Toes clips v's Clip ins.

I see a lot of folks rockin' the toe clips, for me I would have thought clip in pedals would give you more control on a fixed. Is there a practical reason for the cages or is it folks just prefer not to have to wear comedy shoes when they cycle to the pub?!

clipless (clip ins) give you a lot more controll i find, i don't know why people don't use them. BTW there are lots of threads on this and some one will say it so use search.

also i get dibs on slack chain and HTFU, and Arrospoke

clips allow versatility of shoe choice.
clipless allows better comfort over a long ride.
if your clips fit, then the control thing doesnt seem so huge.

Clipless all the way. Clips and straps are the evilness.

I never found toe clips large enough for my feet, the only time I had pedal strike was with clips and straps and mks sylvans.

they ain't really a serious contender IMO.

mtb shoes are fine for pub dancing, like hippy says, be proud to be a cyclist and wear your silly shoes!

i gotta say, in terms of performance clipless is the way to go, yet i have clips and straps. if a was working on my bike or racing i would swap 'em.

rpm.. how big is your cock... err, i mean... what size feet do you have?

massive, bigger than heathrow airport.

oh, size 11.

the clips used to pinch my toes and make them hurt after a while, and I had to fix them outboard of where they were supposed to mount, it's a lot of fucking around and much easier with clipless.

I'd not go back.

clipless, unless you want to sacrifice performance for "coolness" then clips and straps are ESSENTIAL!

heathrow airport has severe problems with its performance.

clipless, unless you want to sacrifice performance for "coolness" then clips and straps are ESSENTIAL!

a cruel and embarrassing truth.

to get the maximum power benefit with clips you need the straps quite tight, but having them that tight makes them harder to enter/exit, and vice versa...

clipless are easy to clip into and out of quickly, and (with mine anyway) there is no tension adjustment, you just clip in and that's it, your feet are held securely.

whereas clips and straps are fiddly to get in and out of. they can be hard to get your feet out of if you suddenly need to take your foot out (or if you suddenly need to get your foot in and start pedalling straight away). the last thing you need at a large and busy roundabout junction is something that fiddly; for example when you've got to accelerate fast from a standstill, to get onto the roundabout while there's still a gap.

obviously if you want to dress normally then clips are better for that. but then you could always carry a lightweight vans-type slipper shoe in your bag to change into when you get to your destination.

massive, bigger than heathrow airport.

oh, size 11.

the clips used to pinch my toes and make them hurt after a while, and I had to fix them outboard of where they were supposed to mount, it's a lot of fucking around and much easier with clipless.

I'd not go back.

was just curious. i pick up my bike in a few days, and it comes with clips... and im a uk 12... not sounding good...

on the other hand, im in Japan, and they sure as hell dont have biking shoes in size 12. so i guess im gonna have to get by..... so mounting them outboard works tho, just alot of effort?

I think you will have problems, to be honest.

depends on the pedal, but I bolted them further out using the slots in the pedal at the sides of the holes that are meant to bolt clips onto.

I've also seen someone on here had some short lengths of tube he'd cut and used with longer bolts to make the clips bigger..

can you not order some shimano spd shoes in a size 12/47?

dont think they are actually made in Japan.. probably Thailand/China... so will get shipped straight to US/UK.... ill ask tho :)

may not be pertinant to your situation, but i ride clips/straps cause clipless scares the fuck out of me when riding brakeless. tried clipless for a bit, came unclipped behind a bus going down pentonville road, wasn't fun at all. never, and i mean NEVER, have i come out of my cages/straps, so back to those it was. oh and i couldn't stand to lose so many scene points. but i do use clipless on me road bike.

When else would I get to wear my Vans!? I hate them, only wear them to be a hipster! ;-)

Used to have spd's on my mtb many years back. I blamed them for starting to give me knee pain/weekness.
Currently run clips 'n' straps. I would like to try clipless again with some eggbeaters, they have more float I think, but i'm too misely.

I'm not winning any style points with my plastic mtb clips (held to my pedals with zip ties and plastic packing webbing) with nylon straps :)

I've riden spd's for years but as i'm about to convert to my first fixed I thought i'd see what folks thoughts were. Think i'm going to stick with 'em but i might be rockin' the helmet for the first few weeks!

Go clipless... I tried straps, powergrips, then ATACs. Clipping in and out has become instinctive now after a couple of weeks. They're great. I don't think it's possible to unclip in them skidding either, because they tighten as you pull up... unless you twist your feet sideways when you pull up... which is just weird :P

i've gone frome eggbeaters to cages and straps and prefer them on my commute. More comfortable and practicle, maybe on a long run i would go back to cleats......

Go clipless... I tried straps, powergrips, then ATACs. Clipping in and out has become instinctive now after a couple of weeks. They're great. I don't think it's possible to unclip in them skidding either, because they tighten as you pull up... unless you twist your feet sideways when you pull up... which is just weird :P

Impossible with ATACs? If so, I may have to invest some money in switching. Popped out of an SPD two days ago while skidding (and then went home an tightened).

From what I see of how they work, when you pull up the two metal prongs tighten. When you twist your foot out sideways the cleat pushes them apart, and then it pops out. So as long as the cleats aren't totally mashed to bits, you're fine.

With ATAC's you can still pop out if the cleat is worn down. My cleats are like a smeared 2p coin on the bottom of my shoes. They still work but I pop out occasionally.

The whole clipless/clip debate is only down to practicality in my opinion. Yea, if you're cycling for performance and racing/training then clipless is practical as you can get out of the pedals easier* and you have a strong power transfer.
If you're just commuting**, going to the pub, shop, whatever, in other words just riding your bike, then clipless or even flats are the most sensible thing as you don't have to carry around spare shoes or walk around in stiff clickity-clackity cycling shoes.
When I was messengering I switched back and forth depending on the season. Summer was nice and warm and not much work to go around so you spend a lot of time hangin out off your bike, that's when the clips and straps come out. Winter is wet, cold and really busy. Clipless it is then, all because it suits the situation...

*easier than super tight leather straps and a cleat securing you to the pedal.
**unless you have to change shoes once you arrive anyways.

Clips on the town bike, clipless on the roadie. Wouldn't go near spd. SL always.

i just got new keo look sprints and diadora shoes for free yesterday