Or: To clip or not to clip, that is the question
Or: So what’s with all this clipless business?
It’s been a few months now since I “went clipless” and I thought it was high time that I rounded off my little series and shared some of my thoughts with you about the advantages and disadvantages of going clipless as a mountain biker.
Hopefully, if you’re thinking about making the leap, my experience will help you to make the right decision.
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What’s clipless?!
A fair question, one I asked myself a few months ago. A combination of “clipless” (that is, without toe-clips - which you don’t use anyway!) pedals and shoes uses small metal plates called cleats which are screwed to the bottom of the shoes and allow your foot to be fixed to the pedal. Why on earth would you want to do that? Well, the reasoning goes, and millions of cyclists can’t be wrong, this stops your foot moving around the pedal in an energy-wasting, or even dangerous way and also allows you to use the energy of the upward motion of your foot to pedal and not just the downward stroke.
Pros and cons
There is an awful lot of discussion about the pros and cons of going clipless among cyclists. The general consensus among serious cyclists is that at some point you MUST go clipless if you ever want to progress as a biker. But is clipless really for you? Below, I have tried to simulate a kind of discussion between a pro- and anti-clipless mountain-biker, based on my recent experience and discussions I have had. Introducing, Clive Clipless and Freddy Freefoot!!
Clive Clipless: Clipless is a must for any cyclist! Your feet are always fixed to the pedals and cannot fly off in the middle of a manoeuvre causing potential injury.
Freddy Freefoot: That’s just what I’m afraid of. If you’re a timid rider (like me) you will feel distinctly uncomfortable about riding over anything technical without the ability to put your feet down at a moment’s notice.
Clive Clipless: You have to overcome your fear! And besides, if your pedals are set up properly, it should be easy to get out very quickly if you need to. It just takes a bit of practice.
Freddy Freefoot: I don’t know, I’ve been practising a while and it still seems very tricky. Anyway, in certain situations it IS virtually impossible to get your feet out in time, for example if you are pedalling hard up a really steep hill and you need to bail out.
Clive Clipless: Well, you need to get fitter so you don’t have to to bail out on any hill! Anyway, you are usually moving pretty slowly in that kind of situation, so it’s no big deal if you fall off. Falling off is inevitable with clipless anyway, especially when you are still learning.
Freddy Freefoot: Tell me about it! I have had several falls, and I must admit that they were all at low speed and were pretty embarrassing as a result. But I’m just not one of those mountain bikers who is into the whole adrenaline thing of risk and racing, and I cannot accept falling as being part and parcel of the mountain-biking experience. I am more into just riding along in nature and enjoying the view, although I do cycle for fitness too.
Clive Clipless: Fair enough, you’re not an adrenaline junkie, but then clipless pedals serve a very useful purpose even if most of your cycling is non-technical or mostly on the flat. The fact that your foot is firmly anchored to the pedal means that you can apply force throughout the entire revolution of the pedals, i.e. on the upstroke and not just on the downstroke. This makes pedaling more efficient.
Freddy Freefoot: I will certainly go along with that. I can really feel the difference. It does take some getting used to, mind, because now you have to apply force in a circular movement, rather than just downwards. Once you have mastered the new technique and built up some muscles, I can see how this would put you at an advantage. However, I have to say once again that I am not really interested in a competitive advantage when cycling. What does it matter if my pedalling is more efficient? I am not trying to get anywhere faster, and surely using MORE energy is a GOOD thing for my fitness levels?!
Clive Clipless: Sigh, you just don’t get it, do you? I don’t think you really know what mountain-biking is all about!
Freddy Freefoot: Sigh, you just don’t get it, do you? I don’t think you really know what mountain-biking is all about!
Conclusion
Well, it seems the “clipless or not clipless” debate will not be resolved that easily, or indeed ever! You can probably guess which camp I am in. I am still just not sure whether my style of riding (leisurely, safe, enjoying the scenery) is really suited to clipless pedals. Yes, I did take the plunge, but I can still change my mind (pedals are a piece of cake to change). Perhaps I need to give them more of a chance next season, we’ll see.
But here is the bottom line about going clipless, and I am sure even its most fierce proponents would agree: clipless cycling is not for everyone.
Clive Clipless will be the type of rider who is into competitive and technical mountain-biking, is used to plenty of risk, wants the security, competitive edge and extra efficiency that clipless pedals bring, and is resigned to falling every now and then. This rider will go clipless all the way, right down to those “eggbeater”-type pedals that you can’t possibly ride without cleated shoes.
Freddy Freefoot is the type of rider who is not really interested in competitive cycling, or in the mixed blessings clipless pedals bring. He wants to have his feet free at all times and ride along unfettered by his pedals, enjoying the view. He has no ambition to “become one with his bike”. This kind of rider need seriously consider whether he needs clipless pedals at all. He could also opt for combined SPD pedals, which have the clip mechanism one one side and the normal platform on the other. If he can get the hang of flipping the pedal over to one side or another - a bit of a pain in itself - he could benefit from being cleated in when it’s flat, but also get free anytime things get remotely technical.
