From a guy for the gals...

[TheDL]

Ok...call this quirky, odd, dumb, whatever but my friend and I (guys) have a question for the gals out there...mainly the 20-somethings because that's how old we are. My buddy's single and he's gotten in to cycling recently and his tastes are little 'eccentric' at times, but he's posed this criterion. He want's to meet a girl who cycles and uses clipless pedals. He's 23 yrs old.

Ok, so we were at the Portland Bridge Pedal today (~17,000) cyclists turn out for the event so we thought'd we'd do some casual surveying. We did not see ANY females in our age group using clipless pedals! So we're wondering, what gives? It seemed plenty of women 35 yrs and up were using clipless?

Could ya'll fill us in

Thanks!

 

[Bunyip]

Hello DL. Scuse my newbieness but by clipless pedals, you mean just pedals, right? If so, then that's me. I'm 22, and it's always been just pedals. I ride a mountain bike, about 60 miles/week and find it's okay. Maybe if I start to ride more, I might look into it. I don't know if it's just an unconscious personal choice, even if I'm in the gym, I usually take the clip things off the pedals when I'm on the stationary bike. Hope that sates you and your pal's curiosity somewhat. Ciao, Jess

 

[TheDL]

Hello DL. Scuse my newbieness but by clipless pedals, you mean just pedals, right? If so, then that's me. I'm 22, and it's always been just pedals. I ride a mountain bike, about 60 miles/week and find it's okay. Maybe if I start to ride more, I might look into it. I don't know if it's just an unconscious personal choice, even if I'm in the gym, I usually take the clip things off the pedals when I'm on the stationary bike. Hope that sates you and your pal's curiosity somewhat. Ciao, Jess

Thanks for the feedback Jess Clipless pedals are the types of pedals where your shoes actually "clip" or "click" in to the pedal itself...effectively attaching your foot to the pedal. They generally require a special cycling shoe to which a cleat is attached.

 

[Saucy]

I'm no longer 23 but I did use CP's in my twenties. In fact, I've always ridden CP's. But you are right though, I don't see many young women using cp's. Even young women in my area who are into MTB'ing go clipless. Most commuters, male and female, don't seem to go clipless either.

I suspect that most women are not caught up in technical aspects of riding, don't care about pedalling efficiency etc. and therefore stick with a platform for which they can wear regular shoes to walk around in. Let's face it, using CP's can be a pain in the ass for practicality i.e. having to carry extra pair of shoes when off the bike. I guess most women are probably being practical.

He want's to meet a girl who cycles and uses clipless pedals.

Heh. That's funny. Is it so he can ride her bike? Do the pedals have to be SPD's, eggbeaters or something else? That's a very short list of qualifications - at least your friend isn't picky about looks or personality.

 

[lleenn]

I'm in my 20's and I use clipless pedals. I actually have a group of girls I ride with and they're all 20 someting and every single one of them uses clipless pedals.

Your friend probably needs to move to my town. LOL! He'll meet lots of girls that fit his 'eccentric' criteria.

-Len

 

[TheDL]

I'm in my 20's and I use clipless pedals. I actually have a group of girls I ride with and they're all 20 someting and every single one of them uses clipless pedals.

Your friend probably needs to move to my town. LOL! He'll meet lots of girls that fit his 'eccentric' criteria.

-Len

Hahaha, you girls are great! Please keep adding your input.

 

[Jene]

i have that problem!! well......not finding gals but im 18....and know NO other gals who ride clipless cept me.....think im moving to where evr that other persons from as well........cos im trainin with like 30 / 40 yr old men......gross, lol....and slow, no1 seems to cycle in wales.....either that or i dont know them

 

[Iona]

Well - I maybe too high up the 20's decade to really count (I'm 28), but I ride clipless! I'm wondering if more women in their 20's are more into cycling for just fitness and keeping trim? Perhaps when they reach their 30's they stop caring so much about being a size 2 and as a result fall in love with the pleasure of riding for the heck of it!

I

Ok...call this quirky, odd, dumb, whatever but my friend and I (guys) have a question for the gals out there...mainly the 20-somethings because that's how old we are. My buddy's single and he's gotten in to cycling recently and his tastes are little 'eccentric' at times, but he's posed this criterion. He want's to meet a girl who cycles and uses clipless pedals. He's 23 yrs old.

Ok, so we were at the Portland Bridge Pedal today (~17,000) cyclists turn out for the event so we thought'd we'd do some casual surveying. We did not see ANY females in our age group using clipless pedals! So we're wondering, what gives? It seemed plenty of women 35 yrs and up were using clipless?

Could ya'll fill us in

Thanks!

 

[vanceNguyen]

The truth of it is that a girl who rides clipless exudes a bit of finesse and an adventurous sophistication that is rare. The type of pedals do not matter. Saucy is correct in that fact that it is a hassle to go clipless. However, there is a lot to be said about a girl who compromises between the hassle and performance that clipless pedals provide. Be proud, ladies!

I do think a hint of a girl's personality is revealed when they ride clipless, especially if she's riding clipless without the presence of a clipless male counterpart.

I may be 'eccentric', quirky, odd but certainly not dumb. DL might have beat me to it but he knows his friend well and I couldn't have said it better myself. I'm 23 and I respect girls who go clipless.

