clipless pedals suck

[SuperJETT]

I finally got a trail ride in with some clipless pedals/shoes that someone loaned me and got my first fall/injury out of the way with them.

I've done several road rides with them but never have to stop really in our neighborhood but did a lot of practicing getting out of them.

On the trail, I had to get out a couple of times and had no issues until one evil hill that has a ton of roots. I was on the downstroke when the rear hit a root and since it's still pretty wet and I run hybrid tires (30 psi for the trail) it just spun instead of going over it, so I stopped and went down. I didn't get hurt falling, but the bike flipped backward and the handlebars whacked me on the corner of my forehead right under the helmet.

Anyway, got a small cut on Christmas Eve and later on found one on my left knee too.

I need to keep and eye out and talk to some local riders to see what they're using because we seem to have a lot of roots/rocks and the trail I'm riding is pretty tight.

One other thing is I'm running 1x9 and even though I was in low gear on the middle ring I was still having to pedal pretty hard to get up that hill where I think I should have been either in a higher or lower gear so I would have been standing or sitting/spinning, but that'll happen on my next bike I buy with 27 speeds.

 

[McDog]

They take getting used to. Soon you will come out subconsciously whenever you need to.

 

[Dustin Mustangs]

I've found that some brands are more forgiving in this department. It's not only their tension that plays into it but also the amount of twist needed to dis-engage. I fiddled with a couple before I settled on the egg beaters which have really low tension but above average level of twist allowed. The bi-symmetric design also makes clicking in way easier which is big for the trails around here.

http://bicycling.about.com/od/equipmentreviews/fr/eggbeaters_review.htm

 

[McDog]

I love my TIME ATAC's

 

[Big Kahuna]

there is a small learning curve with them. Unclipping will become second nature.

 

[Flash-FX]

After dealing with Schimano's clipless, I went to Frogs. There not the lightest, but your feet can "float". Real easy to release. I have them on all of my bikes.

 

[ADDict]

there is a small learning curve with them. Unclipping will become second nature.

So will falling, just takes time.

 

[accbr]

Stick with it. You'll get used to them, and won't be able to switch back.

 

[Martin33]

Force yourself to keep riding with them, thats the only way you will adapt to them. Like others are saying, once you get used to them, you will NEVER go back. I found the Crank Brothers eggbeater was the best to suit myself (pic posted above), they work the best in all conditions, big advantage in mud also.

Just stick with them bro!!

Daniel

 

[Roo]

i can't ride without them. took my a little while to get used to - ate a few times pretty good! loosen them up as much as possible so popping out is easy.

that being said, for my mountain bike, i have ones with one side clips, the other platforms so if you do need to pop out but need to get your foot back on in a hurry, and don't catch the right side, no problem... technical parks, no way, can't use clips.

not only do you have power on the down stroke, but you can pull up on the opposite leg (up stroke).

 

[cookerq62]

Riding with regular pedals is way more dangerous than clipless. Getting your shins and calves whacked gets old quick. Also getting tossed off the pedals onto the down tube or stem is seriously painful. Once you get used to them there is really no turning back.

I broke a set of crank bro's pedals on the road so I am a little hesitant to get another pair. The Shimano's I have now aren't as easy to use as the crank bros were.

 

[crammit442]

there is a small learning curve with them. Unclipping will become second nature.

Indeed! Clipping in becomes second nature also. The added control of clipless is invaluable.

After dealing with Schimano's clipless, I went to Frogs. There not the lightest, but your feet can "float". Real easy to release. I have them on all of my bikes.

I can see using frogs for severe knee issues, but they have had accidental release issues for many years. My brother has bad knees and uses speedplay on his road bike and REALLY likes the nearly unlimited float. I use Look.

Force yourself to keep riding with them, thats the only way you will adapt to them. Like others are saying, once you get used to them, you will NEVER go back. I found the Crank Brothers eggbeater was the best to suit myself (pic posted above), they work the best in all conditions, big advantage in mud also.

Just stick with them bro!!

I like the 4 sided concept of the CB's pedals, and their tire toll is the greatest bike tool ever invented, but I've found the entry and release to be rather mushy compared to SPD's. Every 90 degrees the spring changes from the front of the cleat to the rear of the cleat and the feel is different every 90 degrees. Some people seem to really like them, though. I felt the same way with Time also. Nice pedals, but completely different feel(a little soggy).

