Newbie Roadie. Clips or clipless?

[Megaflow]

Hi all

Had mountain bikes for years, just bought myself a road bike, it has come with flat pedals and toeclips.

I find myself wondering about clipless and looking for some advice. How hard are they to use, are there real benefits, etc?

[Ladders]

I’d say ride with flats until you get used to the bike.

I’d say big benefits to riding clipless, power transfer etc. if it’s just for leisure, trips into town, not so much.

I’ve always ridden Look. Shimano fairly similar. If you have a good local bike shop I’d go in and ask what they recommend and ask them to set the cleats up as it can be tricky if you’ve never done before.

[Super Sonic]

What pedals do you use on your MTB?

[Antony Moxey]

Clips are easy. I have them on both my MTB and Roadie and have had them on my roadie ever since I first got it. Wouldn’t be without them now, it feels too easy to lose footing and for your foot to slip off the pedal without them. Once clipped in just twist your heel out to unclip, people make too much of being stuck clipped in and falling over, it doesn’t really happen, even on an MTB unless you’re a bit of a div.

[Super Sonic]

Antony Moxey said:

Clips are easy. I have them on both my MTB and Roadie and have had them on my roadie ever since I first got it. Wouldn’t be without them now, it feels too easy to lose footing and for your foot to slip off the pedal without them. Once clipped in just twist your heel out to unclip, people make too much of being stuck clipped in and falling over, it doesn’t really happen, even on an MTB unless you’re a bit of a div.

If you're talking about spd, look, etc, they're known as 'clipless'.
'Clips' are toeclips, the things that go over your toes, with straps round.

[remedy]

Get the MB versions (SPD, rather than SPD SL )so you can use yours shoes on both bikes
Road clipless makes you walk like a duck whereas MB versions you walk normally.

I use SPD on my road bike and have never felt the need to go SL.

[bobbo89]

I ride MTB and a combo of flats and SPD's depending on the bike and what I'm riding. I also have a smart trainer with a roadie attached to it running SL pedals.

Being clipped in is so much more efficient and if you're only riding road I can't see why you wouldn't, I only ride flats on my MTB when I know I'm going to be hitting some tech and so might need to quickly dab a foot.

SL cleats and shoes are ridiculous, off the bike they're just stupid and I've no idea why a new system hasn't been invented. If you've come from MTB I'd go egg beaters and disco slippers.

[Antony Moxey]

Super Sonic said:

Antony Moxey said:

Clips are easy. I have them on both my MTB and Roadie and have had them on my roadie ever since I first got it. Wouldn’t be without them now, it feels too easy to lose footing and for your foot to slip off the pedal without them. Once clipped in just twist your heel out to unclip, people make too much of being stuck clipped in and falling over, it doesn’t really happen, even on an MTB unless you’re a bit of a div.

If you're talking about spd, look, etc, they're known as 'clipless'.
'Clips' are toeclips, the things that go over your toes, with straps round.

Yes, sorry, I was referring to clipless pedals.

[Megaflow]

Useful feed back, thanks chaps.

I have got flats on the MTB, makes if easier when you need to put a foot down because I’ve done something stupid, which doesn’t happen as often as it did when I was in my teens fortunately!

[vexed]

I'd recommend getting clippers pedals (cleats). Take a little getting used to but very quickly become intuitive and personally I would never go back to flats. You might wobble off sideways at 0mph the first time you stop at a light, but well worth it. I have look keo on road bikes and shimano spd on mountain bikes but there are lots of good options.

[2HFL]

I have these for my gravel bike, having had spd-sl shoes previously on a road bike - https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/apparel-acc...

I like the fact I’m clipped in but obviously have the benefit of being able to walk in them easily if needed.

[Cats_pyjamas]

I ride flats on the MTB, and MTB spds on the roadie.

Get bladed SPD shoes, non bladed ones are lethal if you intend on walking more than 10ft in them.

Things to note, you will fall off once or twice, but clipping out becomes second nature after a while. Initially make sure the SPD spring tension is as loose as it'll go.

I personally have no issues jumping between bikes, I really need to give spds a go on the MTB.

[Harpoon]

vexed said:

I'd recommend getting clippers pedals (cleats). Take a little getting used to but very quickly become intuitive and personally I would never go back to flats. You might wobble off sideways at 0mph the first time you stop at a light, but well worth it. I have look keo on road bikes and shimano spd on mountain bikes but there are lots of good options.

Ending up on the deck whilst still clipped is something of a right-of-passage. Thankfully mine was down a quiet country lane when I stopped, unclipped my right foot but then over balanced left and went down that way Completely agree it becomes instinctive and you unclip without really thinking about it.

I ran 520 SPDs on my road bike for a long time, then got some SPD-SL with a new bike before swapping to Look Keo compatible when I got my Assioma power meter pedals.

[bobbo89]

Harpoon said:

Ending up on the deck whilst still clipped is something of a right-of-passage. Thankfully mine was down a quiet country lane when I stopped, unclipped my right foot but then over balanced left and went down that way Completely agree it becomes instinctive and you unclip without really thinking about it.

Llandegla car park for me, right in-front of two mini busses of school kids

[ChocolateFrog]

bobbo89 said:

Harpoon said:

Ending up on the deck whilst still clipped is something of a right-of-passage. Thankfully mine was down a quiet country lane when I stopped, unclipped my right foot but then over balanced left and went down that way Completely agree it becomes instinctive and you unclip without really thinking about it.

Llandegla car park for me, right in-front of two mini busses of school kids

Never done it, touches wood.

Do remember being paranoid in the early days. I've got a mate who will happily track stand at lights rather than unclip but I'm very much in the unclip early category even now.

[remedy]

bobbo89 said:

Llandegla car park for me, right in-front of two mini busses of school kids

At the front of a huge line of traffic at a roundabout on the main route into Warwick. In rush hour. Trying to track stand whilst waiting for a gap and the front wheel was turned to the right. Down I went.
I got up without looking around and pedalled off as fast as I could
Never again though.

[RicksAlfas]

When I was a young roadie (many, many years ago) I pulled up next to a roadside reflector post to have a breather and wait for the attractive ladies on horseback to go past. I stayed clipped in and casually reached for the top of the post, looking as cool as possible. Sadly due to revised roadside technology the post wasn't a sturdy wooden number as I expected, but a crescent shaped piece of plastic which bent forward like a banana as soon as I put my hand on it. I went forward, down and on to the deck still clipped in. The post sprang back upright leaving me flailing around on the floor like a cack handed crab. I got a wry smile and a "you alright love?" from the horsey types.

[BoRED S2upid]

You also need new shoes if you do change. So factor that into the cost.

[irc]

SPDs allow easy bunny hopping of kerbs. Flats don't. As I found out when I went to jump a kerb and forgot I was riding my son's bike with flat pedals. Rather than lifting the back wheel I just jumped off the pedals as the back wheel hit the kerb at 12mpg or so.

Once you are used to them they are great.

[GravelBen]

irc said:

SPDs allow easy bunny hopping of kerbs. Flats don't.

They do if you use proper technique.