Clipless vs platform efficiency gain?

I know, it is obvious that clipless are the way to go and there is nothing to discuss about it.

Just for laugh and giggles, does anyone have a figure on how much more efficient is to pedal with clipless vs. platforms with straps?

I am just curious ... nothing really that will make me loose sleep, and a good opportunity for y'all to show off your bike knowledge

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2003 Gary Fisher Zebrano (standard gearing)
Comfort commuter with drop and aero bars.
Think of a Buick.

1974 Schwinn Traveler Fixed Gear Conversion (42x13)

Think of some medieval torture element that goes fast

Wheelist, show me the bike!!!!!!!

Most likely none. The only advantage clipless have over straps is convenience, and perhaps a bit of safety.

Thank you ... you just saved me 100 bucks.

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2003 Gary Fisher Zebrano (standard gearing)
Comfort commuter with drop and aero bars.
Think of a Buick.

1974 Schwinn Traveler Fixed Gear Conversion (42x13)

Think of some medieval torture element that goes fast

Wheelist, show me the bike!!!!!!!

I have to completely disagree with you. Have you ever rode clipless before? I heard a figure once that clipless are 15% more efficient than platforms (I can't comment of the validity of it, but it sounds like it's in the right neighborhood). The biggest advantage of clipless vs. platforms is that you can do a complete pedal stroke, meaning you can pull the pedal upwards on the upstroke. I switched from platforms to clipless about 1000 miles ago, and I noticed my times on the flats dropped drastically (on the order of 5-6 minutes per hour of riding), and I found it much easier to climb.

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All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be.

I ride with both types. On my own I use clipless and with the wife I use platforms. Personally, I notice a huge difference. The bike seems to be alot easier to accelerate and keep at a certain speed and I can ride for longer without being knackered at the end. I use the platforms because she's forever stopping and walking up the 'hard bits'.

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Bill.

God invented beer to prevent the Irish taking over the world!

Eat right, exercise, DIE ANYWAY!!!

I hate my new job, it sucks like a thirsty leech.

Perhaps, but the original post was concerning platforms with straps. Going from platforms without straps, 15% is probably a reasonable upper limit.

I can't give a quantitative value as to the efficiency gain. But there is still a very big difference (maybe on the order of 5-10%?) between toeclips and clipless. The difference will surely be noticed on rides of 10+ miles

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All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be.

Now I need my 100$ back .... I mostly ride 40 plus miles or 20 on hills.

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2003 Gary Fisher Zebrano (standard gearing)
Comfort commuter with drop and aero bars.
Think of a Buick.

1974 Schwinn Traveler Fixed Gear Conversion (42x13)

Think of some medieval torture element that goes fast

Wheelist, show me the bike!!!!!!!

I think clipless pedals make cycling a totally different excercise. With them I'm using my abs to pull up on the upstroke. It's more of a circular motion rather than just pushing down on the pedals. The top bike racers have great abs and there is a reason why.

Especially climbing hills, paying attention to the full, circular pedal-stroke makes a huge difference.

If you ask to quantify it, you have to realy ask what kind of number are you putting on it. I'm sure that climbing steep hills a circular pedal stroke makes me go 1-2 mph faster, and since we're talking speeds at or under 10mph, that's a 10-20% more speed.

Since measuring human physical energy is a complex thing... How do you say that you are using more or less energy per mile? How do you measure that? That's why I'm doubtful of any figures thrown around about that claim that this or that is X% more or less efficient than something else.

5 to 10 percent ... I buy that ... good enough for me.

We are talking about straps vs clipless roight?

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2003 Gary Fisher Zebrano (standard gearing)
Comfort commuter with drop and aero bars.
Think of a Buick.

1974 Schwinn Traveler Fixed Gear Conversion (42x13)

Think of some medieval torture element that goes fast

Wheelist, show me the bike!!!!!!!

It's really tough to say, I don't want you coming back after you invest in shoes/pedals and tell me I'm full of crap. I've ridden clipless and I've ridden toeclips, and I MUCH prefer clipless. I find them easier to use and more efficient.

Maybe one way to look at it is, if toeclips allowed you to deliver the same efficiency, wouldn't a lot more people be using them?

You don't have to go with clipless, if you're happy with your performance with toeclips, then by all means, stick with that.

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All you touch and all you see is all your life will ever be.

I take eveybody's word for it and stick with my very inexpensive cages that I already have.

Caged pedals = 20 bucks.

I can live with that ....

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2003 Gary Fisher Zebrano (standard gearing)
Comfort commuter with drop and aero bars.
Think of a Buick.

1974 Schwinn Traveler Fixed Gear Conversion (42x13)

Think of some medieval torture element that goes fast

Wheelist, show me the bike!!!!!!!

NoooOOOOooooOOOO Huhenio!

There's been some debate about the figures I know, and you've been swung this way and that by the various arguments, but the difference between clipless and platforms (with straps) is immense.

I'm 34.6% happier riding clipless, 17% faster (in my mind) and have 22.8% more fun.

So that's 24.8% better. Go clipless - the figures speak for themselves.

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www.wheelism.co.uk - Keeping it wheel, every single day.

"When the spirits are low, when the day appears dark, when work becomes monotonous, when hope hardly seems worth having, just mount a bicycle and go out for a spin down the road, without thought on anything but the ride you are taking." - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, January 18, 1896, Scientific American Magazine

ROFL!

And for sure they help with your hot rod bike, eh?

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2003 Gary Fisher Zebrano (standard gearing)
Comfort commuter with drop and aero bars.
Think of a Buick.

1974 Schwinn Traveler Fixed Gear Conversion (42x13)

Think of some medieval torture element that goes fast

Wheelist, show me the bike!!!!!!!

HA! I think you'll find you're unbelievably 100% wrong mister!!! It's actually 16.999999999% faster!!! And because clipless don't have stupid big clips and straps, they're 80.56789million times more aerodynamic!

__________________
Bill.

God invented beer to prevent the Irish taking over the world!

Eat right, exercise, DIE ANYWAY!!!

I hate my new job, it sucks like a thirsty leech.