Clipless vs Platform Pedals

[Stefan Mikes]

Watch on YouTube.

I am so fond of the programmes by Bram Hoekstra, a Dutch bike mechanic. This time, he discusses the facts about clipless vs flat pedals. To save you time: the conclusion is clipless pedals only give measurable gain if you sprint on a traditional bike. Otherwise, the chance to crash and break our old bones and hurt our old bodies because of being clipped in is a way higher than with platform pedals and proper cycling shoes.

Unfortunately, the clipless pedals and cleated shoes have become a religion, and you don't discuss with the religion.

When I met one of my close friends for the first time, he happily rode a steel Marin gravel bike with platform pedals and in trainers. Later, he bought a high end carbon gravel bike, and that was a good decision. No doubt he's happy with a lightweight and comfortable bicycle. Unfortunately, he believed the clipless propaganda. "Clipless are more comfortable on long rides" he said. Well, I don't discuss with the religion

Please watch the programme first.

 

[fooferdoggie]

I gave up on them with commuting and always on and off the bike. Walking is fine, though I used to have some Shimano sandals that worked well. I tried the new ones, and it sucked. with these big ass pedals now I can use any shoe for the weather without my feet bending.

XL Catalyst Pedal

Built for bigger feet and a better fit. Designed in response to rider demand, the Catalyst XL delivers the same performance and stability as our flagship pedals—with a slightly larger platform to support size 13+ feet. Featuring an anodized black finish and the longest pedal body on the market...

pedalinginnovations.com

 

[Aushiker]

I had Look pedals on my roadie way back when, but on my touring bike, fat bike, and e-bike, I have flat pedals. The flat pedals are DMR V8 pedals on the touring and e-bike, and on the fat bike, OneUP Composite Pedals [because they came in green )

I still have a pair of SPD shoes but haven't worn them in a long, long time. I have not noticed any disadvantages from the flat pedals but then my riding has changed over time. I do recall the fun and games in group rides, riding the Look 555, having to fight to clip back in and then fighting to keep up with the group. Those were the days

Being able to just put my foot down when I need to is great, and other times the pins do a good job of 'retaining my shoes' to the pedals.

My shoes are Specialized 2FO Roost Flat mountain bike shoes, i.e., designed for use with flat pedals with pins.

 

[DaveMatthews]

I gave up on them with commuting and always on and off the bike. Walking is fine, though I used to have some Shimano sandals that worked well. I tried the new ones, and it sucked. with these big ass pedals now I can use any shoe for the weather without my feet bending.

XL Catalyst Pedal

Built for bigger feet and a better fit. Designed in response to rider demand, the Catalyst XL delivers the same performance and stability as our flagship pedals—with a slightly larger platform to support size 13+ feet. Featuring an anodized black finish and the longest pedal body on the market...

pedalinginnovations.com

No clip for me. Not needed

 

[fooferdoggie]

I remember many years ago riding home in the dark, 20 or so degrees out on my road bike, clipped in, and I unclipped my left foot, and as soon as I did, a gust of wind came out and blew me over on the right.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

My shoes are Specialized 2FO Roost Flat mountain bike shoes, i.e., designed for use with flat pedals with pins.

I own a pair, too. Unfortunately, the internal shape of that shoe does not agree with my foot, so I use them rarely. Now, on the third pair of Adidas Five Ten Freerider Pro. For winter, I wear Endura MT500 Burner Flat Waterproof (the best winter cycling boots I've ever owned!)

 

[Aushiker]

I own a pair, too. Unfortunately, the internal shape of that shoe does not agree with my foot, so I use them rarely. Now, on the third pair of Adidas Five Ten Freerider Pro. For winter, I wear Endura MT500 Burner Flat Waterproof (the best winter cycling boots I've ever owned!)

Those Enduras look pretty serious ... maybe overkill for winter here.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I remember many years ago riding home in the dark, 20 or so degrees out on my road bike, clipped in, and I unclipped my left foot, and as soon as I did, a gust of wind came out and blew me over on the right.

