Ah, yes, another post in the series about bikes (like this one, where I talk about shopping for one): bike pedals. And yes, shoes will be next 😉.
People either first buy shoes they want or have specific pedals in mind, which guides purchase of matching footwear. I am of opinion that pedals should come first, or at least their general type.
Flat bike pedals
These are awesome! I’m not kidding, I’m not a total snob. Flat pedals allow you to easily hop on and off a bike and work with any type of footwear (or lack thereof – I’ve seen people ride without barefoot). You can ride in flipflops (ugh) and I managed to ride in high heels back when I was in highschool.
So here are the basics: flat pedals, like the name suggests, are flat. You can easily get your foot on and off (on the down side: your foot can get knocked off when you hit a bump). They are great for beginners, who are still working on controlling the situation. They are also nice if you don’t want to have to change shoes once you get off the bike.
What are these best for (besides beginners)? Flat pedals are great when you use your bike for leisurely activity or to run errands. This way when you get to the store, you can just leave the bike at the door and walk like a normal person (more on the ‘normal person walk’ below, when we discuss clipless pedals). It’s also great when you bike in places where you stop frequently, such as through a busy city with tons of cross streets. Clipping in and out every few feet can get frustrating!
Toe cages aka clips
No. Just no. I tried it for a while and in retrospect, that was one dumb idea. Yes, my feet were attached to the pedal, so I could exert pulling force on the up movement. Unfortunately, nowhere near as much as if I was clipped in. On the down side, my feet were still trapped and I can now tell you with all certainty that it’s a lot harder to free yourself from a cage than unclip. So no, this is not a great idea.
Some people claim it’s easier to free yourself from these than from clipless. I disagree, so I guess this is ‘agree to disagree’ type of situation. My experience wasn’t good.
Clipless bike pedals
What a misnomer! Toe cages were developed historically first and they were called ‘clips’ because people were clipping into those. So when theses cleats were created, cyclists named them ‘clipless’. Ironically, same cyclists say that they are clipping in when using this type of pedals.
Road bike pedals
In my little corner of the world, these guys are all the rage! They are a great invention. You clip in your shoes and because your feet are stuck, you can exert power on both up and down movements. This translates into higher speeds and more efficiency during a ride.
So why doesn’t everybody use them? Because you are literally attached to your bike, obviously! Clipping in takes some practice, as does unclipping. I read many times ‘once you get used to it, you never forget to unclip’. And:
As I write it, I literally have a mark on my wrist from toppling over at whapping 0 mph a couple of weeks ago. Because yes, I am occasionally stupid. And sometimes you just don’t know when somebody will do something stupid/unexpected and when you are focused on dodging them, you forget to unclip.
But I don’t hold it against the clipless pedals. They really make it easier to ride fast and use variety of muscle groups.
Unfortunately, the cleats in your shoes stick out quite a bit, so if you need to walk anywhere in those, you have a weird duck waddle. It’s fine if you need to make only a couple of steps, but if you need to jump on the train during your commute and take the escalator, this may not be your top choice.
Mountain bike pedals
They are clipless pedals, like road bike pedals, but they are a lot easier to free yourself from. And the cleats in the shoes don’t stick out as much as the other guys, so you can walk around in them. On the down side, they are not quite as efficient as road pedals in transferring force you exert while pedaling.
Who will mountain bike pedals work best for? For one thing, mountain bikers. But they can be a great solution for bike-commuters who still want to be able to clip in and use as much power as they can, while maintaining ability to walk around in their cycling shoes and ease of unclipping for frequent stops.
Hybrid bike pedals
So you’re not sure if you really want to do the whole clipless bike pedals? Or you want option for serious bike rides on the weekends, but still ride in comfy street shoes to the store? If you answered yes to these, then hybrid pedals may be for you! I got them on my first road bike. You have cleats on one side and flat pedals on the other. They are heavier than the other options and can get clunky, but flexibility is awesome!
I hope this helps and I will see you out there! Stay active!