Fixed gear and clipless pedals?



J

[email protected]

Guest
Hi,

I'm building a fixed gear bike I will be using for commuting and spring
training (yes it will have a brake!). It has been many years since I
last rode a fixed, and much has changed. In particular pedals.

On both my road and mountain bikes, I usually keep my shoes pretty
loose, and use floating cleats. I like this setup quite a bit, but I
don't think it will work for a fixed. In the old days I had some
perforated Duegi's with a nice deep slot cleat and double straps to
keep things nice and tight. There was no way I could come out by
accident. And no danger of the shoe pulling apart at the seams, since
the staps did all the work.

So what does the current generation do for shoes/pedals on fixed gear
bikes? Are moderns shoes made to take the strain of slowing a fixed,
and can clipless pedals be tight enough for the job? Ideally I'd go
with my old double strap method, but I can't even find any old-school
shoes. My search is further compounded by the fact that I need size 50.

Any suggestions?

Joseph
 
[email protected] wrote:
> So what does the current generation do for shoes/pedals on fixed gear
> bikes? Are moderns shoes made to take the strain of slowing a fixed,
> and can clipless pedals be tight enough for the job? Ideally I'd go
> with my old double strap method, but I can't even find any old-school
> shoes. My search is further compounded by the fact that I need size 50.
>
> Any suggestions?

Well, I wear either Converse hi-tops or PayLess sneakers. I ride MKS
track pedals with steel toeclips and cheapo nylon toe straps (you can
really crank these down to an extent that you can't with leather ones,
aesthetics be damned). I've ridden a time trial and climbed numerous
10% grades without slippage. I don't brake with my legs though.

However, I suspect that isn't the answer you're looking for :)
 
On 31 Aug 2005 12:10:25 -0700, [email protected] wrote:

>Hi,
>So what does the current generation do for shoes/pedals on fixed gear
>bikes? Are moderns shoes made to take the strain of slowing a fixed,
>and can clipless pedals be tight enough for the job? Ideally I'd go
>with my old double strap method, but I can't even find any old-school
>shoes. My search is further compounded by the fact that I need size 50.
>Joseph

I'm on SPDs, as are most of the fixed gear messengers I see around
town. Most real track riders seem to be on some kind of clipless too,
although some elite sprinters back that up with straps for a belt and
braces approach.

You won't be putting as much force through the shoe/pedal connection
stopping as you do starting, so the fixed wheel aspect is irrelevant
to the pull-out question, Accidental unclipping on downhills might be
worth worrying about if it ever happened, but I've never experienced
it.

Kinky Cowboy*

*Batteries not included
May contain traces of nuts
Your milage may vary
 
"Kinky Cowboy" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 31 Aug 2005 12:10:25 -0700, [email protected] wrote:
>
>>Hi,
>>So what does the current generation do for shoes/pedals on fixed gear
>>bikes? Are moderns shoes made to take the strain of slowing a fixed,
>>and can clipless pedals be tight enough for the job? Ideally I'd go
>>with my old double strap method, but I can't even find any old-school
>>shoes. My search is further compounded by the fact that I need size 50.
>>Joseph
>
> I'm on SPDs, as are most of the fixed gear messengers I see around
> town. Most real track riders seem to be on some kind of clipless too,
> although some elite sprinters back that up with straps for a belt and
> braces approach.
>
> You won't be putting as much force through the shoe/pedal connection
> stopping as you do starting, so the fixed wheel aspect is irrelevant
> to the pull-out question, Accidental unclipping on downhills might be
> worth worrying about if it ever happened, but I've never experienced
> it.
>
> Kinky Cowboy*
>
> *Batteries not included
> May contain traces of nuts
> Your milage may vary




Ditto. . . SPD & MTB shoes. . . no probs, plenty secure. . .
>
 
[email protected] wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm building a fixed gear bike I will be using for commuting and spring
> training (yes it will have a brake!). It has been many years since I
> last rode a fixed, and much has changed. In particular pedals.
>
> On both my road and mountain bikes, I usually keep my shoes pretty
> loose, and use floating cleats. I like this setup quite a bit, but I
> don't think it will work for a fixed. In the old days I had some
> perforated Duegi's with a nice deep slot cleat and double straps to
> keep things nice and tight. There was no way I could come out by
> accident. And no danger of the shoe pulling apart at the seams, since
> the staps did all the work.
>
> So what does the current generation do for shoes/pedals on fixed gear
> bikes?

