckon I'll get it spot on soon enough and for me it's well worth it .. I can't see me ever going back.

Oh yeah and broke my PB for the commute ..

hstiles

I have M520s on my road bike and M324s on the cross bike as I often wan t to ride that with standard shoes.

Single sided pedals are more of a hassle than double sided, but nothing that should put you off them. Flipping them over to the right side with your toes so you can clip in soon becomes second nature.

rolf_f

£20 is the normal price you should pay online for M520s. Just make sure they include the cleats as some don't (and the cleats retail about £15!!).

daxplusplus

ebay seems to be a good place to get this kind of kit especially if your not in a hurry but you do have to watch out for whether your going to get cleats with them and keep an eye on delievery costs. TBH all of the usual online stores where slightly more expensive.

Also, for some reason, the white ones ones cost a couple of quid more?

mountaincookie

Thanks for all the advice!

I mentioned this to a freind of mine and he's lent me some very old shoes and ritchey clipless pedals ( very old = 10 or more years...not old to some but to me they are! ) so going to give it a try before buying some

cookdn

As Rolf F and DaxPlusPlus state be careful that you are sure that the pedals include the cleats, I spotted this inconsistency yesterday when I was looking at M520s on-line. I have temporarily borrowed the SPD pedals from my MTB for my new Boardman CX so need an additional pair.

I could get-away with a cleat-less pair, but I suspect I will buy a second pair of shoes. I am finding that the relatively wide heel of my MT42s can catch the chainstay on the Boardman depending on the position of my feet on the pedal as the Q and frame tolerances are smaller than the MTB.

With Cleats:
Wiggle - £22.99
High On Bikes (eBay) - £22.95
Chain Reaction Cycles - £22.99

Without Cleats:
Absolute Cycles (eBay) - £14.95

Not specified:
Ribble - £18.36 (£22.95 + £2.95 p&p)

Best regards

mountaincookie

Just tried clipless pedals for the first with some ancient bashed up pedals....AMAZING!! THE ACCELERATION!! I'm amazed how much more efficient they are and the extra speed, paticulary when climing. Wow.....they do seem to make me hit the wall quicker...maybe I was just excited

Thanks, cookdn, that's helpful I'll watch out for that. Cleats seem very exspensive--I guess that's where they make the profit!

cookdn

mountaincookie wrote:

Just tried clipless pedals for the first with some ancient bashed up pedals....AMAZING!! THE ACCELERATION!! I'm amazed how much more efficient they are and the extra speed, paticulary when climing. Wow.....they do seem to make me hit the wall quicker...maybe I was just excited

Yep, you won't look back. Clipless pedals make a huge improvement to pedalling efficiency.

mountaincookie wrote:

Thanks, cookdn, that's helpful I'll watch out for that. Cleats seem very exspensive--I guess that's where they make the profit.

Absolute Cycles (eBay) are clearly splitting the cleats from the pedals to sell separately, at least they are explicit about this in the description of the pedals. If you are after cheap new cleats they could be a good source. I guess that Ribble probably supply the pedals and cleats un-split. I might pop them an e-mail to confirm as I am sure I can easily pad-out an order to £35 to get the extra discount and free shipping .

Best regards

shdaxner

Just a quick one with reference to the cleat/no cleat dilemma I mentioned I got my pedals for 19.99 from planet x online they come complete with cleats, you do have to pay postage but if you spend over 20 pound postage is free so I bought a couple of new lights at 4.99.
Anyway just a heads up, these must be the cheapest at the moment with cleats?