SPD-SL (the road system) are the worst of them all. When I was a complete noob, I bought a pair of "arctic" shoes for winter riding. I could not understand them in the beginning! Once I read some articles, I bought the matching cleats and pedals. Winter shoes, indeed, haha! I almost fell from the slippery stairs in front of my house! Then, I had the first crash, no traffic around. Then I was pedalling in the Aleje, an artery outside Warsaw. There, I seriously crashed; fortunately, the traffic was minimal on that day. I gave up on that system then.

An "easy" model of Shimano SPD "M", the minimum tension of the spring, "easy" cleats were what I could live with. However, I once approached an intersection with a poor visibility of the main road. I rode slowly then violently braked to avoid a collision with an approaching car. Yes, I could unclip my foot barely before falling.

Fortunately for me, someone on EBR mentioned the traction pin platform pedals and the matching shoes. I've standardised on them. Some lady on EBR explained I should mimic the forward-backward movement of my feet on the flat pedals on the acceleration. It worked!

Those Enduras look pretty serious ... maybe overkill for winter here.

Only if the temps are below 7 C or during the frost AND your toes are cold These shoes are windproof and totally waterproof. Hint: These boots are a way smaller than the size suggests.

 

[edobici_forza]

I only skimmed the YT video above...I saw the "AI" tag.
I get along with both SPD MTB pedals and platform pedals. It really depends on the terrain of the ride. I do swap pedal types.
Defaults... Creo: XT SPD pedals, Hakka: XT SPD pedals, XC MTB: RaceFace platform pedals, 10 pins per side.
I've tried many shoes, not the full list, I found Five Ten soles too grippy! Pearl Izumi MTB preferred, Specialized 2FO Roost MTB soles are fine but too narrow.

Other considerations: toe overlap with clipless SPDs. My shoe size is not large... 9.5-10US / 44EU, but I experience toe overlap on my bikes when running larger size tires, which can be tricky on 180° tight trail switchbacks. 55mm tires on the Creo now, with SPDs the pedals.

SPD cleats, the standard SH51 cleats are single direction release/entry. these are fine, but I prefer SH56 which are multi-release, I have one of each on similar Fizik Terra gravel shoes. I have not tried the new MT001 universal release/entry.

I used SPD-SLs for many years on my Lemond road bike. they are good for power transfer, but walking around with the large cleat, is not fun.

In general I've found good platform pedals and good shoes, with flat-ish bottom soles are best, better than hiking shoes/sneakers with large lugged soles, which do not allow easy foot repositioning.

Lastly, the designer in my had to check out these SPD-to-platform adapters from RedShift. They are great for jumping on one of my bikes with SPD pedals, when riding around town or running an errand with my normal shoes, The Shimano adapters work poorly, in comparison.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

.I saw the "AI" tag.

Ouch.
Still, "Bram Hoekstra" videos are exceptionally good.

 

[stompandgo]

Clipless may seem like a religion, but those that swear by them, no matter what type, usually have a good reason to. There's always the bike know-it-all spewing a bunch of crap, they're everywhere, and you can ignore them. I ride clipless because it gives me more power, control, and pedaling efficiency, and not just while sprinting. The more efficient your pedaling stroke is, the farther and harder that you can go with the same amount of fatigue. These kinds of gains are not instantaneous, you have to dial in the fit and get used to pedaling the right way. Once you get to that point, it's hard not to ride without them.

This is all true for an analog bike. E-bikes reduce or eliminate the need for pedaling efficiency. So if you have a throttle bike, or ride slowly on a Class 1 city bike, or you ride an e-MTB for fun, then maybe clipless isn't for you. If you want to do any of those things at higher speed, for longer distance, on more technical terrain, or add power management to your e-bike rides, clipless should definitely be a consideration.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Clipless may seem like a religion, but those that swear by them, no matter what type, usually have a good reason to. There's always the bike know-it-all spewing a bunch of crap, they're everywhere, and you can ignore them. I ride clipless because it gives me more power, control, and pedaling efficiency, and not just while sprinting. The more efficient your pedaling stroke is, the farther and harder that you can go with the same amount of fatigue. There kinds of gains are not instantaneous, you have to dial in the fit and get used to pedaling the right way. Once you get to that point, it's hard not to ride without them.

