Clipless Pedals for Commuting - Page 2

The main reason for clipless pedals is that they permit you to pull up, with your legs, on uphills, thus maintaining a RPM that is more effective than pushing a too-high gear or getting out of the saddle to 'push and shove'. The trick then is to seemlessly apply power through the entire crank revolution through conscious self-training.

Commuters often find themselves in strife if clipless pedals are set too tight e.g. disengagement is not spontaneous in heavy traffic and a spill occurs. So it is necessary to set the release to the lightest 'tug' without actually allowing your foot to disengage unexpectedly. Then gradually increase the tension as your confidence in traffic grows. A pedal that does not disengage when you absolutely need it to is disastrous in traffic.

Shimano SPD pedals are fine; I have used SPD for 20 years (road, touring, MTB) and now use a mid-range resin-framed double-sided SPD with self-raising front edge which takes either my Diadora cleated shoes or street shoes for the quick dash to the shops. The Crank Brothers egg beaters are very small in profile and some cyclists are known to get a sore spot in ball of their foot from the tiny platform. These 'minimalist' pedals are best left to MTBers in competition or who really need the weight savings.

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I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride it where I like."
—Freddie Mercury, 'Bicycle Race'

I agree with the general sentiment that clipless pedals are fine for commuting. I've only been commuting for a couple of months recently, but have had SPD pedals and shoes for a decade now. About that long ago I was car-free. (Thanks to a traffic violation.) I've never had any problems with disengaging the cleats, except when I had the retention set waaayyy too tight. Oops. Glad no one saw that.

My new pedals (came on new bike) have resin platform that clicks into the cleat retention device on the pedal allowing me to have a platform for the quick jaunts to the hardware store or post office or whatever, and the clipless side for longer rides. Also, just unclip the platform for a double-sided pedal should I want to trail ride or something.

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Always remember: Butter will never claim to taste like margarine.

Two points:

1.) SPDs keep your quads from getting overly tired on long commutes even if there aren't any hills; also, they teach good pedaling habits which transfer to platform pedals. I find myself pushing backward on the bottom and pushing forward at the top of a revolution even when on a bike with platforms, though obviously you can't pull up.

2.) For commuting, SPDs work fine even if normally left in the lowest tension setting all the time.

Thank you everyone for your responses. It's all been informative and I'm wiser for it! I've got my shoes now and I'm just waiting for Saturday to come around so I can pick up my new pedals - that gives me two days to practice before I ride to work again. It seems everyone has had at least one fall...I sure hope I don't fall in the next couple of weeks!

I could have written this posting! I'm presuming you bought your 95B's and MX101's at MEC.

Do you know how to maintain the petals? I had one set fail; I'm presuming due to my not greasing them. Problem is I don't know how.

I've only had mine 2 months so I don't know about failures, yet. I've never had to do maintenance on pedals, after all the bearings are sealed. If mine have the same problem I'll replace them with Shimanos, more expensive but maybe cheaper in the long term.

How much speed increase with clipless pedals?

I'm currently averaging 25 km/h on flats without cleats. Anymore than that it gets uncomfortable, more of a stability issue than fatigue.

Any thoughts?

Clipless pedals are great for commuting except for the fact that they cannot be fitted with pedal reflectors, which are a legal requirement for cycling in Britain after dark (half the year for commuters).

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"Boudreaux pissed me off, what should I do?"
"Nothing, just shut up and take his advice."

I commute 10 to and 10 fro using clipless. I ride a road bike (Cannondale R300 and self built) but have mountain bike clipless and shoes because they are recessed and I can walk normal (vs duck like with road shoes). If your feet start to hurt due to lack of flex in cycling shoes then consider keeping a different pair of shoes at work. My mountain bike shoes are somewhat flexable because I've had them 4 awhile. My dress code is somewhat relaxed so I dont have a problem with the boss.

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Is that an aerodynamic nose or what?

I commuted for two years without clipless pedals until this year. I now use Look pedals and wonder why it took me two years to switch. You can buy cleat covers for when you have to dismount.