D
On Jul 15, 12:58 am, dhudes <[email protected]> wrote:
> you are welcome to believe what you like. I personally have
> experienced the difference between using regular pedals and using
> bicycle shoes with clipless pedals and cleats (snip)
> I'm not as experienced with toe clips or toe straps as I
> am with clipless pedals. It seems to me from their design that power
> grips offer some of the advantages of clipless pedals. I have ridden
> with toe clips on a road bike and I felt that I had more efficient
> transfer of my power to the bicycle compared to not using them. If you
> do not care to believe the evidence that's your choice but please go
> argue this elsewhere. The rest of us will go on using clipless pedals
> and toe clips/straps because we see the result.
Where do shoes fit into this equation-- did you use the same shoes
with and without toe clips/straps?
> As for mini toe clips, further investigation reveals that I'm going to
> have to replace the pedals with metal cage pedals in order to attach
> anything. The plastic cage pedals are too brittle, and the 'solid'
> platforms on the other bike provide no ability to mount anything I
> would have to drill through. While I have a drill, the material of the
> pedal isn't substantial enough to hold the bolts for the toe clips et
> al.
> So now I need critera for selecting metal cage pedals.
My experience/opinion is shoes (can) make the most difference, as you
can push down a lot harder on the pedal with a stiff-soled cycling
shoe without feeling the pedal through the shoe, as with a tennis shoe
or "sneaker", like kids wear. The old Beta Bikers, with their thick
sole in the pedal area, were an effort to provide a walkable shoe that
was also a "rider".
The various metal pedals, Campy clones and others, have a thin "cage"
that is not pleasant to ride on (opinion/experience) with thin soles.
Not to mention the lack of cleats for positioning. When I rode those
old Beta Bikers, it seemed I had to be careful with "too much float"
as I came home with sore knee(s) a couple of times after running into
a riding group while on a commute or whatever, and going longer and
much harder than usual with those non-cleated shoes.
I find the clipless pedals I've tried-- Look, Campy Profit, Shimano
6610's (newer pattern, road) easier to get out of than a strap-
equipped pedal, with or without cleats. A simple twist gets you out of
any of the clipless (while the motions might vary a little from brand
to brand), while getting out of a toestrap-equipped pedal takes a more
difficult motion, with a cleat adding another dimension again--
rolling the foot up off the pedal to get out of the cleat slot, then
pulling the foot backwards out of the strap. With clipless, you just
keep on pushing but turn the foot. Simpler.
The only place I've used the old-style "spud" SPD pedals is in Spin
class, but as I have at least one of the kids getting up to that age/
interest, I'm thinking to get one of those setups for her road bike,
possibly with MTB shoes for easy walking, since they seem pretty easy
to get in and out of, both for motion required and also effort. We'll
see if she gets along with the 6610's (out of the Dad parts box...)
first. Those "pontoon" cleats walk pretty well for a road shoe, and
they seem to have a pretty "clean" disengagement, from my use, without
the Look "unintentional release" problem when the cleats get worn.
After taking the 7 yr old on his first trip around the new
neighborhood this a.m., I'm still in favor of lower gears to make
pedaling uphill easier, but indeed there is a learning curve there. He
doesn't like the feel of first gear, claimed it was "wasting all my
energy", but second was a little too tall for him to get up that
certain hill, especially since he tried to drop me before he blew.
Another learning curve, there. --D-y
> you are welcome to believe what you like. I personally have
> experienced the difference between using regular pedals and using
> bicycle shoes with clipless pedals and cleats (snip)
> I'm not as experienced with toe clips or toe straps as I
> am with clipless pedals. It seems to me from their design that power
> grips offer some of the advantages of clipless pedals. I have ridden
> with toe clips on a road bike and I felt that I had more efficient
> transfer of my power to the bicycle compared to not using them. If you
> do not care to believe the evidence that's your choice but please go
> argue this elsewhere. The rest of us will go on using clipless pedals
> and toe clips/straps because we see the result.
Where do shoes fit into this equation-- did you use the same shoes
with and without toe clips/straps?
> As for mini toe clips, further investigation reveals that I'm going to
> have to replace the pedals with metal cage pedals in order to attach
> anything. The plastic cage pedals are too brittle, and the 'solid'
> platforms on the other bike provide no ability to mount anything I
> would have to drill through. While I have a drill, the material of the
> pedal isn't substantial enough to hold the bolts for the toe clips et
> al.
> So now I need critera for selecting metal cage pedals.
My experience/opinion is shoes (can) make the most difference, as you
can push down a lot harder on the pedal with a stiff-soled cycling
shoe without feeling the pedal through the shoe, as with a tennis shoe
or "sneaker", like kids wear. The old Beta Bikers, with their thick
sole in the pedal area, were an effort to provide a walkable shoe that
was also a "rider".
The various metal pedals, Campy clones and others, have a thin "cage"
that is not pleasant to ride on (opinion/experience) with thin soles.
Not to mention the lack of cleats for positioning. When I rode those
old Beta Bikers, it seemed I had to be careful with "too much float"
as I came home with sore knee(s) a couple of times after running into
a riding group while on a commute or whatever, and going longer and
much harder than usual with those non-cleated shoes.
I find the clipless pedals I've tried-- Look, Campy Profit, Shimano
6610's (newer pattern, road) easier to get out of than a strap-
equipped pedal, with or without cleats. A simple twist gets you out of
any of the clipless (while the motions might vary a little from brand
to brand), while getting out of a toestrap-equipped pedal takes a more
difficult motion, with a cleat adding another dimension again--
rolling the foot up off the pedal to get out of the cleat slot, then
pulling the foot backwards out of the strap. With clipless, you just
keep on pushing but turn the foot. Simpler.
The only place I've used the old-style "spud" SPD pedals is in Spin
class, but as I have at least one of the kids getting up to that age/
interest, I'm thinking to get one of those setups for her road bike,
possibly with MTB shoes for easy walking, since they seem pretty easy
to get in and out of, both for motion required and also effort. We'll
see if she gets along with the 6610's (out of the Dad parts box...)
first. Those "pontoon" cleats walk pretty well for a road shoe, and
they seem to have a pretty "clean" disengagement, from my use, without
the Look "unintentional release" problem when the cleats get worn.
After taking the 7 yr old on his first trip around the new
neighborhood this a.m., I'm still in favor of lower gears to make
pedaling uphill easier, but indeed there is a learning curve there. He
doesn't like the feel of first gear, claimed it was "wasting all my
energy", but second was a little too tall for him to get up that
certain hill, especially since he tried to drop me before he blew.
Another learning curve, there. --D-y