Use clipless pedals. I like the easy entry of SPD pedals. Just stomp
down anywhere in the fixed gear pedal circle and you are in. Easier
than trying to flip a Look/Time road pedal up so you can stomp down on
the correct side and get clipped in.


> Are moderns shoes made to take the strain of slowing a fixed,
> and can clipless pedals be tight enough for the job?

Most people slow a fixed gear by back pedaling. You actually push DOWN
on the pedal with the foot on the upstroke. So all of the strain would
be born by the pedal and the sole of the shoe. You would be trying to
compress the sole of the shoe. Most bicycling shoes are very stiff,
dense plastic so they do a good job of resisting compression.

As for clipless pedals being tight enough, do you mean you think you
will pull your shoe out of the clipless pedal when you pull up hard on
your fixed gear bike? If this occurred with much frequency, then all
of the clipless pedal riders on regular road or mountain bikes would be
pulling their feet out of the pedals too.
 
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

In article <[email protected]>,
<[email protected]> wrote:
>Hi,
>
>I'm building a fixed gear bike I will be using for commuting and spring
>training (yes it will have a brake!). It has been many years since I
>last rode a fixed, and much has changed. In particular pedals.
>
>On both my road and mountain bikes, I usually keep my shoes pretty
>loose, and use floating cleats. I like this setup quite a bit, but I
>don't think it will work for a fixed. In the old days I had some
>perforated Duegi's with a nice deep slot cleat and double straps to
>keep things nice and tight. There was no way I could come out by
>accident. And no danger of the shoe pulling apart at the seams, since
>the staps did all the work.
>
>So what does the current generation do for shoes/pedals on fixed gear
>bikes? Are moderns shoes made to take the strain of slowing a fixed,
>and can clipless pedals be tight enough for the job? Ideally I'd go
>with my old double strap method, but I can't even find any old-school
>shoes. My search is further compounded by the fact that I need size 50.

_ I use Crank Brothers pedals and MTB type shoes on both my fixed
gear bikes. No problems so far... Most of the people I see around
are either using some kind of SPD style pedal or plain old track
cage pedals w/o straps.

_ Booker C. Bense


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I ride SPD on my mountain bike and it sure is easy to get into them.
Just stomp like you say. And I don't rememeber ever coming out of them
by accident unless my foot hits something.

But while slowing my fixed in the old days I distinctly remember using
both legs by resisting the pedals all the way around. This mean I was
pulling up quite a bit on the forward pedal as well as pushing down the
rearward one. It's this pulling up and back with the forward pedal I'm
worried about. Particularly while doing a skip or some other similar
move. Regular forward pedaling is no problem. Like you say, if a Guy
like Alessandro Petachi doesn't pull out, I sure won't.

I remember I needed to go to double staps to keep myself attached while
slowing down, so there is definety some force involved here.

j
 
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

In article <[email protected]>,
<[email protected]> wrote:
>I ride SPD on my mountain bike and it sure is easy to get into them.
>Just stomp like you say. And I don't rememeber ever coming out of them
>by accident unless my foot hits something.
>
>But while slowing my fixed in the old days I distinctly remember using
>both legs by resisting the pedals all the way around. This mean I was
>pulling up quite a bit on the forward pedal as well as pushing down the
>rearward one. It's this pulling up and back with the forward pedal I'm
>worried about. Particularly while doing a skip or some other similar
>move. Regular forward pedaling is no problem. Like you say, if a Guy
>like Alessandro Petachi doesn't pull out, I sure won't.
>
>I remember I needed to go to double staps to keep myself attached while
>slowing down, so there is definety some force involved here.
>

_ I pull up on my pedals all the time ( mostly when climbing
steep hills ) and I've never pulled out. Clipless release by
twisting the foot and most designs are impossible for mere
mortals to pull out if you keep the foot straight.

