Clips/Clipless pedals?



Bink's Gym

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Feb 23, 2006
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I am a sport and fitness trainer with cycling clients - some who need to protect their knees. We work on strengthening the knees and hips, but I am interested in the relative advantages of clips and clipless pedals for riding. I have only used the clips. Thanks for advice.
Jean
www.binksgym.com
 
I think the biggest advantage to clipless pedals over clips/straps is the ability to have a very secure connection that's also easy to get out of. They can either be very good or very bad for your knees depending on how well they're set up for the particular rider.
 
An important feature of clipless is that different brands have different amounts of "float". That's how much they let your feet rotate during normal pedaling. Some models have adjustable float.

The big problem, as with everything about knee problems, is knowing how much is good for you. I most often hear people say that more float is easier on the knees, but some people may benefit from the stability of a properly adjusted low-float system.
 
Not to be impolite, but a sport and fitness trainer who works with cyclists and asks a question about advantages of clipless? :confused: :eek:


In any event, it comes down to the ability to have 'float' with some pedal systems (sometimes it is done through the pedals, sometimes through the choice of cleats). Google it and you will come up with oodles of information.

Oh, and my Campagnolo Chorus pedals are best! :p
 
Well, Powerful Pete (great name!), I am an old trainer and still use clips :( but maybe you can teach an old dog new tricks!
-Jean Binkovitz, CSCS
Bink's Gym
www.binksgym.com
 
I switched to clipless last year and noticed an unbelieveable advantage. You get so much more power out of each pedal stroke. Try to find the best pedal for you and/or your clients (floatwise). I've used Shimano and they're good and have no big complaints about them. The float is a little less on the Shimano pedals as compared to some Speedplay pedals. Shop around and try as many different pedals as possible. Good luck hunting!
 
I'm 53 and got my first clipless pedals about three years ago. There is no going back. Being attached to the pedals just makes pedaling much more efficient. The attachment is more secure than toeclips and straps, yet is easy to release. Straps used to make my feet go numb when I cinched them tightly. Clipless is easy to work with, just click in and go. Quick twist and you are out. The pedal stroke can be nice and round by being able to pull up on the pedals as well as push down. I've been through SPD, Time ATAC and two types of Crankbrothers eggbeater and candy pedals. I like the candy pedals a lot. Good float and easy release with good feel to them.

Now, for knees, seat height and setback must be set right on. Also, the bicyclist with knee problems must be told to watch their knees to make sure they go up and down while pedaling without having any side to side motion. Part of knee pain for some riders is seat position. Part for others is due to improper cleat placement on the shoe. For others the issue lies with knee rotation while pedaling. It takes someone who knows about the physiological aspects of bicycling to analyze a rider to determine what the root cause of knee pain is.

In my case (and this is just me and is not applicable to someone else, necessarily) I need one cleat to be slightly behind the ball of my foot due to leg length differences. I also need my seat height and setback set perfectly. A couple of centimeters too high and I'll have knee pain and a couple of centimeters too low and I will have knee pain as well. Too high, pain in front, too low, pain in back of the knee. This is a rule of thumb. I have a bad knee from spending my life compensating for differences in leg length while marching and walking straight. If I had just let myself walk with a slight limp I'd probably have less knee problems today, but that's neither here nor there. There are many experts in proper fit that understand proper positioning to protect knees. Clipless pedals are part of the equation.