What are the advantages of having clipless pedals on a bike?

Question

I've been riding mountain bikes for awhile and I was wondering if clipless pedals made a big difference. Are they really worth buying or is it better to just stick with regular bike pedals.

Answer 1

Different people take to clipless pedals to varying degrees, and some people just hate them. You'll want to give yourself some time to get used to them, and expect to fall a couple of times. It happens. But if you still hate them don't sweat it.

For those who take to clipless pedals, advantages that people find in them include:

* Getting more power: since the pedal is attached to your foot, you can get power out of the upstroke as well as the downstroke, which some people find tough to do even with clips and with straight platform pedals power on the upstroke is impossible.

* Bunnyhops and other maneuvers: Some find the attachment to the pedal an advantage in mountain riding. They find it easier to make the bike do hops by jumping and pulling the bike up with their legs, and you don't have to worry about "losing" the pedals over rough terrain.

It's worth keeping in mind that there are a variety of different clipless pedal systems, ranging from the relatively compact clips like the Shimano SPD system which was made for mountain biking to the venerable Look pedal system with the huge cleats which are intended primarily for road biking. There are of course many others, each with their own advantages. You should shop around and compare to see what you like.

Answer 2

Ralph answered very thoroughly but I will add that if you're really riding off road, you'll have to learn how to ride with the pedals. It requires an unnatural move to clip out of the pedals, so unless unclipping is second nature, you may not be able to get your leg out if you bail out. I've pulled a groin muscle this way, as well as had some embarrassing falls at 1mph.

For MTB, the simpler the mechanism, the better. Many MTB pedals say they have a mud-clearinng mechanism. You don't want dried mud getting into the mechanism and hindernig your ability to clip in. Also, I'm sure it's not as much a problem for MTB pedals, but due to the nature of the clipless pedal system, the shoes aren't ideal for walking around. MTB SPDs are usually inset and have studs (cleats) on the soles of the shoes, but if you've ever seen road bikers walk around funny, it's b/c the clip mechanism juts out from the bottom of the shoe sole and doesn't allow their full sole to be on the ground.

Answer 3

When peddling, you only use about 30% of the arc for each downstroke. Clipless peddles allow you to power through more of the rotation and also offer a push me pull you action. This gives a smoother pedling action and more power when you need it. People who ride clipless are more likely to make it through that muddy bit, or up that steep hill, because they can bring more power to bear.

A good basic model are Shimano SPD 520s.

Note: Cycle for a week, wearing your new shoes and platforms. In this manner you will get an indent in your soles that can be used as a guide when setting up your cleats.

Luck

Answer 4

two things : 1 your feet never come off the pedals causing you to miss a rotation and not make a climb or obsticle. 2 its easy to pick you bike up when you "hop" an obsticle. All the the better riders have them becuase the are few and far between hills or obsticles they don't "make". If you have to push you bike often you aren't ready for the clip -ins.

Answer 5

You can do bunny hops with little effort . But beware though , once you are clipped in , you can't bail out than when you are not using clipless pedals.