Daniel

Riding with regular pedals is way more dangerous than clipless. Getting your shins and calves whacked gets old quick. Also getting tossed off the pedals onto the down tube or stem is seriously painful. Once you get used to them there is really no turning back.

I broke a set of crank bro's pedals on the road so I am a little hesitant to get another pair. The Shimano's I have now aren't as easy to use as the crank bros were.

I agree with you about clipless being safer. Shins aside, the added control more than makes up for any other issues, IMO. I believe clips and straps are the most dangerous setup you could possibly come up with if you wanted to hurt yourself on a MTB. Concerning Shimano, hitting the exact location is more critical than on some pedals, but for me the crisp feedback they provide(in or out)is worth any additional precision required to use them. I used 737's forever and loved them. I couldn't have imagined a pedal doing anything better until I bought a new set of XTR's last year. The XT's and a couple of grades are awesome too. My opinion is that the most dangerous thing that can happen with clipless pedals is for them to release unintentionally while riding hard. There's nothing like hopping an unexpected babyhead at 25 miles an hour and pulling one of your feet out of the pedals. I'm fat and slow on anything uphill these days, but I haul ass on the way down and being able to ride committed makes me safer. The only times I've crashed as a direct result of clipless pedals have been doing wheelies in the parking lot or goofing around riding my bike in the house......hehe.

 

[Sospikey]

I've found that some brands are more forgiving in this department. It's not only their tension that plays into it but also the amount of twist needed to dis-engage. I fiddled with a couple before I settled on the egg beaters which have really low tension but above average level of twist allowed. The bi-symmetric design also makes clicking in way easier which is big for the trails around here.

http://bicycling.about.com/od/equipmentreviews/fr/eggbeaters_review.htm

I swear by the egg beaters as well, both on the road and on the MTB. Stay away from the cheap cromolly ones and go for SS, they hold up really well. Just suck it up and keep ride it, you will learn to love being attached to the bike.

 

[motosicko]

Eggbeaters here too, but I like the option of not having to clip in on a technical section of trail or if I want to not wear clipless , so I like the Mallet version. Best of both worlds.

 

[Big Kahuna]

never tried the eggbeaters, looks like very little support.

 

[Martin33]

Ive been riding with them for a few years now with no problems, like sospikey said, dont get the chromoly ones, get the SS or TI. Its all personal preferance, but ive always liked the eggbeaters.

Daniel

 

[Jetaddict]

People keep telling me to keep trying them, I'll get used to them, blah blah...after falling numerous times and not being able to bail properly and getting injured because of it, I feel they are best suited to road riding or not-so-technical trails.
I have been on platforms for a while, and I honestly don't notice too much of an advantage with clipless pedals. Even when I was riding out west at places like Moab, I didn't notice any serious advantage clipless would provide. If you are a road biker, they can be invaluable. But if you ride anywhere that has a lot of rocks, roots and requires a lot of balancing, stick with platforms. Most of the guys I ride with are on platform pedals; all of them feel the same way about clipless as I do.
I had alsways used the SPD variety, so maybe the eggbeaters may be better, I dunno. Either way, I have seen some people ruin days with clipless pedals after not being able to clip out and eating some rocks.

 

[SuperJETT]

Weird, I had replied I thought but apparently not.

Anyway, I'm not giving up on clipless, just takes time to get used to them. I'm still torn on SPD or Crank Brothers but don't think I can go wrong with either.

A full suspension bike with better tires would probably go right over the roots on that hill, but I'm going to try it again today if the weather holds out and the trail isn't muddy, otherwise just a road ride.

 

[wydopen]

keep at it...it took me a while to get used to them for DH racing..once i switched i went from mid pack to top 5 every race..they give u a HUGE advantage especially for XC.you can really loosen up your grip on the bars which cuts back on arm pump bigtime on a 6min decent when your pinned over rocks...make sure they are set up right..u dont want em to tight so its hard to get out..the trails around here are as technical/rocky as it gets and i became much faster on those trails when i switched

 

[Big Kahuna]

finally got back on the bike today after a months break (Sick, Izzy Sick, Me Sick, Work, XMas). Felt really good, took it easy and cranked out 6 miles before the rain set in.