I'm no longer 23 but I did use CP's in my twenties. In fact, I've always ridden CP's. But you are right though, I don't see many young women using cp's. Even young women in my area who are into MTB'ing go clipless. Most commuters, male and female, don't seem to go clipless either.

I suspect that most women are not caught up in technical aspects of riding, don't care about pedalling efficiency etc. and therefore stick with a platform for which they can wear regular shoes to walk around in. Let's face it, using CP's can be a pain in the ass for practicality i.e. having to carry extra pair of shoes when off the bike. I guess most women are probably being practical.



Heh. That's funny. Is it so he can ride her bike? Do the pedals have to be SPD's, eggbeaters or something else? That's a very short list of qualifications - at least your friend isn't picky about looks or personality.

 

[gunnar_roadie]

Girl in 20s here. Riding clipless is *not* a hassle. It's the other way around for me. I can't stand flat pedals because I can't get as much power from the bike, and you don't feel like you're one with the bike like you do when you're clipped in. I ride in the city but have Specialized mtb shoes which have recessed cleats and I don't have any problems walking in them. I use Shimano SPDs and also have Speedplays for longer road rides. If I stop somewhere and need to walk around for a length of time, I carry flip-flops in my bag and just change. No big deal.

 

[HellonWheels]

Hello DL. Scuse my newbieness but by clipless pedals, you mean just pedals, right? If so, then that's me. I'm 22, and it's always been just pedals. I ride a mountain bike, about 60 miles/week and find it's okay. Maybe if I start to ride more, I might look into it. I don't know if it's just an unconscious personal choice, even if I'm in the gym, I usually take the clip things off the pedals when I'm on the stationary bike. Hope that sates you and your pal's curiosity somewhat. Ciao, Jess

Same here, I didnt buy a stationary bike I was looking at (to replace my broken down one), because it had clips to hold the foot in place. I like to feel free, not tied into the bike! And on my outdoor bike, its regular pedals!

BTW I'm 44.

 

[cyclinggirl32]

Well, I am 34 and I use speedplays on my road bike and spd on the mtn bike and in spinning class. I don't see myself giving them up once I turn 35...but I guess if I was unable to escape the pedal and fell down I might...

Not only do I see very few women in clipless pedals, there are very few women that ride hard. I race my road bike and train with the men. I am lucky if I see another female out there.

 

[mountaine]

Well, I am 34 and I use speedplays on my road bike and spd on the mtn bike and in spinning class. I don't see myself giving them up once I turn 35...but I guess if I was unable to escape the pedal and fell down I might...

Not only do I see very few women in clipless pedals, there are very few women that ride hard. I race my road bike and train with the men. I am lucky if I see another female out there.

Yeah! Where are all the girls that ride hard?? I ride w/ all the guys, and 1) I wouldn't be able to kick their asses so much w/o my clipless, and 2) they'd make fun of me to no end if I showed up w/ platforms...

 

[Saucy]

Where are all the girls that ride hard??

They are probably doing other things instead. Women, to their credit, are simply not as obsessed with sports and sporting technology as men are. If we were, nothing in this world would ever get done.

Does it really matter whether a woman "rides hard" or wears clipless pedals like this is something to be proud of? I happen to do both but I don't consider it a badge of honor. The most important thing is to enjoy the benefits of riding a bike and I see a lot of women doing that..in sandals, runners, even high heels!

 

[Brunswick_kate]

Does it really matter whether a woman "rides hard" or wears clipless pedals like this is something to be proud of? I happen to do both but I don't consider it a badge of honor. The most important thing is to enjoy the benefits of riding a bike and I see a lot of women doing that..in sandals, runners, even high heels!

And I happen to be of the sandals, sneakers and high heels variety cyclist -- the point of the matter is I'm out riding and that should be way more important than what I'm wearing on my feet when I'm out cranking out the kms.

 

[I<3Carbs]

Hi, I'm 23 and I've been riding clipless ever since I first got a bike 2.5 years ago, because they're just awesome. I'm not the most coordinated, so I had to just try and fall down a lot before I got used to them, much like my many male cyclist friends. But, hey, isn't that just a part of the fun?
I think your friend's main problem is going to be finding many female cyclists at all...I haven't seen many around here. As a female physicist and as a female cyclist just getting onto the touring/racing scene, I've gotten quite used to being surrounded by men

 

[cannongirl]

well, I guess I just about fall into the "35" Category, although I've been clipless on my Road Bikes for ages...

I never use them on my Mountain Bike though, I'm not sure why, I've never crashed because of them (on my RB), maybe I should grow up and act my age, have some clipless installed on my MB

 

[HellonWheels]

As a female physicist and as a female cyclist just getting onto the touring/racing scene, I've gotten quite used to being surrounded by men

Yeahh, ain't it great?

 

[aggiegirl91]

Yeahh, ain't it great?

I'm 34 and ride clipless. If I didn't I wouldn't be able to power up the hills like I can. I'm pretty competitive and wouldn't enjoy the ride so much if I didn't feel I was giving everything I had and riding clipless lets me do that.

But, it's just a personal preference... I certainly wouldn't think any less of someone who didn't. It's all about what works for you.

 

[Azulene]

As a 60 year old grandmother of 4 I have been riding SpeedPlays Cilpless on my Orbea Road bike but on my fixed gear bike I just ride with peddles. I commute to work on my Fixed gear bike and wear the street shoes so I don,t have to change when I get to work.