Cleats on. MTB
- Thread starter bigclick
- Start date
Have you come from toe clips or flat pedals? I switched from toe clips to cleats and got used to it quickly, but imagine it could be unnerving if you're used to flats? I tend to unclip my left foot if I know I'm going to stop, but it's worth practising balancing without moving as that really helps too...
The best tip that I can offer you, is to slaken the release tension from them until you get used to using them.
I have to admit I don't do much really bumpy track riding any more, though I do ride along plenty of unmade riverside footpaths.
I've always used either toeclips or spd cleats, making the transition about 4 years ago. The difference in slow speed power when being able to pull as well as push has always been worth the slight inconvenience, even for general road touring.
I fell off a couple of times when first trying the cleats and it did nearly put me off. The problem for me was not difficulty in unhooking, but just forgetting to twist my foot in panic conditions.
I found that the spring tension could be greatly reduced via the adjustment screw, so that a happy medium could be reached between being gripped, yet a quick sideways yank always released my foot without having to think about it.
The default tension settings on SPD pedals is very high, so if anyone is ever thinking of dumping them, it's well worth trying reduced tension first.
edit - Blast ! ... it took me so long to write that lot that EddieP just beat me to it !
I've always used either toeclips or spd cleats, making the transition about 4 years ago. The difference in slow speed power when being able to pull as well as push has always been worth the slight inconvenience, even for general road touring.
I fell off a couple of times when first trying the cleats and it did nearly put me off. The problem for me was not difficulty in unhooking, but just forgetting to twist my foot in panic conditions.
I found that the spring tension could be greatly reduced via the adjustment screw, so that a happy medium could be reached between being gripped, yet a quick sideways yank always released my foot without having to think about it.
The default tension settings on SPD pedals is very high, so if anyone is ever thinking of dumping them, it's well worth trying reduced tension first.
edit - Blast ! ... it took me so long to write that lot that EddieP just beat me to it !
Thanks for the tips, I remember using clips years ago and I think the extra pull would be worth having.
I have changed the original pedals with a pair that has replaceable pins.. These are very good at keeping my feet from slipping but I do want to put the originals on at some point and give My Lidel shoes a go.
Thanks again
I have changed the original pedals with a pair that has replaceable pins.. These are very good at keeping my feet from slipping but I do want to put the originals on at some point and give My Lidel shoes a go.
Thanks again
Extra pull is a controversial topic.
Research by one of the pro teams - I think it was Sky - found the extra pull on the upstroke is minimal.
If you think about it, you won't have much upward power in your leg when the other one is pushing down hard and your body is not wedged anywhere, it is just astride a bicycle.
Off the bike, stamping (and kicking) is where the leg strength is, not lifting.
Where being clipped in on a bike does help is in maintaining a high cadence.
Many of the pros run at 100rpm+, and their feet would fly off flat pedals.
For what it's worth, high cadence in pro racing is a relatively recent trend, credited to Lance Armstrong.
Research by one of the pro teams - I think it was Sky - found the extra pull on the upstroke is minimal.
If you think about it, you won't have much upward power in your leg when the other one is pushing down hard and your body is not wedged anywhere, it is just astride a bicycle.
Off the bike, stamping (and kicking) is where the leg strength is, not lifting.
Where being clipped in on a bike does help is in maintaining a high cadence.
Many of the pros run at 100rpm+, and their feet would fly off flat pedals.
For what it's worth, high cadence in pro racing is a relatively recent trend, credited to Lance Armstrong.
90 rpm or so was always the sort of cadence to aim at long before LA though along with good souplesse. I always used to aim at 90 rpm or more decades ago and try to keep it smooth. Even now as an old fart on an electric bike I try to keep close to it.
Back in the day I tried cleats for one season. When I remembered to un clip they were good but when I forgot I fell in the mud 
Anywho I now ride wearing trail running shoes, the extra deep tread keeps my feat well planted both on my flats and in the muddy ground.
The grip lets me push, press & pull the pedals but not lift, but hey three out of four ain't bad
Anywho I now ride wearing trail running shoes, the extra deep tread keeps my feat well planted both on my flats and in the muddy ground.