This is all true for an analog bike. E-bikes reduce or eliminate the need for pedaling efficiency. So if you have a throttle bike, or ride slowly on a Class 1 city bike, or you ride an e-MTB for fun, then maybe clipless isn't for you. If you want to do any of those things at higher speed, for longer distance, on more technical terrain, or add power management to your e-bike rides. clipless should definitely be a consideration.

I'm in the eMTB for fun club.
No need for clipless, but respect for those that love it.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Clipless may seem like a religion, but those that swear by them, no matter what type, usually have a good reason to. There's always the bike know-it-all spewing a bunch of crap, they're everywhere, and you can ignore them. I ride clipless because it gives me more power, control, and pedaling efficiency, and not just while sprinting. The more efficient your pedaling stroke is, the farther and harder that you can go with the same amount of fatigue. There kinds of gains are not instantaneous, you have to dial in the fit and get used to pedaling the right way. Once you get to that point, it's hard not to ride without them.

This is all true for an analog bike. E-bikes

Don't you think Stomp it might pertain to a competing cyclist but not to a weekend warrior? My feeling is all road cyclists wear SPD-SL and most gravel cyclists wear SPD MTB because they feel they belong...

 

[stompandgo]

Well, I raced on Speedplays and currently ride Crank Brothers Candy on both road bikes. I don't give two sh*ts if anyone thinks I'll belong. My legs do the talking.

 

[Aushiker]

Well, I raced on Speedplays and currently ride Crank Brothers Candy on both road bikes. I don't give two sh*ts if anyone thinks I'll belong. My legs do the talking.

Which is your choice, of course... personally, I value the science, so I would be interested in credible analytical papers (decent levels of citation, credible journal, etc). Maybe when the semester is over, I will do some research into the topic out of interest. Need a brain switch.

In the meantime, for me, it is a bit like going to the doctor or hospital; I want my treatment based on science, not 'feelings' or 'my experience' type arguments. Each to their own, of course, but that is my personal take. Maybe the science will help me better understand the benefits or otherwise of going clipless.

 

[stompandgo]

This one popped up with a quick search. I'm sure that there's more if you search deeper. Riders should choose whatever they prefer. Riding is about enjoyment first.

Abstract​

The purpose of this study was to investigate the physiological and mechanical comparisons between clipless and flat pedals. Participants (n=4) completed two at-home 20-minute FTP tests: using clipless and flat pedals using Zwift. The order of conditions were randomized for each participant. Participants used their personal Smart Trainers, clipless pedals, and cycling shoes while flat pedals were provided (Syun-LP, Road Bike Platform Pedals). Power, heart rate and cadence were recorded and used for analysis. All dependent variables were compared using paired t-tests. Power was significantly greater for clipless (226.7 ± 46.2 W) vs. flat (215.2 ± 41.8 W) pedals (p < 0.05). Heart rate was significantly greater for flat (138.5 ± 17.4 bpm) vs. clipless (135.2 ± 18.1 bpm) pedals (p < 0.05). However, cadence was not significantly different between clipless (70 ± 8.7 rpm) vs. flat (71.7 ± 13.3 rpm) pedals (p > 0.05). The greater power when using clipless pedals combined with a lower heart rate is an indication that clipless pedals are preferable to flat pedals.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

clipless (226.7 ± 46.2 W) vs. flat (215.2 ± 41.8 W)
±
clipless min 180.5 W, flat max 257 W.
n = 4.
Zwift.
Did they ride out-of-saddle or sitting all the time?

 

[stompandgo]

Download the thesis and decide for yourself.