Cleats. Are they worth the stress?

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  • Nebulous2
    Nebulous2 Posts: 5,072
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    I use both - spd-sls on my road bike for longer country runs and flats with work shoes on my cyclocross commuter bike. It's hard to demonstrate much difference on either. Average speeds are lower on the CX but it is quite a bit heavier with pannier rack and mudguards and a lot of the riding is stop/start in towns. That makes it impossible to compare. The other thing I do with it, which is against conventional wisdom is wear a pair of trainers with very thin soft soles. I like the 'feel' I get from the flat pedals. We are told to wear stiff soles - in fact my road shoes have quite solid carbon soles.

    I must admit I quite like the rapid series of clicks you get on a clubrun as we slow down at a junction, with the whole group unclipping at once!

    For racing on a roadbike I think you'd be hard pressed to get anywhere without clips. For non-racers I'd say do whatever works for you. I'm happy being on a bike either way.
  • Spelunthus
    Spelunthus Posts: 162
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    Good discussion. I tried cleats, but could not be doing with them, and had a nasty fall once, when distracted. Toe Clips and straps work fine for me on road bike. You get a good attachment to pedal, and can pull on the upstroke. I can also easily adjust strap tension by pulling on strap. No tools etc. On my MB I just have a rigid toe clip, no straps - and that works for me.
  • Nasqueron
    Nasqueron Posts: 8,631
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    Nebulous2 wrote: »
    I use both - spd-sls on my road bike for longer country runs and flats with work shoes on my cyclocross commuter bike. It's hard to demonstrate much difference on either. Average speeds are lower on the CX but it is quite a bit heavier with pannier rack and mudguards and a lot of the riding is stop/start in towns. That makes it impossible to compare. The other thing I do with it, which is against conventional wisdom is wear a pair of trainers with very thin soft soles. I like the 'feel' I get from the flat pedals. We are told to wear stiff soles - in fact my road shoes have quite solid carbon soles.

    I must admit I quite like the rapid series of clicks you get on a clubrun as we slow down at a junction, with the whole group unclipping at once!

    For racing on a roadbike I think you'd be hard pressed to get anywhere without clips. For non-racers I'd say do whatever works for you. I'm happy being on a bike either way.


    Remarkably I read this post and I thought I had written it - exactly the same with me, SPD-SL on the road bike, SPD on my commuter bike which is a CX (CAADX) with panniers and mudguards! I use speedplay frog pedals on the CX as they're easy release (good for taking it off road on trails) and cleats seem to never wear out
  • Nasqueron
    Nasqueron Posts: 8,631
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    Spelunthus wrote: »
    Good discussion. I tried cleats, but could not be doing with them, and had a nasty fall once, when distracted. Toe Clips and straps work fine for me on road bike. You get a good attachment to pedal, and can pull on the upstroke. I can also easily adjust strap tension by pulling on strap. No tools etc. On my MB I just have a rigid toe clip, no straps - and that works for me.


    Clips just take time to get used to, once you're in the habit of removing one as you approach a junction and are aware of your situation it becomes second nature and I don't worry about it any more. Good for keeping your legs stable and no worries about slipping off when you're working hard (and yes I have some good flats which I have on my 2nd road bike and use them as well e.g. if going somewhere nearby)
  • brat
    brat Posts: 2,533 Forumite
    I've just moved from Speedplays to SPD-SLs, and like anything else, they take a bit of getting used to. The speedplays are double sided with vertical pressure only to engage, and are very easy to disengage, so it has taken a couple of weeks to get my head around the slightly more involved engagement on the SPD-SLs.

    That said, I like the feel of the Shimano cleats and pedals - a good positive push and pull, the power transfer seems more efficient - lighter too! My speedplays are now permanently on my CX which is also my commuting/second road/turbo training bike, but I think I'll move over to SPD-SLs when they or my shoes become unusable.
    Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.
  • House_Martin
    House_Martin Posts: 1,462 Forumite
    edited 15 May 2018 at 4:35PM
    brat wrote: »
    I've just moved from Speedplays to SPD-SLs, and like anything else, they take a bit of getting used to. The speedplays are double sided with vertical pressure only to engage, and are very easy to disengage, so it has taken a couple of weeks to get my head around the slightly more involved engagement on the SPD-SLs.

    That said, I like the feel of the Shimano cleats and pedals - a good positive push and pull, the power transfer seems more efficient - lighter too! My speedplays are now permanently on my CX which is also my commuting/second road/turbo training bike, but I think I'll move over to SPD-SLs when they or my shoes become unusable.
    Maybe you are kidding yourself and imagining you are "pulling on the upstroke " to gain a better pedal action . . . Cleats and the shoes dedicated to locking into them are quite expensive . Ok for the tour of Yorkshire, Italy, France, Spain etc and your local club races but not needed by leisure cyclists.
    Look, the ski equipment manufacturers must be overjoyed at convincing cyclists that they need them..what next ? Disc brakes for road bikes, talk about overkill, they are certainly not needed also..
    You have been conned into buying them as a fashion accessory IMO along with sweaty lycra uniforms emblazoned with logo s.
    Cotton makes much more sense than artificial fibres
    This interesting and truthful bit of research about the "myth of the upstroke " as posted by Johnmc17 is worth reading https://roadcyclinguk.com/how-to/bike-fitting-the-myth-of-the-upstroke/
  • brat
    brat Posts: 2,533 Forumite
    Maybe you are kidding yourself and imagining you are "pulling on the upstroke " to gain a better pedal action . .