_ Booker C. Bense

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[email protected] wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm building a fixed gear bike I will be using for commuting and spring
> training (yes it will have a brake!). It has been many years since I
> last rode a fixed, and much has changed. In particular pedals.
>
> So what does the current generation do for shoes/pedals on fixed gear
> bikes? Are moderns shoes made to take the strain of slowing a fixed,
> and can clipless pedals be tight enough for the job? Ideally I'd go
> with my old double strap method, but I can't even find any old-school
> shoes. My search is further compounded by the fact that I need size 50.
>
> Any suggestions?
>
> Joseph

Low-end Diadora mtb shoes and Time Aliums have worked fine for me.
I've read about Freddy Rodriguez using the Cook Bros pedals for
sprinting without issue, the design of which is similiar to the Time
pedals. The retention of the Cook Bros should INCREASE as you
backpedal, as they have a kind of scissor-like design.
The lugged sole recesses the cleat making it fine for walking around
in. And I swap the pedals to my mtb when I'm hitting the dirt.

/s
 
It's entirely possible that you just have more pull when back-pedaling,
but I've been riding fixed on SPD pedals and MTB shoes for the last
year or so, and they've worked wonderfully.

I have had the cleat disengage exactly two times, but both were while
riding on cheap Wellgo pedals, with poorly-adjusted tension screws and
heavily-worn cleats. My Shimano pedals have never given me any trouble.
 
<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Any suggestions?

Just do what most do, which is use the same shoe and pedal combo you do on
other bikes. You shouldn't unclip accidently any more than you do on your
other rides. Tthe only difference is you need to be a bit more coordinated
with the clip in, especially if you have to flip the pedal to clip in. That
said, I ride Looks and standard red (float) cleats on all my bikes,
including the fixie, no problems whatsoever!

Can't hurt pulling a pair of your normal pedals off your usual ride, and
putting them on the fixie, and see how you go...... a cheap experiment
anyway, and means you don't have to **** about with different pairs of
shoes...
 
I saw some pics of some track racing event. I recall seeing closeups of one
guy riding with clipless pedals/shoes.
Of course, he's probably not doing much stopping.

Paul

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hi,
>
> I'm building a fixed gear bike I will be using for commuting and spring
> training (yes it will have a brake!). It has been many years since I
> last rode a fixed, and much has changed. In particular pedals.
>
> On both my road and mountain bikes, I usually keep my shoes pretty
> loose, and use floating cleats. I like this setup quite a bit, but I
> don't think it will work for a fixed. In the old days I had some
> perforated Duegi's with a nice deep slot cleat and double straps to
> keep things nice and tight. There was no way I could come out by
> accident. And no danger of the shoe pulling apart at the seams, since
> the staps did all the work.
>
> So what does the current generation do for shoes/pedals on fixed gear
> bikes? Are moderns shoes made to take the strain of slowing a fixed,
> and can clipless pedals be tight enough for the job? Ideally I'd go
> with my old double strap method, but I can't even find any old-school
> shoes. My search is further compounded by the fact that I need size 50.
>
> Any suggestions?
>
> Joseph
>
 
Paul Scrutton wrote:
> I saw some pics of some track racing event. I recall seeing closeups of one
> guy riding with clipless pedals/shoes.
> Of course, he's probably not doing much stopping.
>
> Paul
>

wouldn't all (professional) track racers have clipless systems?

\\paul
--
Paul M. Hobson
Georgia Institute of Technology
..:change the words numbers
if you want to reply to me:.
 
I don't believe so, I thought some were using straps, although my memory is
fuzzy on this. What's the word people?

Paul

"Paul Hobson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Paul Scrutton wrote:
> > I saw some pics of some track racing event. I recall seeing closeups of
one
> > guy riding with clipless pedals/shoes.
> > Of course, he's probably not doing much stopping.
> >
> > Paul
> >
>
> wouldn't all (professional) track racers have clipless systems?
>
> \\paul
> --
> Paul M. Hobson
> Georgia Institute of Technology
> .:change the words numbers
> if you want to reply to me:.
 
Quoting Paul Hobson <[email protected]>:
>wouldn't all (professional) track racers have clipless systems?

No. In particular, keirin uses clips and straps.
--
David Damerell <[email protected]> Distortion Field!
Today is Second Wednesday, August.
 
[email protected] wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I'm building a fixed gear bike I will be using for commuting and spring
> training (yes it will have a brake!). It has been many years since I
> last rode a fixed, and much has changed. In particular pedals.


Normal shoes and Speedplay pedals. Two sided, easy in, no pulling out.
 
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