The grip lets me push, press & pull the pedals but not lift, but hey three out of four ain't bad
I've now grown to love my clipless set up, although I've ended up on my backside on many occasion when using them. I've always associated blame towards the pedal set up, but more recently I've been working on the notion that some of the falls or potential falls, can be accredited to myself and a lack of commitment when hitting trickier situations. With this realisation, I have upped my game, attacking much harder, and the fall rate has all but gone. I still unclip on certain sections and use the flat side of the pedals, but this now feels like defeat.
seeing your shoes Gringo, I have just bought these puppies in the CR sale.
And after the first ride.
Returning with toasty warm dry feet has been a lovely experience.
.
seeing your shoes Gringo, I have just bought these puppies in the CR sale.
And after the first ride.
Returning with toasty warm dry feet has been a lovely experience.
.
Well I'm very surprised to hear that.
I've always found pedalling felt more efficient with either toeclips or cleats. I have several bikes that I regularly use, and haven't fitted cleats or toeclips to three of them, and I never seem to get so much power into those, especially on hills.
They make a really big difference on my recumbent trike, as you can't stand on the pedals with that one at all. Leaning back in the seat, it definitely feels like a strong push-pull effort with the cleats.
Many riders feel better connected to the bike when clipped in, which in turn makes it feel like they are pedalling more efficiently.
Some may be, riding clipped may encourage you to pedal in circles, rather than 'pedalling squares'.
And of course, a rider who feels better will perform better.
Recumbents are very different, being wedged into a seat with a backrest makes all the difference, particularly when pushing.
Incidentally, when I volunteered at London Edinburgh London, the first British rider to reach Barnard Castle in County Durham was on a recumbent.
He was fifth, only about 20 minutes behind a mixed group of Dutch and Germans - they all left the control together.
It goes to show the all-important factor way above anything else is the engine - the rider on an unpowered bike.
You could put that recumbent rider on a Penny Farthing and he'd still be ruddy quick.
Now it's cold, I have gone back to wearing my boots & two pairs of socks. And my feet are still freezing.
When you said "the all-important factor", I though you was going to include the far greater efficiency of recumbents.
Their concept is far better adapted to human power, with the much reduced wind resistance by laying back, rather than hunched forward over dropped handlebars, leaving the chest cavity much more open.
I understand that they were banned from competition with conventional bikes as soon as they started to appear, because riders of the same fitness level greatly outpaced those on conventional designs.
The lycra mob still have a stigma against them, yet they are always the first choice for any HPV record attempts.
Since wind resistance becomes a significant factor above 15 mph, that same recumbent "edge" shines through with pedelec propulsion too, even with low wattage motors.
I can imagine the extra pull on the upstroke could be minimal in the sort of situation the team was reviewing - endurance and climbing. However it's certainly not the case for sprinting away from the lights, when the body is producing the greatest torque in the crank arms.
Your body isn't wedged anywhere but it is the upward pull on the rising crank that pulls your body down and also enables you to put more pressure on the downward crank. The maximum force exerted without doing this is of course your full bodyweight on the downward pedal, so 137Nm for an 80kg rider on 175mm cranks at 3 o'clock (crank position, not just after lunch). However if for a very few seconds you are pulling the equivalent of 10kg up you can push down with 90kg, which both totted up give you 172Nm of torque. A significant step up. It's why your arms get tired - they are fighting the rotational effect of one side pulling up and the other pushing down.
Michael
For a tenner I'd recomend neoprene fishing socks, after all those blokes stand around all day in freezing water
http://www.northeasttackle.co.uk/game-fishing-tackle-c10/clothing-c128/neo-tough-sock-neoprene-p1122/s3345?gclid=Cj0KEQiAypGjBRCPme6jmqu3gZsBEiQA8NAiIDv6MAHKTB_0KefjnGs-47aNjOOMCG4tvtjP95X3JFIaAsti8P8HAQ
They're great those boots - wore them all last Winter and still in very good nick. Wish I had time to ride more this year - every time I think I'm going to get out there I'm either hijacked with work, have to take the dog out or go get supplies ! Looking forward to next Spring when I may finally get a day or two off !seeing your shoes Gringo, I have just bought these puppies in the CR sale.
And after the first ride.
Returning with toasty warm dry feet has been a lovely experience.
.
You aren't wrong. They keep your feet toasty warm, and are excellent at repealing water.
Sadly I have already had to wade through shin deep water in them, so obviously they then fill up with water which can't then escape, but carrying the bike across water, isn't something that I regularly intend to do.
Sadly I have already had to wade through shin deep water in them, so obviously they then fill up with water which can't then escape, but carrying the bike across water, isn't something that I regularly intend to do.