    No.
    I cycle to work out. On the flat I rarely use the upstroke. On short sharp climbs I use it a lot to maintain momentum. As the other experienced cyclists have noted, they keep your feet securely on the pedal when pedalling hard, which gives you the confidence to do so.

    I did a lot of virtual racing over winter, indeed I won a few age related leagues. Despite the dismissal of such activity by traditionalists, these are tough competitions that often surpass the efforts required to maintain position in a road race. It is not possible to maintain your position in the front pack without using every sinew to close gaps when they open. Clipless allows you to do that.

    I agree to a small extent with your thinly veiled attack on cycle snobbery. I spend more than I need on cycling kit; part of the reason is to look the part, and to feel good about my kit. No different from cars, clothes, holidays, TV size etc.

    Today's 60 mile planned ride will take me over 25% climbs and numerous rolling short sharp ascents and descents, and I will benefit from my clipless pedals whether you want me to or not. :) My nice 6.5kg bike, Rapha lycra, Giro shoes and DuraAce pedals will help make my ride feel very enjoyable, especially if it helps get my average up to over 20mph for the circuit.

    I marshalled the Fred Whitton sportive on Sunday. helping 2,500 maintain their momentum through a dangerous junction. I saw all sorts of bikes from £400 entry level road bikes to £10,000+ superbikes, with all sorts of different ranges of clothing and shoes. The riders ranged from fashion victims to anti trend traditionalists.

    One thing was universal among all 2,500 riders.

    They all sported clipless pedals.
    Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler.
  • Nasqueron
    Nasqueron Posts: 8,631
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    Maybe you are kidding yourself and imagining you are "pulling on the upstroke " to gain a better pedal action . . .

    You're mixing up 2 things here. There is little performance gain (maybe 1-2% among the elite) from cleats but pedal action, keeping your legs in the right place etc is different.
    Cleats and the shoes dedicated to locking into them are quite expensive .

    Rubbish, even pound land sell shimano compatible cleats. I got shimano wide fit spd-sl shoes for £56, less than kids will pay for trainers and easily in the range of a decent flat shoe. I wear speedplay cleats for my commuter and they're metal, I still have the same pair I had over a year ago.

    Ok for the tour of Yorkshire, Italy, France, Spain etc and your local club races but not needed by leisure cyclists.
    Look, the ski equipment manufacturers must be overjoyed at convincing cyclists that they need them..what next ?

    Not needed sure but neither is a 10kg bike when you could spend £500 on a 17kg mtb. Your leisure cyclist doesn't need a full sus MTB for off road riding etc etc. Moot argument as it's just opinion.
    Disc brakes for road bikes, talk about overkill, they are certainly not needed also..

    Not needed but great for city commuting especially in the rain. I use disc and rim and happy with both. Better stopping power from disc is no bad thing.
    You have been conned into buying them as a fashion accessory

    lol
    IMO along with sweaty lycra uniforms emblazoned with logo s.
    Cotton makes much more sense than artificial fibres

    Total rubbish. Lycra wicks sweat and dries quickly, vital for a wet weather ride or commute. A cotton t-shirt is not aerodynamic, it dries slowly when wet (sweat or rain) meaning it's uncomfortable for a long time and irritates the skin. Look at any half decent cycling or walking site (for example) and they will tell you why lycra is better. You don't need a branded top, Aldi sell them for £15.
    This interesting and truthful bit of research about the "myth of the upstroke " as posted by Johnmc17 is worth reading https://roadcyclinguk.com/how-to/bike-fitting-the-myth-of-the-upstroke/

    Again, missing the point of using them. They keep you in place which is good for a bike fit, you have no risk of slipping when climbing or putting power through and so on. You are hopelessly ill-informed
  • Nasqueron
    Nasqueron Posts: 8,631
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    brat wrote: »
    Rapha lycra, .

    Recent convert here, by far the comfiest pads I have ever owned (and I have tried probably 10 different brands, including Endura FS-260 with the pad fit). Since Rapha started doing wider pads for bigger clothing (not as much choice as Endura as not everyone who wants to wear say XL needs a wide pad) I tried some and they were so nice I bought more.
  • Keep_pedalling
    Keep_pedalling Posts: 16,439
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    Cotton is a terrible choice of material unless you are never going to work up a sweet or get caught in the rain. If you want to use natural materials go with Marino wool.
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