So, in short, don’t feel pressured into going clipless. It is not for everyone and there is nothing wrong with continuing to ride on regular ol’ platform pedals. If you DO want to give it a try, it may take a fair while to get used to them and you can always pull out and go back to platforms if you can’t get into it.
For now, I WILL stay with clipless, but I am definitely a borderline case and if the disadvantages outweigh the advantages for me in the long term, I will go back to where I was.
Perhaps I missed something, or you strongly disagree with something I said. Well, whether you are Clive Clipless or Freddy Freefoot, why not add your thoughts below in the comments section? Also, if you haven’t already, check out the rest of my little series about going clipless:
MTB-Serbia goes clipless - a newbie risks all! Part I
The first pathetic attempts - Going Clipless Part II
Ouch! Going Clipless Part III - the first six weeks
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Posted on November 16th, 2007 by markowe
Filed under: Biking - general, MTB Serbia (All)
I “fell” for the clipless hype quite a few years ago, but have not looked back since. I have them on 2.5 of my 4 bikes. I have them on my road and mountain bikes, and the combo (the half) on my around towner. I think you will really learn to appreciate them once you get some miles under your belt. The first time I used them, it was on my mountain bike. On a trail I was familiar with I came across a large, and unknown at the time, deep puddle. I kept my speed up and plowed through until I got to the middle of the puddle. Being deeper than expected, and pretty mucky, I did not have the momentum and toppled. I was riding solo, so there were no witnesses. Plenty of laughter, though. Fast forward a few days later, same trail, same bike, and now sharing the puddle story with a friend who was riding with me as we approached same. Yeah, you guessed it, over I went. Luckily it was before everyone was carrying digital cameras to record such moments.
I am a 100% clipless convert. It was, as you write, “a leap” but one that must be made if you are going to move forward in the sport. The only time I wouldn’t go clipless (and I HATE toe cages–so I’d go with a platform pedal) is if I had a tool around town bike–but I don’t. My first time I was riding on an unfamiliar trail–part of the Robert Frost Trail on the Amherst/Granby line and I crashed–a broken skin and pretty bruises kind of crash because I couldn’t clip out in time. I fell like a stone with the bike down on top of me (and I fell on top of some rocks–not fun). But what an excellent teacher! No pain, no gain. I learned very quickly how to get out of the clip fast. Now I find I can power up hills and rough trails more effectively, riding is overall more efficient, and I can ride longer than before, leaving me more time to get better and just have fun!
Thanks for your comments. I still have that feeling that although I can’t seem to quite get used to clipless, that I must be missing a trick somewhere, as any self-respecting MTBer (like yourselves!) swears by clipless!
Heather, I can identify with the toppling story - recently I sort of stalled while riding uphill (no puddles around fortunately) and instead of unclipping and putting my feet down I sort of wobbled for what seemed like 10 seconds, trying to keep upright, totally lacking the ability or instinct to unclip! Eventually, of course, gravity won, as it always does and I did the “clipless topple” (hey, good name for it!) But it was most amusing for my fellow-riders, seeing my clipped-in helplessness and inevitable downfall! Actually, it wasn’t so much amusement as bemusement, since they were all Freddy Freefoot types…
Karen, I see you are definitely Clive Clipless - of the “no pain, no gain, you have to fall sometimes, it’s a learning experience” school…! I am not sure if I will ever be that type of rider. Probably it’s my reluctance to injure myself that’s stopping me from really riding clipless properly…
Anyway, thanks again for your comments. I enjoy your blog, it is great to see some nice pictures of you enjoying cycling out in nature, instead of just those endless breakneck downhill-MTB jumping videos that populate most MTB blogs. Keep it up!
(by the way, wanted to subscribe to your RSS feed, but can’t find a link…)
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Hi, you may be interested in these new clipless pedals, they have been medically documented also. http://www.flexiped.no (go to products then pedals) Hope this is useful.
Hi
I really liked your article though i would add that there is for some riders an additional reason for avoiding clipless pedals. A very small percentage of riders (I know of a few motorbike riders but no other mtb riders) ride fast corners with their inside leg off the pedal hanging into the corned to change the centre of balance and increase cornering speed. This style of riding means that even if you are very used to clipping in and out of your pedals the number of times you do it on a big run makes it not all that worth while.
Anyway not many people ride in this style but if your one of them you may find that clipless is not as big an advantage.
Whatever your style and whatever your pedal preference I wish you safe travels and great enjoyment on all your future runs.
James
Hi, thanks for your comments! It’s good to revisit this subject after some 18 months!
I would say I have now definitely fully converted to the “How did I ever ride without clipless” camp! I just can’t imagine riding without my foot being attached to the pedal! On the odd occasion when I get nervous and unclip for an obstacle I actually feel pretty insecure - your foot CAN fly off or slip and cause major problems. But then as far as I can see, downhill and freestyle riders don’t tend to ride clipless at all, though I guess they have larger platforms to compensate. But maybe it is more a matter of habit.
About taking your foot off in a corner, I do that occasionally, though I don’t really know if it’s necessary, but it’s usually a quick off and quick on and I don’t think it loses me any time, but then as you say, I am not doing it every 10 seconds.
As things stand I went over from those combo platform/SPDs to some full-SPDs several months ago and haven’t missed the platforms one little bit!