“It’s as easy as riding a bike…… that is, until you can’t get your feet out of the pedals and fall over like an idiot” Let’s take a moment and get a better understanding of all these different types of pedals.
Flat Pedals
It all begins with flat pedals. They’re on tricycles, big wheels, unicycles, kids bikes and even adult bikes. Why go any further? The answer is that you don’t really have to. For the recreational cyclist, they make the most sense. You don’t need special shoes and they make it easy to start and stop without incident.
Toe Clip Pedals
Over time, things evolve, and pedals are no different. “What if you were to attach your feet to the pedals so you could pull up on one pedal while pushing down on the other?” Efficiency! Eureka! Slip your foot into a toe cage, pull the strap tight, and you’re ready to go – that is until you have to stop quick and can’t get a foot out. Plop – over you go! Toe clip pedals were prevalent with competitive cyclists from the 1930’s well into the 80’s, when ski binding manufacturer, “Look” came out with a new technology which took the bicycle enthusiasts by storm.
Clipless Pedals (…that’s right – “clipless”)
Looks new pedal technology allowed you to detach your foot from the pedal at an instant. Soon, dozens of manufacturers came out clipless pedals – each one stating why
theirs is the best. All sorts of bike shoes hit the market as well, which were not only stiff soled for power, but also allowed the shoe cleat to be attached. No matter what clipless system you choose, anyone who rides clipless will tell you, that there definitely is a learning curve. As cautious as you may be, you’re going to fall at least once while mastering the art of snapping your foot out of the pedal. It becomes second nature and a non-issue in a short time. So, why call the pedals “clipless” when you clip in and out of them? Up to the early 80’s, avid cyclists were used to toe clips with straps, and when Look came out with their special shoe, and pedal, the clip was definitely missing, hence the name. Clipless pedals were originated for the road enthusiast, however, the mountain bike scene, which was just getting started in the early 80’s, quickly adopted the technology enjoying the added benefit of keeping your
foot in perfect position on the pedal, especially over the rocky stuff.
Road Clipless (Shimano Ultegra)
Mountain Clipless (Shimano XT “SPD * “)
* “Shimano Pedaling Dynamics”
So there you have it in a nutshell. Oh and did I mention a 4th alternative? For those who want to test the clipless waters, there are pedals which are flat on one side, and have a clipless set-up on the other (Sometimes referred to as Campus pedals). If you’ve ever done a spin class, you’ve seen these pedals, but in the case of a spin bike, you have SPD on one side and toe clips on the other. I’m certain that when spin bikes were developed, flat pedals were quickly dismissed after many a busted shin….. but I digress.
It doesn’t matter how you pedal, and what you pedal with. Just pedal. Get outdoors. Enjoy your bike!